Down the Rabbit Hole (Again)

How did we know this was coming? Are we prophets? Or are we just able to put 2 & 2 together to make 4?

Remember the fine folks at Heritage? After several Republicans accused them of cooking the books to derail Congressional momentum for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR), Heritage stood by the work of Jason Richwine... Even as reporters uncovered "research" he wrote suggesting Latin@s have lower IQs than white people. Even though Heritage ultimately quietly released him, it still stood by the findings of that epically flawed "research" on CIR.

And now, Heritage is actually soliciting state government funds for anti-immigrant militia outfits. Oh, yes. That's right. Heritage is demanding wingnut welfare taxpayer dollars for these people.



Of course, this makes perfect sense to Heritage, as it's also advocating the murder of pro-CIR Republicans.



So now, Heritage is swimming in the same cesspool as Shawna Forde and JT Ready. Heritage is endorsing their brand of "securing the border" while calling for taxpayer dollars to be siphoned over to the likes of Jim Gilchrist and the Arizona Militia. So this is what Heritage and its G-O-TEA cheerleaders now call "immigration reform"?



Who are they kidding? The US Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Cliven Bundy and his Patriot Movement BFFs have encouraged even more violent activity from anti-government extremists. And Heritage now says it's a great idea for state governments to fund these very anti-government militia outfits?

How did we know this was coming? Heritage jumped down the rabbit hole long ago. As of late, Heritage has been succeeding in taking most of the Republican Party down with it. And they all seem hell-bent on repeating the very same mistake they made when they rushed to endorse Cliven Bundy's "Range War" in April. When will they ever learn?

Worst Kept Secret

Last week, a G-O-TEA Member of Congress told us a secret. No really, he went on live national TV and told everyone the secret. And even though this secret was never well kept to begin with, party bosses were embarrassed.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) seemed to think he landed the perfect attack against President Obama with his "War on Whites" tirade. Instead, he revealed to all of America why Republican "leaders" abandoned comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) after 18 months of duplicitous promises and 12 months of letting a bipartisan Senate CIR bill die a rather ignominious death in some darkened corner of a House committee room.

In recent weeks, we've been digging deep into the anti-immigrant movement and how it's influencing federal immigration policy. While John Tanton, Jim Gilchrist, William Gheen, and the late Barbara Coe have never served in Congress, their presence on Capitol Hill looms large. Over the years, they've squeezed their hate into political juice. And in turn, they've twice succeeded in killing CIR in Congress (first in 2006, and again now).

Oh, and speaking of Jim Gilchrist, he made a big splash on the brand new Newsmax TV network last week. Since Newsmax TV strives to be "Fox News" on steroids, cocaine, LSD, and Ecstasy all rolled into one, Gikchrist must have figured this would be a very friendly interview. But when Newsmax's Ed Berliner asked Gilchrist about Shawna Forde, Chris Simcox, and other unsavory moments in Minuteman history, Gilchrist clammed up.



So why are we talking about Gilchrist and his magnificent militia fantasies again? And why are we talking about the criminal record of his past close associates again?

See above. Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) just wrote an op-ed for WorldNetDaily (which is on par with Newsmax in the bats--t crazy department, yet incredibly "respected" on Capitol Hill) demanding "we should all stock our ammunition shelves and join a militia" if President Obama isn't impeached. Meanwhile in Fox-land, G-O-TEA media spinners have been trying to turn an ex-Marine on trial in Mexico for gun smuggling charges into the new Cliven Bundy. And Former G-O-TEA Presidential Candidate (& current CNN pundit) Newt Gingrich went on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday to claim "Venezuelan Style, Anything I Want Is Legal Presidency" is somehow right around the corner if President Obama takes any further executive action on immigration.



G-O-TEA Congresscritters and their favorite media pundits have been taking queues from the anti-immigrant movement for years. They blocked CIR. They're threatening legal action against the President for taking any executive action on the issue. And they've been engaging in the most toxic fearmongering imaginable.

So is it any suprise that radical right militia activity is on the rise (again)? This may very well be the worst kept secret in DC. Words have consequences, and actions have even more consequences. And it's time to completely rip the lid off this poorly kept secret.

"Age Old Battles Between Good & Evil"

Last week, House Republican "leaders" flipped and flopped and flailed. And ultimately, they completely fell to pieces before they finally capitulated to their most extreme elements in order to "pass something". And of course, that "something" they passed last Friday was nothing but a 21st Century Know Nothing wet dream.

Yet while House Republican "leaders" were flailing on Capitol Hill, Patriot Movement militia outfits were regeouping. After failing to build a critical mass at the US-Mexico Border early last month, they're now mobilizing in Texas. They're wearing camouflage and carrying assault weapons. Some are wearing masks. And a one Texas militia chief spokesman actually recommended making death threats at the border.

So are we now supposed to call this "border security"? Cliven Bundy seems to think so. And that's not all. The "outlaw cowboy" and self-proclaimed "Constitutional law expert" now claims his own "Range War" against the rule of law is actually an "age old battle between good and evil".

Oh really, Cliven? Violent militia "range wars" are actually "age old battles between good and evil"? Is this how we're supposed to describe the "revolution" that #BundyRanch guerilla warriors Jerad & Amanda Miller brought to Las Vegas in June?





"Age old battles between good and evil"... Is that how we're supposed to describe Shawna Forde and her cohorts opening fire on a Southern Arizona family and murdering an innocent girl & her father?



"Age old battles between good and evil"... Like the one JT Ready fought against an innocent Phoenix area family?



"Age old battles between good and evil"... So this is the new Patriot Movement call to arms? Do they even realize what they're implicitly admitting? Do they realize what Cliven Bundy just revealed to us?

And do the "TEA" powered politicians & "TEA" flavored media pundits realize they're (again) encouraging some rather dangerous behavior with their incendiary rhetoric? "War on whites"? Rape? Ebola? World War II? Really?

And House Speaker John Boehner (R-Craven) wonders why his caucus has gone off the deep end?

The Ugliest FAIL

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed its most counterproductive legislation... In the past 3+ years of passing hardly anything. Last night, the House voted to impeach sue President Obama for engaging in oral sex Arkansas real estate Benghazi IRS Bergdahl climate action workplace equality Obamacare.

Congress will adjourn for August recess tonight. And despite Congressional Republican "leaders" huffing and puffing over "border security" earlier this month, they may ultimately leave Capitol Hill tonight with no bill passed. No really, they can't even settle on a border bill.

As usual, Congressional Republican "leaders" can't even lead their own flock to water when they're all thirsty as f**k. And as usual, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Courvoisier) can't even muster enough support for his own bill. So after stripping provisions to actually deal with the #BorderChildren problem and instead larding it up with deport DREAMers drivel, Speaker Boehner tried this last ditch effort to improve his party's "optics" while saving his own behind from overly ambitious G-O-TEA politicians on the other side of Capitol Hill... And the 21st Century Know Nothings those overly ambitious politicians are pandering to.

Hell, even the ammosexuals are now jumping into the fray.



No, wait, scratch that. Ammosexuals have already been in the fray for some time. Cliven Bundy has already given his official seal of approval to the renewed "Patriot Movement" anti-immigrant campaign. And long time anti-immigrant militia leader Jim Gilchrist now suggests it may be time to "fight lawlessness with lawlessness" as he sympathizes with someone who wants to stuff refugee children into gas chambers.

No wonder why Reps. Steve King (R-Looney Tunes) & Michele Bachmann (R-Bats**t Crazy) were trying to out-crazy each other on WorldNetDaily.



And no wonder why "Basic Plumbing Lessons" Louie Gohmert (R-Idiot) felt the urge to turn up the crazy (and add more stupid to the mix). It's #BundyRanch all over again. And this time, they're fighting a "Range War" against children.

Remember when we warned you about the likes of Gilchrist and the Arizona State Militia? They're definitely back. And they're as dangerous as ever.



Now that Congressional G-O-TEA "leaders" have abandoned even the "optics" of basic governance while embracing radical rhetoric, they're inviting even more militia madness to the border. And what makes this situation even more frightening is that they don't seem to care. They don't seem to care that they're (once again) flirting with dangerous extremists who are willing to murder to "start the revolution".

Congress had the chance to properly handle this border situation. And really, Congress had the chance to pass comprehensive immigration reform to address the overall issue. But no, Speaker John Boehner didn't want to deal with reality. He preferred cheap political games instead.

Speaker Boehner can blame President Obama, Senator Harry Reid (D), and whoever else he wants, but he can't change the fact that he's letting his caucus leave for August recess without passing any kind of helpful immigration legislation. He can't change the fact that he's allowed members of his caucus to parrot misinformation direct from hate groups. And he can't change the fact that he's allowing his party to (again) encourage militia violence.

This may very yet be the ugliest FAIL we've seen emerge from this Congress.

Careful What You Wish For

Is this truly a surprise? No, it really isn't. He was already positioning himself for this earlier in the year.

Rep. Joe Heck (R-Flip-flop) released a video yesterday blaming President Obama for #BorderChildren. Even though Congress passed and then President George W. Bush (R) signed overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation in 2002 and 2008 to ensure due process and proper humanitarian assistance for refugee children, Rep. Heck and his fellow G-O-TEA Culture Warriors on Capitol Hill now want to impeach "punish" President Obama for carrying out current federal law.

Oh, and of course, they want to "punish" the President for the way he's currently enforcing federal law. But why's that? Isn't this what they want? Nope, they actually want to please Laura Ingraham and her army of 21st Century Know Nothings with their "Border-line Grandstanding".



Early this month, President Obama proposed an emergency aid package to address the Central American refugee crisis. He's also offered to work with Congressional Republicans on whatever configuration of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) that they're willing to consider. Republican "leaders" on Capitol Hill never took up the President's CIR offers, and they're even refusing to address the current refugee issue.

Just as Rep. Joe Heck flip-flopped on CIR (again) when he saw an opportunity to fundraise, Congressional Republican "leaders" now see any & all immigration related issues as "political issues" ripe to exploit for partisan gain.

This comes as no surprise to us. We could smell the pandering from miles away. And we're not the only ones who can smell their impeachment games from just about anywhere.

G-O-TEA politicians just need to be careful what they wish for... Because they themselves are wishing it into reality. And the more they wish and hope and pray for Deport-o-mania and Impeachapalooza, the more they're inviting blowback they'll later regret encouraging.

Deja Vu, Bundy

And like this, he's back. After a string of embarrassing incidents, such as losing control of his own organization and watching one of his top lieutenants go on trial for murder, Jim Gilchrist wants a comeback.

And not only does he want a comeback, but he also wants thousands of "volunteers" to return to the US-Mexico Border with him. He's launching "Operation Normandy" with hopes of gathering at least 3,500 people to join him at the border. Oh yes, and he claims he wants everyone on good behavior.



Good luck with that. We haven't forgotten the "good behavior" of Shawna Forde and JT Ready. Has Gilchrist?

We doubt Cliven Bundy has. He rode to fame on the backs of the "Patriot Movement". And even after the cable "news" cameras and national newspaper reporters left Bunkerville, Cliven Bundy and his gang of "outlaw cowboys" have continued their "Range War" against the rule of law.

We can understand why G-O-TEA politicians want to forget the armed madness that the Bundy Gang wreaked upon the Virgin Valley earlier this year. It's embarrassing. It's revolting. And it certainly doesn't make for "good optics" during an election year.

However, it's not a good idea for us to forget. It's not a good idea for us to forget the great Bundy folly. It's not a good idea for us to forget Jerad & Amanda Miller. It's not a good idea for us to forget Brent Douglas Cole. It's not a good idea for us to forget Shawna Forde & JT Ready. And it's not a good idea for us to forget the dangerous ideology of hate that encourages all this dangerous, violent behavior.




Oh, and it would be nice if more of those "TEA" fueled media pundits who stoked the flames of #BundyRanch remember the folly of what they did a mere 3 months ago... Because they're doing it again.

How About Those "Family Values"

It's something they always talk about. It's something they want us to believe they care about. So why does it all too often seem like they don't really give a flying f--k about it?

Of course, we're talking about the G-O-TEA's relationship with "family values". Even as "TEA" flavored politicians have boasted about their "pro-family record", they've stood by and allowed millions of American families to be ripped apart. And on top of that, they want to rip apart many millions more American families.

And now, they're targeting children. Oh, yes. That's right. The alleged "pro-life party" is now speaking of refugee children as if they're a horde of terrorists and/or walking diseases.

In recent days, we've been investigating the source of all this vitriol that's now being directed at Central American migrant children. John Tanton and the late Barbara Coe essentially planted the seeds of this hate with their rabidly xenophobic campaign against immigrants. Jim Gilchrist then took fueled this hate and powered it up to a whole new level when he launched the Minutemen Project. He also furthered the ambitions of Shawna Forde, JT Ready, and a number of neo-Nazi radicals.

Jim Gilchrist is now seeking to take advantage of the current refugee crisis by relaunching Minutemen militia patrols along the US-Mexico Border. And now, he has the official seal of approval from Cliven Bundy and the "Patriot Movement".

They're going after families. They're going after children. And they're pointing guns at people because "measles" and "prayer rugs".

Earlier this year, some Republican Members of Congress (cough- Joe Heck- cough) tried hard to have it both ways on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Now, they're not even trying to sound "pro-reform". They're not just turning hard against CIR. They're now pandering to those who want to point guns at refugee children and impeach President Obama for actually enforcing the law on handling these refugee children.

It's something they always want to talk about... But what are they actually doing? What do they want to do to millions of American families? And what are they aiming to do to the children coming here seeking a better life? And we're supposed to believe they're "the family values party"?

Bundy's Box

There's a reason why we've been talking about it. It's something we should really take seriously.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has just released a new report, War in the West, detailing why. When Jerad & Amanda Miller opened fire at a CiCi's Pizza and a Walmart in the Northeast Las Vegas Valley last month, we knew it didn't come from nowhere. When they proclaimed their murderous rampage the "start of the revolution", we could sense exactly where this came from.

In April, Cliven Bundy declared his "Range War" against federal law. And once he declared war, he summoned "Patriot Movement"/"sovereign citizens" from across the nation to help him fight this "Range War". Yet when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) warned of the dangers of the escalating armed conflict in & around Bunkerville, plenty of politicians & pundits (especially those of the "TEA" tinged variety) condemned Senator Reid for his "poor choice of words".



While "TEA" flavored politicians and pundits were attacking Senator Reid for refusing to mince words, Jerad & Amanda Miller wanted to spread the #BundyRanch "revolution" elsewhere. They shared the same extreme anti-government ideology as the Bundy family. Yet unlike the Bundys, the Millers weren't afraid of spreading the "revolution" into Las Vegas. So they walked into a pizza place and opened fire on 2 Metro Police Officers.



They weren't alone in their "revolutionary" fervor. Even before #BundyRanch dominated cable TV in April, radical right militia groups were on the rise. The "Patriot Movement" has roots going all the way back to resistance to post Civil War Reconstruction in the 1870s. The "Posse Comitatus" movement sprang from the ashes of that resistance nearly 100 years later, after the contemporary civil rights movement scored key legislative and judicial victories. And in 1995, this movement seemed to reach its pinnacle when Timothy McVeigh and his "Patriot" cohorts bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

But after the onset of "The Great Recession" and the first election of President Obama in 2008, the "Patriot Movement" and other anti-government militia groups made a major comeback. And while the "Patriot Movement" has "rebranded" itself in recent years, it hasn't actually strayed from its xenophobic roots.



Just take a look at the current revitalization of the anti-immigrant militia movement. They're trying to take advantage of the Central American refugee crisis and claim this "invasion" is grounds for "war". Last week, Jim Gilchrist called for the revival of the very Minutemen Project that spawned the likes of Shawna Forde & JT Ready. And now, several "Patriot Movement" leaders are calling for armed patrols of the US-Mexico Border.



While their "call to arms" in South Texas has gone mostly unheeded as of late, this may only be the calm before the storm. After all, it looked like #BundyRanch quieted down in late April. Many didn't realize the "Range War" was only the beginning.

When a number of G-O-TEA politicians and media personalities rallied around Cliven Bundy and his "Range War", they either didn't realize or didn't care to acknowledge that they were endorsing something awfully frightening. And when the Bundy family decided to bring these "Patriot Movement" acolytes into Southern Nevada, they didn't care to think about the danger they were importing here and the extreme ideology of violence they were embracing.

Like Pandora, they have opened this box full of evil. That's the reason why we continue to talk about it. This is something we must take seriously.

Full Circle of Hate

Already, it's gone from a humanitarian crisis to a political football. And now, the usual G-O-TEA suspects want to make #Murrieta into their new rallying cry.

Just keep in mind that this didn't start with the Murrieta bus blockade. This didn't even start with the growing media attention to the Central American migrant children. No, the 21st Century Know Nothings have been around for some time. And they've been making the same arguments against scores of immigrants that they're now using against the migrant children.

In Murrieta last week, the Mayor and anti-immigrant protesters were claiming fear of "diseases". This didn't come from nowhere. For many years, the Federation for American Immigration Rwform (FAIR), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), and Numbers USA have been spreading their signature message of hate. And it's no coincidence that they're all so eerily on message like this. They can all trace their origins to one John Tanton, a well known racist/white supremacist who's been attacking communities of color since 1969.

During the early years of Tanton's anti-immigrant advocacy, he operated in the dark shadows of American politics. But in 1994, one Barbara Coe launched a campaign that would forever transform California and American politics. In 1994, Coe launched both the California Coalition for Immigration Reform and the campaign for Proposition 187. Suddenly, John Tanton's radical xenophobic "philosophy" was making national headlines and California public policy.



That's because Prop 187 passed in November 1994. But soon after it was passed, it was halted in federal court and later invalidated. Barbara Coe would then go on to embrace "fringe of the fringe" conspiracy theory powered extremism (Hello, Orly Taitz!) before she passed away last September. And as a result of the California Republican Party's then unapologetic support of Prop 187, it's becoming increasingly irrelevant in the multicultural California of today.

Yet even though Prop 187 and its #1 cheerleader have met their demise, their legacy lives on. Barbara Coe essentially launched Jim Gilchrist's political career. Jim Gilchrist encouraged the "unique brand of activism" pushed by Shawna Forde. And the anti-immigrant movement built by the likes of Tanton, Coe, & Gilchrist encouraged Sharron Angle to shock Nevada & the nation with her incredibly xenophobic US Senate campaign.



Oh, and John Tanton hasn't gone anywhere. In fact, Tanton's network of anti-immigrant outfits succeeded in convincing most Congressional Republicans (and even a few conservative Democrats as well) in 2006 to kill a comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) proposal that then President George W. Bush championed. And John Tanton's network has deep ties to the Minutemen movement that Jim Gilchrist founded.

Even Gilchrist himself later admitted that his Minutemen movement attracted a number of fringe characters. Those fringe characters include neo-Nazis, white nationalists, and convicted murderers J.T. Ready & Shawna Forde.

The Minutemen movement has also "graduated" "movement leaders" like Connie Foust. She had been part of the Minutemen vigilante patrols along the Arizona Border. But now, she's in charge of the Virgin Valley TEA Party. And earlier this year, her Virgin Valley TEA Party rallied hard behind Cliven Bundy and his radical right militia fueled "Range War" against federal law.



Is it really any surprise that Cliven Bundy is now endorsing the Murrieta bus blockade? Both have been merrily endorsed by Fox "News". Both have embraced dangerous extremists and their radical anti-government ideology. Both are angling for an epic political comeback. And both celebrate extreme xenophobia.

Now, the full circle of hate is complete.

They Broke the Law

He broke the law. It was obvious to many that he broke the law. Yet somehow, he amassed his own militia to fight a "Range War". And at one point, he became a media darling celebrated by "TEA" powered pundits & politicians across the nation.

Cliven Bundy exploded onto the national media stage with his outrageous views on Constitutional law, community relations, and civil rights. He even convinced a bunch of G-O-TEA politicians to stand with him in urging law enforcement agencies to stop enforcing the law.

After about 3 weeks of bumbling around this issue, outgoing Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie (R) has finally admitted that Cliven Bundy needs to be "held accountable" for breaking the law. We can only wonder if the murder of Metro Police Officers Alyn Beck & Igor Soldo (along with civilian Joseph Robert Wilcox) by two #BundyRanch "super fans" has finally registered with him.

In recent weeks, we've been digging deep into the dark side of the "Patriot Movement" that its allegedly "mainstream" "TEA" tinged allies prefer that we not notice. And in doing so, we've been reminded of the lurid story of Jim Gilchrist and Shawna Forde. Jim Gilchrist was once a Congressional candidate in Orange County, California, who managed to turn a long-shot local campaign into a national movement. And Shawna Forde ultimately became his right-hand woman on the Arizona Border after raising hell in Washington State. Gilchrist, Forde, and their army of Minutemen ultimately succeeded in killing comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in 2006.



But when Shawna Forde was arrested in 2009 for the murder of Raul & Brisenia Flores, Gilchrist suddenly denied his extensive working relationship with Forde. He even later embarked on a "rebranding campaign". After all, how better to respond to evidence of encouraging criminal behavior than to "rebrand" oneself as a "kinder, gentler anti-immigrant demagogue"?



Jim Gilchrist is back. In the wake of the Murrieta bus blockade, Gilchrist has declared his interest in restarting Minutemen vigilante patrols along the entire US Border. And already, some "TEA" powered activists are vowing to start patrolling South Texas.

Ironically, anti-immigrant extremists claim they just want to "enforce the law". But as the Obama Administration is taking action to enforce current law regarding these Central American migrant children, the 21st Century Know Nothings are now breaking the law... And encouraging violent "revolution"?

When & where have we heard this before? Would Sheriff Gillespie like to explain? Would Cliven Bundy like to discuss this? Would the residents of Bunkerville & Mesquite like to chime in? Perhaps we should also extend the invitation to the families of Officers Beck & Soldo?



They broke the law. It's becoming increasingly obvious to many that they broke the law. Ironically, they're crying about "enforcing the law" while they're breaking the law... And threatening even more violent & illegal activities.

("TEA" flavored) Politicians who are rushing to celebrate the Murrieta bus blockade and encourage even more of these activities need to think twice before going any further down this path. After all, they claim to care so much about "enforcing the law".