PRAYING FOR AMERICAN GUILT

Can there be anything less appealing than the posturing hoard of bogus experts stumbling over themselves over Mondays blast?  Particularly nauseating are the "Hate Group" experts insinuating guilt for the umpteenth time to everyone to the right of themselves.  The Southern Poverty Law Center ($PLC) has been joined by something called The Center for Hate and Extremism, a one man shop associated with California State University, San Beradino.  The Center, which consists of one Brian Levin, former civil rights lawyer now Professor and formerly with the $PLC who claims expertise on all things hate.  It has no staff that can be identified and appears to do no original research beyond compiling lists of all things hateful and Levin's copious testimonies, opinions etc.  There are several other academics who purport to study hate groups, sites and personalities.

Given that these characters and organizations rely on the perception of a vast right-wing conspiracy for their funding and visibility, it's not surprising that they flock to every bombing like vultures to roadkill.  The amazing thing is that with the exception of the Oklahoma bombing, they have been consistently wrong.  Yet they are called back over and over to alert us to the menace of right-wing crazies at our throats. So we must ask, is their continued presence on our TV screens a reflection of the reality of terror in America, or a reflection of the prejudices of the journalists and corporate executives?

No one knows who killed and maimed those people in Boston.  There is a chance that some disgruntled rightist did it.  If so, it will be the first such since Oklahoma city. It's disgusting that $PLC's Mark Potok and professor Levin are at this moment hoping that a fellow American killed and maimed people in Boston.  In the end that 's how they make their livings.