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Right Wing Watch Online
ARCHIVE
October 18, 2001
The Right Responds to the Attacks on America
The Usual Suspects
Limiting American Freedoms
Controlling the Political Debate
Protecting Civil Liberties
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson's recent comments blaming progressive
groups, in part, for the terrorist attacks in New York City and the
Pentagon have been widely condemned by a variety of groups across the
country and across the political spectrum. Though their viewpoint was
repeated by a few Religious Right spokesmen a majority of their
political bedfellows were critical of the intolerant viewpoints
expressed and joined others in rejecting the intolerant message.
In general, the Right's response to September 11th has fallen into one of several
categories; they attacked their favorite villains and supported their favorite causes.
And they joined those they usually oppose in express
ing concerns for the protection of Americans' civil liberties.
Back to top
The Usual Suspects
The Right used the September 11th attacks as an opportunity to bitterly denounce some
of their favorite targets.
The Media
The media was the first target of some right-wing groups who have long held that the
media is part of a liberal agenda.
Former Representative Dan Frisa (R-NY), now a commentator for the right-wing NewsMax,
said: "Even now, in the midst of the most vicious and horrific attack on Americans on
American soil, the leftist media have shown thems
elves not only incapable of supporting the nation, but of actually undermining the
President, with relish." He went on to criticize a New York Times editorial as
"tantamount to a declaration of support for those who murde
red tens of thousands innocent Americans."
President Clinton
Those complaints were followed by attacks on another of the Right's favorite targets:
former President Clinton.
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, Founder of the Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny
(BOND) and a frequent commentator in the right-wing press said:
"As our Commander and Chief, Bill Clinton was a disaster, losing the respect of our
fighting men for his draft dodging, foreign-soil demonstrating behavior; but more
importantly for gutting our military, sending them on d
ubious missions around the globe, softening our forces by the "don't ask, don't tell"
pro-homosexual agenda, and generally allowing morale to fall to an all-time low."
Ret. Gen. Jack Singlaub agreed:
"Clinton policies also feminized the military. The promotion of feminization and
homosexuality not only ruins morale, but to the rest of the world, our enemies look at
that and think we are weak."
Blame the Left
The favorite target by far was "The Left." Falwell and Robertson were by no means the
only voices blaming progressive groups and policies. Several commentators joined their
attack on progressive values in tones that were
even more strident and divisive.
David Yeagley writing in the online newsletter, FrontPageMagazine, published by David
Horowitz wrote:
"President Bush couldn't say the word 'war.' It would have been politically incorrect.
It would have offended the Left, the feminists, the minorities, and Amnesty
International�. Our leaders would rather see us slaughtere
d. That's the way of the Left. Let someone else take the hit, while the lofty Left
preserves its rhetorical righteousness, and prepares to file suit so the enemy gets a
fair elongated trial."
Gary Aldrich of the Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty:
"Excuse me if I absent myself from the national political group-hug that's going on.
You see, I believe the Liberals are largely responsible for much of what happened
Tuesday, and may God forgive them. My job and the job
of all Conservatives now is to keep Liberals out of power as long as humanly possible.
Our country is not safe when Liberals are in power. How much more evidence do we need?"
Rabbi Yehuda Levin concurred with Falwell and Robertson:
"This has come on the heels of an outrageous conference that was attended by almost
all members of the civilized world in Durbin. There was violence, anti- semitism, and
anti-Americanism shown, and we now see this next st
ep. I wonder if there is some kind of a spiritual connection between these things."
Back to top
Limiting American Freedoms
Several groups such as the Family Research Council and the Institute for Justice
echoed the Bush Administration's call for tolerance toward Arab-Americans and Muslims.
Others expressed their anger toward terrorists with c
alls for reprisals. And some groups attempted to ward off questions about future
actions by criticizing those who raised their voice to dissent.
Attacks on Islam and Arabs
Right-wing columnist Don Feder:
"We must understand the nature of the conflict. A creed that uses God to justify its
horrors deserves to be treated like any other criminal enterprise. There is no United
Methodist Jihad. Suicide bombers don't quote the T
almud. Unbelievers aren't converted to Mormonism by the sword�.What is to be done?
Wherever Islam seeks to advance by force, it must be resisted. Wherever Christians,
Jews or Hindus are threatened - in Africa, Israel, the
Balkans, the Kashmir, East Asia - they must be supported. After almost 1,000 years,
the Crusades have resumed. But now it's the West that's besieged."
Columnist Mona Charen:
"�It would be foolish to permit 'sensitivity' or a exaggerated worry about giving
offense to inhibit authorities from tracking suspected terrorists. Let's not pretend
that "ethnic profiling" is out of the question. It is
absolutely necessary� "While we cannot and must not fight a religious war against
Islam, we do have to take seriously the ideology of Islamism. Only a population
thoroughly indoctrinated with hate could yield suicide bomb
ers with the ferocity of those we have recently suffered."
Columnist Ann Coulter, who appears to have reached a new low for intolerant rhetoric,
said:
"Airports scrupulously apply the same laughably ineffective airport harassment to Suzy
Chapstick as to Muslim hijackers. It is preposterous to assume every passenger is a
potential crazed homicidal maniac. We know who the
homicidal maniacs are. They are the ones cheering and dancing right now. We should
invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
In fact, Coulter's statement was so outrageous that the right-wing National Review
fired her.
Attacks on Dissent
And a special scorn was reserved for those who dared raise any dissent or question a
policy. Columnist Andrew Sullivan:
"The middle part of the country - the great red zone that voted for Bush - is clearly
ready for war. The decadent Left in its enclaves on the coasts is not dead - and may
well mount what amounts to a fifth column."
National Review Online started a "Kumbaya Watch" to ridicule those who refused to rush
headlong into war. The almost daily column, which has criticized both individuals and
entire publications, calls its Watch the "latest
in anti-American commentary from the Left."
The Heritage Foundation sent out an e-mail fundraising appeal that blasted both media
outlets and educators who have said "bizarre" and "shocking" things in the wake of the
terrorist attacks. Among the targets are: CNN, f
or requiring that those suspected of the attacks be referred to as "alleged" or
"accused," local school officials who have restricted placement of "God Bless America"
signs, and a variety of academics who were critical of
U.S. foreign policy. The letter equates those who hold contrary views with "those who
want to destroy our liberty and freedom."
Back to top
Controlling the Political Debate
Efforts to focus on recovering from the September attacks and to prepare the country
for war didn't stop several groups who urged their fellow activists to use the
opportunity that presented itself. Many groups saw the ne
w-found bipartisanship on Capitol Hill as an opportunity to stop legislation they
opposed. At the same time, others saw the unified Congress as an opening to push
through a right wing agenda that a majority of Americans w
ould have opposed.
The editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, a publication widely read by right-wing
activists, expressed for many the opportunity that some now see. Calling for quick
presidential action on a range of items including d
efense spending, drilling for oil in Alaska, and quick confirmation of nominees,
including judicial nominees, the paper said:
"In the wake of last week's terror attacks, most Americans are putting their trust in
President Bush and want him to succeed. This gives him an historic opportunity to
assert his leadership, not just on security and forei
gn policy but across the board."
For many, last month's horrible events provided a justification for their ongoing
efforts to promote their agenda. In fact, many seemed to feel that if we had only
listened earlier, the attacks could have been prevented.
Missile Defense
The Heritage Foundation released a backgrounder offering a defense agenda for the 21st
Century. The first item on the agenda: "Accelerating development and deployment of
ballistic missile defenses."
Christian Josi of the American Conservative Union echoed those feelings saying, "For
logical people, the attacks will serve as a wake-up call on the missile defense issue."
Anti-Gun Control
Commentator Duncan Maxwell Anderson:
"No police force or army can protect people who have emasculated themselves of all
weapons. Order cannot survive where men in particular have given up the idea that it
is right and good that they be equipped to stand up f
or themselves and protect the innocent."
On the other hand, Pat Robertson's CBN News alerted activists to progressive
legislation:
"Despite calls for unity and bipartisanship by most members of Congress, there is a
growing concern in some corners of Capitol Hill that some liberal lobby groups are
still pushing their agenda. And conservatives, concern
ed with maintaining a posture of national unity, seem unwilling to object." CBN quoted
an unnamed Congress staffer who says, "But some members and interest groups are taking
advantage of the situation and the focus of Con
gress and most Americans on the tragedy to push legislation that would never pass
under normal circumstances."
ENDA
Efforts to reintroduce the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) giving gays and
lesbians protection against employment discrimination were met by an outcry from the
Right that seemed to question the patriotism of thos
e who supported the legislation.
Bob Knight of Concerned Women for America: "While the nation mourns and prepares for
war, homosexual activists and their allies are trying to capitalize by jamming through
their agenda.
Hate Crimes
Efforts to pas federal hate crimes legislation that included gays and lesbians were
also denounced: "Senator Kennedy is trying to move an essentially homosexual agenda on
the backs of American Muslims," said Michael Schwa
rtz, vice president of government relations for Concerned Women for America.
Back to top
Protecting Civil Liberties
But on the issue of civil liberties and American freedoms, many on the Right added
their voice to others across the political spectrum to warn about the danger in some
of the calls to sacrifice privacy and some of the lib
erties we enjoy.
The American Conservative Union's David Keene cautioned:
"We must be careful lest a few Muslim extremists manage to do what neither Hitler nor
Stalin could accomplish by convincing us that we must sacrifice our liberty, privacy
and freedom of movement for a greater measure of s
ecurity. If we do this, we will have lost the struggle just as it is beginning because
we will have surrendered the essence of America in the probably vain hope that by so
doing we can preserve the trappings of the greate
st nation in human history."
Paul Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation started gathering petitions to send to the
President urging that their efforts "reconcile the requirements of security with the
demands of liberty."
The Institute for Justice's Clint Bolick said:
"It would be easier if government could monitor our conversations and activities, or
could stop or segregate those whose skin color or religious beliefs resemble the
terrorists.' It is tempting to trade freedom for securi
ty. But to do so sacrifices both. For the freedoms we have not only make America a
moral exemplar but provide us with the wealth and means to effective combat terrorism."
Back to top
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