My Brief Attempt At Public Service (New Black Panther Division)

We are back to the New Black Panthers and I am hoping to bring a small grain of reality to the Reality-Based Community.

At The Moderate (yet reliably left-wing) Voice, Kathy Kattenburg is a victim of a successful disinformation campaign.  Her lead:

Dave Weigel has a fascinating post over at The Daily Dish about the Megyn Kelly-Kirsten Powers dust-up over allegations of voter intimidation by members of the New Black Panther Party during the 2008 presidential elections, and supposed attempts by the Obama administration to lighten the case against the Panthers. (In fact, as Adam Serwer documented here, the case was downgraded from criminal to civil on January 7, 2009 — before the newly elected Barack Obama had taken office, and obviously also before Eric Holder became Attorney General.)

"Supposed" lightening?  There is no "supposed" about it.  Hmm, does she realize that after he was busted by many, Adam Serwer (after a couple of tries) admitted that he had been misunderstood or unclear when he utterly mischaracterized the source of right-wing agita?

And over At DKos the Brooklyn Bad Boy is trying to explain the New Black Panther case.  That gets a little bit tricky because, as this commenter explains, they aren't allowed to rely on any right wing news sites for evidence, and most lefty outlets have lowered the Cone of Silence on this.

Consequently, we find the same silliness there:

When the Bush Justice Department decided to drop the case against all but one of the defendants, Adams was silent.

Well, in January 2009 the deadenders in Bush Justice advanced a civil suit; in May 2009, after elements of team Obama were in place and a default judgment had been won, most of the suit was dropped and the rest was cut back.

But why do I bother even offering a correction, being a righty and all?  So as a public service and in the interests of getting lefties up to speed, let me recommend this Think Progress summary.  I would not endorse every word and I have no doubt I would emphasize other facets of the case, but for Ms. Kattenburg and the Brooklyn Bad Boy it will be a real step up from their diet of Media Matters output.

Let me offer further assurance to my friends on the left.  The Think Progress piece has many links.  I can scarcely vouch for all of them, but the ones I checked will be safe for lefties.  C'mon, we are talking Think Progress here - the risk of eyeburn is low, and most of the links should pass the left-approved software filters.

Here is how TP captured the outrage:

"Shortly before President George W. Bush left office, the Justice Department filed a civil lawsuit against the two men, the New Black Panther Party and its leader, Malik Zulu Shabazz," seeking an injunction against "the members of the NBPP from deploying athwart the entry of polling places in future elections." In April 2009, "the division seemed to win the case by default because the New Black Panthers failed to show up in court. But the following month, a longtime Justice official, Loretta King -- who was then the acting head of the division -- decided to reduce the scope of the case," dropping the charges against everyone but Samir Shabazz, against whom they successfully gained an injunction prohibiting him "from displaying a weapon within 100 feet of any Philadelphia polling place through 2012." Since the Justice Department "announced it would not go further in prosecuting the other members of the [NBPP], conservative critics have demanded more action against the group and more answers from the agency."

That should be clear - the key decision to substantially drop an already-won case was in May 2009.  Even Adam Serwer figured it out eventually.

And I know this is not far enough left for everyone's taste but maybe we can turn to the NY Times:

In January 2009, less than two weeks before the Bush administration left office, the civil rights division invoked a rarely used section of the Voting Rights Act to file a civil lawsuit alleging voter intimidation by both men, the party chairman and the party.

In April 2009, the division seemed to win the case by default because the New Black Panthers failed to show up in court. But the following month, a longtime Justice official, Loretta King — who was then the acting head of the division — decided to reduce the scope of the case.

The department dropped the charges against the party, its chairman and the man who was not carrying a club. It pressed forward with the lawsuit against the man with the club, obtaining an injunction that forbids him from carrying a weapon near an open polling place in Philadelphia through 2012.

The case became a cause célèbre in the conservative media world, and the Civil Rights Commission opened an investigation.

Again, the key decision was in May.

I am sure that people will emphasize different facets of this case even if they agree on the underlying facts.  Still, since many of the facts are not in dispute, people ought to be able to agree on them.

That concludes the public service portion of this blog.

I CAN QUIT ANYTIME:

Dave Weigel, who never met a fringe righty he couldn't promote as emblematic of the right wing, wonders why Megyn Kelly is promoting the New Black Panthers.  Well.  I notice this in the concluding paragraph of the Kattenburg excerpt:

When [Congressman] Sherman says he doesn’t know much about the Panther case, the crowd erupts in boos. They’ve been driven to fear and distrust of their DOJ by round-the-clock videos of one racist idiot brandishing a nightstick for a couple hours in 2008.

Does the crowd distrust the DoJ over this one case?  How about the unpopular decision (since deferred) to hold the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial in New York?  How about the unpopular Mirandizing (since arguably vindicated) of the Underpants Bomber?  How about the unpopular lawsuit against Arizona?  (How about some help for tired old Tom, who ought to be able to extend this list in his sleep, but doesn't seem to have woken up?)

If people think we have a politicized DoJ advancing a weird, unpopular lefty agenda, they have more than the New Black Panthers at which to point.

Comments

[narciso the harpoon]

It might be because we know now that King Shamir Shabazz, I feel like we segued back into "Network" with the Great Ahmet Khan and
the Ecumenical Liberation Front, which was
Chavevsky's commentary on Hearst and the SDS, is a genocidal psycho

[Janet]

The WaPo finally gets around to informing their readers about the NBP suit. LUN

dragged kicking and screaming into reality...

[Janet]

and I've just gotta point out this AP story -
University of Texas may remove klansman's name from dorm.

Will this affect West Virginia?...Hahaha
Everything with Byrd's name might need a redo!
THAT will put some people to work for a long time!

[Rob Crawford]

round-the-clock videos of one racist idiot brandishing a nightstick

Which network has been running these videos "round-the-clock"? Have they edited those videos to exclude exculpatory evidence?

Grrrrr....

Lefties need to STFU on race for a while. I'm starting to feel like I did after CNN cut off the Cincinnati police reciting the facts behind the cases that got spun into justifications for the 2001 riots -- facts do not matter to these people, they just want to get their hate on.

[narciso the harpoon]

Perlstein, linked in that bit, (has become) a partisan hack of the first order

[Janesquaredance]

Geez Janet no wonder the left is so ill informed. The WP article omits the fact that DOJ dismissed the case after it was won and leaves out Thernstrom's reasoning as to why the case is small fish - that Justice is about to take control from the states in redistricting in another power grab to jimmyrig the electorate.

But hey, they are only a month late in reporting on it. I guess that is one small favor.

[Barack Obama]

Does the crowd distrust the DoJ over this one case?

I don't, uh, know, uh, not having been there, but, uh, I think it's fair to say that the, uh, American People, uh, acted stupidly.

[Clarice]

don't forget there is testimony that the NAACP lobbied to get the NBP case dismissed.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2010/jul/14/naacp-direct-tie-black-panthers/

[sacramento]

Scary black guys are gonna KILL ALL THE WHITE BABIES!!!!!!! AGHHGHAHAAAAAA!!!!

Conservatives are bed wetting pansies. I'll be waiting for the great Glenn Beck race riots of 2010 after Republicans take the house-- hell, I'll participate! Kill whitey!

You scared yet? Here, "King Shamir Shabazz"!!! Isn't that a scary name, cracker? I'm coming for your women! I loves some tasty white bitches!

[PDinDetroit]

The NAACP represents People Of Color? Great! I must qualify since White, Peach, and Tan are part of the Crayola Crayon Box.

Where do I sign up for all the great benefits?

[Janet]

The title of the WaPo article in the print edition is "Voter-intimidation Case Riles the Right"

only the Right huh? Libs don't care about voter-intimidation?

This line killed me - "...noting that the Black Panthers were standing in front of a majority-black precinct that had voted overwhelmingly for Democrats in previous elections -- not a prime spot for intimidating white voters."

The problem is intimidating ANY voters! Do blacks HAVE to vote for Dems.? I don't really care what that NBP guy wanted...it should be against the law to stand outside a precinct dressed militaristic, carrying a weapon, and intimidating people near the door. Here in Virginia even political SIGNS have to be "so many" feet away from the voting area.

[Rob Crawford]

Like I said, lefties need to STFU about race for a while.

[Rob Crawford]

Libs don't care about voter-intimidation?

They care about it as much as they do vote fraud.

[Rob Crawford]

I don't really care what that NBP guy wanted...it should be against the law to stand outside a precinct dressed militaristic, carrying a weapon, and intimidating people near the door.

See, there you're thinking like someone who wants equality before the law. That's not what lefties want. They want to use the law to put themselves in power, and if that requires a little double-standard now and then, well...

[Gabriel Sutherland]

Perlstein, linked in that bit, (has become) a partisan hack of the first order

True, but to "rational" "former editors of a conservative college newspaper" whatever he writes or says is gospel.

Weigel can dissect the written or spoken words of a conservative, but progressives get a free pass. Oh, but he throws conservatives a bone with a poorly written takedown attempt at Trig Trutherism. The taste of rotten low hanging fruit is bitter.

[Janet]

sacramento, I believe it is leftists like Fergie that are the um...wetting pansies. Just FYI...

[Soylent Obamacare]

They care about it as much as they do vote fraud.

And when they say "care about", they really mean "perpetrate".

[narciso the harpoon]

You know leaving out race for a moment, I was chilled when I thought what that tape of Shabazz reminds me of, and I say only from
the written and the video record, because I didn't see it the first time around, the Manson family, before the Tate/La Bianca murders.

[MayBee]

The hilarious thing about the poorly written Trig Trutherism by Weigel is one excuse he gave Andrew is that nobody really believes Andrew-- whereas lots of Republicans believe the birthers.
Now he's getting letters from Andrew's readers excoriating him for believing Sarah, and today there's a post at the Daily Dish with a link to a rebuttal toe Weigel.

Oh, glorious day.

[Danube of Thought]

I loved watching the inflammatory rant by the felicitously named Ben Jealous, President of the NAACP. Brother, has that organization sunk low.

[Clarice]

This is what happens to many organizations. They arise rather spontaneously, grow, set goals, meet them, and then are taken over by new folks who just want to keep the glory and gravy rolling in by pretending there's still a lot of work left for them to do.

[narciso the harpoon]

You know Danube, when someone compares a group
to 'the Genetic descendant of the White Citizens Council' the humor of that statement
is lost on me, that is remarkably irresponsible language which should be censured at the very least, They'll probably
fail.

Likewise, David Bradley, is really the most vile one of the lot, Encouraging the likes
of Sulllivan, and his renfields like Conor F. (and now Wiegel is just nauseating

[MayBee]

OT (of course)- what are the people on the left side of the communicationsphere up to?
I'm seeing a lot of complaints about Corporate Profits. I know Ezra and Maddow have been railing against the fact that corporate profits are up while unemployment is high.
I consider Ezra, at least, to be the advance person for the Administration. So what is the administration planning?

[Janesquaredance]

I loved watching the inflammatory rant by the felicitously named Ben Jealous

He didn't look black to me. (I guess that is racist under the new rules)

[Janet]

Yeah MayBee, another front page article in the WaPo today is "Companies have the cash, but not the will to hire" LUN

It looks like unemployment will be blamed on businesses.

[narciso the harpoon]

They know every spare cent will be taken up with the raft of taxes they have planned to kick in after January 1st

[MayBee]

Janet - yeah. I figure Obama will at the very least make a speech about it, and then Dodd will try to pass a law that corporations with X profits must hire X employees or pay a higher tax.

[Ignatz]

It is kind of noteworthy that the left, even after the charge has been proven false, still has its panties in a knot over non existant voter intimidation in Florida in 2000, but scoffs at photographic proof of it in 2008 and isn't troubled in the slightest that felons illegally voting helped put the bufoon Franken into the Senate.

[All vocal cord, no cortex.]

Look, sac, we've known all along race baiting isn't victimology, it's naked aggressive hatred. Scream louder, I can't hear you.
=======================

[MayBee]

In Florida 2000, there were tales of a police barricade blocks away from the polling place that supposedly intimidated voters, right?

[See him with an old Indian design tattoo on his forehead.]

I think, narciso, that there is a race baiting parallel of the two mad minds.
===============

[Janesquaredance]

I am so mad a SCott Brown I could spit.

[narciso the harpoon]

"You want to see crazy" One is reminded that Gibson even in his semi-comic roles was too tortured to make it seem like he was acting, Anyways, Len Downie's long awaited novel by him anyways has the a PMC gunning down Post reporters, and a seemingly trustworthy young politico, who succeeds to office, by the same mechanism they pretended was their concern about Sarah, but in the end, she proves to have feet of clay, as much as everybody else.

[narciso the harpoon]

What'd he do now, Jane,

[JM Hanes]

Janet:

"It looks like unemployment will be blamed on businesses."

It looks to me like Obama et al are also laying the groundwork for compelling businesses to pull all that money out of their mattresses. How long before Democrats start attacking them for hoarding windfall profits? And for their unpatriotic refusal to invest in the American economy. Big Biz could be using that stash to create jobs, but they won't, so we will take our fair share of their filthy lucre, and do it for them.

If you haven't been underwriting the Democratic agenda (partnering!), you'll top the list of malefactors, of course.

[MayBee]

Yeah, JMH. That's what I think too.

[JM Hanes]

You beat me to it, MayBee! Not for the first time either.

[Janesquaredance]

He voted for cloture on the financial services socialism bill.

[MayBee]

Are the minority/women quotas still in the bill?

[narciso the harpoon]

Beck was describing the good cop/bad cop in this bill, earlier, just designed to confuzzle
everyone

[Captain Hate]

Jane, I thought he was expected to do that.

[narciso the harpoon]

It still 'toad's the wet sprocket' when it actually happens, meanwhile the Post is busy getting anyone who ever though of aiding us in Iran, killed

[hit and run]

MayBee:
I know Ezra and Maddow have been railing against the fact that corporate profits are up while unemployment is high.

Maddow is employed by GE. Who,despite being on board the green energy bandwagon,still to my knowledge,generates a pretty good chunk of profit.

I hope Maddow sleeps well at night sitting on her filthy lucre while kids are being fed high fructose corn syrup foods -- which Michelle has told them is evil and will make them as fat as Sasha and Malia -- because it's cheaper. Of course they have to scrimp on food because mommy and daddy were lured into purchasing a car they couldn't afford and getting rid of the one that was paid for when Obama told them Cash for Clunkers would not only help stimulate the economy and get daddy a job to replace the one he lost when his employer figured out he couldn't afford to keep him under Obamacare, but that it would help end the tyranny of oil in our time. And the worst part is,since the fall of ACORN,mommy can't fall back on plan b which was to become an underage central american immigrant prostitute (damn conservatives!).

And now Deepwater Horizon. On Obama's watch.

Heart-ache.

Especially if you're Maddow.

[Buford Gooch]

I almost hate to bring it up, but Loretta King seems to have the same pigmentation as the folks in the NBPP. I'm sure that's just coincidence.

[Janesquaredance]

He was expected Capn' but I'm still pissed.

[Porchlight]

Everything with Byrd's name might need a redo!

Janet,

My exact thoughts when I saw that story. So lame.

[Porchlight]

How long before Democrats start attacking them for hoarding windfall profits?

It really does read exactly like Atlas Shrugged, doesn't it?

[Clarice]

Taranto joins the Weigel pile on:

"Weigel has a point here, and his analogy to the Ku Klux Klan is apt. The KKK was once a fearsome terrorist organization; today, the groups that go by the name are part of an insignificant lunatic fringe. In this they are similar to the original Black Panther Party and the New one, respectively.
But the comparison also shows why Weigel is wrong to conflate Fox's having given undeserved attention to the NBPP with the network's coverage of the voter-intimidation case. If the Justice Department dismissed voter-intimidation charges against Klansmen after one of their number appeared at a polling place wearing a hood and sheet and wielding a baton, it would be a major story, and rightly so, regardless of how unimportant the Klan is in the wider contemporary scheme of things.
Further, Weigel's invocation of "minstrelsy" rankles. The headline's reference to "Megyn Kelly's Minstrel Show" seems completely out of place, since neither Kelly nor Powers (nor an unidentified brunette who makes a cameo) is wearing blackface. Now maybe Weigel didn't write the headline and meant only to suggest, as he does in the text, that Shabazz, in the Hannity interview, was acting as a minstrel.
Which reminded us of an April column by the New York Times's Charles Blow, in which he describes a Tea Party rally in Dallas that featured "a black doctor who bashed Democrats for crying racism" and a black comic who "performs skits as 'Zo-bama,' " Blow summed his impressions up this way:
Thursday night I saw a political minstrel show devised for the entertainment of those on the rim of obliviousness and for those engaged in the subterfuge of intolerance. I was not amused.
Liberals have different reasons for wanting to diminish black conservatives and black supremacists. By doing so in both cases using a label, "minstrel," that has implications of black inferiority, they belie their own professed belief in racial equality."

[JM Hanes]

Weigel does seem to have been thrown into the briar patch, doesn't he?

[narciso the harpoon]

Weigel has really descended into the ranks of the people I despise, even though I've never
met him. the mugging with McGuinness, the humoring of that rabidly anti Beck 'biographer' and now descending into Bedlam with Sullivan, it sure is crowded there

[Rob Crawford]

In regards the Blow article mentioned in the bit quoted by Clarice -- I sure would love to see someone call Zo a "minstrel" to his face.

[Ignatz]

--Weigel does seem to have been thrown into the briar patch, doesn't he?--

Perhaps more aptly;

Weigel does seem to have thrown in with the briar patch, doesn't he.

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

Wasn't Jane Hamsher throwing a blackface of Lieberman around during his election contest with Lamont? Not a peep from the NYT, Weigel, Charles Blow, or any of the rest of those clowns. And it was too successful, was it?

[Jim Rhoads a/k/a vjnjagvet]

"wasn't too successful"

[Clarice]

I heart taranto bigtime.

[JM Hanes]

I stand corrected, Ignatz! The Washington Post must feel like they just dodged a bullet, or perhaps more aptly, dodged another bullet, having already shot themselves in the foot.

[Captain Hate]

On the topic of blackface, LUN for a disgusting example of it that was used against Michael Steele in 2005. I found out about this from LGF because that was when the pony-tailed horse's ass who's a horrible musician (I know you're reading this, Charles, like a paranoid douche) still had a functioning cortex. These days LGF is more likely to traffic in this type of garbage.

I felt bad for Steele that he had to endure this type of attack from the idiots on the left but it doesn't change what I think about the poor job he's been doing for the last couple years.

[lancelot]

I will stop drinking water today and will drink whiskey as its better for health.
Paraslim Force