By David Futrelle
Three white supremacists have been charged with attempted murder after one of them fired at a group of antifascist counterprotesters after a speech by neo-Nazi celebrity Richard Spencer at the University of Florida in Gaineville yesterday.
The Miami Herald reports:
Just before 5:30 p.m., just as protesters outside Spencer’s speech at UF’s Phillips Center were wrapping up, Gainesville police said the trio started heckling some anti-Spencer protesters with Hitler chants, Nazi salutes and threats. At one point, cops said, convicted felon Tenbrink pulled out a gun and the brothers encouraged him to use it.
He fired a single shot that missed the group, police said, then sped off in a silver Jeep. An off-duty Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted the car 20 miles out of town around 9 p.m. and arrested the group. The Fears brothers are held on million dollar bonds in the Alachua County jail. Tenbrink’s is $3 million.
Surprise, surprise: Two of the three were amongst the alleged “very fine people” marching with their fellow white supremacists in Charlottesville.
Tenbrink, 28, and William Fears, 30, were spotted at Charlottesville, the site of the largest white nationalist gathering in years that erupted in violence. Fears identifies himself on Twitter as “Charismatic leader of a White breeding cult” and tweeted “blood and soil,” the notorious Nazi slogan.
This is terrorism, plain and simple. It’s appalling the story isn’t getting more attention in the media.
Here are some tweets with more details on what happened.
3 white supremacists arrested in Florida for shooting at anti-racism protesters https://t.co/zn6bUBqFK3
— Vox (@voxdotcom) October 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/efoster_eric/status/921495556790325248
“Kill them”: Three men charged in shooting after Richard Spencer speech https://t.co/gqCXtWSmD3
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 20, 2017
And these three aren’t the only violent white supremacists who should be getting a lot more attention from the press — and the cops.
Who are the white supremacists assaulting people at rallies in Berkeley, Charlottesville and Huntington Beach? We found some of them: pic.twitter.com/fL5yzyI8Om
— ProPublica (@propublica) October 19, 2017
A Cali racist group—the Rise Above Movement_is full of violent felons. Law enforcement pays it little attention: https://t.co/8AFZS9HVsO
— ProPublica (@propublica) October 19, 2017
The ProPublica piece is a long one but I think a necessary read for anyone concerned with the rise of a violent fascist movement in US.
— 🏳️🌈Spacedad (@SuperSpacedad) October 20, 2017
My thoughts exactly.
Meanwhile, everyone in the White House continues to lie about Trump’s shockingly callous treatment of a grieving Gold Star mother and the congresswoman who has stood up for her.
Specifically, this entire John Kelly story is fiction. Not one bit of it actually happened. pic.twitter.com/eGSQU0S3wc
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 20, 2017
https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/921452065338953729
Hey @realDonaldTrump I know how much you love calling out FAKE NEWS so here’s your daughter-in-law quoting a transcript that doesn't exist. https://t.co/TheR8FGrWY
— shauna (@goldengateblond) October 20, 2017
"He knew what he signed up for"
Kelly: I told him to say it
DJT: I didn't say it
LaraT: I saw the transcript
Sanders: There's no transcript— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) October 20, 2017
Don TrumpJr. has thrown himself into the fray though he apparently has trouble telling black women apart.
https://twitter.com/kibblesmith/status/921064156610088962
Rachel Maddow has a pretty convincing theory on why Trump doesn’t want to talk about Niger: that the 4 US soldiers died in part as a result of the Trump administration alienating the government of Chad, which pulled its troops out of Niger after Trump put the country (a longtime ally in the war on terror) on his alleged non-Muslim ban list for an extremely stupid reason.
Maddow connects the dots on how Trump adding Chad to his travel ban may have gotten soldiers killed in Niger https://t.co/PYk203GxVM
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) October 20, 2017
In a whole other arena of terrible, things are even worse in Puerto Rico than official reports acknowledge:
Real death toll in Puerto Rico is probably 450 — much higher than official count https://t.co/msCyhMDyyQ
— Sarah Kendzior (@sarahkendzior) October 18, 2017
But our country still has its heroes. Along with Rep. Wilson and all those working diligently to save lives in Puerto Rico, there is this dude:
A man in an apartment on Connecticut Ave. mooned President Trump’s motorcade to the Embassy of Kuwait tonight, per the pool report pic.twitter.com/ifGC8ycXat
— Hunter Schwarz (@hunterschwarz) October 19, 2017
Here are some cute animals because we all need more of them this week. And every week these days, frankly.
everything is terrible so here’s a baby lion cub learning to roar pic.twitter.com/JZpZGj69FJ
— shauna (@goldengateblond) October 18, 2017
https://twitter.com/awwcuteness/status/921260735119970307
https://twitter.com/ItsMeowIRL/status/921245209526132742
AsAbove,
I don’t think Fears was claiming to be a Charismatic Christian. Nothing in his Twitter even hinted at being anything but a white supremacist POS.
On the topic of Nazis, a acquaintance of mine on Facebook is quite vocal about his support for punching Nazis, and frequently talks about how much of a threat they are. Then, the same person will turn around and defend the confederate battle flag, confederate monuments, and claim the war wasn’t really about slavery. It’s very frustrating. I wonder if he realises how many of those Nazis he is down with punching are also wannabe confederates (who are under no illusion as to why confederacy fought the U.S. Civil War).
Sandra
I know you have to worry about choosing which bathroom to use. I know your worries are not unfounded. I know it is easy for people to say go for it. People who don’t notice the news stories about just how many trans people get beat up and murdered. People who don’t see news reports about cops insisting on seeing the genitals of someone they think is trans.
But I understand the people who say go for it, too. Use the damned bathroom you want. Because, like them, I hate that you have to stand there and decide.
But you do have to decide. So just know, that if I was in the bathroom at that library, you would have been welcome to use the women’s, even if I knew you were trans. I’m not the only one. And someday, I hope that you don’t have to think twice about which bathroom to use.
tl;dr: I’m sorry you had to stand there and decide.
Charismatic leader of a white breeding cult?
WTF?
The idea of a cult reminded me too –
I saw this Spencer character on TV the other day, I wasn’t really paying attention because I read about it online. I did notice his “look” though…
Dark shirt, light suit jacket. Dark glasses. Sideburns. I glanced at the TV and my first thought was: Jim Jones.
He literally looked like Jim Jones. Which I only know of from reading, and I saw a film about it all – the one with (Actor) Powers Boothe.
Info on him and on this film for the interested –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powers_Boothe
Another talented person gone. I remember reading things about him, when he passed, and many said he was the nicest person, great person, and to pull off an acting job like that, become a totally different person, yeah wow, he was a great actor.
I read a book about this all too. This cult.
🙁 Not good
Anyway, that struck me, as to how this Spencer character was pretty much dressed exactly like Jim Jones. Down to the sideburns and everything.
o_0
UF never invited Spencer and tried to refuse him. They were threatened with a lawsuit and had to let him speak due to the law. I didn’t know ANYONE who was happy about it.
https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/view/articles/2017-10-19/richard-spencer-has-only-himself-to-blame-for-hecklers
This article had a great write up on the event. He was heckled and is supposedly still in town because our gay pride event was today.
our town mural has so many positive messages about being anti fascist.
The state seems to have premeditation handed on a silver platter via that gsun interview. I’m so relieved no one was hurt or killed. I had anxiety for two months. Especially reading that human stain daily stormer guy suggested they flash mob our town.
Z&T
So we got Spencer spreading Nazi propaganda and the NRA is using literal cult methods in order to protect their bottom line. Two groups whose main audience are racist, cis, het, weapon wielding, christian white men. And both propaganda pieces (of corprolite) are telling these racist, gun wielding people that they should do something about the Other aka me, you and a ton of others who aren’t like them.
@PeeVee: Sorry, I ought to have made that comment @lightcastle, who suggested the reference was to Charismatic Christianity.
This was a beautiful thing that came out of Spencer’s hatefest:
https://www.episcopalcafe.com/carillon-plays-lift-every-voice-and-sing-as-richard-spencer-speaks-in-florida/
As above,
Goodness! I didn’t even see lightcastle’s post! If I had, I would have addressed it to lightcastle…ooops.
Carry on. ?
ETA: that carillon concert was AWESOME!
@Z&T
Of course Spencer is pulling the cult thing. Nazi’s ARE a cult by any measure you care to use. Other than possibly right at the very start, they always have been.
Their current behavior is frighteningly similar to how elite military units have made and maintained their identities throughout history (C4th BC Thebes, anyone?), and some of the tools are very familiar to anyone who reads here – the same damned tool box as abusers use.
Nobody should have to plan their whole day around what bathrooms they can use, dammit. I hate that this is a thing that happens, and to so many people. I just hate it.
I’m sorry you even have to think about that, Sandra.
Ok, a couple things.
I know this site is not down with anything that smacks of promoting violence, but I’m just relating my personal experience here:
I’m a pansexual genderqueer (mostly male, he/his pronouns are fine) and I’m married to a man who is just starting to transition physically (hasn’t started taking T yet, our youngest isn’t quite weaned from breastfeeding). We live in a small town in blood red Indiana.
I carry a 9mm pistol, ever since I was raped I carry it everywhere. I also have pepper spray and am going to get a collapsible baton. When Trump gets indicted I’m fairly positive I’ll have need of at least the pepper spray within a few weeks of that happening, because I’m a known “librul”.
Please folks, consider getting some pepper spray (the gel kind, it won’t blow back on you if there’s wind or fill up the inside of a car) if you don’t already have it. I’ve owned guns and been involved in hunting culture my whole life and these folks (right wing gun nuts) are amped up to start killing. They’re absolutely convinced that
A. “The Blacks” are going to come boiling out of the cities to pillage the countryside
B. Antifa is a huge terrorist group funded by George Soros that’s plotting to murder anyone wearing a MAGA hat
And C. Feminists, Gays, and gay feminists are itching to molest their children and turn them into gays as well.
Once Obama left office, the jack booted government thug was no longer a usable boogeyman for Alex Jones & Fox to point these people towards. So instead, they’re pointing them towards their fellow citizens, anyone to the left of Goldwater is an evil monster dead set on destroying this country and must be fought at all costs. And make no mistake, this rhetoric is designed to get the gun nuts to flip out and kill people, Alex Jones, Limbaugh, FOX etc are our Radio Rwanda.
So please, if you’re going to be active as a protestor, or just an “out” liberal in red territory, consider getting some means of self defense.
I suspect the ‘neo – Nazi’ label is down to the original NASDAP perishing along with the Third Reich.
@ deathtothefilth
Indeed.
I find it noteworthy that the international war crimes tribunal convicted a number of Radio Rwanda personnel of war crimes, including genocide.
Similarly there was the NATO bombing of Radio Serbia.
But de-humansing rhetoric in the US is the stuff of mainstream news shows.
ETA: Perhaps consider something like “gun fetishists” for future posts? Comments policy and all that.
hello this is not about nazis (but fuck nazis)
but is there vets on here? I would like just some quick advice because the nose of my cat has strange red colour. I can’t post the picture here but maybe can send by email?
?
Valya’s kitty’s nose…
thank you Alan! )))
Looks like mites. Too symmetrical to be just a bang or a scrape. I keep a tube of Dene’s mite cream around – one of ours is prone to getting mites for some reason. The other never gets bothered.
Take kitty to the vet please, to be sure. 🙂
@Alan oops, gotcha. Didn’t even think about it. It’s common parlance in the liberal gun community when referring to stockpilers, sovereign citizens etc. and I didn’t even connect it in my head.
My sincere apologies to everyone, didn’t mean to be an ass.
https://www.polygon.com/2017/10/22/16516592/neogaf-tyler-malka-evilore-allegations-shutdown
@shadowplay
thanks. the vet near me is not so good so sometimes I need some idea what can be wrong before, so I can help him! ?
Hello all
I apologise in advance for the rant, but I have absolutely had enough of everything right now.
Things that happened this week:
Someone I liked, trusted and (previously) respected started discussing feminism with me. Apparently more men get raped than women (men get raped in prison, which is a real thing, but I don’t think the number of raped men in prison outweighs the number of women raped overall. And anyway when did it become a zero-sum game? if more men got raped than women people would still be getting raped. Why does that point negate female rape?) Apparently this whole rape culture thing is just a hysterical overreaction, women who go out and get blind drunk should expect to get raped, yada yada. I have to see this guy twice a week in the context of an interest (theatre; he’s my director) one I love and really don’t want to give up.
My friend who works with trans kids also told me about a boy who has been adopted by a couple who sexually abused him (apparently the abuse was on record before the adoption but the adoption was allowed to go ahead because reasons) and was in my friend’s office crying his eyes out and saying if he was forced to go home he would kill himself. He hadn’t eaten for three days because not allowed food. Friend tried to report to social services but apparently they did not bother to even show up. Eventually the police came, loaded the kid in the car and took him back to his abusive home with his mother who won’t let him eat and misgenders him.
And the news, oh my god.
I am so sad right now I don’t even know what to do with myself. I can’t think what to do. Last night I found myself thinking “What if they are all right? What if I AM a second class citizen who isn’t good for anything?”
The worst thing, and I know it’s only a small thing in the great scheme of things, is this: I am a straight woman, and I have no idea how to trust men any more. I want to, but I can’t.
I have no words, Violet…I’m sorry. (((((Hugs)))))
That’s horrible. Poor kid. I hope he gets the help he needs. Has your friend maybe considered telling someone at his school? I don’t know where you are, but if you’re in a place where school faculty are mandatory reporters and they call social services too, it might help to have another person reporting?
So, if men are raped more than women, why is only women who have to police their behavior because if they do something like get drunk they can expect to be raped. Shouldn’t men also not go out, dress sexy, be alone with strangers, whatever?
That’s horrible. I guarantee that social services in your area is grossly underfunded and understaffed, and that the reason no one showed up was that no one had time. Kentucky is facing exactly this problem right now, and the solution is of course to cut taxes further and somehow that will magically make the state into a paradise where social workers are able to handle an arbitrary number of cases at once, cost nothing to hire, and never burn out.
The List for this week is the longest yet.
https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/week-49-experts-in-authoritarianism-advise-to-keep-a-list-of-things-subtly-changing-around-you-so-dc7e777ac601?source=user_profile———1—————-
Seems the structural demographic collapse is picking up steam. I wonder how many more months we have until Great Depression II, and how many years before World War III, at this point? Maybe six or seven each?