Sunday, April 26, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Extremism Has No Place In America
Extremism Has No Place
For more than a year my partner, several friends and myself have been exposed to written and verbal attack by a small conservative extremist propaganda / ideology group here in Grant County. Some of the slander and accusations by these individuals border, if not resides, within the legal definition of defamation of character. This is because of the ill feelings, fear and disruption it has caused in our lives and those of our friends.
I'm going to share a couple links below as an example of what extremism will and can do to people. This is a true story about how a radical surge of anti-communist, anti-socialist, extreme right movement from the late 40's through the 60's led to the gross murder of a family of four in Washington State in 1985. The character assassination attack on a prominent citizen led to a 1964 libel verdict--Washington State’s largest libel verdict in history.
It establishes how misleading and harmful propaganda by such extremism generates the emotions of fear, suspicion and hatred. This form of political extremism parallels what we are seeing in the world today with the extreme Islamic movement in the Middle East. In a land of freedom and justice there is no room for this kind of radical extremism whether it be right or left, blue or red, Democrat or Republican.
I feel it is every American's responsibility to denounce this kind of fanatical behavior which uses hateful, slanderous speech and written word to abuse an individual, group or elected official-- even if one doesn’t agree with them. It is nothing less than immature, hateful and degrading of the human spirit and to be party to it or to give it ear is to be nothing less than a person without character and integrity.
In 1964 a John Goldmark won a case of slander against a group of people who falsely accused him of being a communist and propagated this falsehood.
In 1986 after being inspired at a local radical right group meeting, a drifter named Lewis Rice, thinking he was going after falsely accused John Goldmark, goes instead to the house of a Charles Goldmark and murders him, his wife and their two sons.
The trial of John Goldmark against those who wrecked his polical career.
The murder of Charles Goldmark's family by David Lewis who thought he was killing John Goldmark.
HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
For more than a year my partner, several friends and myself have been exposed to written and verbal attack by a small conservative extremist propaganda / ideology group here in Grant County. Some of the slander and accusations by these individuals border, if not resides, within the legal definition of defamation of character. This is because of the ill feelings, fear and disruption it has caused in our lives and those of our friends.
I'm going to share a couple links below as an example of what extremism will and can do to people. This is a true story about how a radical surge of anti-communist, anti-socialist, extreme right movement from the late 40's through the 60's led to the gross murder of a family of four in Washington State in 1985. The character assassination attack on a prominent citizen led to a 1964 libel verdict--Washington State’s largest libel verdict in history.
It establishes how misleading and harmful propaganda by such extremism generates the emotions of fear, suspicion and hatred. This form of political extremism parallels what we are seeing in the world today with the extreme Islamic movement in the Middle East. In a land of freedom and justice there is no room for this kind of radical extremism whether it be right or left, blue or red, Democrat or Republican.
I feel it is every American's responsibility to denounce this kind of fanatical behavior which uses hateful, slanderous speech and written word to abuse an individual, group or elected official-- even if one doesn’t agree with them. It is nothing less than immature, hateful and degrading of the human spirit and to be party to it or to give it ear is to be nothing less than a person without character and integrity.
In 1964 a John Goldmark won a case of slander against a group of people who falsely accused him of being a communist and propagated this falsehood.
In 1986 after being inspired at a local radical right group meeting, a drifter named Lewis Rice, thinking he was going after falsely accused John Goldmark, goes instead to the house of a Charles Goldmark and murders him, his wife and their two sons.
The trial of John Goldmark against those who wrecked his polical career.
The murder of Charles Goldmark's family by David Lewis who thought he was killing John Goldmark.
HistoryLink.org- the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
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