Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Nazi?

Currently the Omnivore's Trump-friend is here on Nazis:

1. They're not a big deal--the Nazi threat is overblown.
2. Nazis are on the way out--after Charlottesville they won't be able to organize anywhere!
3. Trump denounced them--so that's that--he's totally in the clear on the Nazi question.

All of these are, of course, badly wrong. Why? Let's look.

1. The Nazi Threat Is Overblown

Exhibit A is the article she sent The Omnivore: The Great Nazi Scare of 2017. This piece argues (correctly) that the crowd in Boston turned out to stop non-Nazi speakers and then shouted that people were Nazis when, in fact, they weren't. As such, there is a Nazi Hysteria that has gripped the left and the populace! He makes the case that as early reports are unreliable (and the media is unreliable) it is at least possible that legitimate rally-holders were attacked by an angry mob. He concludes with the idea that:

Neo-Nazis and white supremacists may be a continuing American embarrassment and eyesore, but they are not today’s most pressing threat to our civil liberties.

As though Heather Heyek was a victim of having her civil liberties taken away. 

Let The Omnivore be clear here--you may not like facts that contradict your view point--but as we all know, that's a "problem for the Left" (yeah?) not the Right.

1. Fact: Right-Wing terrorism is far more dangerous than Left-Wing terrorism. If you take out 9/11, they're even arguably more dangerous than Islamic Terrorism. But The Omnivore can hear you squirming at that--so let's leave 9/11 in and look again: The Cato Institute finds that right-wing terrorism is way, way more dangerous than left wing terror (by a factor of 10!). If you're still not convinced, here's the GAO report. Right-Wing terror attacks are increasing.
2. Fact: Right-Wing (terror) groups have recently become more unified than ever before. Back in April 2016 the Klan and Neo-Nazis came together to prepare for the coming race war. The "Unite The Right" rally in Charlottesville was only one more step in this consolidation of power.
3. Fact: The Right-Wing hate groups certainly credit Donald Trump for their rise in prestige and help with recruitment.

“We have the potential to be able to work with so many of these millions of families to be able to then move them in our direction. Donald Trump is a gateway drug…we can then move them from civic nationalism and populism to nationalism for us—and these people are ready for our message.”

'Trump comments were good, He didn't attack us. When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room. Really, really good. God bless him,' says white nationalist.

Andrew Anglin, editor of the Daily Stormer website and an emerging leader of a new generation of millennial extremists, said he had “zero interest” in the 2012 general election and viewed presidential politics as “pointless.” That is, until he heard Trump.

“Trump had me at ‘build a wall,’” Anglin said. “Virtually every alt-right Nazi I know is volunteering for the Trump campaign.”

Conclusion: If Right-Wing terror is more dangerous (and increasing), if they are becoming more unified and visible, and if someone was murdered by them last week, then concern about them isn't "hysteria."

2. Nazis are DONE After Charlottesville!

The second pillar of the Nazis-Not-So-Bad three-legged-stool is that after the heinous murder in Charlottesville they can never show their faces again in public. Indeed, numerous rallies have been canceled. Speakers have dropped out--and so on.

Are Nazis dangerous if they can't march in public? The Omnivore has to think about that . . .

Uh, Yes?

Let's say that the umbrella of hate-groups in Charlottesville could never organize in public again (which isn't the case--despite some people thinking/wishing it were), would that squash them? No. In fact, it would fuel them.

Huh? Isn't being hated by "all of America" and not-allowed to march enough to kill any movement? The Omnivore will have to think about that for a second . . .

Uh, No.

The problem with these right-wing hate groups isn't what they do on the streets in a giant parade--it's what they do everywhere else. But since we're here--let's look at how these groups work psychologically.

(A) - They Feed on Grievance 

The first thing to understand about all terrorist-style / hate groups is that they never cast themselves as the bad-guys. You knew that, of course, but you still thought being hated by 'All America' would ruin them. No, it doesn't work like that. Being denied "a platform to speak" is something they thrive on: it's 'evidence' of their being-oppressed.

It's also, you know, the Jew's fault.

To the White Nationalist recruiter, every voice leveled against them from the government or large organizations (especially, say, Jewish ones) is actually power. The people they are trying to recruit are already "lost." The white-power hate groups just give them a home--and a direction for their anger.

(B) - They Need To Have "Tried Everything The Right Way"

A critical component of terrorism is the 'manifesto' that lays out all other legitimate methods being exhausted. This pattern exists over and over (see the writings of Osama Bin Laden). We saw it a couple of days ago in the 'crying-nazi video.' The claim is that "We've tried it the legal / friendly way--but now we are being so badly oppressed . . . and illegally . . . that we have to resort to extreme measures. It's not us--it's you."

Why does this matter? Well, in case you weren't keeping score, all these voices, like the article at the start talking about how the nazi's civil rights were oppressed by an angry leftist mob feeds that sentiment. To wit:

• The linked article itself doesn't know exactly what happened in Charlottesville but it conjectures that maybe a mob attacked them. If The Omnivore has to put 2 and 2 together for you, that's the exact message they want / need.
• In case you're still having trouble with this the president's "many sides" comments provided ammunition--from the highest office in the land--for them to claim they were oppressed (or, at least, on par with the left).
• These further shutdowns--if you are still having trouble following along--are more evidence that their pious and peaceful love for the white race is being attacked viciously by left wing Jewish-recruited mobs.

Let The Omnivore say it again: The events we are seeing now are useful tools for the online recruiting these groups do. 

3. But Trump DENOUNCED

So did Trump's strong, forceful, and specific denunciation of hate-groups put the stake in their hearts? We've already seen that the groups in question loved his words. Here is how they heard president Trump speak:

• When he says 'all sides,' they hear vindication
• When he says 'other hate groups,' they hear their enemies
• When he says their names, they hear injustice

Right after this analysis (which is dead on), Trump came out and doubled down on his first set of comments. This is an unalloyed win for the people involved in the white-nationalist conversation. So was Phoenix.

In case you need to be reminded, the other side of the people who matter in this conversation--the coalition of Rabbis (Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism) canceled their call with Trump this year because:

“The President's words have given succor to those who advocate anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia,” the groups said.

Conclusions

You are not the target of this conversation. You are not involved in white nationalist recruitment. You are not steeped in the dialog of racial hatred--nor do you understand how condemnation can give them credibility and grievances can give them strength. They are though--and so are the people who watch them.

Right now? Things are going their way.