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We angry white males were right about the sniper
Telegraph UK ^ | (Filed: 27/10/2002) | Mark Steyn

Posted on 10/27/2002 1:24:53 PM PST by CyberCowboy777

After weeks of assurances that the sniper was an "angry white male", it turns out the only angry white males connected to this story are the ones in America's newsrooms.

On Thursday, after being informed that the two suspects were a black Muslim called Muhammad and his illegal-immigrant Jamaican sidekick, The New York Times nevertheless reported in its early editions that the pair were being sought for "possible ties to 'skinhead militia' groups". The Feds had already released a photo of Muhammad looking like one of the less goofy members of the Jackson Five and, though one should never rush to stereotype, it seems unlikely that a black Muslim with big hair would have many "ties" to skinhead militias.

But in the early hours of Thursday morning, the Times wasn't ready to give in: C'mon, there's gotta be some angry white male National Rifle Association Right-wing redneck Second Amendment gun-nut neo-Nazi militia types in here somewhere, preferably living in a compound Janet Reno can come out of retirement to surround and torch.

Sadly not. Instead, we have a Muslim convert. A Muslim convert who last year discarded the name "Williams" and adopted a new identity as "Muhammad". A Muslim convert called Muhammad who publicly expressed his approval of al Qa'eda's September 11 attacks. A pro-al Qa'eda Muslim convert called Muhammad who marked the first anniversary of 9/11, to the exact minute, by visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles in Camden, New Jersey. Two minutes after he left the building, the cops arrived to deal with a mysterious bomb scare.

What are we expert profilers to make of such bewilderingly contradictory signs? Well, obviously, those of us in the media should not to be too hasty in connecting the dots. Instead, we should rush to disconnect them. So CNN's Aaron Brown found it easier to call Mr Muhammad "Mr Williams", a formulation likely to be encouraged by the guy's lawyers, once they're in place. And my local radio news described him as "an ex-soldier" and "an African-American male".

Anyone spot the missing category? You can discern the preferred narrative: an African-American male from a deprived background driven psycho by military culture. But he left the army years ago and his transformation into a killer seems to be more or less coincidental with his transformation into Mr Muhammad.

The media behaved much the same way the last time a 40-year old radical Muslim called Mohamed opened fire on US soil. July the Fourth, Los Angeles Airport, the El Al counter, two dead. CNN and the Associated Press all but stampeded to report a "witness" who described the shooter as a fat white guy in a ponytail who kept yelling, "Artie took my job." But, alas, this promising account proved to be a prank. Instead, it was a Muslim called Hesham Mohamed Hadayet.

Mohamed! What are the odds of that? As with last Thursday's arrests, no one could make head or tail of this strange turn of events. As The New York Times put it, "Officials Puzzled About Motive Of Airport Gunman". Hmm. Egyptian Muslim kills Jews on American national holiday. Best not to jump to conclusions. Denial really is a river in Egypt.

Broadly speaking, in these interesting times, when something unusual and unprecedented happens, there are those who think on balance it's more likely to be a fellow called Mohammed than, say, Bud, and there are those who climb into the metaphorical burqa, close up the grille and insist, despite all the evidence, that we should be looking for some angry white male.

I'm in the former camp and, apropos the sniper, said as much in the Telegraph's American sister papers. I had a bet with both my wife and my assistant that the perp would be an Islamic terrorist. The gals, unfortunately, had made the mistake of reading The New York Times, whose experts concluded it would be a "macho hunter" or an "icy loner".

Speaking as a macho hunter and an icy loner myself, I'm beginning to think the media would be better off turning their psychological profilers loose on America's newsrooms. Take, for example, the Times's star columnist Frank Rich.

Within a few weeks of September 11, he was berating John Ashcroft, the Attorney-General, for not rounding up America's "home-grown Talibans" - the religious Right, members of "the Second Amendment cult" and "the anti-abortion terrorist movement". In a column entitled "How to Lose a War" last October he mocked the administration for not consulting with abortion clinics, who had a lot of experience dealing with "terrorists".

You get the picture: sure, Muslim fundamentalists can be pretty extreme, but what about all our Christian fundamentalists? Unfortunately, for the old moral equivalence to hold up, the Christians really need to get off their fundamentalist butts and start killing more people.

At the moment, the brilliantly versatile Muslim fundamentalists are gunning down Maryland schoolkids and bus drivers, hijacking Moscow theatres, self-detonating in Israeli pizza parlours, blowing up French oil tankers in Yemen, and slaughtering nightclubbers in Bali, while Christian fundamentalists are, er, sounding extremely strident in their calls for the return of prayer in school.

Oh, well. It's not just the media who bend over backwards to look the other way. Mr Muhammad was twice reported to the FBI for suspected terrorist links. Though living in a homeless shelter, he had the wherewithal to travel extensively round the country by plane, as the shelter's director discovered when a ticket agent called up to confirm Mr Muhammad's booking.

"At the mission, not many airline agents call and ask for residents," says the Rev Al Archer. I'll bet. But, even after September 11, a guy in a homeless shelter stacking up the frequent-flier miles wasn't enough to attract the bureau's attention. Given the performance of the FBI, the Immigration Service and other federal agencies, it may be time for at least one white male toget a little angry: the President.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dcsniper; islam; media; muslims; sniper
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Thanks to Liberty Teeth for the heads up

http://www.libertyteeth.com

1 posted on 10/27/2002 1:24:53 PM PST by CyberCowboy777
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To: Liberty Teeth
Ping

Liberty Teeth Web Site

2 posted on 10/27/2002 1:26:43 PM PST by CyberCowboy777
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To: CyberCowboy777

3 posted on 10/27/2002 1:31:04 PM PST by FReepaholic
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Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: CyberCowboy777
In order to avoid offending minority folks in this country, I must insist the any time a racial reference is required for either of the snipers, it be, "formerly believed to be white." Thus, "formerly believed to be white illegal Jamaican allien, John Malvo, has been charged as a material witness."

Under no circumstances, however, will it be allowed to point out that Johm, who is ONLY a child, has the same surname (spelled a little differently) as the fat black female pig who often appears on the ultra-leftist talk shows. Fat pig Malveaux is the hateful b**ch that hoped that the wife of Justice Thomas fed him enough pork chops to cause him health problems. It would not be right to force her to defend this child, in addition to the 100s of ways she will defend him, on a personal basis, as well.

5 posted on 10/27/2002 1:34:42 PM PST by Tacis
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To: Kuleana; tscislaw
No doubt about it.

How many more attacks must there be before we realize Islam has declared war on US

Not just Arabs in the middle east, but all true muslims
6 posted on 10/27/2002 1:36:00 PM PST by CyberCowboy777
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To: CyberCowboy777
Obviously many more.
We seem to be the few who have noticed.
7 posted on 10/27/2002 1:38:36 PM PST by ladyinred
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To: CyberCowboy777
There was only one problem with the capture of the snipers, they took them alive.
8 posted on 10/27/2002 1:40:37 PM PST by Texbob
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To: Texbob
Consider the hell storm that would have ensue had LEO killed both men!

The left over a DU still think Bush had a hand in Wellstones death.
9 posted on 10/27/2002 1:42:21 PM PST by CyberCowboy777
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To: CyberCowboy777
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/776522/posts
10 posted on 10/27/2002 1:43:55 PM PST by Psycho Francis
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To: CyberCowboy777
As in posted yesterday.
11 posted on 10/27/2002 1:45:31 PM PST by Psycho Francis
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To: CyberCowboy777
Good post!
12 posted on 10/27/2002 1:45:35 PM PST by Fiddlstix
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To: CyberCowboy777
But in the early hours of Thursday morning, the Times wasn't ready to give in: C'mon, there's gotta be some angry white male National Rifle Association Right-wing redneck Second Amendment gun-nut neo-Nazi militia types in here somewhere, preferably living in a compound Janet Reno can come out of retirement to surround and torch.

When did the London Telegraph get a writer from the FreeRepublic website? I know I've seen many phrases just like the one in bold expressed by a number of FReepers.

13 posted on 10/27/2002 1:46:48 PM PST by leadpenny
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To: ladyinred
Let's not forget the delicious irony that Arabs are still actively enslaving Blacks...

as a matter of fact, while I am typing this, somewhere Blacks from Africa are being loaded on ships to toil in Arab countries!!

I have tried for years to beleive that Blacks are just like us, but everyday I keep seeing evidence to the contrary, I am starting to doubt the theory!!

If you don't beleive me, go by an urban school at dismissal and listen to what passes for conversation... you'll see!!

14 posted on 10/27/2002 1:46:51 PM PST by Nitro
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To: Psycho Francis
Sorry - I ran a search on the title and did not see it
15 posted on 10/27/2002 1:47:12 PM PST by CyberCowboy777
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To: CyberCowboy777
Odd that that happens sometimes, even with the exact same title.
16 posted on 10/27/2002 1:48:32 PM PST by Psycho Francis
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To: Psycho Francis; CyberCowboy777
So what if it was posted yesterday, most people come here to read news and discussion not to search for it. If someone posts an article 24 hours later than others, that just means a casual visitor has a better chance of seeing it!!

Relax yourself, we have enough complainers in the world already!!!

17 posted on 10/27/2002 1:51:57 PM PST by Nitro
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To: Nitro
You might want to look at the >100 posts already on the other thread.
18 posted on 10/27/2002 1:54:28 PM PST by Psycho Francis
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To: tscislaw
Hey, if bubba can be a black presibent and brunhillary can be a Jewish "Yankees fan," why can't Muhammed be an angry white "skin-head?" Don't you believe in equal opportunity?
19 posted on 10/27/2002 1:54:56 PM PST by Bonaparte
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To: Psycho Francis
Actually that bolsters my point, not everyone who comes to FR is a member, some come to merely peruse. Why should they be deprived of an article that produces greater than 100 responses? If anything that article should occasionally be re-posted, yes I know about bumping, but not all visitors do!

Mostly I mean, you should just get involved in discussions you enjoy and relax on the policing of a well-meaning member, who may or may not have reposted!!

20 posted on 10/27/2002 2:07:26 PM PST by Nitro
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