BREAKING NEWS: ATF says it disrupted skinhead plot in Tenn., Ark. to assassinate Obama

[DBillyP]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:22pm

That is all so far.

[The Boy From Ohio]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:26pm

I'm watching MSNBC and they are talking about it now, but not alot if info. yet. This is crazy scary.

[Jon]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:33pm

But wait - that's the "Pro-America" part of America...

Where white folks plot to assassinate presidential candidates, and blow up federal buildings (including day care centers), and send mail bombs to universities...

But yeah... it's the Muslims who are all terrorists...
Updated On: 10/27/08 at 04:33 PM

[StockardFan]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:37pm

Holy hannah........this really is terrifying.

[EVIE]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:38pm

And disgusting.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:39pm

Yup.

[DBillyP]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:42pm

NBC News and news services
updated 1 minute ago

WASHINGTON - A plot by two Neo-Nazi skinheads to assassinate Barack Obama and kill dozens of other African Americans has been foiled, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said Monday.

Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tenn., and Paul Schlesselman, 18, of West Helena, Ark., were charged Friday with making threats against a presidential candidate, illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun and conspiracy to rob a gun store.

In court records unsealed Monday, agents said they disrupted plans that included robbing a gun store and targeting an unnamed but predominantly African-American high school.
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The two men were arrested in Crockett County, Tenn., and have already made a court appearance.

The plot unraveled when one of the men was arrested on other charges and in the course of interviews he revealed plans for the plot.

According to the court records, the pair discussed robbing a gun shop in order to gather weapons and ammunition to use in a "killing spree."

The defendants allegedly further discussed their killing spree to include targeting a predominately African-American school, and to continue their spree until it culminated with an attempt to assassinate Obama.
More details

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:42pm

And the two neo-Nazis wanted to shoot or decapitate 102 black men?

Why 102?

[EVIE]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 4:43pm

Another article:


ATF disrupts skinhead plot to assassinate Obama

Associated Press Writer Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press Writer:

WASHINGTON – Federal agents have broken up a plot to assassinate Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and shoot or decapitate 102 black people in a Tennessee murder spree, the ATF said Monday.

In court records unsealed Monday, federal agents said they disrupted plans to rob a gun store and target a predominantly African-American high school by two neo-Nazi skinheads. Agents said the skinheads did not identify the school by name.

Jim Cavanaugh, special agent in charge of the Nashville field office for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the two men planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14. The numbers 88 and 14 are symbolic in the white supremacist community.

The men also sought to go on a national killing spree, with Obama as its final target, Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.

"They said that would be their last, final act — that they would attempt to kill Sen. Obama," Cavanaugh said. "They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."



Updated On: 10/27/08 at 04:43 PM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:04pm

Okay, I am sure I will get blasted for trying to make it seem like this is the McCain/Palin campaign's fault. I am not saying they would condone this in anyway. I know they wouldn't.


BUT. They need to realize that actions have consequences. The McCain/Palin campaign, led by Palin, has been stirring up a hornet's nest. A hornet's nest that would still be there without them, yes, but they have been shaking it up and causing a stir and it is up to THEM to settle it down.

Any little thing done to incite people who would do this sort of thing needs to stop.

And I am not ignorant - I realize that there are some people that are so hate-filled that nothing would stop them. But anyone who says that Palin's rhetoric hasn't been an inciting factor for some people to get whipped up into a fervor over what they see as issues in regards to Obama's patriotism, religion and, yes, race, is kidding themselves.

Palin has helped stir it up, and she needs to help settle it down. Otherwise, God forbid, something might happen that she'll regret. And, no, something like this isn't all her and her rhetoric's fault. But when the rhetoric of a VP-candidate can be seen as a cause, that is dangerous.

She needs to condemn this sort of thing in her very next public speech.

Updated On: 10/27/08 at 05:04 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:12pm

"Okay, I am sure I will get blasted for trying to make it seem like this is the McCain/Palin campaign's fault. I am not saying they would condone this in anyway. I know they wouldn't.

BUT."


So Stick, who's to blame for things like this?

Link

Updated On: 10/27/08 at 05:12 PM

[romantico]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:17pm

I agree with STicktoPriest. Here is a clip just from yesterday at a Palin rally where someone shouted the N word and Sarah just ignores it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9T0FI2axbU

[snl89]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:18pm

BUT. They need to realize that actions have consequences. The McCain/Palin campaign, led by Palin, has been stirring up a hornet's nest. A hornet's nest that would still be there without them, yes, but they have been shaking it up and causing a stir and it is up to THEM to settle it down.

Any little thing done to incite people who would do this sort of thing needs to stop.



THANK YOU. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.


That SO needed to be said


These are scary times and their inciting even more fear into people is just NOT okay.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:18pm

Updated On: 1/10/09 at 05:18 PM

[Anakela]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:20pm

PalJoey, re: 102-

The men allegedly planned to shoot 88 black people and decapitate another 14, according to court documents. Those numbers are symbolic to neo-Nazi groups, referring to "Heil Hitler" and a 14-word slogan often citied in racist propaganda.
Men arrested in alleged Neo-Nazi plot to kill Obama

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:23pm

Goth: I am not defending that, as I do not agree with it. But hanging a person in effigy in the spirit of Halloween (as despicable as it is) is NOT the same at all as plotting to assassinate a candidate.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:29pm

Sure, Stick. Whatever.

[snl89]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:30pm

Yeah, that effigy thing is definitely NOT the same thing.

Or, rather, it's certainly not a good thing and should be reprimanded (though, as Stick said, it's NOTHING like plotting mass murder AND an assassination attempt), but in that case, can anyone really suggest that the Obama campaign had ANYTHING to do with it?

The Obama campaign has really made pretty little attack on Sarah Palin at ALL. With the McCain campaign, they were out this whole time SPECIFICALLY saying things like "who is Barack Obama?" and "he pals around with terrorists" in HOPES that it would incite fear. No I don't think their intentions were ever to put him in harms way, but they have GOT to realize that by inciting fear for political purposes they ARE putting him in harms way! And heck, even if they were to do something about it now, it's already too late! They've already got the crazies all worked up.

Updated On: 10/27/08 at 05:30 PM

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:33pm

Um, Goth, I think you'll find that one is, in fact, a crime. You really don't see a difference?

At any rate, you'll notice that the response from Stick and snl was to condemn the effigy. I'll add my voice to that as well.

So where is your outrage at the murder/assasination plot? You didn't spare one syllable to indicate even mild disapproval.

[romantico]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:33pm

Hey Goth, I am curious to hear what you think of this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W6WYMQxBAY

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:34pm

"Sure, Stick. Whatever."

What a well-reasoned, thoughtful argument.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:45pm

"You really don't see a difference?"

As usual, you type your response without bothering to read my post. I am talking about Stick's need to blame this incident on the McCain/Palin campaign.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:47pm

I am not placing sole blame on them.

But I think Palin's rhetoric can be seen as an (unintended) inciting cause.

A small one, maybe, but a cause nonetheless.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:49pm

"But I think Palin's rhetoric can be seen as an (unintended) inciting cause."

Why are you picking on Palin so much? Why do you hate women so much?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/27/08 at 5:49pm

"They didn't believe they would be able to do it, but that they would get killed trying."

So who sounds like Muslim fanatical terrorists now?