As Josh Marshall points out, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers explicitly attacked the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) that helps refuges with resettlement in the US, saying on the white nationalist social media site Gab just before the slaughter, “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”
Where did he get that bizarre notion? Marshall says that the idea that there is secret Jewish dominance within the government (with the acronym ZOG for “Zionist Occupied Government”) that is seeking to destroy the country from inside is a staple of the neo-Nazi movement. It has also been promoted on Fox Business News just recently by a frequent guest Chris Farrell who stated that the migrant caravan was being funded and directed by the “Soros-occupied State Department.” In the fevered swamps of that community, ‘Soros’ is the standard euphemism for ‘Jews’.
In these people’s world, a ragtag band of pathetic refugees fleeing persecution and trouble in their home countries with the hope of finding a better life for themselves and their children in the US have become transformed into a murderous ‘mob’ made up of dangerous gang members, ISIS agents, and carriers of deadly diseases such as small pox (never mind that small pox was eradicated globally over three decades ago) that seeks to ‘invade’ the US with the aid of fifth columnists led by wealthy Jews. And this view is being promoted by Fox News.
The determination of Fox in its efforts at concocting the wildest and most hateful theories to deflect negative attention away from Donald Trump would be laughable if it were not for the fact that its viewership is consumed by prejudices and fear and so lacking in basic reasoning skills that they swallow these ridiculous theories whole and then even embellish on them. Bowers criticized Trump because he did not go far enough in his extremism.
As Marshall concludes:
The point is simple. What is remarkable is not that this happened on a major national cable network owned by a major media conglomerate and watched by millions of people. What is remarkable is that stuff like this happens all the time and it mainly goes unnoticed and un-cared about. It is another part of the story of the growing convergence verging on indistinguishability between the country’s nominally center-right party, the GOP, and the revanchist nationalist right, with all its racism, anti-Semitism and conspiratorial mindset.
John Oliver provides an example of the efforts that Trump supporters will go to to deny the obvious. (If you cannot see the embedded video, click on this link.)
Y’know, if the government really was controlled by a Jewish network, they would not have allowed Mike Pence to “commemorate” the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting at a campaign event with a messianic rabbi praying in the name of Jesus.
Oh but Pierce, they are playing the long game by allowing Pence to pray with them!!!! All the better to sedate the masses before the ZOG final solution /s
rich
rich rutishauser @ # 2 -- Uh, what the hell are they waiting for, then?
Jupiter to align with Mars?
@Pierce R Butler #1:
The “rabbi” was invited by a local Republican, Lena Epstein, who’s running for Congress from Michigan’s 11th district against Haley Stevens in what is considered a toss-up race in a district Trump won by 5 points. She was raised Jewish and continues to be a member of a Synagogue, so there’s absolutely no way she doesn’t know that Messianic Jews are viewed by the Jewish community as an astroturfed cult designed to convert Jews to Christianity. I expect this from Pence, but it’s pretty sad to watch her give him cover.
drken @ # 5 -- Thanks for the backgrounder.
I see no way in Hell (or any other part of Michigan) that the Veep’s crew couldn’t or wouldn’t override what the local yokels want in this context, so Pence & Epstein get to share the blame at 100% apiece.
First -- I love that this guy is and will forever be known as “the MAGAbomber”. That name is NEVER going away, whatever Trump and cronies might like. I just hope reporters start calling him that to Trump’s face.
I have never understood why anyone feels the need to make up fictional conspiracies about Jews “controlling” the media or government or judiciary or financial system. If you have a problem with Israel, and/or Jews, a glance at the real demographics of the upper reaches of the court system, banks, politics and major media organisations, and comparing that with the demographics of wider society in the US (especially the US outside the bubble of NYC, LA and DC) or even worldwide should be all you need. US policy towards Israel should be all you need. Neither of these are anything but demonstrable facts that have pertained, out in the open, for decades. You can’t argue about them. It’s the making shit up that shows that neo-Nazis don’t have a problem with Jews having disproportionate control over the media, judiciary and government. They just have a problem with Jews, full stop. All the rest is just flim-flam bullshit justifications. That the start of those justifications is accurate is just a coincidence.
In other words…
Fake Jews!
/slow admiring clap/
You sir, win the Internet today.