The Red Baiting Report

I have to hand it to Flash Report contributor Shawn Steel; his Flash Report columns always make me laugh, especially when the term “communist” is invoked. See his post today here and do check out the YouTube video he’s posted of a Marine Corps Recruiting Office Protest at Berkeley.

Shawn writes: “Meanwhile, at the Marine recruiting center at Berkeley, Leigh Wolf pulled out his famous video camera and began shooting. But his pro American T-shirt attracted the attention of several communist (yes, real live communists…) thugs who threatened Leigh. This video is a classic and can be seen below… (Here is the direct link to YouTube.).”

I watched the video; gosh darn it, I didn’t see a single hammer and sickle. No communists to be found.    
Shawn makes the connection to communism because the protest was organized by Code Pink and “World Can’t Wait,” which Shawn has labeled a communist organization (while a few of the founders of WCW do support the Revolutionary Communist Party, its not a communist organization).

Shawn paints with a broad brush any opposition to Conservative Republicanism, but it’s hardly a surprise from someone who believes there are only two parties: the Republican Party and the Communist Party.

12 Comments

  1. Well I dunno about Communisits but what a bunch of idiotic teenagers. They are calling for peace and being bullies, and initiating fights. Teenagers crack me up!

  2. LOL Dan…it is a free country right? The college republicans did nothing and your teenage “peeps” were acting like complete idiots. Lets protest a war & violence by being violent and threatening to others. What is funny is they so not even know what they are protesting…ahh to be a teen again! All that anger and a free license to spew it whatever way the wind is blowing that day. I would be completely embarrassed if I saw one of my kids acting like that.

  3. Well look at the video again. They are clearly protesting the presence of a Marine recruiting office in Berkeley. I have seen communities protest against strip clubs or adult book stores when move in and one could argue that the presence of a military recruiting office is not exactly a fit with the community. You both miss the point of this post. Students are protesting. The students are angry. The students pritesting are exercising their 1st amendment rights as are the college Republicans. The bad behavior you guys note was BTW the same type of behavior exhibited by Republicans in F l during the 2000 recount. But that all said, where are the COMMUNISTS Steele alludes to in the colun and the video?

  4. Dan–Pretty good blackberry actually.

    Shawn Steel was probably the author of the bumper sticker at the GOP State Convention in 10% GOP San Francisco that read “I still hate communists even after they change their name to liberals.”

    The 1st Amendment protects the right of people to be idiots and this one is no exception. The YRs are idiots enough to walk into the middle of a demonstration knowing full well they would provoke the middle finger and probably violent reactions. The demonstrators compounded the idiocy of their original anti Marine Corps hysteria by playing right into the hands of the GOP provacateurs.

    And ps Dan, I wouldn’t put the Marine Corps in the same area code, in the same universe, as strip clubs or adult book stores when discussing what fits in a community. Every community should welcome the military that defends that community and every other community in USA. Even if you don’t agree with that, or you are simply trying to say they had a first amendment right to whoop it up, to group the Corps in with Bada Bings and adult books stores is leading with your political chin.

    Steel really can’t help himself. He has this need to embellish things, especially in his new self-assigned role as a state RNC member attack dog.

    No need to here as the demonstrators stepped in it. But this is no different than some GOP reaction to the Bezerkeley City Council’s equally idiotic resolution calling on the Marines to get out of Dodge and setting up Code Pink with the perfect spot to disrupt the marine recruiting office. So a number of Reps decided to attack any federal funds going to Berkeley. Only they were not so particular about limiting the proposed cuts to those funds that went directly to the City. For example they wanted to cut off funds to UC Berkeley even though Berkeley has an active ROTC program on campus and military recruiters are active on campus. Another ready, fire, and aim procedure.

  5. Actually they’re maoists and they’d be happy to tell you why. Contact Rafael Schiller from world can’t wait, or you can read about the award he recieved while a student at UCSC for his essay entitled “Revolution on Trial: A Critique of Post-Mao Gender Discourse.” It’s not name calling, “Communist” is what they call themselves. But hey, i guess stirring up fake controversies about alleged Republicans lies is sort of your thing, isn’t it?

    http://currents.ucsc.edu/03-04/06-14/student_awards.html

  6. Thanks for checking in Leigh.

    “But hey, i guess stirring up fake controversies about alleged Republicans lies is sort of your thing, isn’t it?”

    You mean like the run up to the Iraq war? Or outing Valerie Plame? Or labeling John Kerry a warm criminal who wounded himself to get a purple heart? Nah, I would never suggest that.

    But for college Republicans to complain about their treatment at this rally is laughable to see how folks who civilly protest the war at events President Bush attended during the 2004 presidential election; read Molly Ivins last book that’s loaded with examples of people who were detained by police for simply having a “No Blood for Oil” bumper sticker on their car. Red Baiting is so 1950s and by doing so comfirms that Republicans are out of ideas and can only win elections through the politics of fear.

    Oh Leigh, when will you be enlisting in the military? Just asking?

    Bladerunner, a thoughtful post as always and I agree, the example of the strip clubs/bada bings is an absurd comparison with the Marine Corps. My point was community standards vary by community and what is acceptable for some communities is not for others.

    But from a straight business perspective, you place offices like military recruiting stations in areas where the demographics show you will get a high return on your investment (i.e. lots of recruits); I don’t think Berkeley is exactly the best place for a military recruiting office and surely there would be time and taxpayer dollars better spent placing one in Oakland for example.

    And wouldn’t an Oakland station be a quick BART ride away for any aspiring Marine from Berekely?

  7. “Oh Leigh, when will you be enlisting in the military? Just asking?”

    I leave in May.

    “But for college Republicans to complain about their treatment at this rally is laughable to see how folks who civilly protest the war at events President Bush attended during the 2004 presidential election; read Molly Ivins last book that’s loaded with examples of people who were detained by police for simply having a “No Blood for Oil” bumper sticker on their car.”

    Since when do two wrongs make a right?

    “And wouldn’t an Oakland station be a quick BART ride away for any aspiring Marine from Berekely?”

    I don’t think there’s a bart station in “Berekely.”

    “Red Baiting is so 1950s and by doing so comfirms that Republicans are out of ideas and can only win elections through the politics of fear.”

    Red baiting is when you accuse someone who is NOT a communist of being one. These folks from world can’t wait will gladly make their case for communism to anyone who will listen. They despise Republicans and Democrats equally.

    “You mean like the run up to the Iraq war? Or outing Valerie Plame? Or labeling John Kerry a warm criminal who wounded himself to get a purple heart? Nah, I would never suggest that.”

    Interesting how you change the subject of the debate and bring up unrelated topics to defend yourself. Can you say Red Herring?

  8. You leave in May; congrats Lee. You are the first Young Republican I have met who is going into the Military. Looking forward to hearing about how the surge is working.

    I have a pal that trains it from a House near Cal to SF; I’m sure there’s a way to get from there to Oakland via public transportation. Sorry for typos.

    Its not a Red Herring but I believe that is the standard response Republicans give when confronted with “fake controversies about alleged Republican lies.” Interesting choice of word: “alleged.”

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