Spokane7
27°
January 18, 2011 in City
FBI: Bomb could have caused ‘multiple casualties’
The FBI is seeking information connected to the identity of the person or persons seen with this Swiss Army-brand backpack. The t-shirts were contained in the backpack. The backpack was found on a bench at the corner of North Washington Street and West Main Avenue in Spokane, Wash. on Monday, Jan. 17, 2011.
(Full-size photo)
Lindsey Reiswig and her coworkers got the first indication something wasn’t right Monday morning when a Spokane Police officer came by Auntie’s Bookstore and said they needed to clear the building because of a suspicious backpack across the street.
“We basically evacuated all the customers out of the back door. But we were working on inventory so some of us stayed and worked,” she said. “We didn’t think it was going to be anything serious.”
Turns out they were wrong.
As Reiswig and her co-workers snapped photos of the police robot examining the backpack at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Main Avenue, posting some of them to their Facebook pages, the Spokane bomb squad was coming to a frightening realization. The backpack was equipped with a powerful bomb, positioned to inflict maximum blast damage toward the intended route of Spokane’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march through downtown.
“Then we saw the officer in a bomb suit. At that point, we decided that maybe we should back away from the windows,” she said.
The FBI confirmed Tuesday that the Swiss Army-brand backpack contained a bomb that could have caused “multiple casualties” and credited Spokane city employees who noticed the suspicious bag and alerted authorities in time to re-route the parade. A $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
“It definitely was, by all early analysis, a viable device that was very lethal and had the potential to inflict multiple casualties,” said Frank Harrill, the special agent in charge of the Spokane FBI office. “Clearly, the timing and placement of a device – secreted in a backpack – with the Martin Luther King parade is not coincidental. We are doing everything humanly possible to identify the individuals or individual who constructed and placed this device.”
Harrill wouldn’t disclose specific details about the bomb.
But two security sources, who did not want to be named because they were not authorized to discuss the case, told The Spokesman-Review that they received a briefing Tuesday suggesting that the bomb was equipped to detonate by a remote device, such as a car remote or a garage door opener. The bomb apparently also had its own shrapnel that could have caused significant injuries to anyone near the blast.
Investigators were also concerned that the placement of the backpack – on a metal bench with a brick wall behind it – would have directed any blast toward marchers in the street.
“I think the link to the Martin Luther King celebration and march is inescapable,” Harrill said. “At that point, it falls directly in the realm and sphere of domestic terrorism. Clearly, there was some political or social agenda here.”
Ivan Bush, who has helped organize the celebration and march in Spokane for more than 20 years, said news of the backpack’s potential was “just painful to see and hear.”
“Man, that’s a sad testament,” said Bush, who works in human resources for Spokane Public Schools. “Here we are in the 21st century and these types of things are still happening. It just hurts.”
The whole purpose of the march was to bring residents together to celebrate a man who championed passive resistance, he said.
“This community came together to get a street dedicated to Dr. King and thousands come out to celebrate him every year,” Bush said. “When something like this takes place, it’s just painful.”
The FBI is working the case with other federal agencies and virtually all local police agencies via the Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force. Two T-shirts were found in the bag. One reads “Stevens County Relay For Life June 25th-26th 2010” and another shirt reads “Treasure Island Spring 2009.”
Harrill said agents have conducted interviews and gathered surveillance of the area but said he could not discuss any potential suspects.
Meanwhile, federal investigators continue to investigate an explosive device that was discovered March 23 alongside the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Courthouse. Harrill said agents have not made an arrest in that case.
“We don’t know, at this point, of any linkage to any other incident,” Harrill said, referring to the Monday discovery. “We are not aware of any other events that prefaced this event … or threats associated with this device. Nor does it appear to be linked to any other incidents in Spokane or anywhere else in the country. But, that certainly is a focus for us.”
Harrill praised the city workers who discovered the backpack.
“They were the heroes of the day. They did what we all should do. They brought it to the attention of police,” Harrill said. “They took quick action, rerouted the parade and immediately called for the” bomb disposal unit.
Mayor Mary Verner said city officials are doing all they can to cooperate with the federal investigation.
“I was struck that on a day when we celebrate Dr. King, a champion of non-violence, we were faced with a significant violent threat,” Verner said in a news release. “This is unacceptable in our community—or any community.”
City Council President Joe Shogan praised the people who found the backpack and the officials who defused it. He noted the 1996 bombing of City Hall and said citizens must still be vigilant to prevent attacks.
“It would be nice to think that all this kind of activity was in the past, but obviously, it’s not,” Shogan said. “Too often, there’s that attitude that it can’t happen here. Well, it is happening.”
A pipe bomb packed with nails and screws exploded outside Spokane City Hall on April 29, 1996. There were no injuries, but the blast blew out a window in one of the doors and sent shrapnel flying into Riverfront Park.
Federal prosecutors later indicted white supremacists Chevie Kehoe, of Colville, and Danny Lee, of Yukon, Okla., for the bombing. Both also were later convicted for a 1996 triple murder in Arkansas. The two were accused of working to overthrow the government to set up a whites-only nation.
Back at Auntie’s, Reiswig said she and her husband recently adopted a son and they want to raise him to embrace cultural diversity, which was also one of the goals of the re-routed march.
“It’s so sad to me that there are people out there who can’t accept that there are differences (in people) and they are wonderful,” she said. “It is very disappointed to think that someone in Spokane was capable of that.”
Reporter Jonathan Brunt contributed to this report.
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SpokaneLiberal on January 18 at 12:42 p.m.
Really? Really Spokane? Really?
HubieN75 on January 18 at 12:51 p.m.
This is such a sad commentary on how far hatred has come in our country.
madscientist on January 18 at 1:00 p.m.
how do they know it was placed on the bench at 9:25 am? View the traffic cameras at that time, see who left it there.
west on January 18 at 1:18 p.m.
Black eye for Spokane…..
IRun on January 18 at 1:20 p.m.
@madscientist… The article states that the backpack was found at 9:25am not when it was actually placed there. The author of the article forgot to use commas to make that point. But yes, you would assume that the FBI would be reviewing the traffic cameras along with other video and photographic media that were used in the area.
A sad day in Spokane when an individual or individuals decide that its okay to display their hatred by killing people who are peacefully assembled. Disgusting.
rterrylynch on January 18 at 1:22 p.m.
We don’t need this foolishness in our community. The haters should take their attitude and evil plans and go elsewhere like IRAQ or IRAN. There is no place here for this.
One can only hope the perps are caught, jailed, convicted and put away for life.
No blaming political discourse on this… this is a nut job and must be stopped. We can agree to disagree but never to harm one another.
Signed a conservative…
misjustice on January 18 at 1:23 p.m.
Thank goodness no one was hurt, including the person that found the bag and moved it…
MrNatural on January 18 at 1:26 p.m.
Why?
This truly is a sad commentary. What compels someone to be that heinous? What kind of monster could legitimize in their mind such an act?
Thank you to those who reported this. I was down there and I know those of us most deeply appreciate your actions.
reservedparking on January 18 at 1:26 p.m.
Would be interested to know what the triggering mechanism was - timer, cell phone, etc… They’ll either disclose more information over time or withhold it for investigative purposes…
lewis8457 on January 18 at 1:56 p.m.
Well I am surprised I would have bet they would only find a sandwich in there. I would never have guessed we had a coward in our midst that could kill innocent people from a distance.
Yes thanks to the SPD and the FBI, making it so we didn’t have to loose any more of our own, on a holiday for peace..
Loudin on January 18 at 2:00 p.m.
“Really? Really Spokane? Really?”
I’m sorry, but that is just a really stupid comment.
To imply that this pathetic action is somehow representative of a general feeling in Spokane is wrong. A single person or a member of a small group did this; that is not “Spokane.” Unfortunately, it’s simple-minded comments like that which propagate myths about the citizens of this city and the region in general. Read through the replies here, ask people in the community…you’ll find a strong consensus that this was a deplorable act.
That’s reality. That’s really Spokane. Really.
Loudin
PhiltheBibliophil on January 18 at 2:20 p.m.
Probably some more of Sarah Palin’s Sandpoint militia buddies! I’m beginning to wonder why I ever moved back to this town 4 years ago. I’m now remembering why I left!
greenlibertarian on January 18 at 2:30 p.m.
Just a matter of time…
(preceeds) “As militias go, the Ohio Defense Force is on the moderate side. Scores of armed antigovernment groups, some of them far more radical, have formed or been revived during the Obama years, according to law-enforcement agencies and outside watchdogs. A six-month TIME investigation reveals that recruiting, planning, training and explicit calls for a shooting war are on the rise, as are criminal investigations by the FBI and state authorities. Readier for bloodshed than at any time since at least the confrontations in the 1990s in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas, the radical right has raised the threat level against the President and other government targets. With violence already up on a modest scale, FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state agencies point to two main dangers of a mass-casualty attack: that a group of armed radicals will strike out in perceived self-defense, or that a lone wolf, trained and indoctrinated for war, will grow tired of waiting. Even the most outspoken militia commanders worry about the latter scenario. Kevin Terrell, a self-described colonel who founded a group of “freedom fighters” in Kentucky and predicts war with “the jackbooted thugs” of Washington within a year, says he has to fend off hotheads who call him a “keyboard commando.” Some are ejected from his group, he says, and others are willing to wait a little longer.
“You have to have the right fuel-air mixture, the piston has to be in the right position, the spark has to be perfectly timed,” he says. “The day will come—sooner than later.” (continues)
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2022516,00.html#ixzz1BQetFHv4
Dazee on January 18 at 3:55 p.m.
rlynch: Iraq never had suicide bombers prior to the U.S. invasion. I can’t recall Iran ever having one.
Did this bomb go off? Then why is it a sad day for Spokane? I, for one, and extremely happy it didn’t explode because then it would have been a truly sad day. It’s not sad when no one is hurt and the procedures in place for such exigencies worked. I’m happy as H E double tooth picks for all of that.
Acts like this demonstrate profound cowardice. You know you are reading these posts so if you want to be a tough guy/gal, bring your hatred into the open. We’ll wrap our loving arms around you in a big mf’n way!
cheddar on January 18 at 4:51 p.m.
What I don’t get is why this is a political issue to the people commenting on this story.. I happen to be extremely conservative, and think MLK was one of the greatest men ever due to his ability to win people over with logic, reason, peaceful demonstration, and love.
I hate the fact that somebody in this community could do this, and want to see them prosecuted and sent to prison forever.
Why can’t this be something that we can all agree on? Violence is the cowards way to change minds, and vigilance saved the day in this case.
No matter how much I disagree with somebody else’s political or social viewpoints, or how much I may fight against policies I don’t agree with, I would NEVER resort to violence to make that change..
I firmly believe in God, and don’t remember Jesus ever being violent to change people’s hearts and minds, He did it by loving them and showing them His heart.
Frankly, I’m surprised at some of the liberals posting on this site.. We narrowly avoided a huge tragedy, and the first instinct is to point the finger at the people who vehemently disagree with using violence..
We should be connecting on what we all DO agree on, and work together to keep this from being a place where violence against innocent people is viewed as normal.
selkirks on January 18 at 4:53 p.m.
We’ve come a long way since the 50s and 60s toward equality and an end to bigotry. But this incident only demonstrates that we have a long way to go.
I could list off the groups and people that appear to promote bigotry in the United States. But that wouldn’t be prudent. The fact is that we have a severe problem in this country with certain fringe groups promulgating violence. It comes from both sides. And the middle.
I guess my point is that “freedom” in this country has a long road ahead for it. Educate your children on the dangers of violence and bigotry. Talk to your families. Promote a sense of unity. We’re all in this together. Once we start killing each other, we lose track of what’s important: community.
maria on January 18 at 5:17 p.m.
Congratulations, Spokane, you made it onto Fark.com again.
SRugerEsq on January 18 at 5:24 p.m.
Plan ahead for next year’s MLK march Spokane, there will be 50000 people marching downtown! Up yours racists!
misjustice on January 18 at 5:35 p.m.
This story is also on MSNBC, Maria…
pmp on January 18 at 5:39 p.m.
What criminal would leave clues to find him, an Army backpack, probably not related to the military. Two T-shirt one for life and the other which I do not recognize. It is easy to divert attention from the real motive.
SRugerEsq on January 18 at 5:57 p.m.
White supremicists are the sort of gutless wonders that would plant a bomb that could harm random young and old, total zeros.
maria on January 18 at 5:57 p.m.
pmp wrote “What criminal would leave clues to find him, an Army backpack, probably not related to the military.”
It came from the Swiss Army. They are known for making backpacks that have lots of zippers.
misjustice on January 18 at 6:02 p.m.
Maria, I thought that the Swiss were neutral?
; )
maria on January 18 at 6:02 p.m.
Lol. No wonder it didn’t explode.
PhiltheBibliophil on January 18 at 6:46 p.m.
I see we finally made the National news on this tonight. I suggest that all of you read the book, Orders to Kill by William F. Pepper, published in 1995 by Time. Then you will know the truth behind the Murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Once again, our country has lied to us. The Tea Party militias around here, and there are LOTS of them, tell lies to themselves everyday! In the wake of Tuscon, I’m glad to see the FBI all over this, unlike last years bomb at the Courthouse. That story got buried under the rug!
zelda on January 18 at 6:52 p.m.
(from ABC News)
The bomb, described as a small pipe bomb, was designed to be triggered by a radio frequency system, and was directional – meaning it was designed to spray its deadly shrapnel in the direction it was pointed, law enforcement sources said. Aimed at the parade route, it could have caused multiple casualties among the marchers.
This person needs to be caught. ASAP.
And, um, how come Diane Sawyer knows more about this than the Spokane media?
greenlibertarian on January 18 at 7:15 p.m.
Cheddar would have us ignore the gigantic growth in militias from his extreme right cousins.
Sorry pal, ain’t gonna happen.
“(preceeds) Twisted Patriots
Within a complex web of ideologies, most of today’s armed radicals are linked by self-described Patriot beliefs, which emphasize resistance to tyranny by force of arms and reject the idea that elections can fix what ails the country. Among the most common convictions is that the Second Amendment—the right to keep and bear arms—is the Constitution’s cornerstone, because only a well-armed populace can enforce its rights. Any form of gun regulation, therefore, is a sure sign of intent to crush other freedoms. The federal government is often said in militia circles to have made wholesale seizures of power, at times by subterfuge. A leading grievance holds that the 16th Amendment, which authorizes the federal income tax, was ratified through fraud. (continues)
(precedes) “Last year Schulz convened hundreds of delegates to a second Continental Congress in St. Charles, Ill., drafting Articles of Freedom with “instructions” that state and federal governments halt unlawful operations. Refusal to comply would be “an act of WAR,” the delegates wrote, and “the People and their Militias have the Right and Duty to repel it.” Several militia leaders are among the authors.
Then, in November and March, Schulz staged vigils at the White House in which he and some of his followers dressed in the mask of the menacing “V” from the film V for Vendetta. (In the movie’s final scene, the oppressive seat of government erupts in spectacular flames to the swelling strains of the 1812 Overture.) “If the First Amendment doesn’t work,” Schulz says, “the Second Amendment would.” He asks, “What does a free man do” when all other avenues are closed? “I am struggling with my conscience.” (continues)
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,2022516,00.html
SRugerEsq on January 18 at 7:57 p.m.
Once people who are sick of these right wing nuts start to flex their muscles these cowards will crawl back into their holes.
west on January 18 at 8:09 p.m.
Spokane makes CNN world news….ugh
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/18/mlk.parade.device/index.html?hpt=T2
monkeyman on January 18 at 8:45 p.m.
More national coverage…
“The Spokane region and adjacent northern Idaho have had numerous incidents of anti-government and white supremacist activity during the past three decades.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/bomb-found-on-mlk-day-parade-route_n_810735.html
Undettered on January 18 at 8:53 p.m.
A sad tribute to the man who dared to dream that we might all one day be truly color blind and judge each other on the strength of our character.
Sadly probably the work of a member of one of three groups:
Some Fundamentalist follower of a 1500 year old Middle Eastern Religion.
Or like, the nut case in Tucson, a: Bush, Palin, Cheney, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh hating, leftest, pagan with Socialist leanings dissatisfied that the Liberal Agenda was not rammed down the throats of U.S. citizens because of that antiquated, +200 year old document the U.S. Constitution.
Or a National Socialist party member who has either a mullet or shaves his head bald, thinks the Government should own more than just GM, Chrysler, the health care industry and the Banking industry and should be only composed of White people.
I think it is about high time we ban all backpacks in this country.
reservedparking on January 18 at 9:32 p.m.
“And, um, how come Diane Sawyer knows more about this than the Spokane media?”
Because the Spokane media is more concerned with dredging up old history about Lottery winners, just to dig up tabloid dirt:
http://www.khq.com/Global/story.asp?S=13845900
Scoutster on January 18 at 9:53 p.m.
reservedparking…
why did you choose to do the same thing here?
greenlibertarian on January 18 at 10:09 p.m.
“Or like, the nut case in Tucson, a: Bush, Palin, Cheney, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh hating, leftest, pagan with Socialist leanings dissatisfied that the Liberal Agenda was not rammed down the throats of U.S. citizens because of that antiquated, +200 year old document the U.S. Constitution. ”
Ahh we have a comedian here.
You mean Loughner, the guy who comported (look it up) abortion with terrorism? And railed on and on about the gold standard, and the evil Fed? Yeah, sounds like a real lefty.
Ignorance abounds.
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on January 18 at 10:11 p.m.
I thought everybody knew that Diane Sawyer has super powers…
maria on January 18 at 10:15 p.m.
thatoneguy,
I was just thinking that Diane Sawyer could down an old-growth Sitka Spruce with her bare teeth. Maybe that’s just me…
drywitt99 on January 18 at 10:20 p.m.
Cheddar:
There IS a difference between being very conservative……and being a right-wing wack-job.
Speaking of which……anyone notice the familiar names NOT commenting on this story??
Too busy establishing alibis???
nslopeofw on January 18 at 10:25 p.m.
PhiltheBibliophil - What a moron you are to in any way blame this on Sarah Palin. Please provide any facts that prove your lunatic rantings of Sarah Palin having anything to do with militia’s in Sandpoint, or anywhere for that matter. You sound a bit like a conspiracy theorist. Maybe the Illuminati had a hand in it with the masons? Pitiful.
Anyone ever hear of ELF? Hard core lefties, and damn good at setting and blowing up bombs.
Its likely that these psycho’s are white supremacist’s. I doubt any mainstream political party in the US aligns themselves with these wacko’s. In fact, the closest any party has come in the last 50 years is the democrat party during the civil rights movement. I doubt anyone today believes that Democrats are still against civil rights.
Call it like it probably is: Loser, brain dead psycho’s, that the world would be a better place without. This would be one of the few times i would agree with the local cops if they just shot these pukes.
maria on January 18 at 10:30 p.m.
I expected Gramma and Empyrius to have chimned in here. Perhaps they are taking in a mid-week mass tonight. Bless their hearts!
drywitt99 on January 18 at 10:31 p.m.
This from the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI office:
“I think the link to the Martin Luther King celebration and march is inescapable,” Harrill said. “At that point, it falls directly in the realm and sphere of domestic terrorism. Clearly, there was some political or social agenda here.”
And whose political agenda does this advance?
Left-wing, big government, tax and spend socialists……
or the right-wing nut jobs associated with the militia movement, Westboro Baptist Church. or the most extreme teabaggers?
drywitt99 on January 18 at 10:48 p.m.
“…would agree with the local cops if they just shot these pukes.”
Why?
To eliminate them before they could identiy any co-conspirators??
spokanelaw on January 18 at 10:50 p.m.
My wife, daughter, I and our greatgrand children were there. It makes me very angry that someone would be willing to kill them for whatever reason. If the perpetrator is mental, then their political associations are irrelevant. If this is the result of a less pronounced derangement, it is at least an isolated phenomenon. Nevertheless, we should not close our eyes to both of these kinds of threats and those among us who are likely to act out. The perpetrator(s) is/are near us. Be proactive.
rightspirit on January 18 at 10:56 p.m.
The T-shirts and backpack in the pics are a diversion… look at the color of the purple T-shirts at this 2010 Relay for Life Stevens County link on Facebook:
..Relay for Life Stevens County’s Photos - Relay for Life 2010
there are no gray and black T-shirts…whats wrong with this picture
greenlibertarian on January 18 at 11:25 p.m.
“Its likely that these psycho’s are white supremacist’s. I doubt any mainstream political party in the US aligns themselves with these wacko’s. In fact, the closest any party has come in the last 50 years is the democrat party during the civil rights movement.”
-nslope
If you’d said 75-100 plus years, you might have a point. But starting in the early 60’s, Dems became the party (not without dissension) of civil rights.
Here’s the vote on the 1964 Civil Rights Act:
“The original House version:
* Southern Democrats: 7–87 (7%–93%)
* Southern Republicans: 0–10 (0%–100%)
* Northern Democrats: 145-9 (94%–6%)
* Northern Republicans: 138-24 (85%–15%)
The Senate version:
* Southern Democrats: 1–20 (5%–95%)
* Southern Republicans: 0–1 (0%–100%)
* Northern Democrats: 45-1 (98%–2%)
* Northern Republicans: 27-5 (84%–16%)”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964
Not even ONE Southern Republican, House or Senate member voted for the Civil Rights Act.
Northern Democrats voted almost unanimously for the Civil Rights Act.
Northern Republicans voted only about 85% for the Civil Rights Act.
Facts are a stubborn thing.
drywitt99 on January 18 at 11:52 p.m.
Greenie:
But….in the spirit of full disclosure…..given the minute presence of the Republican party in the deep south in the late 50s and early 60s…..virtually all redneck southern sheriffs of that era would have been elected as Democrats. And most of the KKK members blowing up churches would have voted Democratic…..
as much as that fact may disgust me.
Yes….facts are indeed a stubborn thing.
But we cannot ignore them.
Alfredo on January 19 at 4:57 a.m.
It’s sickening alright. I’ve lived here for only a few years and every day I’m shocked at the blatant racism and hatred here. Obviously not everyone is this way but I have to admit that compared to every other place I’ve lived in the United States, there appears to be more of it here.
Living near the mountains and ranches does not mean we need to be ignorant or hateful.
I certainly hope the SPD and FBI catch this person (for some reason I’m thinking it’s one individual). This most certainly is domestic terrorism.
wewhodream on January 19 at 6:45 a.m.
How does somebody decide that doing their inventory precludes the chance they could be blown up? “Bomb? Nope, gotta get this merchandise counted.”
maddog on January 19 at 6:58 a.m.
Alot of retoric here, however probable…but I have not read one post implying international terroism…possible…remember Portland? Just saying.
biglib on January 19 at 7:06 a.m.
ahh huh. Big surprise some kook plants a bomb during a MLK march. Yep big suprise…. The facts are it’s a thin line between mental derangement and sensible level headed people. I’m of the opinion that when Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck and countless others radio personalities push vitriolic speeches that are by design intended to anger not inform people is in good part to blame for the wackos going over the “thin line”.
idahocity on January 19 at 7:32 a.m.
i wonder if this will turn out to be like the portland christmas tree bomber. the fbi won’t have to look far.
Dazee on January 19 at 2:48 p.m.
Comparing this incident to Portland makes no sense. Did the FBI help the bomber incriminate himself?
Arch_Druid on January 20 at 10:57 a.m.
Quite frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was white supremacists. They were protesting minorities and I do believe the Human Rights museum in CDA on the same day as this bomb was found.
Since they haven’t yet found the perpetrator, and the FBI didn’t immediately haul in some dude who was encouraged to plant a phony bomb, then I would definitely say that there is no comparison between the two incidents.
As for these “militias” and self-proclaimed “patriots;” challenging the U.S. Constitution as the supreme law of the land and being prepared to take up arms against the gvt that is established under this document and voted for by we the people is not and never has been “right wing.”
And yes, Cheddar, there is a heck of a lot of difference between being a conservative and a radical. Rest easy.
nslopeofw on January 20 at 12:33 p.m.
Greenlibertarian,
Ever heard of Dem senator Robert Byrd of the KKK? The dems of today hailed him as a great man at his death.
how about Senator Ernest Hollings, D-SC: Hollings a liberal Democrat Senator from South Carolina who is also notorious for his use of racial slurs. He rose out of the Democrat Party’s segregationist wing in the 1960’s as governor of South Carolina. While in office as governor, Hollings personally led the opposition to lunch counter integration in his state. The New York Times reported on March 17, 1960 that then-governor Hollings “warned today that South Carolina would not permit ‘explosive’ manifestations in connection with Negro demands for lunch-counter services.”
Believe me there are plenty more examples of Demo racists out there. Try not to be an alarmist, and face facts. These psychos are part of NO mainstream political group. They are freaking losers that hide like Islamic terrorists, and deserve nothing better than death.
Oh, yeah, and quoting wikipedia isnt considered fact, as anyone can edit them.
Arch_Druid on January 20 at 3:29 p.m.
@Nslopeofw, I have no doubt that members of the Democratic party DID in fact happen to be racists. Indeed, we had a few U.S. Supreme Court judges with a background connected to the KKK. However, did anyone specifically point a finger at the GOP in particular? Or at the fringe radicals such as Palin, Beck, Limbaugh and etc.? Excuse me, but I am quite sure that the vast majority of conservative GOP don’t go into hysterics every time Obama utters a pronouncement. Only the fringe radicals do. And it is on the fringes, that you will find the racists, “TEA Party,” and other highly questionable characters.
GodofHellfire on January 20 at 10:13 p.m.
I come with peace and thanksgiving that the police thwarted this attempt to disrupt this day and the parade to honor MLK. I joined with 500,000 other citizens on Aug. 28, 2010 to mark his landmark “I Have A Dream” speech.
Joining MLK’s niece, Dr. Alvina King, were former Vice President nominee Governor Sarah Palin, St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa and the organizer of this Restoring Honor rally, Glenn Beck. There were about 700 people who tried to disrupt the honor to MLK but the police thwarted them.
Later, on Nov. 2, I joined with millions of other Americans to throw out our Democrat officeholders in an historical rout.
Rightspirit- that was a great observation about the wrong colors of the Respect Life T-shirts. Did someone try to frame Republicans but instead gave the police a huge clue?
Drywitt99 and nslopeofw - You are right about the Democrat KKKers murdering blacks, civil-right activists and Republicans for over 100 years. The Democrat segregationist Senator-Kleagle and Exalted Cyclops Robert Byrd left the Senate in 2010 and Senator John Stennis left the Senate in 1989.
It should be a criminal offense to whitewash Democrat sins. Here’s the real history, easily found in old American textbooks before 1970:
The Republican Party was formed in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, winning in 1860 and attacking Ft. Sumter, after the Democrats seceded. President Lincoln and General Grant, and then President Grant won the war and planned the Reconstruction but Lincoln’s murder left Democrat Andrew Johnson to dismantle the Reconstruction. The Democrats then lynched Republican government officials and blacks until Grant smashed the KKK for eight years. Later Presidents weren’t as vigilant and the Democrats KKKers then owned the night into the 1970s.
Democrats gave America slavery, Dred Scott, Civil War, KKK, segregation, Tuskegee experiments, Eugenics and abortion, FDR’s 1940s Southern Supreme Court, three Dixiecrat boycotts of the Democrat Conventions, the Civil Rights murders and beatings, Bull Conner, Lester Maddox, George Wallace, Kleagle and Exalted Cyclops Sen. Robert Byrd, the shootings of Medgar Evans and James Meredith, the battle of Little Rock, poll taxes, three efforts to thwart 1960s Civil Right Acts. Don’t forget, George Wallace announced his challenge to President Kennedy on Nov. 20, 1963 and two days later, Kennedy was dead. Every presidential assassin has had ties to the Democrats or aligned Democratic movements. James Earl Ray was a Democrat and MLK was a Republican.
Wallace was the 1972 Democratic President nomination leader when he was shot in May. Wallace still won primaries in Maryland and Michigan after he was hurt..
Think about: The Democrats were within three weeks of nominating George Wallace in 1972 for President.
The Republicans ended slavery within 10 years, pursued the KKK, created the 13th, 14th and 19th Amendments, Republican Chief Justice Earl Warren stopped segregation in education, President Eisenhower send the 101st Airborne to integrate Little Rock schools, Republicans enacted the Civil Rights Acts of 1866, 1871, and 1875, and voted in the majority in the Civil Rights Acts of 1960, 1964 and 1968. In the 1980s, under President Reagan, black Americans reached their highest level of economic power.
As Senate Minority Leader for over a decade, Sen. Everett Dirksen (R-IL) played a highly visible and key role in the politics of the 1960s, including helping to write and pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Open Housing Act of 1968, both landmarks of civil rights legislation.
At the vote for cloture on the filibuster against the Civil Rights Act, Dirksen had this to say
“Victor Hugo wrote in his diary substantially this sentiment, ‘Stronger than all the armies is an idea whose time has come.’ The time has come for equality of opportunity in sharing of government, in education, and in employment. It must not be stayed or denied.”
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Arch_Druid on January 21 at 11:50 a.m.
God of Hellfire, interesting rant. I guess it wouldn’t have occurred to you but for a few Dixiecrats who actually stayed in the Democratic party, that oh so pure GOP you are touting, through Ronald Reagan, were ultimately prepared to co-opt the Dixiecrats (southern strategy) and include them AND their history of race hatred into the GOP. So yeah, you might, along with Nslopeofw love to vilify the Democrats. But, the GOP now carry that particular baggage of their own free will.
Sorry dude.
shanusmaximus on January 21 at 2:27 p.m.
Well, I see it takes no time for you yupheads to exploit a terrible situation in our town so you can play your goddamn Dem vs. Rep. pro-wrestling B.S. when we should be all very thankful that regular SPOKANE CITIZENS were aware enough to help stop this potentially devastating situation. Oh, and let’s not forget the clowns that use it to put Spokane down…..and based on ZERO information. But don’t let me stop y’alls Punch and Judy show…..carry on. Pathetic, truly pathetic.
boboh65 on January 22 at 11:15 a.m.
wow i dont know if its the same there is a treasure island in florida maybe they bought the shirt there??