People who had nothing to do with each other in the real world. In the blogosphere, each of these people was linked by a macabre desire by the left-wing blogosphere to find a crime which fit a narrative of right wing violence inspired by talk radio, Fox News, "wingnut" bloggers, and Tea Partiers.
It's the narrative pushed by Dave Neiwart of Crooks and Liars about an "eliminationist" radical right. You could say that Neiwart fancies himself the new Richard Hofstadter, and "eliminationist" is the new "paranoid style" in American politics.
Add the Anti-Muslim Cabbie Stabber to the list. That person is Michael Enright.
The narrative which exploded immediately in the left-wing blogosphere was that right-wing incitement related to the Corboda Mosque and Islamic Center incited Engright to stab a Muslim cab driver, after questioning the driver as to his faith. Here is a taste of the initial reaction from leading blogs:
- Think Progress: "The first casualty of the “Ground Zero mosque.”"
- Michael Tomasky: "Anyone surprised that a Muslim cab driver was stabbed in New York? If you are surprised, you've been sleepwalking the last two weeks."
- Juan Cole: "Newt Gingrich and Rick Lazio may as well have kept Enwright in their basements in chains and whipped him into a frenzy as to spew their hatred on the airwaves."
- Gawker: ""Ground Zero mosque" mania reaches exciting new heights."
- Crooks and Liars: "GOP, What Have Your Wrought?"
- New York Magazine: "But with the tension so high right now on the issue of tolerance of Muslims, the correlation between the two is troubling enough."
- Little Green Footballs: "With the bigotry and hatred continuously pouring out of Fox News, right wing websites, and talk radio, it was only a matter of time."
- Bob Cesca: "Claiming to be a Muslim that close to Ground Zero is a stab in the heart to whatever."
- TPM Livewire: "Okay so: Anyone else sadly not surprised at a Muslim hate crime in New York City these days?"
The Anti-Muslim Cabbie Stabber joins the others in the rogues gallery of criminals who disappointed the left-wing blogosphere by failing to fit the eliminationist narrative.
Update: Finally, a narrative that fits:
And, The NY Times does not go full eliminationist narrative, but nonetheless suggests a connection which the facts of its own article dispel: "The violence that erupted during the cab ride came amid a heated and persisting national debate over whether to situate a Muslim community center and mosque two blocks north of ground zero."
And Jim Treacher notes:
Here’s how it works: When 19 Muslim terrorists fly planes into buildings and murder thousands of people, it’s not a reflection on all Muslims. Or any Muslims besides those 19, for that matter. But when a drunk A-hole in the same neighborhood yells “As-salaam alaikum! Consider this a checkpoint!” and stabs a Muslim cabbie, it’s a reflection on all opponents of the Ground Zero Mosque.--------------------------------------------
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I suspect this was a manufactured hate crime that didn't go as planned. Granted, the manufacturer was drunk, but there's a long history of staged "hate" incidents.
ReplyDeleteThese radical leftist lunatics continually try to use their Alinsky taught methods to demonize the right. However, as is the case here, they end up falling on their own swords of defeat!
ReplyDeleteI don't visit any of the blogs listed (except LGF years ago until that idiot went off the deep end), so I appreciated the brief synopsis of each lying loon provided here.
So...where are the apologies for blaming the wrong group of people? I won't hold my breath...
There's gotta be a great book in here somewhere. Sorta like Glenn Reynolds' "They Told Me If I Voted For McCain..." theme. I'm sure someone is compiling a list of these incidents and will publish them at some point. Oh, silly me. I forgot that real, actual facts don't matter.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree somewhat with Rob Crawford, although I think this owes mostly to the involvement of alcohol.
ReplyDeleteI figure that while he was drunk he got really pissed about the opposition to the mosque and he then did what all drunks do and came up with a "brilliant" plan that in retrospect was insanely stupid.
The key here is that the cabbie locked the assailant in the cab and delivered him to the cops. Drunk or not, this guy would otherwise have disappeared into the night. And the story would have been the "narrative." Now it's going to be the "lone deranged assailant." Although the Times hasn't quite figured that out yet and is caught between the two.
ReplyDeleteWhere is this stuff stored up? Someone that has the time, and lots of energy, should be saving all this for future use. Glenn Beck noted that a left site had used his meeting with Imam Rauf in 2006 to show him as muslim hating and then last week the same clip to show him as agreeing with him. I guess it might be useful prior to elections but then the new ACORN-ish groups will soon make those meaningless, too. Scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteMy dog caught and killed a squirrel amid a heated and persisting national debate over whether to situate a Muslim community center and mosque two blocks north of ground zero. It was bloody. Can't we all get along?
ReplyDeleteNow it's going to be the "lone deranged assailant.
ReplyDelete"is a stab in the heart to whatever." Is that was passes for good writing these days? Am I alone wondering how some of these people keep their gigs, let alone how they got them in the first place?
ReplyDeleteThe Left desperately needs their Reichstag Fire so that they can have their Enabling Act.
ReplyDeleteWatch the Sharpton protest of the Beck 8/28 event for the next opportunity, especially if they try to make it a direct confrontation.
He works with "Intersections International" an organization whose 'journalistic' activities are meant to exact "social justice." Yeah, this guy really fits the conservatives-turned-violent narrative, eh?
ReplyDeleteLet's get this clear. The Mosque isn't "two blocks north of Ground Zero". The building was hit - and damaged - by part of one of the planes, and they are still finding human remains. This isn't "north of" Ground Zero. It IS Ground Zero.
ReplyDeleteAs a cab driver in Minneapolis I actually prefer to drive on the day shift as I avoid most of the drunks that way.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn’t turn my back on drunk art school students… especially if it ever came up you voted for Bush in front of them.
ReplyDeleteReally;a lot of them are mentally unstable far left wackos.
Muslim cabbies don't stab people, art school students do.
The leftist, insipid, vapid, and pointless...
ReplyDeleteThe funny part is that they know it but keep thrashing away in hopes of looking for a reason to exist...