The Grays and the Greens

Another Mac Diva Guest Column:

Charles Murtaugh suggests that among environmentalists, not the neo-Confederate movement, is where we should be looking for bigotry.

Actually, those of us who monitor hate groups have been aware that the Ku Klux Klan, Aryan Nations and other far Right groups recruit in the environmental movement for some time.

Virginia Abernethy, the 'environmental activist' described in the article quoted is has been an elite member of the St. Louis based Conservative Ctitizens Council for years. Her mainstream credentials have allowed her to fly below radar much of the time. She is a professor emeritus of psychiatry and anthropology at Vanderbilt Medical School.

The CofCC gained notoriety when deposed Majority Leader Trent Lott and former Georgia Rep. Bob Barr were linked to it. Other politicians, including presidential candidate Dick Gephardt, have had to distance themselves from it. The organization was quite famous in its earlier incarnation -- the White Citizens Councils of the South.

Nor is the CofCC to be taken lightly. One might want to borrow one a couple of 2X4s while hanging out with the Gordon Baum and his pals. Members have wacked out.

Of course, the CofCC brass sees the situation differently.

Dr. Abernethy's political equivalent is U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.).


Tancredo's politics is indeed personal. He, personally, attempted to get a young Mexican honor student deported:

The Congressman is staying the course:

Tancredo: Strengthen border or end 'charade'

Lawmaker hopes to provoke national immigration debate

By Owen S. Good, Rocky Mountain News
February 21, 2003

LUKEVILLE, Ariz. - The shoulder-high wire fence does no more to stop people than a first base line stops a foul ball. . . .

Tancredo wants soldiers on this border.

The Littleton lawmaker hopes his visit this week -- with Republican colleagues from his Immigration Reform Caucus, Rep. John Shadegg of Arizona and Rep. Peter Hoekstra of Michigan - will provoke the national debate on immigration for which he has been long spoiling.

"The point is to get the people who are here, who have seen it, to go back to Congress, explain to their colleagues what they have seen, and hopefully we will elevate this issue to the point of debate," said Tancredo, while standing about 10 yards from where Eggle bled to death.

He wants an up-or-down question on secure borders. If the nation wants them, as he does, Tancredo says we should send in troops and improve the barriers. If not, "I suggest we abandon this charade, take down that fence, stop putting people at risk," he said.

The rest of the story:


Betsy Hartmann, author of the article the Charles quoted, gets to heart of the matter in a current piece in Black World Today:

Increasingly tied to the racist right on one side, the anti-immigrant movement is also tied to mainstream government, media and academic circles on the other. It provides a practical and ideological conduit for racist ideas and interests to influence politics as usual. In this sense it is a mistake to view it as just about immigration; it is about protecting and reinforcing white power in the U.S. Among its strategies are:

1) Getting its people into positions of power.

2) Projecting a respectable face to the mainstream media.

3) Cultivating academic legitimacy.

The entire piece is well worth reading.

As much as I appreciate our fellow member of the blog community bringing this topic up, being in favor of amity in Bloggersville and all, I am somewhat bewildered. Gene Expression and Dr. Abernethy's group, the Council of Concerned Citizens, share the same beliefs in a racial hierarchy and limited immigration. Why would a person criticize one while embracing the other?