For the third time within 11 days, a racially or
politically motivated shooting has occurred. On Wednesday, 88-year old
gunman, James W. von Brunn, opened fire inside a crowded Holocaust Museum
in Washington, DC, killing a black security guard before being shot
himself. A white supremist, von Brunn has a history of violent hate
crimes.
23-year-old Army private, William Andrew Long,
was shot and killed outside a recruiting office this month in Arkansas and
a fellow soldier was wounded. The suspect, a Muslim convert, has said he
considers the killing justified because of the U.S. military presence in
the Middle East.
Late last month, abortion provider Dr. George
Tiller was shot to death in his church. The suspect was seen tampering
with the door the clinic a day before the shooting.
According to Washington police, "The second von
Brunn stepped into the building he began firing his 22-caliber rifle.
The dead guard was identified as Stephen T. Johns, a six-year veteran of
the facility. His car was found near the museum, which is just blocks
away from the White House.
In 1983, von Brunn was convicted of attempting to
kidnap members of the Federal Reserve Board and served more than six years
in prison. He was arrested two years earlier outside the room where the
board was meeting, carrying a revolver, knife and sawed-off shotgun. At
the time, police said he barged his way in and said he wanted to take
pictures. He went as far as the room before police arrested him. Von
Brunn said he wanted to take the members hostage because of high interest
rates and the nation's economic difficulties. When he got out of prison,
he went on his website and said he was the victim of â?oNegroes on the
jury and a Jewish judge at sentencing.
Jack Levin, author of Why We Hate, in an interview
with MSNB's Keith Olbermann, commented on the growing threat of
domestic terrorists many who have ties to the far right:
They hate Jews and blacks. They dont like
Catholics. They don't like gays. They don't specialize . . .But,
there's a new anti-Semitism among progressives who blame Jews all over
the world for Israeli policies they donâ?Tt like.
Two months ago, Homeland Security chief Janet
Napolitano wrote a memo warning that violence by â?orightwing
extremists is on the rise. She came under fire by some conservative
groups and later admitted that some of the language was poorly phrased.
Much of the criticism has focused on the memo's claim that returning
veterans, traumatized by the Iraq war and unhappy with the recent
direction of the country, are vulnerable targets for right-wing militia
groups. Other rightwing groups noted in the memo include those who
oppose abortion, are concerned about immigration and current economic
policies, and those who support gun rights.