The revelation that the disturbance at the National Air and Space Museum was, at least in part, the result of a right-wing agent provocateur (reported by Charles Grapski here and at fdl and highlighted in yesterday's midday open thread) is getting a bit of exposure in the wider mediasphere.
Accurate and fairly complete accounts of Mr. Howley's self-confessed criminal actions can be found today on the Washington Post's Wonkblog, Gawker and Slate.
You, too, can help spread the story. If your local paper ran the brief wire service story of the fracas, consider writing a letter to the editor highlighting Mr. Howley's actions and subsequent public confession.
Middle of the Diary Update:
Just got the call from the local paper Letters editor. They're running it. We'll get this story told however we can. Now back to your diary, already in progress.
While left-leaning protest movements should always expect to be infiltrated by their opponents seeking to undermine the protesters' credibility, rarely will they be so fortunate to have for their hijackers preening, egomaniacal idiots like Howley, who feel the need to brag of their exploits in public.
Thanks, Mr. Howley. You f'ing idiot.
Important Distinctions Dept.: As mahakali overdrive emphasizes in the comments, Stop the Machine, the group which Howley tried to incite, is not affiliated with OccupyDC or OWS. And Important Distinction indeed.
Update: And here they come: The Atlantic: "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things..."
and
The Week and Daily Beast.
More to come, I'm sure.
More: Hey, look, it's New York Magazine.
Still more: Guardian's picked it up.
Even more: NBC Washington takes up the tale.
The Hits Keep Coming: CNN reposts the Washington Post post and Yahoo News puts up Dylan Stableford's perfectly-headlined post, "Reporter incites D.C. riot–to write about it."
Locals piling on: Story's in the Columbus, Indiana Republic here.
Backgrounder: majcmb1 helpfully links to a thinkprogress piece on the moneyman behind American Spectator in the comments.
Aaaaaand...
the pushback against Lee Fang's thinkprogress piece begins...
Interesting Developments Dept.: Speaking of agents provocateurs, stef comments below:
Now getting tweets that James O'Keefe is at OWS right now.
and updates with a Gawker link.
Hmmm. Wonder if he cleared the travel with his probation officer, as his proby agreement requires him to do for another 18 months. Wonder if he cleared this trip last month. Or this one two weeks earlier.
I swear if they'd put a monitor bracelet on his ankle, it'd get bonus miles.
A bit more: Horace Boothroyd III just put up a diary on the O'Keefe sightings.
