Kansas State Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook took to Facebook to attack KHI, the Kansas Health Institute news service over an in depth article written by Andy Marso. The article, which chronicled the white nationalist organization behind recent racial hate attacks in Lindsborg, Kansas detailed the complex relationship between the racists behind the act and their political ties — as well as politicians who have disavowed them.
www.khi.org/…
A police report of the chalkings from Sept. 3 names Gabriel James Wilson as a suspect.
Wilson, a 19-year-old from nearby Salina, has been part of multiple campaigns for statewide and legislative office during past elections, planting yard signs and offering other support. He’s since affiliated himself with Identity Evropa, a white nationalist group based in California.
The incident, where individuals drew chalk drawings showing outlines of bodies along with “Make America White Again” went viral in it’s posting here on Daily Kos, and was picked up by numerous other news sources.
Instead of commending KHI for looking into who actually conducted these attacks, Kansas Senator Mary Pilcher Cook accused KHI staff of being “left wing shills”.
Danedri Herbert, who maintains a sockpuppet account called GidgetIsIt, which was exposed here, began her rant through her sock puppet account, proclaiming that the article was unfair for linking the racist group to Republicans.
The article at KHI focuses on many political figures who ended up hiring or working with the individuals involved in the attack on the university, not specifically Republicans.
www.khi.org/...
Frazier says Wilson and a group of five or six others showed up at a scheduled Libertarian Party event in Salina, started talking presidential politics with the regulars and introduced themselves as the Lindsborg chapter of Identity Evropa.
“I’d never heard of it, so I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing,” Frazier said.
Identity Evropa is part of a network of “white identitarian” groups, according to Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center. These are groups that believe the United States and western Europe are “white countries” that are “under assault by the forces of multiculturalism and political correctness,” Potok said.
For Pilcher-Cook and Danedri, though, this was an opportunity to open up the attacks on a reporter for, you know, discussing concerns of racism.
The group that KHI followed up on directly, Identity Evropa, has long pitched white identity movement philosophies, as can be seen in this video (if you can stomach it)
Ramsey posted on his verified Twitter account July 30 that he had a “great dinner and conversation tonight with the Kansas #altright" — seeming to identify Wilson as a charter member. Ramsey said about 20 people attended and thanked Wilson by tagging Wilson’s Twitter account.
Pilcher Cook has long been identified with strong conservative policies, touting her opposition to many of these issues. While flame throwing news commentators can get away with such gasoline, for a state senator to openly get involved and to make accusations at a news source regarding a piece of investigative journalism exposing the actors behind a hate crime may mark a new low.
Pilcher-Cook is challenged by Shawnee resident Vicki Hiatt, a 30 year educator. When asked to comment on this event, Hiatt noted: “I stand behind the community that defended the role of Bethanyreligious university. If you are truly pro-family, you should stand behind them rather than attack reporters hoping to expose hatred.”
.
Kansas & Missouri Kossacks
Contact the Daily Kos group Kansas & Missouri Kossacks by kosmail(members of Daily Kos only).
Contact Chris Reeves with news, tips, and/or information by tmservo433@gmail.com
Follow Chris on Twitter @tmservo433.
If you would like to publish or republish a Daily Kos diary to the group Kansas & Missouri Kossacks, please let us know by kosmail or email.
If you have a location or story that needs support from Connect! Unite! Act!, please let us know by kosmail or email.
