Blood and Politics
I’m not exactly looking forward to reading Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream. In addition to a length of nearly 650 pages, the subject matter doesn’t make for casual summer reading.
But there is something fascinating about extremist movements, especially those that lapse into violence. The subject has some urgency too. Before September 11th, the most lethal terrorists on American soil had emerged from the ranks of various white nationalist groups.
They’ve been less openly interested in violence since 9/11, but volatile issues like immigration reform (not to mention the historic election of the first black President of the United States) have stirred the white racialist pot.
Like a dormant virus, this form of extremism can emerge in unexpected outbreaks, e.g., lurking around the campaign of their one-time ally Ron Paul, or forming tentative associations with radical Islamic groups (on the basis of their shared anti-Semitism).
Blood and Politics looks like an important and interesting read. Hopefully, events will not make the book even more timely. I’ll post here as I get a chance to read into it.
——–
And speak of the devil…
MSNBC: Shooting Suspect is White Supremacist
MSNBC is reporting that name of susupect is James Von Brunn, a white supremacist, born 1920. There is no official confirmation of this yet.
More detail and confirmation via the Washington Post.
