I’m not sure whether it makes me feel better or worse that Russell Pearce doesn’t seem to have that many original ideas, directly lifting quite a bit of his writings online, including large chunks of his website, from other people:
For several years, media outlets in Arizona and at the national level have explored links between Pearce and extremist groups, and in 2006 he was caught circulating a Holocaust-denying article from a West Virginia-based white supremacist group. In issuing an apology, Pearce claimed to not have known about the National Alliance’s views.
But a new examination of Pearce’s website and public statements reveals that the self-proclaimed architect of Arizona’s “papers please” immigration law has regularly borrowed significant portions of text from the writings of hard-line white nationalists, fringe anti-immigrant activists, and others whose views far fall outside the mainstream and presented them as his own.
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2011.
Where’s the thumb’s down button?
Dan,
What’s your political affiliation? How would handle the wave of “illegal” immigrants flooding into this country?
RH
RH: If he’s right on immigration (and I’m not saying he is), is it ok for him to steal text from other sources and claim it as his own?
Neat, adding an intro sentence to another journalist’s work. And you get paid for this?!?
“CAUGHT circulating a Holocaust-denying article” Is that a crime? What is wrong with Pearce exercising his right to freedom of speech? I don’t agree with everything Pearce says, but your article is so skewed it’s shameful. There are more of us that are “outside the mainstream” than you want to know. P.S. I am not white. Labeling us as you do will not deter us either.
Poor article!
Joco: Circulating a Holocaust denying article isn’t a crime, sure, but are you saying that isn’t a bad thing? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I’m against all Holocaust denials.
Dan: That is YOUR right to freedom of speech. Fortunately, it is still allowed in this country. Holocaust denial, even QUESTIONING the 6 Million figure in deaths, is ILLEGAL, punished by jail/fines, in other countries, such as Germany and Australia. I can soon see that happening here too. Go out on a limb and do some research.
Joco, you are of course free to deny the Holocaust and shouldn’t be legally punished for doing so. That being said, I would never vote for someone who denies the Holocaust, nor would I hire them. There are consequences for actions and just because certain speech is legally permitted doesn’t mean it’s decent, intelligent or moral.
Zach, have you ever researched the Holocaust? Not just the information we are spoon fed by Mainstream Media. The information is out there if you do the work. There are many scholarly articles addressing the numbers of victims, and testimonial form survivors that offer some insight and may even change your mind. Remember CRITICAL thinking? Read what is out there and make your own decisions. What scares me that when we even question the “authorities”, we are silenced by name calling here in America, and threatened with jail/prisons in other countries. This includes academics that want to do their own research about the Holocaust. Why is that? Isn’t that just to deter others from asking those same questions? If more people stopped drinking the kool aid, did actual research themselves, people would be less judgmental and maybe even learn something. Take the red pill.
P.S. I warn you, what you find will more than likely disturb you, and yet you will have just scratched the surface. Good luck.
Yawn!!!! Journalism at it’s finest?……………………Not!
then he is as great a politician as joe biden.
I’ve read about Pearce’s affiliations with white Supremacist groups for some time now…never could understand how he got “elected’. I had no idea that Mormons were Holocaust deniers. And I have no idea how anyone could argue with facts and information presented in this article.