I Do Believe We Have a Death Threat 
by Sunil K. Sharma
www.dissidentvoice.org
April 7, 2006



 

Dear Readers,

CounterPunch co-editor Jeffrey St. Clair this morning brought to my attention a screed by a disturbed individual named George M. Weinert V of Chicago, Illinois, whose blog, American Jihad, features a March 24, 2006 article (to put it charitably) that reads clearly as an incitement to violence . . .  a call to "hunt down the treasonous operators" of Dissident Voice, CounterPunch, Uruknet, and other "radical left wing hippy commie Muslim sucking" (wow, what a mouthful) web sites.

Particularly singled out for targeting in Weinert’s deranged ramblings are Dissident Voice contributing writers Mike Whitney, Ken Sanders, as well as our friend and past contributing writer Kurt Nimmo. Weinert is hardly subtle in issuing what is clearly a death threat against us. Here is a snippet:

(Full Link: http://americanjihad.blogspot.com/2006/03/treason-capital-offense.html)

Since launching Dissident Voice back in 2001, I’ve received a few e-mail threats of violence and death as well as some nasty messages on my home answering machine. For the most part, I’ve dismissed them as not being worth much thought, and usually try to deny these pathetic individuals the attention they crave. However, when such a vile incitement appears publicly on multiple websites, I take the threat more seriously. Not because this wretched figure may himself pose a serious threat, but because there are a lot of whackos out there, especially in the lunatic political climate in which we currently find ourselves here in the US, that may feel up to the task of “eliminating” the “commie bastards” if Weinert isn’t up to it himself. Mr. Weinert has been issuing a fatwa -- or “farwa” as he calls it (clearly a first-rate scholar of Islam, this fellow) -- against DV, CP, Uruknet and the aforementioned writers for some time now. Here’s a piece Kurt Nimmo wrote last September about Weinert that I had neglected to read at the time: http://kurtnimmo.com/?p=14. More insight into his troubled mind can also be found here, and also here.

Needless to say that if any of our ilk wrote and posted such a threatening piece against our political opponents, we’d be sporting orange jumpsuits at Guantanamo and figuring out for ourselves firsthand whether sharp objects up the anus constitute mere “abuse” or torture faster than you can say “Farwa”. But when it’s right-wing nutcases and so-called “patriots” making the threats . . . no problem, threaten away!

People are, of course, free to criticize Dissident Voice all they want; call us dope-smoking, queer, commie, Muslim sucking traitors (is this supposed to be an insult?) or worse to their heart’s content. However, clear threats of violence and death cross the line of acceptable free speech, and will be treated as a legal issue.

Blogger.com, which hosts American Jihad, was contacted this morning about Mr. Weinert’s death threat, which clearly violates the company’s stated Terms of Agreement. Thus far, all we have received in response is an automated letter that reads in its entirety:
 

I’m asking our readers and supporters to also contact Blogger.com and politely -- emphasis on politely -- query them as to why Mr. Weinert’s out-and-out death threat against the editors of Dissident Voice, CounterPunch, Uruknet and our contributing writers remains publicly accessible on their Web space, and whether “American Jihad,” whose content clearly violates Blogger’s terms of agreement, will be rebuked and prohibited from continuing to occupy Blogger space.

I will be contacting the Chicago police to inform them of Mr. Weinert’s ongoing harassment (as well as local law enforcement here in Northern CA), and to consider pressing charges against him.

This e-mail will also serve as public notice that lack of appropriate action on Blogger’s part may well result in their inclusion in a legal action.

Threats of violence and death against individuals because of their political persuasion -- whatever that persuasion may be -- must not be tolerated. Your help and support is, as always, very much appreciated. 

Sunil K. Sharma is the Editor and Publisher of Dissident Voice, based in Santa Rosa, California. He can be reached at: editor@dissidentvoice.org.
 

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