Tuesday Reads: Heroes and Villains
Posted: July 26, 2011 Filed under: Labor unions, morning reads, psychology, religious extremists, U.S. Economy, U.S. Politics, Violence against women | Tags: Anders Behring Breivik, David Kemp, Groundhog day, heroes, marcel Gleffe, misogyny, NFL football, Norway, Robert Kraft, terrorism, Utoya Island 52 Comments
Good Morning!!
Well, the President gave another speech last night, and it frankly put me in mind of the movie Groundhog Day. I think Obama’s handlers should be told to keep him under wraps until such time as he actually has something to say. I’ve had it with this whole debt ceiling mess, and I’m not going to say anymore about it in this post.
Instead, here’s an inspiring story that Dakinikat called my attention to: German tourist rescued teens during Norwegian island massacre.
A German tourist is being hailed as a hero for rescuing at least 20 people from a gunman’s rampage on Utoya island in Norway, according to media reports.
Marcel Gleffe, 32, was with his family Friday at a campground across the water from the island when he heard gunshots, Der Spiegel reported. He and his family looked out from the shore, thinking it might be fireworks, but instead they saw a plume of smoke and a girl swimming frantically in the water and screaming.
Gleffe got into the boat he had rented and set off, Der Spiegel said. He was the first person to reach the island where Anders Behring Breivik gunned down dozens of youngsters at a summer camp….
“You don’t get scared in a situation like that, you just do what it takes. I know the difference between fireworks and gunfire. I knew what it was about, and that it wasn’t just nonsense.”
We need a lot more people like Marcel Gleffe in this world. And what do you know? Via The Hinky Meter, here’s another hero: David Kemp of Beaverton, Oregon.
Kemp knew something was wrong when he was jogging on the Seaside promenade Saturday and saw 6-year-old Hailey’s face as she struggled to get away from Knox when having a Fantastic Race on a group of people.
“She was scared to death – terrified,” Kemp said.
He asked Hailey if she knew the woman and she shook her head in horror.
“I knew there was a problem at that point (and) that this is very, very serious. This child is terrified,” he said.
He knew he had to do something, especially when he heard what sounded like a death threat.
“She kept telling Hailey: ‘I am your queen; I am going to take you to see our king, our Lord. I am taking you with me.'”
Kemp broke the woman’s grip on the little girl, and when the kidnapper tried to get away, he chased her down and held her till police arrived. This isn’t the first time Kemp has been a hero.
In 2004 he rescued a woman who was injured by a hit-and-run driver and left lying in the road. Then he found the car which led to an arrest.
He’s also chased down and caught a shoplifter running from a store and another time he caught a robber who just held up a Hallmark shop.
Finally, there’s Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, who was instrumental in ending the four-month-long NFL owners’ lockout. At the press conference announcing the agreement yesterday, Kraft apologized to the fans.
“First of all I’d like, on behalf of both sides, to apologize to the fans that for the last five, six months we’ve been talking about the business of football and not what goes on on the field and building the teams in each market, but the end result is we’ve been able to have an agreement that I think is going to allow this sport to flourish over the next decade and we’ve done that in a way that’s unique among the major sports that every team in our league, all 32, will be competitive, we’ve improved player safety, and we’ve remembered the players who have played in the past.
During the months of the lockout, Kraft was going back and forth between labor talks and his wife Myra’s bedside. She was ending a long battle with cancer, and was buried on Friday.
It’s difficult to imagine how trying – emotionally, physically, mentally – these last few weeks have been for Patriots owner Robert Kraft, as his beloved wife, Myra, was dying of cancer and difficult negotiations dragged on between NFL owners and players over the terms of a new collective-bargaining agreement.
[….]
“He is a man who helped us save football,” Jeff Saturday, the center for the Indianapolis Colts and a member of the NFLPA’s executive committee, said Monday after the league’s players joined the owners in approving a new collective-bargaining agreement. “Without him, this deal does not get done.”
Kraft previously had made it possible for New England to keep its football team when he bought the Patriots in 1994 just as they were about to move to St. Louis. Kraft is proof that people can be wealthy and remain decent human beings.
Randy Vickers, America’s chief of cybersecurity has abruptly resigned without any explanation.
The director of the agency that protects the federal government from cyber attacks has resigned abruptly in the wake of a spate of hacks against government networks.
U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) director Randy Vickers resigned his position Friday, effective immediately, according to an e-mail to US-CERT staff sent by Bobbie Stempfley, acting assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications, and obtained by InformationWeek. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed the email was authentic.The DHS has not provided a reason for Vickers’ sudden departure and the spokesperson, who asked to remain anonymous, declined to discuss the matter further. Vickers served as director of US-CERT since April 2009; previously, he was deputy director.
Current US-CERT deputy director Lee Rock will serve as interim director until the DHS names a successor for Vickers, according to the email.
Was he forced out? Maybe we’ll learn more about this today.
David Neiwert is an expert on right wing extremist groups–he’s written two books about them–and he had a post up yesterday on Crooks and Liars about Anders Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist/mass murderer. It would be hard to choose excerpts from the story–please read the whole thing if you can find time. One important point Neiwert makes is that Breivik is not “crazy,” he’s just a right winger with connections to a group in Norway that is similar to the Tea Party here.
Scott Shane had an excellent article yesterday in the NYT on the connections between Breivik’s sick ideology and a number of American bloggers and media personalities. Of course Dakinikat has been writing about this for the past couple of days also.
The Guardian UK has an in depth article about Breivik, his appearance in court, his threats that “more will die.”
The rightwing extremist who confessed to the mass killings in Norway boasted in court on Monday that there were two more cells from his terror network still at large, prompting an international investigation for collaborators.
After Anders Behring Breivik pleaded not guilty, despite admitting that he had carried out the attacks in Oslo and on Utøya island, officials said it was possible he had not acted alone.
Prosecutor Christian Hatlo said Breivik had been calm in court and “seemed unaffected by what has happened”, adding that the suspect had told investigators during his interrogation that he never expected to be released.
“We can’t quite rule out that someone else was involved. This is partly based on the information that there are two other cells,” Hatlo said.
The prosecutor said he could not discuss whether Breivik had organised the cells or whether he was working alongside them. Police have said they have no other suspects at present.
It also emerged on Monday that Norway’s police security service had been alerted to a suspicious chemical purchase by Breivik in March, but had decided not to investigate further.
Norwegian officials have lowered the number of deaths from the attacks to 76.
At the Daily Beast, Michelle Goldberg, who wrote about about right wing Christian fundamentalism, discusses Breivik’s hatred of women.
Conservatives worried about the Islamization of Europe often blame feminism for weakening Western societies and opening them up to a Muslim demographic invasion. Mark Steyn’s bestselling America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It predicted the demise of “European races too self-absorbed to breed,” leading to the transformation of Europe into Eurabia. “In their bizarre prioritization of ‘a woman’s right to choose,’” he argued, “feminists have helped ensure that European women will end their days in a culture that doesn’t accord women the right to choose anything.”
This neat rhetorical trick—an attack on feminism coupled with purported concern about Muslim fundamentalist misogyny—is repeated again and again in Islamophobic literature. Now it’s reached its apogee in mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik’s 1,500-page manifesto, “2083: A European Declaration of Independence.” Rarely has the connection between sexual anxiety and right-wing nationalism been made quite so clear. Indeed, Breivik’s hatred of women rivals his hatred of Islam, and is intimately linked to it. Some reports have suggested that during his rampage on Utoya, he targeted the most beautiful girl first. This was about sex even more than religion.
It’s a fascinating article with lots of psychological background on Breivik’s misogyny.
That’s all I’ve got for today. What are you reading and blogging about?
peej
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Sky Dancing 
Don’t you believe that Breivik is some sort of crazy. But he probably doesn’t meet the legal definition of insane.
His hatred of women and attitudes toward women is really consistent with many male Christians evangelical fundamentalists. Women are viewed as nothing more than baby machines and any woman who chooses another path is condemned.
Michelle Goldberg’s piece is well worth the read.
David Neiwert identifies scapegoating. Hitler found a racial group to scapegoat. Going back further in history — the witch hunters — the Spanish Inquisition — which was scapegoating.
After reading the research on Johns and then today’s information about Breivik’s — I’m seeing another pattern.
That photo of Breivik — the body language — the look on his face. He is proud of what he has done. He fancies himself a hero. He clearly has a few screws loose.
——————-
Thanks so much for listening to the Fearful leader last night — and giving us review of what he did and did NOT say. I was busy taking my furkids to the Vet for their well cat/dog check-up. They charmed the staff and the Vet.
“Crazy” is a relative concept. We decide people have psychological disorders when their behavior is extremely unusual and when they have great difficulty functioning in society and taking care of themselves.
Breivik is clearly a troubled individual, but no more so than many other hatemongers who are living among us. He doesn’t seem to be psychotic like the guy in Arizona. He doesn’t seems any more “crazy” to me than the bloggers he admires, like Pamela Geller. Of course, now that he has acted out his hatred, he has to be put away. But I think calling him “crazy” is a copout.
For example, before the Civil Rights Movement, were people who denied rights to black people or attacked them for trying to vote, or lynched them “crazy?” Were they evil? Many of these people were functioning well within their culture–they were in government and law enforcement or other important professions. They weren’t “crazy,” just filled with hatred and bigotry.
Excellent explanation BB. I totally agree with you!
I understand your reasoning — however while the anti civil rights folks who were part of the mainstream culture — “functioning well within their culture” — Breivik was on the outskirts — on the radical fringe of his culture. His extreme hatred of females — scapegoating others — this is not part of the Scandinavian culture. He is part of a sub-sub culture. He’s way out on the right — so far out there that he is as radical as the radical Islamic who use violence to get attention. My abnormal psy prof (and Soc profs) like to say that the extreme radical right and extreme radical left — meet in the middle.
Breivik has chosen to be different than the norm for his culture — he is out of step with the vast majority. It may be that he doesn’t even see the people he killed as real. He probably wouldn’t even register on any of the psy empathy evaluations scales.
Breivik deliberately chose his path — but the paranoid schizophrenic have a brain chemistry disease. Breivik is bat shit crazy by choice.
Charles Manson is another bat shit crazy person didn’t seem to have any empathy — and Manson’s thought that by having his followers murder people that he would start a race war.Not much of what humans do is that unique — there are most often others who have been there/done that.
Back to the body language — Breivik reminds me of Manson – same smug look. Is Manson crazy — not legally — he made the choices and knew what he was doing. But he is still abnormal and bat shit crazy.
This is a complex topic — but one that should be discussed. Breivik was on the radar of the authorities. When is an individual’s behavior so far out of the norm that he could be a danger to others???
That’s true, he was on the fringes of Norwegian society, but now that we live in a global society, he was able to find many many people like him. Look at Glenn Beck. Is he “mentally ill?” *I* think he’s crazy, but he has millions of followers, he is able to function and support himself, dress himself, etc.
Just the fact that someone is strange isn’t sufficiant to diagnose him with a psychological disorder. The disorder has to be interfering with his ability to support himself, do personal care, etc. It is a complex topic, because psychological disorders really exist on a continuum with normal human behavior. There is no symptom of “mental illness” that can’t be experienced by a “normal” person. The criteria for diagnosis has to do with how the person feels about his symptoms, how people around him react to them, and whether he is causing problems for himself of others.
Of course now we can say Breivik is crazy, and if Glenn Beck starts murdering people we can say he’s crazy. But rich people can get away with being “crazy” much more easily and longer than others. Lots of rich people even get away with murder, rape, etc. and aren’t labeled “crazy.”
Of course, the legal definition of “crazy” is much narrower–did the person know the difference between right and wrong? Clearly Brevik knew what he was doing. He wasn’t hearing voices tell him to kill people, unless you count all those right-wing bloggers he listened to.
The only point I’m really trying to make is that saying someone is crazy seems to excuse behavior that is evil, hateful, and intentional. I don’t consider “mental illness” to be an excuse for murder. Someone who is completely out of touch with reality and doesn’t realize what they are doing can be guilty but insane, IMO, but they should still be kept out of society.
Someone like Charles Manson or Anders Brevek may be deeply troubled, but they know what they are doing. I’d rather label them evil than crazy. They weren’t born that way; their personalities were warped–usually by child abuse and neglect, but sometimes by a serious brain injury experienced in childhood (often from child abuse). It’s very sad, but people can become evil, IMO.
Interesting connection between Breivik’s ideology and woman hate. I haven’t seen a list of victims yet. I wonder if the majority of this mass murderer’s child victims were girls – again.
I think there was a comment from one of the people rescuing kids from the water, that it seems to be a disproportionate number of dead victims being girls.
Wow. The Tea Party Caucus still rejects Boehner’s “plan.” Even though it is completely nutty and unrealistic. Those people are truly unreasonable.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/173377-conservatives-denounce-boehner-plan
Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik had extensive links to English Defence League
Glenn Beck compares murdered young people in Norway to “Hitler Youth.”
BB, great post. Check this out, from Juan Cole…his reaction to Beck.
Beck’s Comparison of Norwegian Child Victims to Hitler Youth Obligates us to Boycott | Informed Comment
That’s not just indifference. That’s “depraved indifference.”
The U.S. would be better off without Beck’s wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, there are 100 just like him willing to fill that niche. Beck and his ilk need to be marginalized in the worst way. The only way to do that is not to shut them and their message down but for our citizenry to actually become involved and informed. Problem is, I see no signs that these folks want to wake up and get with the program.
This reminds me of a guy that I work with who saw me studying an old physics text in an attempt to understand the ramifications of the nuclear power plant situation in japan. Now I have a degree in Physics and I had no idea what would happen but this guy said he watched Fox News and could tell me everything I wanted to know. The kind of ignorance proudly displayed by people of this country is just astounding to me. It seems to be a badge of honor.
Does Beck even know what the Hitler Youth really were??? Doubtful.
Glenn Beck is an ego driven nut. But then he’s only trying to distract from links that the right wing hate groups have with Breivik. Seems like he can’t handle the truth.
Does Beck even know what the Hitler Youth really were??? Doubtful.
It’s part of his Hitler turrets ….he has to say ” Hitler” every other show
We know he doesn’t what they were, because I believe he woulkd think it was great
This is taking blaming the victim to another leave altogether
Beck has brought Godwinning up to an entirely different level. That should be his new catch phrase … the demented version of that Charlie Sheen! GodWinning!
I got one for Dakinikat: Marshall Auerback: Worse Than Hoover « naked capitalism
There is a lot more at the link, please go and read the entire post. Of course all this is no surprise to us here at SDB.
I didn’t read all of that but it seems to me that one of the worst problems we have is that our government just ignores what the majority of the citizenry wants and just does their own thing for their own reasons. Everyone knows that the medical system is broken and we have the power to fix it. Most people wanted single payer or Medicare for all. Instead, what these jokers are doing is trying to scrap the program altogether and make everyone buy junk insurance exacerbating the problems we have. It doesn’t make any sense but that is what they are doing.
The Reid Plan
http://twitpic.com/5vrb4u
It includes the Super Congress or Catfood Commission II, so it really differs very little from the Boehner plan in the long run. Both will lead to legislation that forces changes in Social Security and Medicare with no one in Congress permitted to alter or amend the legislation.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/07/25/the-reid-plan-includes-a-catfood-commission/
They should call it the “Democracy is Dead Plan.”
I have long questioned Reid’s “leadership” — he is really another Republican.
I am assuming that all of the Representatives and Senators still have the power to vote against any legislation put forth by the “super-congress”. Of course, they would still be under duress to vote with their party regardless of how bad the legislation actually is.
Both Reid and Boehner have Obama’s fave way to make changes:in secret, behind closed doors, with a mandatory up-or-down vote and no possible changes.
All done with the 12 Caesars.
In this new idiocy called a Super Congress. How constitutional is that???
Reid has bought into the gut entitlements dream Obama has; Pelosi has said she agrees with Reid’s plan.
We are already rapidly being shippped down river; we just don’t know it yet because the bills haven’t been passed yet.
Again, our only protection against Obama and the ConservaDems is the bat guano wacko Tea Partiers. We better hope they stay wacko enough to not let Boehner’s version or Reid’s pass.
Think about that. Wow.
I’m seeing in twitters that Reid’s plan has good by in in the senate and there will be pressure in the House to pass it.
Poll: 71% shun GOP handling of debt crisis, only 21% approve of GOP: http://bit.ly/p1RFZO
I may sound “retro” by referring to Bill Clinton, but does anyone for one NY minute believe that he would be putting up with this crap from Boehner, McConnell, or Cantor? No.
Listening to Obama (the Red Sox were in a rain delay) he was essentially begging us to forget the “deals” he was willing to make in the name of “compromise” while Boehner was begging us to consider how hard and how far they have come only to be denied. Give me an effen break!
Bill would have had them eating sh*t for breakfast instead of standing there like a bewildered deer in the headlights wondering where it all went wrong.
This is nothing more than a shot across the bow for the upcoming 2012 election. That’s it.
No one is serious about dealing with the actual mechanics of governing but instead are involved with keeping their hopes alive by painting a dire picture in order to score points against the other.
Absurdity all around.
Nope Pat, you are not the only one who thinks this way…
I agree, Pat.
Bill C. has already said he would invoke the 14th amendment and let them try to stop him.
Obama is a wuss. Even law professors at the University of Chicago thought so. One of them, who knew Obama, told me that was the general opinion on campus.
Not surprising. Did that prof. speak up publicly before it was too late?
It’s time for a Lady M moment: “Art thou a man? Give me the goddam jawbone!”
roflmao
Too bad they didn’t say that back in 2007, before Barry got traction.
Of course, the Wall Street Gang Banksters would never have backed someone with a mind of her own.
Billl Clinton was known for having a fierce temper. Obama is credited with being pragmatic.
Which would I prefer? The fighter of course. Someone who reflects the needs of the public against the political circus that Obama has invited by being “cool”. Clinton had the political instincts and gut level approach while Obama resides in an academic role. He basically assigns the “term paper” to congress without bothering to read the fine print.
I am so sick to death of pretending that Obama’s wishy washy approach is what is needed when much of the “crisis” is self invented and the much needed solutions are right before our eyes. Cut defense. Bring the troops home. Shut off Halliburton’s spigot. Close the tax loopholes. Clamp down on the financial institutions. Raise the tax rate on those making one million and above. Enforce regulations. Break the subsidsies.
Instead we threaten Grandma with less services. Put children at risk who may be denied healthcare. And eliminate social nets that ease the burden of the majority all to protect the rich who contribute little to the common good.
Disgraceful conduct watching decades of well meaning and productive programs facing elimination in the face of greed.
I totally agree.
Some tell me I can hate with the best of them, but don’t you people get it? With this whole Norway kook shoot ’em up, Pamela Geller is the real victim here.
http://www.manarewescrewed.com/?p=2081
Coffee? I need coffee.
She joins a long list of morons too numerous to mention. But some are running for president.
Someone else sees the Manson similarity to Breivik. I checked out some of the Manson photos — looks like Breivik — same self satisfied look on both faces.
http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011072614138/life-and-science/culture-wars/the-charles-manson-of-norway.html
You want a self satisfied face? You should see debt zealot Senator Mike Lee responding to Chris Matthews.
I don’t have a tv — YouTube will probably have a clip..
There is that “look” that certain kinds of radical crazies have. The debt zealots will have blood on their hands.
Northwestrain, The Heretik got Mike Lee here bringing down the house.
http://www.manarewescrewed.com/?p=2120
or burning down the house?
I won’t rest today until Quiterella chimes in with her words of wisdom on last nights speech and rebuttal. She hasn’t been heard from in about a week which means she’s about due.
Nothing spells “incoherence” better than a rambling treatise gushing forth to cast some “wisdom” into the archives of history.
Bet she blasts and blames Obama! Oh wait, that’s about all she has to offer. And I do it for free without the bells and whistles.
I should make myself available to Sean Hannity.
Empty wheel has a great vid up
The Hippies were right!!
Meanwhile as the Political theater keeps the attention of the media. The sleaze bags might push through a huge pipeline — from Canada to Texas.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/173343-overnight-energy
“OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Fight over Keystone XL to reach House floor
By Andrew Restuccia – 07/25/11 06:44 PM ET
Tuesday’s Big Story: House lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that would force President Obama to make a decision in the coming months on whether to approve a controversial oil pipeline project.
The Republican-backed bill would mandate that Obama make a decision on the permit application for TransCanada’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline by Nov. 1.”
To me that leave of hate IS insane and crazy ….. I refuse to normalize it ….
damn spell check that doesn’t work….I meant” that level ” there
AFP: Women US senators press Saudi king on driving ban http://t.co/CwSgplC Including Dianne Feinstein, head of Senate Intelligence Committee
Bachmann wanted to eliminate mortgage lending programs after receiving the maximum loan from them http://thkpr.gs/oyKKuL