Category: politics

On Michael Peroutka's Incorrect Charge that a Video of His Speech to the League of the South Was Changed

Video of Anne Arundel County Council candidate Michael Peroutka’s press conference yesterday is now available. The entire conference follows the excerpt I want to present first. In the presser, Peroutka was asked if his endorsement of Southern secession and singing of Dixie as the national anthem was a mistake. He responded by saying that I altered the video to suit my political objectives. Au contraire, Mr. Peroutka, you do not speak truly.
First here is Peroutka’s claim:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/kYKDRWKUjFk[/youtube]
You can go to the posts where those clips are embedded (on secession and on Dixie) and see that I did not alter his words. And in the second post (on Dixie as the national anthem), I included the entire video as recorded at the conference by League of the South leader Michael Cushman. Jonathan Hutson points this out as well in his Huffington Post article:

Peroutka asserted that Professor Warren Throckmorton had “altered” the revealing 2012 video of his controversial comments and “Dixie” chorus at the League convention before posting it online. In fact, Throckmorton had reposted the entire, unaltered, 51-minute video on the conservative Evangelical Christian blog Patheos. The video was shot by Michael Cushman, a former member of the National Alliance, a neo-Nazi group, who now leads the League’s South Carolina chapter. Cushman had posted it at RedShirtArmy, a League-affiliated YouTube channel.
Cushman, in an irate comment posted under Throckmorton’s piece, demonstrates that the video is authentic, because he insists that he made it, and he demands credit. He complains that “neither this hit-piece nor the Leftist bloggers who are linking to it give me any credit for shooting this video.” He adds, “Nor did they ask my permission to post it on their websites.” The unedited video on Patheos is identical to the one on RedShirtArmy. Several outlets, including RightWing Watch, Raw Story, and Gawker, have posted clips of the video, crediting Throckmorton with the find.

Watch the entire press conference here:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/6UpwSFrRWBg[/youtube]
Peroutka didn’t help himself with this performance. He refused to back away from the League of the South, he defended secession, and said calling Dixie the national anthem was just fine. If anything, he simply validated my reporting and that of others.

What Does Michael Peroutka Really Believe About Secession?

According to the Baltimore Sun, GOP nominee for the Anne Arundel County Council Michael Peroutka told Steve Schuh, a GOP candidate running for Anne Arundel County executive, that he does not believe in Southern secession from the union. However, in a 2012 speech (starting at 26 minutes) to the white separatist group, League of the South, Peroutka spoke favorably about secession:

I don’t disagree with Dr. Hill [League of the South president] at all that this regime is beyond reform, and I think that’s an obvious fact, and I agree with him. However, I agree that when you secede, or however the destruction of the rubble of this regime takes place and how it plays out, you’re going to need to take a biblical world view, and apply it to civil law and government. That’s what you’re still going to need to do. We’re going to have to have this foundational information in the hearts and minds of the people or else liberty won’t survive the secession either. You see what I’m saying? I’m saying that because I don’t want people from League of the South that for one minute that I am about reforming the current regime, and that studying the Constitution is about reforming the current regime. (emphasis added)

Watch:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/vc99QKjjq80[/youtube]
In 2013, Peroutka joined the board of the League and pledged the resources of his family and the Institute on the Constitution to the League’s efforts.
Watch:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/vze4fPPkgxY[/youtube]
One of the prime objectives of the League is secession. It is difficult to understand why one would join, speak to and help run an organization if one did not support the prime objectives of the organization. In 2012, he was quite candid in his agreement with the president of the organization that the United States is beyond reform and that a “biblical world view” was necessary for secession.

Maryland Republicans Distance Themselves from Michael Peroutka

I assumed it would eventually happen. Maryland Republicans (with a few sad exceptions) are distancing themselves from Michael Peroutka in his bid to become a county council member in Anne Arundel County (MD).
Yesterday, GOP candidate for Anne Arundel County executive Steve Schuh called on Peroutka to quit the League of the South. According to the Capital Gazette, the MD GOP executive director, Joe Cluster, asked Peroutka to resign from the League. Reportedly, Peroutka did not say what he would do.
Peroutka repeatedly has pledged his support for the League of the South. He recently thanked League president Michael Hill for his support and asked for financial contributions from the League.  Hill called Peroutka a “Southern nationalist candidate.”
Maryland’s Republican candidate for governor, Larry Hogan, also distanced himself from Peroutka by saying the Republican party does not stand for the principles embodied by the League of the South.  The Baltimore Sun reported yesterday that Peroutka denied being a racist and said he did not believe in secession. Peroutka should be asked why he continues to belong to a group and accepted a board member position with a group that believes in white separatism and secession as cardinal points of belief.
In my opinion, the Republicans should go a step further and refuse to support Peroutka even if he says he quits the League. While it may mean losing one seat, they will lose no matter who wins in District 5 because there is no actual Republican running.
See also this article from Jonathan Hutson on the Huffington Post.

In Georgia's 10th District, David Barton is Again an Issue

This week, GOP voters in Georgia’s 10th District will decide which candidate, Jody Hice or Mike Collins, will face the Democrat nominee in the Fall. Richard Zimdars, a columnist for the Athens Banner-Herald, watched the two candidates debate and for at least two reasons decided that Collins might be the better choice. First Collins seemed more likely to work with opponents in Congress to achieve legislation. Second, Hice touts an endorsement from David Barton which is a problem for Zimdars. He writes:

Hice’s acceptance of Barton’s endorsement leads me to believe Hice lacks the capacity for close critical examination of his endorsements, not a good sign for the 10th District’s future if Hice becomes our national representative.

This is what Bob Barr should have said about Barry Loudermilk.

Bob Barr's Strange David Barton Claim

This is old news but an article on right wing opinion site American Thinking got me to writing.
Bob Barr and Barry Loudermilk are seeking the GOP nomination next week to run for Georgia’s 11th District Congressional seat. Last week, they debated and in the debate Bob Barr made a strange charge against Barry Loudermilk. Watch, courtesy of Right Wing Watch:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l35geIQXnJg#t[/youtube]
Barr accuses David Barton of being anti-Semitic and challenges Loudermilk to deny Barton’s endorsement. The article that caught my eye on this was penned by David Brog and titled “Bob Barr Crosses the Line.” And indeed, Barr crossed the line. Some Jewish observers I know are uncomfortable with Barton’s Christian nation zeal but more to the point of Barr’s accusation, Barton is a big supporter of Israel. In fact, at times, he gets a little silly with it (e.g., predicting weather problems for nations that mess with Israel). Barr’s claim was just wrong and I hope Barr will apologize for it.
Sadly, Barr blew a chance to highlight Barton and Loudermilk’s vision of a Christian nation, based solely on Christian principles, giving advantage to Christian people. The Barton endorsement of Loudermilk is problematic on so many levels, and Barr chose to mention two things that aren’t even issues. Neither man appears to have sufficient discernment to serve in Congress. One thinks Barton is a Constitutional expert and the other thinks Barton opposes Israel. Heaven help the GOP voters of the 11th District.