Man lynched in Kentucky for involvement with Census Bureau.

[Anguirus]

That motherfucker, Silver, is a lying fuck. Anyone remotely familiar with Appalachia can you tell the area is infested with neoconfederate anti-government simpletons.

I hate to be an academic snob...but perhaps this explains his illustrious post.

[Ritterin Sophia]

That motherfucker, Silver, is a lying fuck. Anyone remotely familiar with Appalachia can you tell the area is infested with neoconfederate anti-government simpletons.

I hate to be an academic snob...but perhaps this explains his illustrious post.

In short: WTF?

Long: What are you talking about? Roy Silver stated that Appalachia didn't have any more or less antigovernment advocates than the rest of the United States. The majority of the US does not proudly display Confederate battleflags like Appalachians and southerners. That's what I was commenting on.

[Imperial Overlord]

In short: WTF?

Anguirus was sarcastically referring to the fact that the professor is teaching at a community college, which is pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to academic prestige.

[bobalot]

With all the rhetoric of advancing socialism, Nazism, Stalinism etc. [Insert far right-wing bullshit] by Glenn Beck and Co, are we surprised that perhaps (we aren't certain yet) some simpletons have taken it upon themselves to attack the "evil government"? It's not like it hasn't happened before in the US.

[Ilya Muromets]

Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long for some idiot to become violent in the name of all the nigh practically outright treasonous rhetoric all those ultra-rightwing fucktards are throwing around. I'm just afraid it'll degrade even more for all you guys in the US, because considering how batshit a lot of the conservatards seem to be, this can only get worse.

Then again, maybe this is all just an overreaction. Sure, a lot of idiots like these have done something like this before. However, the US has not had any serious mass uprising since its Civil War. And, well, as bad as things are now economically and whatnot, the US situation as a whole is still far from 3rd World-level disenfranchised.

[Broomstick]

The fact that historically many areas of Kentucky have been anti-Federal since the goddamned Whiskey Rebellion put down by George Washington under the Articles of Confederation just adds to the bullshit.

Minor nitpick: the Whiskey Rebellion occurred after the adoption of the current U.S. constitution and during Washington's presidency. You may be thinking of the similarly-motivated Shay's Rebellion, which occurred during the Articles of Confederation government just a scant eight years earlier.

Correct, I had confused the two. The Whiskey Rebellion was actually one of the first uses of Federal power post-Constitution.

[Big Orange]

Sounds like the result of all that hateful, ignorant Righwing rhetoric against BIIIG GUVERNMUNT pushing some evil simpleton over edge to me.

The anti-Federal kooks that live in compounds and murder Federal employess are a broader, older issue than the 9/12 Teabaggers (who in the main look too old, fat, and bald to be survialist guerillas). But it seems obvious the anti-government flatulance generated by the 9/12 protestors and media personalities drifted over to the easily excitable rural surivalists who have long held a grudge against Washington DC. Isn't it interesting how these loonies were very active during the Clinton years (leading to worst terrorist attack until 9/11 just six years later), seemed relatively quiet during Chimpy's tenure, and gone on the warpath again once a Democratic black person occupied the Oval Office.

[Anguirus]

In short: WTF?

Anguirus was sarcastically referring to the fact that the professor is teaching at a community college, which is pretty low on the totem pole when it comes to academic prestige.

Got it in one. Not all community colleges are created equal, either...my guess is that's he's teaching at one in, essentially, West Bumfuck.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...actually, it's great, except for the fact that he might be such an idiot that he's actually doing harm. It's just not much of a credential in and of itself.

[Lagmonster]

Let me just say at this point that since we don't actually know precisely what happened and for what motives, I want to head off anyone thinking about screeching about how the far-righties toting guns at town halls have finally gone and killed someone, until we have sufficient evidence of what happened; I expect our members to resist leaping to conclusions.

[Broomstick]

Being somewhat familiar with some of the idiocy in that part of the country (I have in-laws in that area just over the mountain in Tennessee and Virginia) and my own experience as a US Census worker I doubt it's the folks going to town hall meetings and otherwise being public and visible. I suspect (but am willing to change based on more facts) that it's insular types who really just don't like outsiders of any type, but have a particular animosity for government and authority. That's nothing new, really, those types have been around for centuries. Poor economy and a few other factors, though, will only make the problem worse.

[Knife]

Ah, but as the old villagers tended to protect the Robin Hoods of the forest, the teabaggers are giving cover to the deep wood hillbilly liberation armies.

[Crossroads Inc.]

Sounds like the result of all that hateful, ignorant Righwing rhetoric against BIIIG GUVERNMUNT pushing some evil simpleton over edge to me.

The anti-Federal kooks that live in compounds and murder Federal employess are a broader, older issue than the 9/12 Teabaggers (who in the main look too old, fat, and bald to be survialist guerillas). But it seems obvious the anti-government flatulance generated by the 9/12 protestors and media personalities drifted over to the easily excitable rural surivalists who have long held a grudge against Washington DC. Isn't it interesting how these loonies were very active during the Clinton years (leading to worst terrorist attack until 9/11 just six years later), seemed relatively quiet during Chimpy's tenure, and gone on the warpath again once a Democratic black person occupied the Oval Office.

I think one of the most mind numbing gulling aspects of the bush administration, was the fact that so man people seemed to stick their heads in the sand and simply NOT CARE what he did.

A while back I encountered a group of Lolbertaerians at a protest who were fervently protesting Obamas Health care plan. Keep in mind their signs didn't say things like "NO to Health Cart" they said things like "The Tree off Freedom is watered with the blood of Tyrants!" They told me how Obama was too much Big Government, that he was going to take our rights away, that he was going to spend too much! I proceeded to ask these people if they ever protested Bush ONCE In his 8 years for exactly the same things. Bush DID take away our rights, Bush DID spend our nation into bankruptcy. I couldn't get a singer person there to admit to protesting against him, most wouldn't even admit that he HAD 'taken away our rights.' The most I got from the group was a girl who proudly said "You know most of never voted for him! We didn';t put him in office!"

THIS is what gets to me... people who are deaf, dumb and willing blind to "real' injustice.. To getmo, to Blackwater, to children locked up in jail cells because someone paid some guy in Afghanistan to take them away. But the instant a Democrat is in the Whitehouse? Its Tyranny! Injustice! Taking our Rights! and my favorite, NO big Government!!!

Whatever details there are surrounding the incident mentioned above, I',m not sure. It seems we don't fully know what happened yet... That said It is still amazing how simple minded and willingly Sheeplike the FarRight are.

[ray245]

Wow, seems like we can't even call those people lolbertarians.

[irishmick79]

I doubt this has much to do with the conservatives and their current anger towards the president.

That area of Kentucky simply does not like outsiders, period. The people that live in this region don't give a damn about politics on a local level, nevermind a national one. You're getting into a region that you'd expect to see in Deliverance, culture wise.

[Big Orange]

Let me just say at this point that since we don't actually know precisely what happened and for what motives, I want to head off anyone thinking about screeching about how the far-righties toting guns at town halls have finally gone and killed someone, until we have sufficient evidence of what happened; I expect our members to resist leaping to conclusions.

It is obvious that the 9/12 movement has no involvement with ths squalid little murder, but it still sounds like an unfortunate coincidence it took place when the antagonistic, confrontational Lolbetarians stoking up anti-Federal hatred. But the mainstream Right's hate of the Federal Government partially stems from the Democrats, their rivals, controlling it and Big Goverment being the only thing to get in the way of Big Business, so more logic than cowering in a booby trapped shack full of tinned food and rifles.

[Frank Hipper]

People in rural Kentucky aren't neocons, nor are they politically motivated in the normally understood sense; they're rabid xenophobes. Period.

The guy probably asked a question about somebody's family history.

[Broomstick]

Except that asking questions "about someone's family history" is not something done by the US Census. Sorry, no, that doesn't wash.

[Frank Hipper]

Except that asking questions "about someone's family history" is not something done by the US Census. Sorry, no, that doesn't wash.

That was guess on my part, but any *wrong* question could provoke this from people with the mindset I've been told about.

In the early sixties, my dad had a red globe light on the top of his car because he was the Chief of the Volunteer Fire Dept., and when he and my mom went down to Kentucky to visit family, he refused to listen to mom begging him to take the light off, that it would cause trouble...at my aunt's house, a group of neighbors kicked in her front door with guns drawn to see what the trouble was.
They were ready to gun down what they thought was law enforcement merely because they were at her house.

[Big Orange]

They're afraid that the US authorities are out to get them, but then go out of their way to provoke State/Federal operatives (sometimes with lethal force as seen in Ruby Ridge and Waco), greatly increasing their chances of getting killed or captured anyway? Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Ryan Thunder]

They were ready to gun down what they thought was law enforcement merely because they were at her house.

So... do these shitheads actually contribute anything to society?

[Frank Hipper]

They were ready to gun down what they thought was law enforcement merely because they were at her house.

So... do these shitheads actually contribute anything to society?

What society?

As far as the locals there (and the lynching in the OP happened in London, 10-15 minutes down the road from where my mom's family is from) are concerned, the only society is the local one.

[Broomstick]

Except that asking questions "about someone's family history" is not something done by the US Census. Sorry, no, that doesn't wash.

That was guess on my part, but any *wrong* question could provoke this from people with the mindset I've been told about.

Oh, I agree - it's just that Census field workers are given very specific questions to ask and we aren't supposed to/allowed to ad lib. It's a pretty rehearsed script.

I think what riles folks most (this time around) is the GPS component of information gathering, they're afraid someone is going to find their stuff. Fact is, Google Maps is MORE accurate than the Census info I worked with (one of my duties, in fact, was to help update the Census map information), the government already mostly knows about their "stuff", and no one is really interested in what the fuck they do as long as they don't bother anyone else. Which just pisses them off further, because it rubs in their faces the fact that they are for the most part weak, uninteresting, poor, powerless jackasses.

They were ready to gun down what they thought was law enforcement merely because they were at her house.

So... do these shitheads actually contribute anything to society?

Only when they stay the hell away from society. About 1 in 5 kids figure out as they grow up that they live in shit and find a way to get out - such as my Other Half who got himself a college degree and lived most of his life in an urban area - the rest stagnate and repeat the shit of their forefathers.

As far as the locals there (and the lynching in the OP happened in London, 10-15 minutes down the road from where my mom's family is from) are concerned, the only society is the local one.

^ This.

[Yona]

This will backfire on these assholes. Now they will get more scrutiny than they've ever had before.

The type of talk and actions the "Conservatives" are encouraging is disgusting. They are using racism, prejudice and hatred disguised as patriotism to try to regain power.

There are still counties in Kentucky that take NO Federal money for Schools or anything else. Some of the laws on the books down there are really strange.

Maybe we could convince them all to move to Texas. I hear a lot of them want to secede. We should encourage them.

[Aaron]

Oh, I agree - it's just that Census field workers are given very specific questions to ask and we aren't supposed to/allowed to ad lib. It's a pretty rehearsed script.

I'll take your word for it, we just mail that stuff out here. I'm sure you've been in situations with folks who don't want to talk to you that will take any excuse to be belligerent. All this guy had to do was use the wrong tone and he could have made himself a target, maybe the person who killed him was simply being an obstructive dick and the census worker got frustrated.

[Broomstick]

Oh, I agree - it's just that Census field workers are given very specific questions to ask and we aren't supposed to/allowed to ad lib. It's a pretty rehearsed script.

I'll take your word for it, we just mail that stuff out here. I'm sure you've been in situations with folks who don't want to talk to you that will take any excuse to be belligerent.

Oh, sure - at one point I was threatened by people who I wasn't even interviewing - basically people who saw what I was doing with someone else and decided to "get involved". It was... unpleasant.

All this guy had to do was use the wrong tone and he could have made himself a target, maybe the person who killed him was simply being an obstructive dick and the census worker got frustrated.

No, all he had to be was a Federal employee for some folks down there to get homicidal. Seriously. He could have been the sweetest, nicest, most polite and respectiful guy but there are some folks down that way who, as soon as they hear "government employee" will go completely apeshit.

When I was in training for being a fieldworker this sort of situation was discussed in regards to worker safety. In the Gary, Indiana area it wasn't expected to be common (although I did encounter it), our concern was more with inadvertently stumbling over illegal activity, but along with racial problems, harassment by local law enforcement (yes, that happens, too), and other potential threats "anti government bias" was brought up and discussed.

Remember, I have in-laws in that area (literally just over the mountain in Tennessee and Virginia). When I first started visiting down there I was cautioned about how to approach homes and what to do to avoid giving any appearance of being an outsider or from the government. Sure, there are rightwing nutcases down there - there are also people who are just nuts and vehemently anti-outsider of any sort, but most especially anti-government. It's been that way for generations.

Um, yes, it's possible the Census worker did do something anyone would consider provocative... but I think it's more likely some good ol' boys decided to make an "example" of him in hopes of discouraging further government scrutiny.