Monday, July 14, 2014

THE RIGHT'S LATEST LIE ABOUT THE HOLDER JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Headline at The Washington Times:
"DOJ investigates Nebraska parade float critical of Obama."
You remember the parade float in question, right? The one that depicted an outhouse as the "Obama Presidential Library"? Eric Holder's Justice Department is going to investigate it, says The Washington Times! And it's not just the Times that tells us, in outrage, that DoJ is going to investigate this float:
* Gateway Pundit: Forget the IRS Scandal -- Holder DOJ to Investigate Obama Outhouse Float
*
Breitbart: Holder DOJ Finally Finds A Scandal Worth Investigating -- An Anti-Obama Parade Float

* The Daily Caller: Eric Holder Gets Serious About Limiting Speech, Investigates Obama Outhouse Parade Float

* I Own the World: Nothing better to do, DOJ investigates Nebraska parade float critical of thin skinned Obama
See also: Fox Nation; the Drudge Report; et cetera.

Um, here's what's really happening, according to the Omaha World-Heral:
The U.S. Department of Justice has joined the discussions over a controversial float in the Norfolk Independence Day parade.

The department sent a member of its Community Relations Service team, which gets involved in discrimination disputes, to a Thursday meeting about the issue. Also at the meeting were the NAACP, the Norfolk mayor and The Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

The Odd Fellows organized the parade....
Yes -- the Justice Department's Community Relations Service (CRS) is engaging in discussion, not investigation. That's because the CRS -- established under Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- acts strictly as a mediator, and doesn't conduct investigations:
The Community Relations Service provides confidential mediation, facilitation, training, and consulting services to help communities enhance their ability to independently prevent and resolve future conflicts. CRS also works with police chiefs, mayors, school administrators, other local and state authorities, community-based organizations, and civil and human rights group. CRS is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice that does not takes sides in a dispute, and it does not investigate, prosecute, impose solutions, assign blame, or assess fault.
(Emphasis added.)

In fact, Title X of the 1964 Civil Rights Act states,
No officer or employee of the Service shall engage in the performance of investigative or prosecuting functions of any department or agency in any litigation arising out of a dispute in which he acted on behalf of the Service.
But the right-wing press won't let the facts stand in the way of a useful talking point. So now every angry right-winger in America "knows" that the Holder Justice Department is "investigating" this parade float.

First, last, and always, the America right is a propaganda operation. That is its main function.

****

UPDATE: A point I overlooked:



Judicial Watch wrote:
A little-known unit of the Department of Justice, the Community Relations Service, was deployed to Sanford, FL, following the Trayvon Martin shooting to help organize and manage rallies and protests against George Zimmerman.
PolitiFact Florida rated this claim "Mostly False":
Armed with public documents, Judicial Watch said the Department of Justice sent the Community Relations Service to Sanford in the wake of Martin's death "to help organize and manage rallies and protests against George Zimmerman."

Judicial Watch's statement contends an element of truth: Justice Department employees were sent to Sanford, in part to deal with community uprising, including protests. But they were sent with the idea of keeping the situation peaceful and calm, not to instigate or condone protests or violence.

That’s a critical distinction being ignored in this particular claim. We rate it Mostly False.

6 comments:

Nancy LeTourneau said...

I believe this is the same DOJ department that helped prepare FL communities for dealing w/ the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin verdict. Same unhinged reaction by the right wingers then.

Victor said...

"First, last, and always, the America right is a propaganda operation. That is its main function."

Sorry, but wrong, Steve!

It's first, last, and always, about grifting money from the always gullible rubes.

PERIOD!

Please correct your post!
Thank you. ;-)

Steve M. said...

Right, Nancy. See the update. (I should have remembered that....)

PurpleGirl said...

One thing I will never forgive Rudy Guiliani for was that he never rebuked the police force for the way they referred to Mayor Dinkins when Guiliani spoke at a rally (police riot). Calling their boss a rest room attendant was a major sign of disrespect. (Yes, NYC cops are often racist bastards.)

mervis said...

Why "mostly false", Judicial Watch?

I would say completely false.

Anonymous said...

Politifact: "Religious Watch says that Jesus Christ claims to be the Son of Satan. Religious Watch's statement contains an element of truth: Jesus Christ did claim to be a son. But he claimed to be the Son of God, not the Son of Satan. That's a critical distinction being ignored in this particular claim. We rate it Mostly False."