• Listen to this segment

• Listen to the entire program

The Right Hook, a weekly segment which covers the machinations of the right wing, from the Republican Party to the Tea Party Patriots, and beyond. By Chris Bennett

Back in early August, we were among the first to report on a Gainesville, FL pastor, Terry Jones, who planned to commemorate September 11th by burning Korans. A media extravaganza ensued, and after protests in Kabul Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Bob Gates, and General David Petraeus had to prevail upon the pastor to “stand down” from his planned book-burning lest he endanger U.S. troops and ruin the whole war. While the intervention may have prevented American soldiers overseas from being engulfed in religious street protests, it did not come soon enough to save civilians in Kashmir. According to the Pak Tribune, 17 people were killed in protests sparked by the Koran burning controversy in the U.S. And the expected copycat hate crimes have begun in the “land of the free”. In Tennessee, Rev. Bob Old and Rev. Danny Allen held a “private” Koran burning in their backyard over the weekend. They denied that it was in protest of the Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center in New York. However, a Park 51 protester did rip pages out of the Koran and offer them to the crowd as “toilet paper.” The Detroit News reported that a partially torn Koran defiled with feces was left on the front steps of the Islamic Center of East Lansing. The FBI has been asked to investigate.

In another instance of right wing extremism, a Concord, North Carolina man who likened himself to the Christian counterpart to Osama bin Laden, found himself in jail this weekend. RawStory reports that Justin Carl Moose allegedly aided a police informant who he believed was intent on destroying a Planned Parenthood clinic. According to an affidavit, Moose once remarked “If a mosque is built on ground zero, it will be moved, Oklahoma City style.” The last nine years of conservatives stoking fears of Muslims is metastasizing radicals ready to concoct their own IEDs for their own particular agendas.

John Boehner got out of his tanning bed the other day and signaled that he was willing to compromise with President Obama on letting the Bush tax cuts expire for the richest Americans. One day later however, Boehner flip-flopped and was fighting for the rights of the 2-3% of Americans who make more than $250,000 per year to keep their tax cuts. Strangely, Republicans, who have made such a big deal about a bloated deficit, seem to have no problem losing the $300 billion a year in tax revenues from the wealthy. To sum it up, Republicans want to cut taxes, cut spending– except for military spending– and reduce the deficit: which means keep the rich rich, and the poor poor.

Yesterday was the last big day for primaries ahead of November’s midterm elections. In Delaware, Sarah Palin has given her “Mama Grizzly” endorsement to Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell, the 41 year-old third-time Senate candidate, recent college graduate, and abstinence promoter. O’Donnell ran a tight race against popular moderate Republican Mike Castle. The unexpected challenge led the Republicans to file a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against O’Donnell’s campaign for a $250,000 donation from the Tea Party Express in California. Republicans say this donation is illegal. Tea Party gains in primary season may yield a ballot too far outside the mainstream for Americans to vote for in November. The Uprising! Crew will help divine the tea leaves in the next story.

The Right Hook, reality based news and views.