OCCUPY KANSAS CITY DEBATES THE 'PROTOCOLS OF THE LEARNED ELDERS OF ZION'

To underscore a fact, there has been a lot of news surrounding the Occupy Movement that in the week we have not been dealing with it, we need to get to. So it pretty much sucks that as we are trying to get back up to speed with everything, this comes up. When we began our coverage of the Occupy actions, one of the first was in response to Occupy Kansas City possibly giving a pass to racist and anti-Semitic scumbags who might want to be a part of the Occupation. It seems like much of the problem stems from the group’s Facebook page where a few boneheads have decided to promote their racist crap to those group members. The thing about it it page administrators are not cutting them off. This is pissing off the people at Kansas City-based blog SCISSION, who is tired of having to sound this alarm. We are too, but sound it we must. Because that’s the kind of crap that advances the 1% and you are not helping anyone if you keep ignoring it. Let’s make this clear: racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, sexism, and fascism are NOT “political disagreements”. It is all flat out unacceptable. Occupy Kansas City, you have to get on top of this.

SCISSON

I didn’t think I would have to do this again.  I really thought and have said that Occupy Kansas City (OKC) has dealt with the Jew haters in its midst.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t totally correct.  

Recently I have tried to remain away from OKC facebook discussions because they have come to border on the absurd.  Talk of conspiracy theories abound, for example.  People arguing about where the money went and whether or not unions are a good thing.

Unfortunately, this AM I ran into a lengthy debate about David Ickes.  Confession, I had never heard of the guy.  I googled and discovered he is just one more out there conspiracy guy who seems to think something about reptile people, and maybe, maybe not Jews are doing something to us or whatever.  In any event, he is just another charlatan of that type.  I did note, however, that he often sites the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a source for some of his nonsense, but he does say he has nothing against Jews.  

It is bad enough that what passes for political debate in OKC is which theory conspiracy is okay and which isn’t. As if…

But what really shocked me was the number of folks, including one of the “founders” of OKC who actually defended the Protocols.  

For example, XXXXX WRITES at Occupy Kansas City  (http://www.facebook.com/groups/occupykansascity/):

” the protocols have “fact” in it. as far as the real original source that is up to debate. What is said in the protocols has come true , for instance the creation of the European union, or the creation of credit cards specifically ” master card” (who is the master?hmmm) and this exact economic crisis we are facing right now right down to every detail on how they would cause the economy’s of the world to fail. and all this was written supposedly a hundred years ago. Its a very prophetic book. Its not really about antisemitism more like its the jews vs the world . Not people vs jews. Some times the jews can be the haters. that’s what i got from it. I read it purely out of curiosity. and it was pretty interesting to read. I don’t subscribe by or espouse its words. Like i say absorb what is useful disregard what is false. DISCERN my friends…”

The man who wrote this, I won’t even bother to identify since unless you are an OKC person you won’t have ever heard of him.  Well, I take that back, he actually is often pushed forward to make public comments for OKC (though, of course, he is NOT a spokesperson).  In fact, he is one of the main figures cited in an article in the Kansas City Star today.  He doesn’t talk about conspiracy, just that he isn’t all that fond of unions, though he is willing to work with them in OKC.  

Again, this is not some fringe character.  This is one of the main whohas in the group.  And, again, he wasn’t alone in his defense of the Protocols (one guy printed a bunch from it to show how it is real and accurate).

Many people also took on this crap and pointed out time and again the fraudulent anti- semitic tract that the Protocols are.  But others didn’t care.

My questions are:

how can such people be allowed to participate and even comment to the public on behalf of OKC

how is it possible that such “debate” even has to take place

since when are bizarre  (Jew hating or not) conspiracy theories posed as a legitimate theoretical underpinning for anything any of us want to be associated with

I have no idea how prevalent such “debates” take place anywhere else in  Occupy, but they should have been left behind a long time ago.  They tarnish the entire Occupy campaign.  It’s a shame.

Anyway, I posted the following on the only Occupy page I still can post in (http://www.facebook.com/occupykc?sk=wall&filter=1) and am still awaiting an answer:

“How, in god’s name, do you justify having people who quote from and/or think the PROTOCOLS OF ZION are real and not an anti-Semitic piece of filth among you? trust me, I will not bother to get into an argument about this. If this is what passes for legitimate “debate” at OKC, it is very, very sad and very, very disturbing. Yes, the debate was on the OTHER PAGE (and I credit whoever for keeping it off this one), but the names of people who thought quoting from the ELDERS OF ZION was okay we’re familiar. Hell, one of them is an OKC “original.” the question i ask is NOT about the Elders of Zion, there are no questions about it worth bothering with, the question is about allowing those who back it to be among you, and acting as if it is a subject for debate at all…and neither are a host of other conspiracy theories (some Jew hating some not so overt) that float around OKC. this is the last I will say on this particular subject, but I had to say it.”

I have written previously and been quoted elsewhere defending the entire Occupy “movement” from charges of anti-Semitism.  I would do so today.  However, Occupy Kansas City, you need to get your act together.  This sort of episode is embarrassing and damaging to the Occupy “movement” as a whole.  You have a responsibility to deal with it.