The average voter tends to favor candidates that are demonstrably sane.
So if you are picking a candidate, hearing from people who are willing to speak out on the candidate’s behalf is an invaluable Rorschach test for determining her or his viability.
But James Knox doesn’t appear to have such people. The fact that James Knox lacks supporters and folks willing to vouch for his sanity is likely what led him to start pretending to be other people on the Billings Gazette comments, and creating entire sites that seek to validate his hate-filled tirades against Billings firefighters.
But what’s a guy like James Knox to do–a guy who doesn’t appear to have much when it comes to actual supporters–when he needs a third party validator to write a letter to the editor to help him cover up for his Tea Party association and his prior revelations of his racial views.
It’s 45 days out, and Knox still can’t seem find a supporter to who will sign her or his name to writings praising or defending him.
Why else would he write this letter about himself in the Billings Gazette, claiming to be enraged by racism and praising himself for finding a piece of racist lit on the ground or something. (Strange that no one else reported seeing the “inundation” of racist lit that Knox reported seeing.) It’s also odd that he was not “enraged or appalled” at other racists incidents in Billings, such as those actually witnessed by other people. There have been several recently, even in the short time that Knox has actually lived in the community.
Was Knox unable to find anyone who was willing to stand up and sign her or his name to something that says Knox is not a racist?
Probably. James Knox has been caught on the Billings Gazette online comments (this time even signing his own name) promoting the writings of a racist crazy person.
If you would like I could happily lend you a copy of “the 5000 year leap” . I did very well in history and this book reflects what I learned, please read it.
Is this book reflective of what Knox “learned,” or just what he believes? The book he is praising is written by a well-known racist, Willard Cleon Skousen. For example, according to Mother Jones:
Skousen quotes liberally from an essay on slavery by Fred Albert Shannon. According to Shannon, slave families were usually sold as a unit to keep them contented, but sales were actually beneficial to the slaves, since it improved their sense of self-worth. Slaves’ marriages were “impermanent,” but that was merely “one of the blessings of the slavery.” In fact, Shannon notes, many slaves preferred slavery to freedom.
And…
Meet the founding brothers: Hengist and Horsa, fifth-century Anglo-Saxon kings. According to Skousen, the Anglo-Saxons—and by extension our own WASPy Founding Fathers—were descended from one of the Lost Tribes of Israel, in effect making them a divine people. This easily debunked assertion is the foundation of the white supremacist “Christian Identity” movement.
By writing comments promoting racist lit, and then writing a letter to the editor in the same paper praising himself for his outrage about racism after finding such lit on his car or whatever, James Knox is attempting to have it both ways. He’s already told us in the Billings Gazette comments that he owns such materials himself and offers them out to others. He’s not fooling anyone.
How is Knox trying to disguise his views?
I saw the letter in the paper, and his views are obvious – he denounces racism.
I don’t suppose that you would agree with that though – given the Dems long history of bigotry & racism –
http://gopcapitalist.tripod.com/democratrecord.html
You is RIGHT Eric!! websites like gopcapitalist.com and other .coms are only places to get REAL news. These lib sites like .org and .gov are just lies and opinions by ELITIST LIBS. You be REIL AMERICAN!! These FAKE Americans that think OBAMA is a Citizen are DUMM!
For slow readers: We already know Knox shares the views of Willard Cleon Skousen, who thinks many slaves preferred slavery to freedom. Knox has been busted promoting this racist on the Billings Gazette comments.
I just opened this website, and my daughter, standing behind me, screamed and said, “That guy looks crazy!”! This is fantastic.
He acts crazy too.
Hmmm – I’m a serial blogger, and I’ve never seen or heard racist comments from Knox – please throw me a link or two, if they exist.
The links are in the post. Thanks.
This guy is obviously a nutter. He is all freaking over the place.
Eric- the link works and takes you where you want it, but you have to scroll down quite a bit to see it. If that really is Mr. Knox (and its hard to say online, obviously), it at least shows he takes the Christian Identity ideas a little bit seriously. Scroll down to jknox65, its about %80 of the way down, two short posts right in a row.
Kudos, Cowgirl! As an old-guard GOPer, I’m glad to see someone calling Knox out on his radical, fringe views. This guy should be dumped IMMEDIATELY by the Republicans.
Those of you in the Heights who want to get to know the real James Knox should talk to some of his former employees, customers, and business associates. You’ll start to see a very disturbing pattern: shaky business ethics, abusive behavior to subordinates, over-the-top defensiveness when challenged, blatant lies, selfishness, greed…
Look, the guy’s damn near a sociopath from all the dirt I’ve heard about him. And mind you, this information came from old friends of mine who have no reason to lie. Hell, most of them are Republicans like myself.
DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS MAN. Hold your nose and vote for Pam Ellis.
I read the letters and the comments – and other than the ‘Nancy L’ question, I see nothing that makes Knox a racist.
In fact, quite the opposite – he’s condemned racism.
But, I understand where we are here – on a lib blog, and Rule 31 in the Dem playbook this year is that anybody who disagrees with Obama is racist, right?
http://rightmontana.blogspot.com/2010/09/2010-democrat-playbook.html#comments
Eric, where’d you go? You seem to have a habit of making a statement or asking a rhetorical question (‘show me the links’), and then if properly countered, disappearing. I suppose it does show you’re not without principles – now that you clearly can’t defend Mr. Knox’s views (at least his weird ones on race and history), you’d rather say nothing it all, rather than irrationally respond with unrelated fallacies, like Big Swede. But it also shows a certain unwillingness to admit when you’re wrong. (on the balance, still better behavior than most bloggers when proven wrong, to be sure).
Sorry Eric! I started writing that before you posted. I take it all back – you’re just blind. jknox65 clearly references and recommends the reading of a book, and that book is clearly full of bizarre racial/religious theories supporting critical white supremacist claims. Cowgirl laid it all out.
Hey look I do not honestly know if Mr. Knox is a racist in fact I dont believe we will ever fully know the heart of any man or woman on this earth that is for God, but I do know this if I lived in his district I could not vote for him. Because I think he has mental health issues and is unstable and would not be effective even as Billings dog catcher much less as a state legislature. Also I disagree with so many of his views I dont know where to begin
This guy is as fringe as they get. He does’t represent main street republicans, nor obviously democrats of any stripe.
here here and amen
I’m going to second the comment by Johnny Ramone. I have a friend that worked for him and he told me some crazy stories about James Knox (personal attack removed – sorry and thanks for understanding, trying to have provable info about this individual)
Brooke, you have to be the 20th person that has told me a story about Knox (personal attack removed ) Who knows what goes on when nobody else is around.
To Brooke and johnny ramone, these stories of Knox’s character are interesting for what they are, but “stories” is the long and short of it. There is no support for these tales, and plural of anecdote is not data. I sincerely hope that if you live in the district 47, or know people who do, that you tell them these tales. If they know you, they might believe you.
But recounting such family troubles under the protection of pseudonymous anonymity at a blog is really somewhat counter-productive. After all, Cowgirl has already posted about Knox pretending to be others. How does anyone know that a) you aren’t the same person pretending to be more to spread scurrilous rumors, or b) you aren’t Knox trying to discredit this blog? In fact, if one is honest, posting about Knox’s temper and domestic life with no support at all is really kinda shabby, tacky, sleazy. I’m just thinking you probably had best not do that, unless b.
Yes, saying things on a blog while protected by pseudonymous anonymity is sleazy, tacky, shabby, “Wulfgar”.
Following the logic of your second point, I guess that I should wonder if YOU are James Knox logging in to defend yourself against some uncomfortable anecdotes that have been circulating around Billings for some time. When I hear different people, all of whom I trust, telling me the exact same stories about Mr. Knox, I have to begin thinking that there’s some validity to them. Since he’s a candidate for public office, I think that people have a right to know about these stories.
This is a political blog. People are going to express their opinions, some of which you may not like. Since the moderator of this site (Cowgirl) didn’t delete my posts, then that means they must have been kosher. I’m terribly sorry you disagree, but them’s the breaks, pal.
Well allow me to retort, “johhny”.
I link to my website, a website I’ve maintained for 7 years. There isn’t a person of quality on the Montana blogs, including Cowgirl, who doesn’t know who I am. My name is Rob Kailey; and you are?
That isn’t what I wrote, little camper. Anonymously libeling a man’s character with his family, without any support at all, is quite sleazy, tacky and shabby.
Don’t be retarded. An observation isn’t a logical argument. And see point one.
Yes, as I pointed out, that would matter, kitten … if anybody knew who the hell you are. I don’t. No one here does, except maybe Cowgirl. You could be lying your ass off, and who would know.
Yes, they do, and you’ve expressed them. I haven’t stopped you. I’ve just pointed out that they have ZERO credibility. You appear to have a problem with that, but not enough of a problem to actually stand behind what you wrote. You’d rather be completely stupid about me. Good luck with that, cupcake.
Opinion? You use that word and I don’t think it means what you think it means. You didn’t express “opinion”. You told stories of potentially illegal and certainly immoral behavior with absolutely no proof or justification for doing so. That’s not opinion. In some circles, tiny flower, that’s called libel. Whether I like it or not is beside the point. I’m simply telling you that it’s tawdry.
That doesn’t mean she agrees with them, snowflake. It sure as the hell doesn’t mean I have to either. And it doesn’t mean that your BS is appropriate. (I love ham and bacon, so I don’t keep Kosher, idiot.)
See, dumbass, this is where you really screw up. I don’t disagree or agree. You haven’t presented anything to agree or disagree with. You’ve presented a bunch of unsupported fables about Knox, while hiding, and simply expect agreement. And then you have a tantrum when someone points out the obvious, that you got nothin’. Tell it to the people in HD 47. Post it here anonymously with no evidence save your ‘say-so’, and I’ll tell you again that I have no reason to believe you; and I’ll tell you that attacking the guy’s family life is pretty shameful. See, isn’t that simple enough?
Hey all, I think that the point is because this is a blog by an anonymous author, that allows and supports anonymous comments, that we must all be extra careful to post things we can prove with links, since as anonymous people, our reputations as upstanding citizens can’t back it up for us.
I’ve made it a point to delete personal accusations about others that can’t be proven in the past, and to be fair I’m going to take some items I can’t prove down about Knox. If someone finds proof please let me know. Thanks for understanding. There is plenty of odd and out of the mainstream stuff about Knox out there for sure.
I agree and concur. Even with anonymity there can be a level of credibility that is not crossed.
I hope I have not offended you.
Of course not. Fair is fair.
Point taken, Cowgirl. My apologies.
No worries. It’s not that I don’t believe people, I just don’t have a way to prove it. No offense taken.
Also this, Mr. Knox, Please feel free to address these issues personally. The invitation is open. Given your love of forum posting, I am surprised you haven’t posted something yet. Don’t worry, you’ll have lots more opportunities.
[...] this “5000 Year Leap” that TEA Party Republicans such as Derek Skees in Whitefish and James Knox in Billings are promoting is really all about, including claims that America’s founders never intended [...]
I don’t think you can get closer to the truth about Mr. Knox than this….
a little ditty I found out on Mr. Knox
http://nicspolitics.wordpress.com/
I saw that the other day too I was hoping MTCOWGIRL would grace us with another post on dirty socks Knox (credit to farmboy for the nickname) its always good for several laughs…especially when Knox shows up with one of his secret identities to support himself. You know this guy is low down when even the republicans are starting to realize how bad he smells.