Posted: December 16, 2010 at 6:48 am
V for Vendetta, Guy Fawkes, Extremism, and a School Board Shooting
During the recent 2010 campaign in Montana, the ultra-right-wing legislative candidate Derek Skees and his gang were accused of extremism because they appeared at Tea Party rallies wearing masks of Guy Fawkes. Fawkes, you will recall, was an English revolutionary and terrorist who tried to blow up the British parliament.
It wasn’t just Skees. The Fawkes fad was a nationwide phenomenon among the far-right, and even the Republican party got into the action. The Republican Governor’s Association, in its fundraising material, featured Fawkes-mask wearers, like in this scary video named “Remember November” by the RGA, the title being a dual reference to election day and to the November 1605 plot by Fawkes to assassinate every member of Parliament. Throughout 2010, Fawkes masks were popping up around the right-wing circuit, on Youtube, and at Tea Party rallies. Time Magazine ran a brief snippet on the whole Fawkes business, but that was about it as far as media coverage.
When confronted about this apparent endorsement of anti-government violence (which is a sensitive subject in the Flathead, where some militia members reside in the deep countryside), Skees brushed off the criticism and provided a clever answer: he and his right-wing pals who pay homage to Fawkes are not extremists, and don’t condone revolutionary upheaval such as Fawkes practiced. Rather, they are just big fans of the movie “V for Vendetta,” in which the protagonist freedom-fighter wears a Fawkes mask himself (and blows things and people up, but as a good guy).
So what shall we make, then, of the deranged and angry gunman who walked into a school board meeting in Panama City, Florida, spray painted a giant red V with a circle around it (the logo for the movie) on the wall, ranted briefly about taxes and his wife losing her job, and then opened fire on the school board members? Police later found hard-core anti-government propaganda at the gunman’s house, and also discovered that his entire Facebook page was devoted to “V for Vendetta”.
In the immediate reporting after the shooting, virtually no major news sites made the connection between the Movie, the Masks, the Right Wing and the shooter, but it is very real.
Time and again, whether at abortion clinics or in Oklahoma City or now at a school board meeting, we see the end results of the right-wing’s number one reason for existence: make ignorant, simple people as enraged at the government as possible.
Of course, when someone acts violently out of his anti-government fever as this man did, and a liberal blogger makes the claim that the Right Wing’s constant efforts at incitement are partially to blame, conservatives will promptly declare outrage not at the shooter, but at the Left.
This one pretty much played out as it was destined to. A deranged, angry, not real bright rightwinger decides that having a gun in one’s hand empowers him to do whatever he thinks he must do. Wrongo! What the ignorant winger DOESN’T comprehend is that others have guns also! Big mistake on his part.
I mean, that’s part of their fantasy. They believe that they are the only ones who have guns and are willing to use them in some dramatic fashion. This gives them a terribly false sense of power, as the video shows of this moron. For a few brief seconds, he was living his fantasy. And then, suddenly, it all went south and he got shot in the ass!
And this guy and his final video could be a metaphor for this entire Fawkes movement. They are NOT empowered by owning guns to the point were they are invunerable. The state will ONLY tolerate their nonsense as long as they are not breaking any laws. Once they DO break a law, they will surely be shot in the ass like this moron was. Therefore, all the threats, gun-wearing, and violent symbolism do nothing to aid their cause. But unfortunatley, they’re too dumb to understand that.
The ONLY thing they accomplish with their theatrics is to make sure that the state bolsters its security. And this is a good thing. There was an ex-cop there to provide this moron with an immediate natural consequence, one that he won’t soon forget, especailly now that he’s DEAD! But you are correct, Cowgirl. This dead dude was inspired by the Skeester-type individuals out there. Bringing guns to civic functions were there is absolutely NO need for a gun is about a stupid as it gets! Or as stupid as Skeester and his followers get! They repulse civilized people. Ya bring a gun to a gunfight, NOT to a school board meeting!
Skeester and his pals should be real proud. Maybe Skeester will wear a mask of this dead moron next time! Ya never know!
Excellent post cowgirl. I hadnt heard any of the above in the mainstream media.
p.s. And in case you missed the video of this event, I suggest you watch it. The look on the moron’s face when he gets shot in the ass is priceless. Sure, it’s wrong to cheer any person’s death, but THIS guy very much deserved what he got! Watch the video and you’ll see why. For a brief, shining moment he was the master of his universe, and then, it’s over. He was about to slaughter some absolutely innocent folks, but was stopped in his tracks from doing so by another armed citizen.
The really disturbing thing about this incident is that this dead moron chose to kill some of the most innocent folks in our society, a volunteer school board! THAT is totally unacceptable in civilized society. That is an assualt on ALL of civilized society and cannot be tolerated. Hence, when guys like Skeester and his pals call for revolution, etc., they should watch this video a couple of times before taking up arms. That should dispel their manly fantasies about meeting no resistance.
And lets face it. It’s ALL fantasy! The wingers AREN’T going to overthrow anything by force of arms. They may take over the country legislatively, but not with armed force. They should really just drop the rhetoric.
John may be right- I didn’t see much of the mainstream media pick up on the V is for vendetta angle…of course Fox News had it last night.
The left can call him an anti-government whackjob. I also wondered- will the right point to the guy as a staunch defender of public employees, angry because his wife got fired from her teaching job? Maybe both, probably neither. Just a whackjob who looks to any source as a justification for his insanity.
Discovery Channel anyone?
Oh yeah RIGHT, flint! The public employees have a REAL vendetta against government institutions! I see them wearing guns in public, guy fawkes masks, and calling for revolution! I see your point now. Did you have one? La la land anyone? BTW, the guy was ranting about TAXES! What did THAT have to do with his wife? Just wondering.
Larry- I didnt say the public employees have a vendetta. I was referring to a fact in the case:
(Rebecca Duke, an elementary school teacher for children with special needs, was fired in late 2009 and said she wishes she had been able to find another job sooner so her husband wouldn’t have worried so much. She said she had traveled to Lynn Haven, Fla., to apply for jobs when she heard about the attack and her husband’s death.)
He was angry about his wife being fired from her job as an elementary school teacher. So was this a case of anti-government hysteria? or was it a labor dispute? Either way- I don’t think the left should try and use him as a blame the tea party event, much as the right shouldn’t use the Discovery Channel hostage taker as emblematic of every environmentalist.
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/16/wife-school-board-shooter-was-gentle-giant/
Excellent catch- I’ll be spreading this around.
Hopefully this crusade against “Enemy Americans” starts being covered for what it really is- a culture war on the different….
Did you see his facebook?
This crazy guy was of the left wing, his favorite websites included MediaMatters.
Have you read his manifesto? We spent most of the time ranting against the “imposed slavery” of giant corporations.
Doesn’t sound like a rightist to me…
Well there you go then! He was shooting at the wrong folks? Why? Easy answer. Because you CAN’T get close to the heads of corporations! They have endless levels of security that one must pass through. So, this guy took the easy route, the public route, and took his anger out on the most INNOCENT public group he could find, a friggin’ school board! In his twisted cosmos they would do! They were an acceptable representation of the abuse of power and authority? Where would he GET such an idea? Hmm. I wonder.
And really, WHO would inspire a guy like this to take up a gun to attempt to remedy things? Hmm again, I wonder! You see THAT’S exactly the problem when morons like the Skeester gin up the rhetoric to include violence, revolution, and gun displays! Let’s face it, wherever there are three morons conspiring to overthrow the gubmint, ONE of them is with the FBI! Violent overthrow of the government AIN’T a realistic possiblity! Therefore, it’s a useless tactic simply designed to incite the inbreds out there.
Well, we can SEE for ourselves what happens when you incite the mentally SICK disaffected folks! And I guess that that’s my point. All this talk of settling matters with guns has to cease. All these public dispalys of firearms must cease. It ONLY serves one purpose, and that’s to harm innocents!
I’ve asked EVERY rightwing kook out there who espouses revolution the exact same question, yet not ONE of them has yet attempted an answer. And the question is this. So, you favor revolution. Well alrighty then, WHOM are you going to shoot? This moron in the video figured it out! And that’s the reality.
p.s. Speaking of rhetoric, I see that blob-o-shit Blimpaugh recently said that Pelosi and Reid are terrorists, and the equivalent of Al Capone and the mob bosses. He then said that maybe we’re fighting the wrong enemy. And then wondered out loud “how do we get rid of people like that”? No incitement there. No siree!
Do some research. He was angry at the school board for firing his wife. He wanted a sales tax passed to save teachers jobs and it didn’t get passed. Come on people. I live here and did my research on the guy. He was not a right wing anything.
I was just looking up some of the lunatic bills Derek Skees is sponsoring. You can find them all on the internet on the LAWS legislative website. He wants to repeal the nuclear waste ban, close schools, and f up the budget!
I went to the LAWS site to look up his bills and didn’t find any sponsored by Skees. Not sure what you are talking about.
Hey, Not Real Swift, I just gotta ask, what does some racist dipshit from Florida REALLY have to offer we Montanans? What? What? Nuthin’ I’d say. He can take his “vanilla valley” and shove it up his vanilla ass!, along with his Confederidiot flag!
Be the guy from Florida a right winger or a left winger he was wrong. I don’t care what side does violence, but when they use violence as a means of political action, you lose me as a supporter. Im all for trash talking, Im all for disagreement, Im all for civil protest, but I will never be for violence as a form of political action. Also Im equally scared of the extreme right and the extreme left. Green Peace scares me just as much as the KKK. Now I have never seen the movie V for Vendetta but I will have to add that to my list of dvds for the cold winter nights. But either way these guys wearing those masks scare me just as much as the KKK. I don’t see the difference between the two.
Green Peace scares you? Are you a dumbass? What about Green Peace scares you? Geez, from here on out no matter what you write you will be a retard in my book. But do, please give an example of violence committed by Green Peace toward a group as innocent as a volunteer school board. You, sir, are a world class moron.
I live here in Panama City. The guy is NOT a right winger. Please fix your post. I asked you to do so over on Kos as well. He was a fan of media matters and progressive voices. His wife was a special needs teacher. He had mental health issues and had been court ordered to receive treatment. He was angry at the government because they are controlled by the rich. Please research this before posting on it.
Either way my sypothies go out to the families in this situation. I will pray for them all. And either way this person had no right to do what he did.
Nobody was hurt but him. He wanted to commit suicide by cop and he did. I feel for his wife. She is distraught.
I will still remember his wife and those people at the meeting in prayer. My God Bless You
Geeze, I just came over hear idly, and as usual, the pink lenses don’t let the blue truth divert you from your story.
The shooter was an anticorporatist delusionist. I.E., kind of “progressive.”
Either way, a shame. But like they say, a government that gives you everything can sure as heck take it all away.
It does look like the guy, whatever his politics, was seriously mentally ill, and this was a vendetta over his wife’s job loss.
But I have to point this out: “V for Vendetta” may have been taken up by the right wing, but that can only be because they didn’t watch it. It is leftist through and through. Hell, the hero actually murders a Rush Limbaugh-like demogogue in his shower, while the fat slob is gloating over his popularity and power.
Guy Fawkes would better serve as a role model for jihadists of all stripes, because his was basically a religious cause. He was trying to blow up the Protestant Parliament and restore a Catholic monarchy. Maybe that’s what your right-wingers are plotting?
I don’t know why the Skees-Fawkes thing suprises anyone. As a defender of the Southern rebellion that precipitated the Civil War, he supports the idea that citizens should rise up in armed rebellion if they don’t like what the federal government is doing.
Pretty sad that a fetid piece of Florida feces like the Skeester moves here from Florida to spread his special brand of hatred. Makes me sick. And now, this moron is elected to the Lege.
The shooter linked Media Matters and a slew of liberal sites in his suicide note. Though I guess when a liberal commits violence it is really tea party violence, just because.
I hear ya. Them libs are ALWAYS advocating violence, aren’t they? You know, wearin’ their guns and spouting revolution. Oh wait, that Skeester! My bad.
Gosh Sowgirl, Why do you have a problem with violence now? Liberals repeatedly turn the other cheek when violence is committed by environmental terrorists….or by purple-clad SEIU thugs.
And, let’s not forget that you think it’s PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE to MURDER an unborn BABY!
You are apologists for all sorts of ugly violence.
Please stay away from the moral higher ground.
Environmental violence? Oh really? Where was that?
“Eco-terrorism is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as “the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against people or property by an environmentally oriented, subnational group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature.”
The FBI has credited to eco-terrorism 200 million dollars in property damage from 2003 and 2008, and a majority of states within the USA have introduced laws aimed at eco-terrorism.
Critics of this use of the term argue that it has been defined in order to vilify activists.”
Oh, Tubby, you gotta do better than that. Make it local, dude. Montana is probably the state with the most hotly contested environmental issues and the most active environmental groups. SO, fatboy, where is all the eco damage resulting in millions? You spout crap. That’s all. Now, moron, I’ve heard of rightWING terrorism all OVER the place! Bombing abortion clinics, burning Hutterite colonies, etc., but for the LIFE of me I can remember one, single incident of eco-terrorism here! Name them for us, dufus? Or go away. You’ve got nuthin’.
And here, this one is for the Vanilla Valley Vienershnitzel, derek skeester! He’ll like it.
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/asgards-hammer-far-righty-whities-mi
Makes no sense to assert, especially without any evidence or justification, that the Florida gunman was a “right winger,” or a pro 2nd amendment activist. Just nonsense. Whether he was or not, the pro gun people were vindicated. Had a good man not been armed, the shooter would have succeeded in killing people. The opinions here are so lame and out of touch. Seems you can’t handle legitimate (and successful) patriotic dissent, and fail to recall just how extreme the anti-Bush left wing crowd was, burning a US president in effigy, Hitler/fascist references. When people grow up and leave such nonsense behind, they appreciate the need for limited government and the wisdom of this country’s founding.
Very well said.
I would just like to add that differentiation must be made between Guy Fawkes and “V for Vendetta”. Although Guy Fawkes was referenced in the movie, the two are distinct. The “deranged and angry gunman … spray painted a giant red V with a circle around it (the logo for the movie)”, so you attribute this not to the movie but Guy Fawkes? Recall the strong anti-government and anti-right notions that inspired so many overly-emotional people upon this film’s release.
Had the shooter spray-painted some sort of a patriotic/right-wing symbol, perhaps the connection would be more definitive, but as he paints one inspired by the left, it would suggest just the opposite. Had you really thought about this situation, you’d realize that this is neither left nor right–the shooter was simply deranged.
So, as it turns out, the Florida shooter was a left winger, one of your own. The lefties are the violent ones, as usual, very unhappy people. You can tell by the snide, unhappy tone of those commenting here. They admire people like Che Guevara, Castro’s executioner, who killed many people because they read books he didn’t like or because they owned shops and busniesses, or because they wanted to keep their property. That’s what the left is all about, using extreme force to abuse ordinary people.
The Tea Party, on the other hand, isn’t doing anything but insisting that the government act responsibly, instead of ruining the country with out-of-control crazy spending and government mandates. Just ask so many governors and Attorneys General. That’s what ticks all of you off—they’re so obviously right, and they’re winning. Just good decent Americans calling their irresponsible lawmakers to task. And you can’t handle that. Must be frustrating, to see just how wrong you have been.
Hey, it’s OK to be a dipshit if you like, but at LEAST admit what you are! Look, I’ll give you a chance to prove that you aren’t the dipshit you appear to be. First, list ten similarities between Cuba and the U.S. at the time of Che. Hey, he’s YOUR example, dipshit. Then, it is NOT the lefties but the righties who continually use the hyperbole of overthrowing the government and solving things with a second amendment solution. THIS from your congresspeople. And lest we forget your folks are ALWAYS showing up at public events ARMED! So, to prove you’re not a dipshit, ANSWER THE DAMNED QUESTION! WHOM are you going to shoot? When you overthrow the government, whom are you going to shoot? You see, THAT is what makes you folks dipshits. Hell, even the Skeester goes from house to house armed while campaining. HE’S a classic dipshit. Prove that you’re not.
p.s. BTW, the absolutley, hands down TWO most recognizable AND admired figures in the ENTIRE FREAKIN’ WORLD are Che and Muhammad Ali. Go figure. A commie revolutionary and a black muslim draft dodger. I’d say it YOU morons that should be worried! But where, where are the rightwing figures the world adores? Chimpy Bush?? Aynus Rand?? The Dick Cheney?? Flush Blimpaugh?? Sure Apalin’? WHO? Who is the ONE rightwing wacko the world loves and admires and wants to emulate? I’ll wait.
I doubt there’s any political significance in the Florida gunman’s choice of Guy Fawkes and V for Vendetta. He was simply borrowing from popular culture to express his anguish. At a more advanced stage of mental disturbance, he might invent his own characters. This is a case for psychiatrists, not political scientists.
Never thought I’d see my small, home-county newspaper, the Sheboygan Press, linked to on the MT Cowgirl blog…especially as the link to this disturbing incident from Panama City, Florida. Perhaps if people just say “Sheboygan” more often, everything will be ok? You betcha!
I’m a V fan, and I am disgusted by the rightwhinge use of it. For the record, V put on the mask as a kill-me sign: he was heading for his voluntary death. Fawkes was a true villain, who tried to kill King and Parliament; V blew up a couple of derelict buildings, the courts and legislature being shut down in that fictional state.
But beyond that, IMHO V4V, the movie [but not the
GN] has the Gospel of Mark as the subtext; Fawkes is Elijah, the 400-years ago voice; Finch is Nicodemus; Evey is Mary Magdalen; Sutler is Caiphas, and his counsel the Sanhedrin. Guy Fawkes night is Good Friday.
You may not agree with the full structural claim but the deliberate echos are there. This make the awful Teeparty usage.
I don’t think our politicians understand the extreme anger in the country, be it left or right. I went to a party this weekend, full of upscale liberals, and found that an old friend was so enraged, she was contemplating going postal. I confided that I was at the same point. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go hide in the woods with food and ammo or kill a bunch of hedge fund managers.
Most people explode and kill friends, family, co-workers, etc. I don’t know if they thought of killing a Wall Street banker or if they even realize who their true enemies are. I guess people falling off the edge aren’t logical. Maybe we need a bunch of anarchists who understand who to go after.
Violence is never the answer. Also, this comment reeks of “fake.”
Unless you get pregnant when you are a sophomore in college….
All right! The sexists have arrived. Fantastic.
Once again the left looks in vain for right-wing gunmen. All of the lunatics that have committed violence are from the left.
Are we Nazis? No they were, (unfortunately still are) a LEFT WING GROUP.
In all the Tea Party gatherings we have never so much as hurled a racial slur or threatened violence. Why? Because we love this country and know that the rule of law is all that separates us from anarchy.
The left needs to get real and take responsibility for your OWN. The new black panthers, weather underground, reverend Wright, and many more!! When you clean your house then come talk to us
Doug M.
Yeah, we get ya, dougy doo. You don’t like black people. They scare you. Sorry. Better move on up to the vanilla valley with the skeeser.
Please, Doug – I mean you or the Tea Parties no disrespect. Nor do I think that overt racism is anything more than utter stupidity mixed with personal bad fortune. But your comments on the sources of violence in our society are wrong. I could explain more, but your comments seem to be based on either utter ignorance or a willingness to ignore reality.
Anyone who reduces the “Nazi” phenomenon to “left” (or even “right”) has not thought things through, has not even thought.
Merry Christmas. Happy Festivus.
“Anyone who reduces the “Nazi” phenomenon to “left” (or even “right”) has not thought things through,”
Thank you! It turns out not every political phenomena worldwide can be summarized as simply a more extreme version of American politics. I’m not sure Nazism can even really be properly categorized as fascism, as it really gives the race priority to the state or traditional values. It bears little resemblance to any modern political movement, which is why its frustrating when people try to analogize things to it.
@ Doug M.;
Any comments on your former president Tim Ravndal’s facebook statement when he asked another Teabagger how he could obtain the Wyoming handbook for “stringing up fruits on a fence” ??
Not fair. I seriously think that this Ravndal fellow is retarded. We shouldn’t pick on him. He’s probably doing what he thinks is right in a retarded kind of way. But we, as compassaionate lefties, should really pity a pathetic creature like that. I actually know a lot of teabaggers, and I think that even they would agree that Ravndal is simply sick in the head and not very bright.
Perhaps Larry. I guess he’s not the first pathetic creature to be chosen as a president (read G.W. Bush). Does anyone know, did Ravndal actually ever serve in the military? Or is he just another phony condervative Chickenhawk (read Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh, Denny Rehberg, et al)?
I think we can safely say that regardless of this individual’s political leanings, he chose to make a quasi-anarchist statement with his V. I don’t think we can blame it on the TEA party specifically, but rather on those on both sides who talk as if the system is a sham and who call for ‘second amendment remedies’ or glorify ‘revolution’ without thinking of what that means in practical terms.
Hey everyone;
Rodg, i had not heard the “string up fruits’ reference. All that I associate with are good people. I grew up in the Carribean, so I know what diversity is and do not fear it. The new Black Panthers were intimidating voters in 2008 and were saying that if black people wanted freedom they were going to have to “kill some crackers”. THAT is racism
Source please, dink. And sorry to disagree, but you NEVER “grew up”, dude. You’re stuck in ’bouty jr. high I’d say, both intellectually and emotionally. BTW, what is your highest grade level achieved? It’s OK. I won’t laugh………TOO loud!
The latest unfortunate shooting in Tucson was done by a man whose favorite book was “The communist manifesto”. His Hero was Adolf Hitler.
In case you have all forgotten the Nazi party was leftist
@ Doug M;
And in case YOU’VE forgotten, Hitler was anti-semitic.
@ Doug M;
Oh great, another out-of-stater lecturing us on what’s right and wrong…