February 11, 2016, - 5:05 pm
Washington Post Quotes Schlussel on Ted Nugent Anti-Semitism; NRA Doubles Down, But Gun Owners Denounce
The Washington Post quoted me on Ted Nugent’s declared Jew-hatred. But, sadly, as I predicted, the NRA is doubling down and won’t even denounce his anti-Semitic comments, even though many gun owners are disavowing the comments.
As readers know, a couple of days ago, I reported on Ted Nugent’s blatantly anti-Semitic Facebook post (join me on Facebook), in which Nugent, an NRA board member, attacked Jews and Israel, mocked the Holocaust, and said that Jews and Israel are behind the 9/11 Islamic terrorist attacks. In the post, he claimed that the enemies of the Second Amendment are all pro-Israel Jews (which is absolute BS). Although, as I noted, thousands of people “liked” and shared Ted Nugent’s scurrilous anti-Jewish screed and it drew a lot of anti-Semitic comments and support from Neo-Nazis and other anti-Semites, I’m very proud to note that many gun owners, particularly Christians and conservatives, posted comments attacking Nugent’s comments and disavowing them. It’s very heartening that my response to Nugent on his Facebook post has nearly 1,500 “likes” as I write this, and most of those likes are from non-Jewish fellow conservatives.
Yesterday, Washington Post reporter Lindsey Bever reported on the controversy and quoted me.
Debbie Schlussel, a conservative political commentator and columnist, called out Nugent for mocking Holocaust survivors.
“As a religious Jew who testified with you in the Michigan Senate for relaxing gun laws and strengthening the 2nd Amendment, I’m absolutely disgusted but not at all surprised that you are showing what I always suspected: that you are a Jew-hater and a piece of crap,” she wrote. “Ted Nugent Endorses Jews, then Announces He Hates Jews. Also, I’m sickened you invoke the slogan of Jewish Holocaust survivors, ‘Never Again’ in mockery.”
Bever also noted that the NRA not only didn’t disavow the comments when she contacted the organization, but it also doubled down and won’t remove Nugent from its board, as I predicted. As I noted, the NRA is very welcoming of Jew-hatred, as it also has Muslim jihadist and Al-Qaeda money-launderer Grover Norquist, a fellow Jew-hater and pal of Nugent’s, on its board.
I applaud Bever’s work, accuracy, and objectivity in her Washington Post report because she could have just reported on Nugent’s anti-Semitic comments and left it there, as lazy journalists generally do. But she went the extra mile to report the full story and did it right (the best compliment we can pay a journalist), instead of portraying gun owners as fellow neo-Nazi travelers with Nugent. Not only did she confront the NRA about Nugent, but she also reported on the many gun owners and prominent pro-Second Amendment organization leaders (other than those at the NRA), who distanced themselves from and flat out rejected Ted Nugent’s comments.
Instead of painting all gun owners and Second Amendment advocates as Jew-haters and anti-Semites, Bever showed that Nugent’s comments and the NRA’s refusal to dump him are anything but representative of the views of gun owning activists in America. I urge you to read her article. Her work is an example of true, objective, accurate, and fair journalism and reporting–something that is uncommon and deserves to be recognized.
As Bever reported, many gun owners and Second Amendment supporters reject Ted Nugent’s Jew-hatred. When will the NRA? And when will Jewish NRA Board Members–who wear their Jewish ethnicity on their sleeves whenever it’s convenient to NRA tokenism–demand that the NRA dump anti-Semitic Ted Nugent and Al-Qaeda money-changer and convicted Islamic terrorist Sami Al-Arian pal, Grover Norquist?
Don’t hold your breath.
The NRA talks a good game about defending American values and freedoms but it keeps on its board people who are the opposite of them.
I’d have more respect for them if they actually practiced what they preach.
Fortunately, American gun owners are not all on board with Grover Norquist and Ted Nugent. And kudos to Washington Post reporter Lindsey Bever on her balanced article.
While the NRA won’t do what it should do – a lot more people are now aware its championing of 2nd Amendment rights is compromised by its acceptance of bigotry at its highest reaches.
This issue won’t be going away any time soon.
NormanF on February 11, 2016 at 6:02 pm