re: #630 Charles

A question for you folks who want to keep arguing that neo-Nazis are “left wing:”

Are there any extremist groups you WOULD call “right wing?” Any at all? Or do you simply deny that such a thing as “right wing extremism” exists?

Right-wing extremism certainly exists, just as left-wing extremists exists.

Since the principle right-left spectrum is smaller government/power of the individual versus larger government/power of the collective, it follows that the extreme right-wing position would be no government/individual as ultimate authority, and that the extreme left-wing position would be maximumgovernment/state as the ultimate authority.

Right-wing extremist groups? Not so much. Rightwing extremism tends toward the lone wolf, rather than formal organization. However, one could make the argument in some cases. For instance, the wackos who attempt to claim sovereignty from the U.S. legal system (the ones who claim the U.S. has no jurisdiction in levying taxes, license fees, etc.) would aptly be labeled as having an extremist right-wing view.

Do right-wing extremists exist? Absolutely. In my opinion, right-wing extremists tend to be of the “vigilante justice” types (as opposed to the left-wing, anti-government/pro-chaos (think Bill Ayers) left-wing extremists). Anti-abortion bombers (think Eric Rudolph) would fall in this category.

(Note: Timothy McVeigh much more closely resembles Bill Ayers than he does Eric Rudolph.)

My primary disagreement is with lumping in white supremacists as “right-wing” extremists, when they tend not to hold any right-wing beliefs, at all.