Word to Toby Harnden: It’s the RACISM, stupid!

Portrait of the crap artist as a not-so-young man. Shamelessly stolen from Sadly, No!

Sigh. Poor Toby Harnden. You would think that, given his being stationed in Washington on behalf of the UK Telegraph, and his access as an accredited reporter, that he would be able to do better than this when it comes to reporting the staggering number of terrorist threats against Barack Obama:

Since Mr Obama took office, the rate of threats against the president has increased 400 per cent from the 3,000 a year or so under President George W. Bush, according to Ronald Kessler, author of In the President’s Secret Service.

Some threats to Mr Obama, whose Secret Service codename is Renegade, have been publicised, including an alleged plot by white supremacists in Tennessee late last year to rob a gun store, shoot 88 black people, decapitate another 14 and then assassinate the first black president in American history.

[…]

According to the book, intelligence officials received information that people associated with the Somalia-based Islamist group al-Shabaab might try to disrupt Mr Obama’s inauguration in January, when the Secret Service co-ordinated at least 40,000 agents and officers from some 94 police, military and security agencies.

So, basically, Toby’s “journalism” on this appalling matter boils down to a glorified book review…which places emphasis not on the white supremacists (a much clearer and more present danger to His Barackness) but on one very little-known Islamist group from Somalia. The overwhelming majority of the teabaggers and town-hall gun nuts currently threatening Obama may not talk the Hitler-talk, but they certainly walk the brownshirt walk. Even a cursory glance around him should have revealed as much to Toby, but it didn’t.

Notice, too, that the very splashy, well-known white-supremacist plot was merely “alleged” here, but the more obscure al-Shahaab one is presented, ever so subtly, as the more credible threat. (The rather crucial word “alleged” is nowhere in evidence, as you can see.)

I’ve done some googling on al-Shahaab, as their name has never crossed my radar till now. Apparently they are becoming an increasing presence (and problem) in Somalia. Coincidentally, the US is about to ratchet up its troop presence there, which should provide no small inflammation for tensions already prevalent in the region. Not a wise move, and sure to provoke more embassy bombings. Toby doesn’t mention that, either. Odd, considering that the white-supremacist threat is far more unprovoked than any retaliatory attacks from al-Shahaab would be. (Unless, of course, one considers the mere complexion of Barack Obama to be a provocation in and of itself.)

Have you noticed, too, that Toby seems to have forgotten all about his own earlier reporting on those icky-ass white supremacists? Of course, it puts the p-word in quotation marks–as though white supremacists couldn’t possibly be bad enough to hatch something as sinister as a PLOT. Islamists, however, don’t get so much benefit of the doubt from Toby of the Telly.

Now, you may want to ask yourself just why that is. Especially in light of how many very white, very racist Obama-haters out there are referring to him by his middle name, Hussein, as if it meant something.

And then, ask yourself just why the UK Telegraph got someone as blinkered, amnesiac and crappy as Toby Harnden to “report” this whole story in the first place.