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ANNCR: What do you call a candidate who says the way things are going the time may be coming for Second Amendment remedies, an armed response to our government …

On Screen: What do you call a candidate who says …

On Screen: The time may be coming for an armed response / Lars Larson Show, 1/14/10

On Screen: AFP / Right-Wing Militias on the Rise

FACT: ANGLE HAS REPEATEDLY INVOKED “SECOND AMENDMENT REMEDIES” ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Angle Agreed With Right-Wing Talk Radio Host That There Are “Domestic Enemies” In Congress. In August 2010, the Washington Post’s Plum Line reported, “On a radio interview conducted on the day she announced her Senate run in 2009, Sharron Angle clearly and unequivocally agreed with an interviewer who asserted flatly that there are ‘domestic enemies’ and ‘homegrown enemies’ in the ‘walls of the Senate and the Congress.’” The Post provided a transcript of the exchange:

MANDERS: You know I talk often about this oath that they give and it is to defend the Constitution and all that. But one of the things that is very important to me in this oath that they give is that they will defend against foreign and domestic enemies.

ANGLE: Yes. Yes.

MANDERS: We have domestic enemies. We have home-born homegrown enemies in our system. And I for one think we have some of those enemies in the walls of the Senate and the Congress.

ANGLE: Yes. I think you're right, Bill. [KOH, 10/21/09, via the Washington Post’s Plum Line, 8/24/10]

Angle: “If This Congress Keeps Going The Way It Is People Are Really Looking Toward Those Second Amendment Remedies.” During a January 2010 interview with Lars Larson, Angle said, “Well I qualified for my CCW with a Dirty Harry cannon so so maybe that tells you a little bit but you know our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government and in fact Thomas Jefferson said it’s good for a country to have a revolution every twenty years. I hope that’s not where we’re going but you know if this congress keeps going the way it is people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around and I’ll tell ya the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.” [The Lars Larson Show, 01/14/10, Audio Available via the Washington Post’s Plum Line]

Angle: “The Nation Is Arming … If We Don’t Win At The Ballot Box, What Will Be The Next Step.” In May 2010, Angle told the Gazette-Journal. “What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock … That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways? That's why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?" [Reno Gazette-Journal, 5/30/10]

Angle: “I Am Hoping That We’re Not Getting To Second Amendment Remedies. I Am Hoping The Vote Will Be The Cure For The Harry Reid Problems.” During a January 2010 interview with KOH’s Bill Manders, Angle talked about the Second Amendment: 

ANGLE: That’s right. Well I think that Dirty Harry hand canon is a pretty big gun. I feel that the Second Amendment is the right to keep and bear arms for our citizenry, it’s not for someone who’s in the military it’s not for law enforcement, this is for us. And when you read the Constitution and Founding Fathers, they intended this to stop tyranny, this is for us when our government becomes tyrannical.

MANDERS: And if we needed it at any time in history, it might be now

ANGLE: And it’s to defend ourselves, and you know I am hoping that we’re not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I am hoping the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems. [KOH, 1/25/10, Audio Available via the Huffington Post]

New York Times: “Far Over The Line” [New York Times, Editorial, 6/19/10] 

Times: Angle’s “Offensive…Inciteful” And “Alarming Rhetoric” On Second Amendment “Crossed All Acceptable Lines.” In a blistering June editorial, The New York Times wrote, “Ms. Angle has shown no inclination to explain or alter her most alarming rhetoric — her repeated references to ‘Second Amendment remedies’ and other teases about armed revolution. Her statements across the past six months — when she was winning national attention dishing right-wing polemics — were some of the most offensive and inciteful to be heard in this year’s welter of extremist alarums… The next step should be Ms. Angle’s explanation to Nevada voters of why she sees no harm in loosing such incendiary rhetoric. Pandering to gun ownership may be a political grail in Nevada politics, but this has crossed all acceptable lines.” [New York Times, Editorial, 6/19/10]

Las Vegas Sun: “Armed Revolt Part Of Sharron Angle’s Rhetoric” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/17/10]

Sun: Angle Spokesman Jerry Stacy “Didn’t Back Away From Angle’s Comments,” Said “Trouble Could Be Brewing,” Says “We Should All Be Worried.” According to the Las Vegas Sun, “He (Stacy) didn’t back away from Angle’s comments that trouble could be brewing. ‘We should all be worried.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/17/10]

One-Time Republican Political Scientist Fred Lokken: “This Is Not The Republican Party I Signed Up For.” In a June Las Vegas Sun article, Republican political scientist Fred Lokken told the paper, “She needs to assure us she’s not advocating violence against our sitting government or those serving in the sitting government.” Lokken later told the Sun he was changing his voter affiliation, telling reporters “This is not the Republican Party I signed up for.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/17/10]

ANGLE HAS OPENLY AND EXPLICITLY ENDORSED AN ULTRA-RIGHT-WING PARAMILITARY GROUP 

Angle Supports The Oath Keepers, An Ultra Far-Right Fringe Militia Group. According to Talking Points Memo, “Back in April, Angle told TPMDC she was a member of the Oath Keepers at a press gaggle in Washington.” When reached for comment by TPM, Angle’s husband said, “We support what the organization stands for. Sharron does.” [Talking Points Memo, 6/9/2010] 

Salon: With Angle, Oath Keepers Have “Toehold In The GOP.” According to Salon.com, referring to the Oath Keepers, “These guys have a toehold in the GOP, between official sympathizers like Angle and ideological fellow travelers like Rand Paul, and some right-wing representatives -- Michele Bachmann, Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey… if one of their own is in office and the GOP has the power to obstruct the president even more, will that be enough to calm the Oath Keepers? This is speculation, but it's easy to imagine Angle getting to Washington and announcing, ‘It's worse than we thought.’” [Salon.com, 6/10/2010] 

Salon: Angle’s Relationship With Group Makes Her “A Full-Time Resident Of The Paranoid Alternate Universe.” According to Salon.com, Sharron Angle’s relationship with Oath Keepers makes her “a full-time resident of the paranoid alternate universe.” [Salon.com, 6/10/2010] 

Angle: “I Call Myself An Oath Keeper.” Speaking before a group at a Sun City candidate forum, Angle said, “We have the solutions to many of our problems. They reside within that contract with America, which is our Constitution, and we need to send folks who understand the Constitution and why it’s so important. I call myself an Oath Keeper.” [Sun City Candidate Forum, 2/5/10] 

Oath Keepers Called A “Worrisome” Member Of “The Militia Movement” That Alerts Members To “A Coming Dictatorship.” According to Talking Points Memo, “Often seen at gun shows and similar settings, the Oath Keepers were singled out by the Southern Poverty Law Center in its 2009 report on the return of the militia movement since President Obama was elected as ‘a particularly worrisome example of the Patriot revival.’ According to the SPLC, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, a former staffer for Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) warns his followers against ‘a coming dictatorship’ that will happen if ‘our brothers in arms go along and comply with unconstitutional, unlawful orders.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/9/2010] 

Group Warns Of Orders That Would Result In “Giant Concentration Camps” According to Talking Points Memo, members of the organization “take an oath to refuse orders they see as unconstitutional -- including enforcement of gun laws, violations of states' sovereignty, and ‘any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/9/2010] 

Oath Keepers Believe “Government Is Already Turning On Its Citizens,” Have Started “Stashing Weapons.” According to Mother Jones, some Oath Keepers believe “the government is already turning on its citizens, they are recruiting military buddies, stashing weapons, running drills, and outlining a plan of action. [Mother Jones, March 2010]

HEADLINE: “Right-wing militias on the rise in US” [AFP, 8/12/09] 

ANNCR: … who says a teenage rape victim should be forced to have the baby …

On Screen: A teenage rape victim should be forced to have the baby / Bill Manders Show, 1/25/10 

FACT: ANGLE OPPOSES ABORTION IN CASES OF RAPE AND INCEST, WOULD VOTE TO FORCE A TEENAGE RAPE VICTIM TO TAKE THE PREGNANCY TO TERM

Government Is Not God: “Would You Vote To Prohibit Abortion In All Cases?” Angle: “Yes.” [Government Is Not God Candidate Questionnaire (Question #4), via Ralston’s Flash, 8/5/10]

Angle Doesn’t Believe In Abortion In Cases Of Rape And Incest, Says “God Has A Plan And A Purpose For Each One Of Our Lives.” During a January interview with talk show host Bill Manders, Angle was asked to discuss her views on abortion:

MANDERS: I think the abortion issue, though…I want to talk to you a little about this. I think it’s become…I too am pro-life, but I’m also pro-choice -- do you understand what I say when I mean that?

ANGLE: Well I’m pro responsible choice. You know there’s choice to abstain, choice to do contraception. There’s all kind of good choices.

MANDERS: Is there any reason at all for an abortion?

ANGLE: Not in my book.

MANDERS: So, in other words, rape and incest would not be something?

ANGLE: You know, I’m a Christian and I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives and that he can intercede in all kinds of situations and we need to have a little faith in many things. [KOH, 1/25/10, via Huffington Post, 6/29/10]

Angle On Teenage Rape Victims Who Become Pregnant: Said, “I Think That Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right” Talked About Turning “A Lemon Situation Into Lemonade.” During a June 2010 interview with Alan Stock, Angle discussed her opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest:

STOCK: Let me bring up one other topic that I rarely talk about here, because it's one of those topics that's a lose-lose, but we've got to talk about it because it was brought up in your TV interview and that has to do with the issue of abortion, and whether or not abortion should be available in the case of rape or incest. The question to you at the time by the interviewer was that do you want the government to go and tell a 13 year-old child who has been raped by her father that she has to have that baby. And of course you responded 'I didn't say that I always say that I value life.' Where do you stand on the issue of abortion, a consensual abortion, from a person who is raped or is pregnant as a result of incest?

ANGLE: Well right now our law permits that. My own personal feelings and that is always what I express, my personal feeling is that we need to err on the side of life. There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life no matter what it's location, age, gender or disability. So whenever we talk about government and government's role, government's role is to protect life and that's what our Founding Father said, that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

STOCK: What do you say then to a young girl, I am going to place it as he said it, when a young girl is raped by her father, let's say, and she is pregnant. How do you explain this to her in terms of wanting her to go through the process of having the baby?

ANGLE: I think that two wrongs don't make a right. And I have been in the situation of counseling young girls, not 13 but 15, who have had very at risk, difficult pregnancies. And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade. Well one girl in particular moved in with the adoptive parents of her child, and they both were adopted. Both of them grew up, one graduated from high school, the other had parents that loved her and she also graduated from high school. And I'll tell you the little girl who was born from that very poor situation came to me when she was 13 and said 'I know what you did thank you for saving my life.' So it is meaningful to me to err on the side of life. [KXNT, 6/30/10, via Huffington Post, 7/8/10]

Jane Ann Morrison: It’s No Gaffe When She Says She Opposes Abortion In Every Instance… She Means It.” In a July 5 column, Jane Ann Morrison wrote, “Sharron Angle's statements aren't so much gaffes as they make one wonder: Does she really mean that? Her ‘take out Harry Reid’ stance sounded pretty fierce and has been toned down. She's trying to soften some of her seemingly unwavering positions about Social Security and Medicare, but those aren't gaffes as much as an effort to reach the middle ground by wavering. It's no gaffe when she says she opposes abortion in every instance, even in cases of rape and incest. She means it.” [Las Vegas Review Journal, 7/5/10]

Associated Press: Angle Opposes Abortion In All Circumstances. In June 2010, the Associated Press reported, “Angle, a Southern Baptist, has called herself a faith-based politician who prays daily. Among her positions, she opposes abortion in all circumstances, including rape and incest.” [Associated Press, 6/14/2010]

Review-Journal: Angle “Took Heat For Saying She Doesn’t Believe In Abortion In Any Case, Including Rape And Incest.” In August 2010, the Review-Journal reported, “A devout Southern Baptist, Angle has said she felt a ‘calling from God’ to run for the Senate, a comment opponents mocked. She also took heat for saying she doesn't believe in abortion in any case, including rape and incest, because ‘God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives.’” [Las Vegas Review Journal, 8/8/2010]

FACT: ANGLE EVEN TRIED TO LEGISLATE HER EXTREME BELIEF THAT ABORTION CAUSES BREAST CANCER, SPONSORED LEGISLATION REQUIRING DOCTORS TO SPREAD BOGUS PROPOGANDA ABOUT THE LINKS BETWEEN ABORTION AND BREAST CANCER

Angle Sponsored Legislation Associating Abortion With Breast Cancer. In 1999, the Associated Press reported Angle proposed a bill that “would have required doctors to inform women seeking abortions about a controversial theory linking an increased risk of breast cancer with abortion.” Health and Human Resources Chairwoman Vivian Freeman panned the theory, saying it was “inconclusive, small and not objective.” [Associated Press, 4/10/99]

Angle’s Second Attempt To Pass Her Extreme Abortion-Causes-Breast-Cancer Legislation Was Called “Insulting To Every Woman Who Has Had Breast Cancer.” In 2001 when Angle introduced the legislation a second time, Health and Human Services Chairwoman Ellen Koivisto said, “It is insulting to every woman who has had breast cancer. I'm a breast cancer survivor.” Angle maintained her position, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I think the science is pretty clear. I believe there is a bias here that says we just don't want to get information out about this link.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 4/11/01]

ANNCR: … who proposed a Scientology massage program for prisoners …

On Screen: Proposed Scientology massage program for prisoners / FactCheck.org, 6/2/10

IT’S TRUE. SHARRON ANGLE PROPOSED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PROVIDE MASSAGE AND SAUNA TREATMENTS TO NEVADA PRISONERS AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE.

Angle Promoted Scientology-Based Massage and Sauna Therapy To Nevada Prisons, Funded By Tax Dollars. According to National Review, Sharron Angle wanted to bring a Scientology-based drug treatment program to Nevada that “was described in media accounts as ‘sauna and massage’ treatments…It was developed in part based on concepts from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and was estimated to cost roughly $15,000 per inmate. Angle tried to organize a trip to Ensenada prison in Mexico to see the program in action; the cost of the trip was to have been covered by a Scientologist. The trip was ultimately canceled.” [National Review, 5/26/2010]

FactCheck.org: “It’s True: Massages, Saunas For Inmates.” In June 2010, the nonpartisan PactCheck.org wrote, “With the June 8 Nevada primary nearing, there was one TV ad in the Republican Senate race that caught our attention. It’s so outlandish that we thought it couldn’t possibly be true. Did former Nevada Assemblywoman Sharron Angle – a Republican backed by the Tea Party Express and the fiscally conservative Club for Growth — sponsor legislation to create a drug rehab program for state prisoners that included saunas and massage therapy? And was that program developed by the Church of Scientology? That’s what Republican Sue Lowden claims in her ad, “Prison Spa,” that first aired May 29. We were skeptical, but found it to be largely true.” [FactCheck.org, 6/2/2010]

Angle Wanted Federal Funding For Her Scientology-Based Inmate Rehabilitation Program. According to a 2003 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Angle said her bill, which she hopes to introduce in the Assembly later this week, authorizes a demonstration project in Nevada. She said federal funding would be needed, and she’s looking for grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as from President Bush’s faith and community-based programs initiative.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/11/03]

EVEN ANGLE’S EXPLANATIONS FAIL THE LAUGH TEST AND THE TRUTH TEST

Angle’s Wacky Defense Of Giving Massages To Prisoners: “It Was Really More Of A Karate Chop.” In a May candidate debate on Face to Face with Jon Ralston, Angle defended her Scientology-based inmate rehabilitation program, saying, “Well it wasn’t actually…massages… it was really more of a karate chop and the sauna I would say was a sweat box, in there with 30 sweaty guys is not exactly a sauna.” [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 5/18/10]

Angle Claim: Scientology Program Was “Being Used Successfully” In New Mexico. Sharron Angle told political pundit Jon Ralston, “in New Mexico they are now using that program and it’s being used successfully. We had an opportunity to use it here in Nevada and it would have saved us money in prison fees for incarceration.” [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 5/18/10]

Fact: Second Chance Program In Albuquerque Shuttered For Housing Violent Criminals. According to a 2008 report by KRQE in Albuquerque, “A controversial drug-rehab center organized on elements of Scientology is being evicted for housing inmates convicted of violent crimes, Albuquerque’s mayor said Friday. The eviction notice gives Second Chance until the end of the next month to wind down the operation housed in a former city jail on Albuquerque’s northwest mesa. So far there has been no response from Second Chance.” [KRQE, 12/26/08]

Fact: New Mexico Lawmakers Had “Reservations,” Judges Were “Skeptical About Second Chance’s Methods.” According to a 2009 article in the Albuquerque Journal, “Lawmakers from around the city and state have had reservations about the connection between Second Chances and Scientology, which they expressed with a lack of funding. And judges, particularly in Bernalillo County, have been skeptical about Second Chance’s methods and where the center has gotten its funding.” [Albuquerque Journal, 1/25/09]

ANNCR: … and who says that Medicare and Social Security violate the Ten Commandments?

On Screen: Medicare and Social Security violate the Ten Commandments / TruNews, 4/21/10

ANNCR: What do you call that candidate? Extreme. Sharron Angle: Just too extreme.

On Screen: Sharron Angle / Just too extreme

REID: I’m Harry Reid, and I approve this message.

On Screen: APPROVED BY HARRY REID. PAID FOR BY FRIENDS FOR HARRY REID.

FACT: ANGLE WANTS TO ELIMINATE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE, BELIEVES ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS VIOLATE THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

Angle Believes “Entitlement Programs … Make Government Our God” And That “We Have Become A Country Entrenched In Idolatry.” During an April 2010 interview with TruNews radio, Angle said, “And these programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that’s really what’s happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government.” [TruNews, 4/21/10]

Even Sherm Frederick Knew Angle Was Saying Social Security Violates The First Commandment, And Even He Disagreed. In an August 2010 blog post, Review-Journal Publisher Sherm Frederick wrote, “U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle does it again. She grants an interview to a Christian radio station and spouts some religious stuff that not only makes her look politically bad, it gives people of faith -- like, say, our Founding Fathers -- a black eye … I'm not saying that she doesn't have a point about things being out of whack when it comes to the balance between personal responsibility and the role of government. And, yes, humans can put anything before God, thus ignoring the First Commandment. But our government was created by men who believed in God. And they crafted the government to provide a common protection. That wasn't idolatry. Expansion of that common protection to include things like Social Security, or even national health care (though I think it is a bad idea) is not necessarily idolatry.” [Review-Journal, Sherm Frederick Blog, 8/5/10]

Angle: “We Need To Phase Medicare And Social Security Out.” During a May 2010 debate on Face to Face, Sharron Angle said, “We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out in favor of something privatized.” She later added, “Going forward we need to phase it out, give people an opportunity to either opt into the old system or go for a new system where they have their own healthcare savings account or they have their own retirement savings account which is portable and goes with them from job to job and for those who are entering the workforce right now they come on to the new system so it’s a phased-in system so it’s something [inaudible] privatize.” [Face to Face Debate, 5/19/10]

Angle Called Social Security “A Broken System Without Much To Recommend It.” In August 2010 the Associated Press reported Angle, “previously said she didn't trust big government to manage what she called ‘a broken system without much to recommend it,’ and she repeatedly has said she supports phasing out Social Security over time.” [Associated Press, 8/14/10]

Angle Said Social Security Is “Difficult To Justify” And Likened It To Welfare. In a May interview with KNPR, Angle said, “Well, it’s very difficult, Lynn, to justify Social Security. As you know F.D.R. put it in as an insurance policy for those who were needy. My grandfather would not even take his Social Security check because he said he was not up for welfare, he had planned for his retirement, and he wouldn’t take it. But, since then we have gotten into this whole mindset that it’s an entitlement.” [KNPR, State of Nevada, 5/19/10 (emphasis added)]

Angle In 1993: “STOP FUNDING THE WASTEFUL SOCIAL AND ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS.” In a 1993 letter to Senator Reid, Angle wrote, “The answer to this mess is clear. STOP FUNDING THE WASTEFUL SOCIAL AND ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS. MAKE THE DIFFICULT CHOICES THAT WILL KEEP OUR COUNTRY STRONG. THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO!” [Review-Journal, John L. Smith Column, 8/18/10 (emphasis in original)]

Review-Journal’s John L. Smith On Angle’s Letter: “That's The Angle I Know. Her Recent Soft-Lens Campaign Style Notwithstanding, I Suspect Sharron Angle Is The Same As She Ever Was.” In an August 2010 column, John L. Smith wrote, “Angle let Reid have it with both barrels. She also bluntly revealed her belief that the only way to save America was to end ‘social and entitlement programs.’ As a Senate candidate this year, Angle and her campaign mechanics have worked hard to soften her rhetoric about ‘eliminating’ Social Security in favor of ‘privatizing’ and ‘personalizing’ individual accounts. She's also suffered self-inflicted wounds on federal unemployment insurance extensions and other ‘entitlement’ programs … Ending Social Security and other entitlement programs? … That's the Angle I know. Her recent soft-lens campaign style notwithstanding, I suspect Sharron Angle is the same as she ever was.” [Review-Journal, John L. Smith Column, 8/18/10 (emphasis added)]

Angle: “The Idea Of Privatizing And Getting Out Of Medicare And Social Security Is Not Up For Grabs.” In June 2010, Talking Points Memo reported, “In an interview from three weeks before the Nevada Republican primary, Sharron Angle made it clear that getting rid of Medicare and Social Security is a non-negotiable issue for her … Going on in the interview, Angle talks about how as a Senator she would work with other legislators to formulate a proper solution for her idea, haggling over the details and implementation of privatization without giving up on the main idea itself: ‘The idea of privatizing and getting out of Medicare and Social Security is not up for grabs.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/14/10]

Angle: “I’m Not Sure Just Where In The Constitution The Federal Government Is Even Supposed To Be Involved In Our Medicare.” During a September 2009 campaign event, Sharron Angle said, “We need to send people back there who are willing to look at what’s wrong because we know that Medicare Part D might have been a good idea when it started out, but once it goes through the legislative process it becomes compromised and pretty soon it doesn’t work. And I’m not sure just where in the Constitution the federal government is even supposed to be involved in our Medicare. You know, these are things that could be done on the state level much better.” [Angle Campaign Event, 9/1/09 (emphasis added)]

Angle On Medicare: “We Need To Phase It Out.” In October 2009, the Review-Journal reported, “As for Medicare, she (Angle) said the entitlement program popular with seniors will eventually grow too costly to maintain… ‘We need to phase it out,’ she said.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/21/09]

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Facts

ANNCR: What do you call a candidate who says the way things are going the time may be coming for Second Amendment remedies, an armed response to our government …

On Screen: What do you call a candidate who says …

On Screen: The time may be coming for an armed response / Lars Larson Show, 1/14/10

On Screen: AFP / Right-Wing Militias on the Rise

FACT: ANGLE HAS REPEATEDLY INVOKED “SECOND AMENDMENT REMEDIES” ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Angle Agreed With Right-Wing Talk Radio Host That There Are “Domestic Enemies” In Congress. In August 2010, the Washington Post’s Plum Line reported, “On a radio interview conducted on the day she announced her Senate run in 2009, Sharron Angle clearly and unequivocally agreed with an interviewer who asserted flatly that there are ‘domestic enemies’ and ‘homegrown enemies’ in the ‘walls of the Senate and the Congress.’” The Post provided a transcript of the exchange:

MANDERS: You know I talk often about this oath that they give and it is to defend the Constitution and all that. But one of the things that is very important to me in this oath that they give is that they will defend against foreign and domestic enemies.

ANGLE: Yes. Yes.

MANDERS: We have domestic enemies. We have home-born homegrown enemies in our system. And I for one think we have some of those enemies in the walls of the Senate and the Congress.

ANGLE: Yes. I think you're right, Bill. [KOH, 10/21/09, via the Washington Post’s Plum Line, 8/24/10]

Angle: “If This Congress Keeps Going The Way It Is People Are Really Looking Toward Those Second Amendment Remedies.” During a January 2010 interview with Lars Larson, Angle said, “Well I qualified for my CCW with a Dirty Harry cannon so so maybe that tells you a little bit but you know our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government and in fact Thomas Jefferson said it’s good for a country to have a revolution every twenty years. I hope that’s not where we’re going but you know if this congress keeps going the way it is people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around and I’ll tell ya the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out.” [The Lars Larson Show, 01/14/10, Audio Available via the Washington Post’s Plum Line]

Angle: “The Nation Is Arming … If We Don’t Win At The Ballot Box, What Will Be The Next Step.” In May 2010, Angle told the Gazette-Journal. “What is a little bit disconcerting and concerning is the inability for sporting goods stores to keep ammunition in stock … That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways? That's why I look at this as almost an imperative. If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?" [Reno Gazette-Journal, 5/30/10]

Angle: “I Am Hoping That We’re Not Getting To Second Amendment Remedies. I Am Hoping The Vote Will Be The Cure For The Harry Reid Problems.” During a January 2010 interview with KOH’s Bill Manders, Angle talked about the Second Amendment: 

ANGLE: That’s right. Well I think that Dirty Harry hand canon is a pretty big gun. I feel that the Second Amendment is the right to keep and bear arms for our citizenry, it’s not for someone who’s in the military it’s not for law enforcement, this is for us. And when you read the Constitution and Founding Fathers, they intended this to stop tyranny, this is for us when our government becomes tyrannical.

MANDERS: And if we needed it at any time in history, it might be now

ANGLE: And it’s to defend ourselves, and you know I am hoping that we’re not getting to Second Amendment remedies. I am hoping the vote will be the cure for the Harry Reid problems. [KOH, 1/25/10, Audio Available via the Huffington Post]

New York Times: “Far Over The Line” [New York Times, Editorial, 6/19/10] 

Times: Angle’s “Offensive…Inciteful” And “Alarming Rhetoric” On Second Amendment “Crossed All Acceptable Lines.” In a blistering June editorial, The New York Times wrote, “Ms. Angle has shown no inclination to explain or alter her most alarming rhetoric — her repeated references to ‘Second Amendment remedies’ and other teases about armed revolution. Her statements across the past six months — when she was winning national attention dishing right-wing polemics — were some of the most offensive and inciteful to be heard in this year’s welter of extremist alarums… The next step should be Ms. Angle’s explanation to Nevada voters of why she sees no harm in loosing such incendiary rhetoric. Pandering to gun ownership may be a political grail in Nevada politics, but this has crossed all acceptable lines.” [New York Times, Editorial, 6/19/10]

Las Vegas Sun: “Armed Revolt Part Of Sharron Angle’s Rhetoric” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/17/10]

Sun: Angle Spokesman Jerry Stacy “Didn’t Back Away From Angle’s Comments,” Said “Trouble Could Be Brewing,” Says “We Should All Be Worried.” According to the Las Vegas Sun, “He (Stacy) didn’t back away from Angle’s comments that trouble could be brewing. ‘We should all be worried.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/17/10]

One-Time Republican Political Scientist Fred Lokken: “This Is Not The Republican Party I Signed Up For.” In a June Las Vegas Sun article, Republican political scientist Fred Lokken told the paper, “She needs to assure us she’s not advocating violence against our sitting government or those serving in the sitting government.” Lokken later told the Sun he was changing his voter affiliation, telling reporters “This is not the Republican Party I signed up for.” [Las Vegas Sun, 6/17/10]

ANGLE HAS OPENLY AND EXPLICITLY ENDORSED AN ULTRA-RIGHT-WING PARAMILITARY GROUP 

Angle Supports The Oath Keepers, An Ultra Far-Right Fringe Militia Group. According to Talking Points Memo, “Back in April, Angle told TPMDC she was a member of the Oath Keepers at a press gaggle in Washington.” When reached for comment by TPM, Angle’s husband said, “We support what the organization stands for. Sharron does.” [Talking Points Memo, 6/9/2010] 

Salon: With Angle, Oath Keepers Have “Toehold In The GOP.” According to Salon.com, referring to the Oath Keepers, “These guys have a toehold in the GOP, between official sympathizers like Angle and ideological fellow travelers like Rand Paul, and some right-wing representatives -- Michele Bachmann, Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey… if one of their own is in office and the GOP has the power to obstruct the president even more, will that be enough to calm the Oath Keepers? This is speculation, but it's easy to imagine Angle getting to Washington and announcing, ‘It's worse than we thought.’” [Salon.com, 6/10/2010] 

Salon: Angle’s Relationship With Group Makes Her “A Full-Time Resident Of The Paranoid Alternate Universe.” According to Salon.com, Sharron Angle’s relationship with Oath Keepers makes her “a full-time resident of the paranoid alternate universe.” [Salon.com, 6/10/2010] 

Angle: “I Call Myself An Oath Keeper.” Speaking before a group at a Sun City candidate forum, Angle said, “We have the solutions to many of our problems. They reside within that contract with America, which is our Constitution, and we need to send folks who understand the Constitution and why it’s so important. I call myself an Oath Keeper.” [Sun City Candidate Forum, 2/5/10] 

Oath Keepers Called A “Worrisome” Member Of “The Militia Movement” That Alerts Members To “A Coming Dictatorship.” According to Talking Points Memo, “Often seen at gun shows and similar settings, the Oath Keepers were singled out by the Southern Poverty Law Center in its 2009 report on the return of the militia movement since President Obama was elected as ‘a particularly worrisome example of the Patriot revival.’ According to the SPLC, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, a former staffer for Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) warns his followers against ‘a coming dictatorship’ that will happen if ‘our brothers in arms go along and comply with unconstitutional, unlawful orders.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/9/2010] 

Group Warns Of Orders That Would Result In “Giant Concentration Camps” According to Talking Points Memo, members of the organization “take an oath to refuse orders they see as unconstitutional -- including enforcement of gun laws, violations of states' sovereignty, and ‘any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/9/2010] 

Oath Keepers Believe “Government Is Already Turning On Its Citizens,” Have Started “Stashing Weapons.” According to Mother Jones, some Oath Keepers believe “the government is already turning on its citizens, they are recruiting military buddies, stashing weapons, running drills, and outlining a plan of action. [Mother Jones, March 2010]

HEADLINE: “Right-wing militias on the rise in US” [AFP, 8/12/09] 

ANNCR: … who says a teenage rape victim should be forced to have the baby …

On Screen: A teenage rape victim should be forced to have the baby / Bill Manders Show, 1/25/10 

FACT: ANGLE OPPOSES ABORTION IN CASES OF RAPE AND INCEST, WOULD VOTE TO FORCE A TEENAGE RAPE VICTIM TO TAKE THE PREGNANCY TO TERM

Government Is Not God: “Would You Vote To Prohibit Abortion In All Cases?” Angle: “Yes.” [Government Is Not God Candidate Questionnaire (Question #4), via Ralston’s Flash, 8/5/10]

Angle Doesn’t Believe In Abortion In Cases Of Rape And Incest, Says “God Has A Plan And A Purpose For Each One Of Our Lives.” During a January interview with talk show host Bill Manders, Angle was asked to discuss her views on abortion:

MANDERS: I think the abortion issue, though…I want to talk to you a little about this. I think it’s become…I too am pro-life, but I’m also pro-choice -- do you understand what I say when I mean that?

ANGLE: Well I’m pro responsible choice. You know there’s choice to abstain, choice to do contraception. There’s all kind of good choices.

MANDERS: Is there any reason at all for an abortion?

ANGLE: Not in my book.

MANDERS: So, in other words, rape and incest would not be something?

ANGLE: You know, I’m a Christian and I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives and that he can intercede in all kinds of situations and we need to have a little faith in many things. [KOH, 1/25/10, via Huffington Post, 6/29/10]

Angle On Teenage Rape Victims Who Become Pregnant: Said, “I Think That Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right” Talked About Turning “A Lemon Situation Into Lemonade.” During a June 2010 interview with Alan Stock, Angle discussed her opposition to abortion in cases of rape and incest:

STOCK: Let me bring up one other topic that I rarely talk about here, because it's one of those topics that's a lose-lose, but we've got to talk about it because it was brought up in your TV interview and that has to do with the issue of abortion, and whether or not abortion should be available in the case of rape or incest. The question to you at the time by the interviewer was that do you want the government to go and tell a 13 year-old child who has been raped by her father that she has to have that baby. And of course you responded 'I didn't say that I always say that I value life.' Where do you stand on the issue of abortion, a consensual abortion, from a person who is raped or is pregnant as a result of incest?

ANGLE: Well right now our law permits that. My own personal feelings and that is always what I express, my personal feeling is that we need to err on the side of life. There is a plan and a purpose, a value to every life no matter what it's location, age, gender or disability. So whenever we talk about government and government's role, government's role is to protect life and that's what our Founding Father said, that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

STOCK: What do you say then to a young girl, I am going to place it as he said it, when a young girl is raped by her father, let's say, and she is pregnant. How do you explain this to her in terms of wanting her to go through the process of having the baby?

ANGLE: I think that two wrongs don't make a right. And I have been in the situation of counseling young girls, not 13 but 15, who have had very at risk, difficult pregnancies. And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade. Well one girl in particular moved in with the adoptive parents of her child, and they both were adopted. Both of them grew up, one graduated from high school, the other had parents that loved her and she also graduated from high school. And I'll tell you the little girl who was born from that very poor situation came to me when she was 13 and said 'I know what you did thank you for saving my life.' So it is meaningful to me to err on the side of life. [KXNT, 6/30/10, via Huffington Post, 7/8/10]

Jane Ann Morrison: It’s No Gaffe When She Says She Opposes Abortion In Every Instance… She Means It.” In a July 5 column, Jane Ann Morrison wrote, “Sharron Angle's statements aren't so much gaffes as they make one wonder: Does she really mean that? Her ‘take out Harry Reid’ stance sounded pretty fierce and has been toned down. She's trying to soften some of her seemingly unwavering positions about Social Security and Medicare, but those aren't gaffes as much as an effort to reach the middle ground by wavering. It's no gaffe when she says she opposes abortion in every instance, even in cases of rape and incest. She means it.” [Las Vegas Review Journal, 7/5/10]

Associated Press: Angle Opposes Abortion In All Circumstances. In June 2010, the Associated Press reported, “Angle, a Southern Baptist, has called herself a faith-based politician who prays daily. Among her positions, she opposes abortion in all circumstances, including rape and incest.” [Associated Press, 6/14/2010]

Review-Journal: Angle “Took Heat For Saying She Doesn’t Believe In Abortion In Any Case, Including Rape And Incest.” In August 2010, the Review-Journal reported, “A devout Southern Baptist, Angle has said she felt a ‘calling from God’ to run for the Senate, a comment opponents mocked. She also took heat for saying she doesn't believe in abortion in any case, including rape and incest, because ‘God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives.’” [Las Vegas Review Journal, 8/8/2010]

FACT: ANGLE EVEN TRIED TO LEGISLATE HER EXTREME BELIEF THAT ABORTION CAUSES BREAST CANCER, SPONSORED LEGISLATION REQUIRING DOCTORS TO SPREAD BOGUS PROPOGANDA ABOUT THE LINKS BETWEEN ABORTION AND BREAST CANCER

Angle Sponsored Legislation Associating Abortion With Breast Cancer. In 1999, the Associated Press reported Angle proposed a bill that “would have required doctors to inform women seeking abortions about a controversial theory linking an increased risk of breast cancer with abortion.” Health and Human Resources Chairwoman Vivian Freeman panned the theory, saying it was “inconclusive, small and not objective.” [Associated Press, 4/10/99]

Angle’s Second Attempt To Pass Her Extreme Abortion-Causes-Breast-Cancer Legislation Was Called “Insulting To Every Woman Who Has Had Breast Cancer.” In 2001 when Angle introduced the legislation a second time, Health and Human Services Chairwoman Ellen Koivisto said, “It is insulting to every woman who has had breast cancer. I'm a breast cancer survivor.” Angle maintained her position, telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “I think the science is pretty clear. I believe there is a bias here that says we just don't want to get information out about this link.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 4/11/01]

ANNCR: … who proposed a Scientology massage program for prisoners …

On Screen: Proposed Scientology massage program for prisoners / FactCheck.org, 6/2/10

IT’S TRUE. SHARRON ANGLE PROPOSED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD PROVIDE MASSAGE AND SAUNA TREATMENTS TO NEVADA PRISONERS AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE.

Angle Promoted Scientology-Based Massage and Sauna Therapy To Nevada Prisons, Funded By Tax Dollars. According to National Review, Sharron Angle wanted to bring a Scientology-based drug treatment program to Nevada that “was described in media accounts as ‘sauna and massage’ treatments…It was developed in part based on concepts from Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and was estimated to cost roughly $15,000 per inmate. Angle tried to organize a trip to Ensenada prison in Mexico to see the program in action; the cost of the trip was to have been covered by a Scientologist. The trip was ultimately canceled.” [National Review, 5/26/2010]

FactCheck.org: “It’s True: Massages, Saunas For Inmates.” In June 2010, the nonpartisan PactCheck.org wrote, “With the June 8 Nevada primary nearing, there was one TV ad in the Republican Senate race that caught our attention. It’s so outlandish that we thought it couldn’t possibly be true. Did former Nevada Assemblywoman Sharron Angle – a Republican backed by the Tea Party Express and the fiscally conservative Club for Growth — sponsor legislation to create a drug rehab program for state prisoners that included saunas and massage therapy? And was that program developed by the Church of Scientology? That’s what Republican Sue Lowden claims in her ad, “Prison Spa,” that first aired May 29. We were skeptical, but found it to be largely true.” [FactCheck.org, 6/2/2010]

Angle Wanted Federal Funding For Her Scientology-Based Inmate Rehabilitation Program. According to a 2003 article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Angle said her bill, which she hopes to introduce in the Assembly later this week, authorizes a demonstration project in Nevada. She said federal funding would be needed, and she’s looking for grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as from President Bush’s faith and community-based programs initiative.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 2/11/03]

EVEN ANGLE’S EXPLANATIONS FAIL THE LAUGH TEST AND THE TRUTH TEST

Angle’s Wacky Defense Of Giving Massages To Prisoners: “It Was Really More Of A Karate Chop.” In a May candidate debate on Face to Face with Jon Ralston, Angle defended her Scientology-based inmate rehabilitation program, saying, “Well it wasn’t actually…massages… it was really more of a karate chop and the sauna I would say was a sweat box, in there with 30 sweaty guys is not exactly a sauna.” [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 5/18/10]

Angle Claim: Scientology Program Was “Being Used Successfully” In New Mexico. Sharron Angle told political pundit Jon Ralston, “in New Mexico they are now using that program and it’s being used successfully. We had an opportunity to use it here in Nevada and it would have saved us money in prison fees for incarceration.” [Face to Face with Jon Ralston, 5/18/10]

Fact: Second Chance Program In Albuquerque Shuttered For Housing Violent Criminals. According to a 2008 report by KRQE in Albuquerque, “A controversial drug-rehab center organized on elements of Scientology is being evicted for housing inmates convicted of violent crimes, Albuquerque’s mayor said Friday. The eviction notice gives Second Chance until the end of the next month to wind down the operation housed in a former city jail on Albuquerque’s northwest mesa. So far there has been no response from Second Chance.” [KRQE, 12/26/08]

Fact: New Mexico Lawmakers Had “Reservations,” Judges Were “Skeptical About Second Chance’s Methods.” According to a 2009 article in the Albuquerque Journal, “Lawmakers from around the city and state have had reservations about the connection between Second Chances and Scientology, which they expressed with a lack of funding. And judges, particularly in Bernalillo County, have been skeptical about Second Chance’s methods and where the center has gotten its funding.” [Albuquerque Journal, 1/25/09]

ANNCR: … and who says that Medicare and Social Security violate the Ten Commandments?

On Screen: Medicare and Social Security violate the Ten Commandments / TruNews, 4/21/10

ANNCR: What do you call that candidate? Extreme. Sharron Angle: Just too extreme.

On Screen: Sharron Angle / Just too extreme

REID: I’m Harry Reid, and I approve this message.

On Screen: APPROVED BY HARRY REID. PAID FOR BY FRIENDS FOR HARRY REID.

FACT: ANGLE WANTS TO ELIMINATE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE, BELIEVES ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS VIOLATE THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

Angle Believes “Entitlement Programs … Make Government Our God” And That “We Have Become A Country Entrenched In Idolatry.” During an April 2010 interview with TruNews radio, Angle said, “And these programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that’s really what’s happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government.” [TruNews, 4/21/10]

Even Sherm Frederick Knew Angle Was Saying Social Security Violates The First Commandment, And Even He Disagreed. In an August 2010 blog post, Review-Journal Publisher Sherm Frederick wrote, “U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle does it again. She grants an interview to a Christian radio station and spouts some religious stuff that not only makes her look politically bad, it gives people of faith -- like, say, our Founding Fathers -- a black eye … I'm not saying that she doesn't have a point about things being out of whack when it comes to the balance between personal responsibility and the role of government. And, yes, humans can put anything before God, thus ignoring the First Commandment. But our government was created by men who believed in God. And they crafted the government to provide a common protection. That wasn't idolatry. Expansion of that common protection to include things like Social Security, or even national health care (though I think it is a bad idea) is not necessarily idolatry.” [Review-Journal, Sherm Frederick Blog, 8/5/10]

Angle: “We Need To Phase Medicare And Social Security Out.” During a May 2010 debate on Face to Face, Sharron Angle said, “We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out in favor of something privatized.” She later added, “Going forward we need to phase it out, give people an opportunity to either opt into the old system or go for a new system where they have their own healthcare savings account or they have their own retirement savings account which is portable and goes with them from job to job and for those who are entering the workforce right now they come on to the new system so it’s a phased-in system so it’s something [inaudible] privatize.” [Face to Face Debate, 5/19/10]

Angle Called Social Security “A Broken System Without Much To Recommend It.” In August 2010 the Associated Press reported Angle, “previously said she didn't trust big government to manage what she called ‘a broken system without much to recommend it,’ and she repeatedly has said she supports phasing out Social Security over time.” [Associated Press, 8/14/10]

Angle Said Social Security Is “Difficult To Justify” And Likened It To Welfare. In a May interview with KNPR, Angle said, “Well, it’s very difficult, Lynn, to justify Social Security. As you know F.D.R. put it in as an insurance policy for those who were needy. My grandfather would not even take his Social Security check because he said he was not up for welfare, he had planned for his retirement, and he wouldn’t take it. But, since then we have gotten into this whole mindset that it’s an entitlement.” [KNPR, State of Nevada, 5/19/10 (emphasis added)]

Angle In 1993: “STOP FUNDING THE WASTEFUL SOCIAL AND ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS.” In a 1993 letter to Senator Reid, Angle wrote, “The answer to this mess is clear. STOP FUNDING THE WASTEFUL SOCIAL AND ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS. MAKE THE DIFFICULT CHOICES THAT WILL KEEP OUR COUNTRY STRONG. THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO!” [Review-Journal, John L. Smith Column, 8/18/10 (emphasis in original)]

Review-Journal’s John L. Smith On Angle’s Letter: “That's The Angle I Know. Her Recent Soft-Lens Campaign Style Notwithstanding, I Suspect Sharron Angle Is The Same As She Ever Was.” In an August 2010 column, John L. Smith wrote, “Angle let Reid have it with both barrels. She also bluntly revealed her belief that the only way to save America was to end ‘social and entitlement programs.’ As a Senate candidate this year, Angle and her campaign mechanics have worked hard to soften her rhetoric about ‘eliminating’ Social Security in favor of ‘privatizing’ and ‘personalizing’ individual accounts. She's also suffered self-inflicted wounds on federal unemployment insurance extensions and other ‘entitlement’ programs … Ending Social Security and other entitlement programs? … That's the Angle I know. Her recent soft-lens campaign style notwithstanding, I suspect Sharron Angle is the same as she ever was.” [Review-Journal, John L. Smith Column, 8/18/10 (emphasis added)]

Angle: “The Idea Of Privatizing And Getting Out Of Medicare And Social Security Is Not Up For Grabs.” In June 2010, Talking Points Memo reported, “In an interview from three weeks before the Nevada Republican primary, Sharron Angle made it clear that getting rid of Medicare and Social Security is a non-negotiable issue for her … Going on in the interview, Angle talks about how as a Senator she would work with other legislators to formulate a proper solution for her idea, haggling over the details and implementation of privatization without giving up on the main idea itself: ‘The idea of privatizing and getting out of Medicare and Social Security is not up for grabs.’” [Talking Points Memo, 6/14/10]

Angle: “I’m Not Sure Just Where In The Constitution The Federal Government Is Even Supposed To Be Involved In Our Medicare.” During a September 2009 campaign event, Sharron Angle said, “We need to send people back there who are willing to look at what’s wrong because we know that Medicare Part D might have been a good idea when it started out, but once it goes through the legislative process it becomes compromised and pretty soon it doesn’t work. And I’m not sure just where in the Constitution the federal government is even supposed to be involved in our Medicare. You know, these are things that could be done on the state level much better.” [Angle Campaign Event, 9/1/09 (emphasis added)]

Angle On Medicare: “We Need To Phase It Out.” In October 2009, the Review-Journal reported, “As for Medicare, she (Angle) said the entitlement program popular with seniors will eventually grow too costly to maintain… ‘We need to phase it out,’ she said.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/21/09]