A Death Threat
The perils of punditry: Some maniac wants to give me a permanent vacation
by Justin Raimondo

In spite of my natural inclination to say something in response to some of the ominous developments in the wake of Katrina, I'm going to hold my tongue until Monday. I haven't had a real vacation in years, and this is an opportunity to survey the terrain, collect my thoughts, and return on Wednesday with an analysis of where we're headed.

However, I do want to get something out of the way immediately, and that is the recent death threat against me published by David Horowitz's Frontpage. Yes, that's right: I said death threat. Check it out:

"Al-Qaeda now has irrefutable evidence that America is breakable and beatable. At least twenty percent of the country can be counted on providing a seditious level of psychological comfort for the enemy by falling into one of these four categories: protesters, anti-American cynics; criminals; indifference. Of that twenty percent, perhaps .5 to one percent can be counted on self-interested criminal actions and or direct acts of violent, politically-motivated treason against their country. Al-Qaeda now knows that Homeland Security has squandered millions, perhaps billions in useless exercises and programs than have fallen flat when reality struck as in what has occurred in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast regions. A WMD attack must be coordinated and launched against two distinct targets, preferably East and West (Left) Coast cities. A nuke or two, even if low yield, will devastate America. A Hobbesian 'war of all against all' will emerge as the criminal, opportunistic, and seditious elements strike out. Expect heavily armed and infuriated conservatives to launch a cleansing war against the traitors. The armed will mow down the mostly unarmed segments, especially those elements that devoted forty-plus years to anti-American hatred to destroy this country. Should the likes of Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Michael Parenti, Michael Moore, Ward Churchill, Dennis[?] Raimondo, et al. act out their sedition in a just-nuked America, expect their bodies to be found shot full of holes. Expect gun battles at banks, food stores, ATMs, gas stations, and outside hospitals. Leftist professors will be strung up. It will be every man, woman, and child for themselves."

I don't think there can be any doubt as to the meaning of the above, which was written by one Michael Calderon. In the perfervid fantasy-world of Horowitz and his flying monkeys, the nuking of America is an event to be eagerly anticipated as a golden opportunity to shoot their enemies "full of holes." And they've got me in their sights.

Who is this Calderon jerk? He is a public school teacher at Rockville High School in Maryland: this maniac, who has homicidal fantasies of "mowing down" those he deems "anti-American," instructs teenagers in U.S. history. Now, there are all kinds of kooks in this world, and public school teachers are hardly exempt from falling into that category: but most of them are harmless. A few act out their homicidal daydreams, and, when they do, not many give out such explicit warning signs as making a public written record of their murderous malevolence. Calderon, however, has gone a step further: given a platform by Horowitz, he has translated his psychopathology into a political program, openly inciting sympathizers to go out and commit murder – for a righteous cause, of course.

This is terrorism, pure and simple. Calderon, as the author of these terrorist threats, is not intending to go out and commit murder himself: oh no, of course not. What he's hoping for – and he is very explicit – is that one of his deluded followers will take the very broad hint communicated by his screed. Calderon writes:

"I know of no organization or individual that has a hit list but I can imagine … that some extremist group has compiled a list. And the FBI probably knows who they are and has infiltrated them. But what of individuals acting as Lone Wolves? That will be much more difficult to suppress."

Translation: If there are any "lone wolves" out there who want to act on Calderon's sinister agenda, then, by all means, go right ahead.

That this lunatic is in a position of authority over our young people is scary, as I'm sure my readers will agree, and many of them will want to make their views known to the principal of Rockville High School, Dr. Debra Munk. You can reach her by phone at: 301- 517-8105. Or by e-mail at debra.munk@fcps.org. Be polite.