Hal Turner, Denial Of Service Attacks, Talk Radio

HATE TALKER SHUT DOWN

Enemies Break Laws To Harass Racist Host







What's the fastest way to create sympathy for one of your political opponents? This one's easy: simply shut him down.

That's the foolish strategy being employed against racist fringe talker Hal Turner, who has served as the left's punching bag for some time, even though he has no legitimate ties to the conservative movement.

We wrote about Turner just a few weeks ago, but since then, he's been subjected to malicious and downright illegal actions by his foes.

From North Jersey.com:

Cyber foes shut mouth of hate-talk radio host

By PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER

An outlaw band of cyber warriors has managed to do what Hal Turner's most ardent opponents haven't – silence the hate-talk radio host from North Bergen, at least for a while.

An anonymous cadre of pranksters has targeted Turner's weekly Internet radio program and Web sites, in escalating attacks over the past two months that have all but put him out of business.

Turner, a white supremacist who has advocated violence against minorities and government officials, is trying to fight back, with a federal lawsuit that accuses five Web sites and "John Does 1-1,000" of engaging in fraud, extortion and racketeering.

Acting as his own attorney, Turner recently asked a judge in Newark to grant an injunction against the Web sites, which he says make the attacks possible. But the judge said he first needs to hear from the defendants -- whoever they may be.

Turner describes his show as a "national treasure" that is "the literal embodiment of the First Amendment to the Constitution." His lawsuit says "people can call in and use any language or terminology they choose to express their thoughts or feelings about social, political, cultural, racial or religious issues, without fear of being censored or cut off."

Under attack

Recent attacks against Hal Turner:

• Callers disrupt a show.

• Pranksters publish the unlisted phone numbers of Turner and his mother, prompting harassing calls.

• Hackers sabotage the computer server hosting his Web sites.

• Pizzas are delivered to his house.

• Truckloads of shipping materials are ordered in his name from eBay and the Postal Service.


Critics say Turner uses his show and Web sites to promote hatred and violence, calling for the murder of federal judges, illegal aliens, Jews and blacks, among others.

"He is a racist. He is viciously anti-immigrant. He's an anti-Semite and he openly urges violence of the worst sort," said Etzion Neuer, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League's New Jersey office.

Although the ADL "cannot condone any of the actions against him," Neuer said, "there's a certain irony that Turner is appealing to the courts when he has previously called for the death of judges ... I don't think any right-thinking person sheds a tear when Turner ceases broadcasting, but we would hope this would happen by legal means."

When failing to openly condemn these illegal actions against Turner, his political opponents are destroying their own credibility. And those responsible for this harassment campaign should be prosecuted. Why go after members of Turner's family?

In addition, how about the pizza parlor that must absorb the cost of these prank delivery orders? Or, the firms that are tricked into sending shipping supplies to Turner's home? They are unfairly taking losses here.

Sure, it's a given that Turner's hate- filled rhetoric is damaging to innocent people (assuming anybody is actually listening), but these antics will only serve to generate sympathy for a man who otherwise doesn't deserve any.

There are ways to deal with Turner without breaking the law. When we take it upon ourselves to determine who should be shut down for expressing unpopular views, no matter how extreme, we're all heading down a very un- American slippery slope.


ANOTHER POINT: if Hal Turner didn't already exist, the left would have to invent him. They're the ones serving as his publicity arm, otherwise, none of us would have ever heard of this obscure extremist.

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