see, I don't buy all that. or rather, I think there's some truth to it, but it's treating symptoms not the real issues. Basically, it says that in areas with limited radical political organizing, there are few people with radical politics. QED.

that's why you almost never see wingnuts in, say, local Democratic Party meetings. It's too mainstream for them. And their craziness will be detected much sooner and ejected much quicker.

see, the thing about the Democrats is that they have actual standards and aren't so desperate for members that they'll allow obvious neediness and disruptive behavior to dominate an event. They'll call security or the cops and be done with it. I was talking to the facilitator of that workshop I wrote about yesterday and we agreed that a Left group is defined partly by what it does when confronted by wingnuts. Cuz they'll be at every event.

and yes, great story. But I still challenge anyone to find "wingnut" used to define a type of politico before People's Park. Show me, People.