{"id":7938,"date":"2009-10-19T06:00:37","date_gmt":"2009-10-19T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=7938"},"modified":"2009-10-20T07:53:10","modified_gmt":"2009-10-20T13:53:10","slug":"a-%e2%80%98scary%e2%80%99-extremist-or-a-%e2%80%98genuinely-good%e2%80%99-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2009\/10\/a-%e2%80%98scary%e2%80%99-extremist-or-a-%e2%80%98genuinely-good%e2%80%99-man\/","title":{"rendered":"A \u2018scary\u2019 extremist or a \u2018genuinely good\u2019 man?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jim

Jim Harbison, shown here at a recent city council candidate forum. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)<\/p><\/div>\n

Though some activists are calling Las Cruces City Council District 6 candidate Jim Harbison a right-wing extremist, even his opponent says it isn\u2019t true<\/h4>\n

Some activists who support Las Cruces City Councilor Sharon Thomas\u2019<\/a> re-election bid are labeling her opponent a right-wing extremist.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s largely because Jim Harbison<\/a> registered with a Web site that\u2019s part of the group Patriot Resistance. The site, ResistNet.com<\/a>, advocates that citizens \u201cresist \u2013 in a peaceful, patriotic way \u2013 Obama\u2019s efforts to move our nation away from our heritage of individual liberties toward \u2018brave new world\u2019 of collectivism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the site officially opposes any calls for violence against government officials, there are clearly some members who don\u2019t agree. Harbison has posted nothing on the site that advocates violence.<\/p>\n

The criticism of Harbison, who is challenging Thomas for the District 6 seat on the city council in the Nov. 3 election, has come primarily online, with postings on Facebook and e-mails sent out among hundreds or thousands of progressive activists and others on the city\u2019s east mesa and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

For example, Christy French of Las Cruces, the secretary for the state Democratic Party, posted a note<\/a> on Facebook recently calling Harbison \u201can extreme right-wing nut job!\u201d and \u201cscary\u201d in urging people to vote for Thomas.<\/p>\n

But even Thomas says she doesn\u2019t consider Harbison a right-wing extremist. In fact, she said in an interview, the two \u201cagree about managed growth and a lot of things,\u201d and their primary policy difference seems to be about public safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s a radical, right-wing person,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI think he had some concerns about things that were going on nationally and got involved in a conversation (on the Web site).\u201d<\/p>\n

Some on site use violent language<\/h3>\n

Those who register with the site have to agree, according to the site\u2019s disclaimer, that \u201cResistNet is for principled, patriotic resistance to Barack Obama\u2019s ideology and agenda and is not a forum for personal attacks, lewd or profane language, or militancy (inciting violence) against Barack Obama or others. Inciting violence, flame baiting, and trolling are reason for denial of membership and or banishment from the site.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in response to one posting<\/a> published earlier this week on the site that asks, \u201cAre we on the brink of revolution?\u201d one commenter wrote, \u201cVIOLENCE, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!!! WATCH THOSE FEDERAL BLDGS, PROBABLY…\u201d<\/p>\n

Another commenter wrote that the \u201ctrust in washington is over\u201d and \u201cthe military should take them all out and arrest them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A second posting<\/a> from earlier this week contains an article suggesting that a military coup against President Barack Obama is possible. Several commenters have endorsed such a coup, including one who wrote, \u201cHey, I\u2019m for it. Please. Any patrotic (sic) general or colonel do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an interview, Harbison said he doesn\u2019t advocate violence against the government. He\u2019s a retired member of the U.S. Army and a current member of the Do\u00f1a Ana County Special Deputy Sheriff\u2019s Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cI support some of the tea party movements. I\u2019m concerned about some of our government spending and the increased taxes,\u201d he said. \u201cI do not condone any attempt or any group to overthrow the government by force. That\u2019s what the ballot box is for. \u2026 I\u2019m someone who believes in the rule of law and the enforcement of law.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, at the center of Harbison\u2019s campaign platform is the need for more fire stations, police substations and improvements to the 911 dispatch center. He points out that expansions of all three public-safety agencies have lagged far behind the city\u2019s growth for the last decade.<\/p>\n

Harbison posted one comment on the site<\/h3>\n

Harbison said he heard about ResistNet at a recent tea party. His page<\/a> on the site tells the rest of the story.<\/p>\n

Harbison registered with the site on May 8 of this year. He joined a site group<\/a> on the same day, posted one comment on May 10 and hasn\u2019t done anything on the site since.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the comment he posted:<\/p>\n

\u201cI agree with the letter writing and faxes to our \u2018elected\u2019 representatives. None of which I voted for. I sent more ten letters and faxes to Teague\u2019s and Udall\u2019s transition offices even before they actually took office. At least Teague has the courtesy to respond. Udall simply sends party-line canned responses and obviously doesn’t give a *@*# about my concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully this site will encourage more to participate and let Washington know how concerned and angry we are…….Jim\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Harbison said in the interview that he quit being active in the site after three days because \u201cI didn\u2019t see where it was providing any benefit to me other than identifying me as a member who was concerned about our rising taxes and our government spending.\u201d Because his involvement in the group has been so minimal, he said he doesn\u2019t consider it relevant to the city council race.<\/p>\n

\u2018Harbison should repudiate this fringe group\u2019<\/h3>\n

But progressive activists like Greg Lennes of Las Cruces, the secretary of the Democratic Party of Do\u00f1a Ana County, have sent e-mails to their lists expressing concern about Harbison\u2019s involvement in ResistNet. Lennes has also sent letters about it to the local newspaper.<\/p>\n

In an e-mail, Lennes said Patriotic Resistance is \u201can extremist group in that its actions and rhetoric are outside the \u2018perceived\u2019 American political center.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently\u00a0a Homeland Security report<\/a> warns of such rising right wing extremism,\u201d Lennes wrote. \u201cThe agency commented that right wing extremists are using the bad state of the economy and election of the country\u2019s first black president to recruit new members to their cause. In many cases white supremacists are infiltrating these groups.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a resident of District 6,\u00a0I believe strongly Mr. Harbison should repudiate this fringe group\u00a0and its irresponsible rhetoric,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

French, in an e-mail, also shared why she\u2019s concerned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis group is a right-wing extremist group whose members opine that President Obama is similar to Hitler and Stalin<\/a> and will line up children and the elderly to be slaughtered<\/a>,\u201d she said. \u201cGranted, Mr. Harbison himself has not voiced that opinion, but he does talk (in his comment posted on ResistNet) about current elected officials with quotations around the word \u2018elected.\u2019\u00a0 I don\u2019t believe there is any doubt that Senator Udall or Congressman Teague were duly elected even if Mr. Harbison himself did not personally vote for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A political hit job against a genuinely good and decent man\u2019<\/h3>\n

John Hummer, chair of the Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce<\/a> and a Harbison supporter, said such criticism is unfounded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have no issue with Jim Harbison having concerns with higher taxes, massive bailouts and a growing government control over the private sector,\u201d he said. \u201cIf any group tries to twist Jim Harbison\u2019s views or damage his reputation based on this Web site, it is nothing but a political hit job against a genuinely good and decent man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJim Harbison literally fought for and defended our freedoms as a member of the U.S. Army and was awarded the Silver Star,\u201d Hummer said. \u201cIf anyone fully understands the respect the commander and chief (president) should be afforded, as well as our constitution, it is Jim Harbison.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some activists who support Las Cruces City Councilor Sharon Thomas\u2019 re-election bid have labeled her opponent, Jim Harbison, a right-wing extremist because he has been involved in a political Web site on which some have advocated for violence. But even Thomas says Harbison is no extremist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1],"tags":[145],"class_list":["post-7938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","category-uncategorized","tag-las-cruces"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7938\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}