John Foster "Chip" Berlet (born November 22, 1949) is an American photographer and researcher specializing in the study of right-wing movements in the United States, particularly the religious right, white supremacists, homophobic groups, and paramilitary organizations. He also studies the spread of conspiracy theories in the media and on the Internet. November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... White supremacy is the variety of white nationalism that believes the white race should rule over other races. ... A protest by The Westboro Baptist Church; a group identified by the Anti-Defamation League as virulently homophobic. ... A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ...

He is the senior analyst at Political Research Associates, a non-profit group that tracks right-wing networks,^[1] and is known as one of the first researchers^[2] to have drawn attention to the efforts by white supremacist and anti-Semitic groups to recruit farmers in the American mid-west in the 1970s and 1980s. He is the co-author of Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort and editor of Eyes Right! Challenging the Right Wing Backlash. Political Research Associates (PRA) is a non-profit research group located in Somerville, Massachusetts, which studies the U.S. political right wing, as well as white supremacists, anti-Semitic groups, and paramilitary organizations. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ... ...

Berlet, a paralegal, was a vice-president of the National Lawyers Guild, a self-identified progressive bar association. He has served on the advisory board of the Center for Millennial Studies at Boston University, and currently sits on the advisory board of the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation. In 1982, he was a Mencken Awards finalist in the best news story category for "War on Drugs: The Strange Story of Lyndon LaRouche," which was published in High Times. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Campaign to Defend the Constitution. The National Lawyers Guild is a progressive Bar Association in the United States dedicated to the need for basic and progressive change in the structure of our political and economic system. ... The Center for Millennial Studies[1] is a scholarly institute at Boston University devoted to studing millennial, millenarian, and apocalyptic movements, groups, and individuals throughout history and on the contemporary scene. ... For similarly-named academic institutions, see Boston (disambiguation). ... The National Committee Against Repressive Legislation (NCARL) is a national not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated to defending the right of political dissent. ... Lyndon LaRouche at a news conference in Paris in February 2006. ... Cover image of High Times premiere issue, Summer 1974. ... Campaign to Defend the Constitution (DefCon) is an American online organization founded in September, 2005 to support the constitutional separation of church and state and to oppose what it perceives as the growing influence of the religious right. ...

Biography

Berlet attended the University of Denver for three years, where he majored in sociology with a journalism minor. He left the university in 1971 to work as an alternative journalist. Berlet did not complete his degree. In the mid-1970s, he went on to co-edit a series of books on student activism for the National Student Association and National Student Educational Fund. He also became an active shop steward with the National Lawyers' Guild. The University of Denver (DU) is an independent, coeducational, four-year university in Denver, Colorado. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Journalism is a discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and more broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... The National Student Association, a confederation of American college and university student governments, was founded in 1947. ... The National Student Educational Fund (NSEF) was founded in the 1970s in Washington, D.C. as a non-profit research group. ...

During the late 1970s, he became the Washington, D.C. bureau chief of High Times magazine, and in 1979, he helped to organize citizens' hearings on FBI surveillance practices. From then until 1982, he worked as a paralegal investigator at the Better Government Association in Chicago, conducting research for an American Civil Liberties Union case, involving police surveillance by the Chicago police (which became known as the "Chicago Red Squad" case^[3]). He also worked on cases filed against the FBI or police on behalf of the Spanish Action Committee of Chicago, the National Lawyers' Guild, the American Indian Movement, Socialist Workers Party, the Christic Institute, and the American Friends Service Committee (a Quaker group). Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: , Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack... Cover image of High Times premiere issue, Summer 1974. ... A paralegal is person who works in the legal profession, typically as an assistant to a lawyer, and who is typically responsible for researching, analyzing, and managing the daily tasks for cases. ... The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a major American non-profit organization whose stated mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.[1] It works through litigation, legislation, and community... Surveillance cameras An helicopter flying over Lille, France, watching for possible rioting after the 2007 presidential election Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior. ... AIM logo AIM flag The American Indian Movement (AIM), is a Native American activist organization in the United States. ... The Socialist Workers Party is a communist political party in the United States. ... The Christic Institute was a liberal public interest law firm founded in 1980 by Daniel Sheehan, his wife, Sara Nelson and their partner, William J. Davis, who was a Jesuit priest. ... American Friends Service Committee logo The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) is a Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) affiliated organization which works for social justice, peace and reconciliation, abolition of the death penalty, and human rights, and provides humanitarian relief. ... The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, or Friends, is a religious community founded in England in the 17th century. ...

In 1982, Berlet joined Political Research Associates, and in 1985, he founded the Public Eye BBS, the first computer bulletin board aimed at challenging the spread of white-supremacist and neo-Nazi material through electronic media, and the first to provide an online application kit for requesting information under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act.^[4] Look up bulletin board, notice board in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ... Nearly sixty countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. ...

Berlet is also a photojournalist. His photographs, particularly of Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi rallies, have been carried on the Associated Press wire, have appeared on book and magazine covers, album covers and posters, and have been published in the Denver Post, Washington Star, and Chronicle of Higher Education.^[5] Assault landing One of the first waves at Omaha Beach as photographed by Robert F. Sargent. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... The terms Neo-Nazism and Neo-Fascism refer to any social or political movement to revive Nazism or Fascism, respectively, and postdates the Second World War. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Denver Post is a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado. ... The Washington Star, previously known as the Washington Star-News and the Washington Evening Star, was a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. between 1852 and 1982. ...

Berlet was originally on the board of advisors of Public Information Research, founded by Daniel Brandt. Between 1990 and 1992, three members of Brandt's PIR advisory board, including Berlet, resigned after complaining about the associations of another board member, L. Fletcher Prouty, with the Liberty Lobby^[6] and the Institute for Historical Review, which republished Prouty's book Secret Team. ^[7][8][9] Public Information Research, Inc. ... Leroy Fletcher Prouty (January 24, 1917 - June 5, 2001) was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, author, banker, and critic of US foreign policy, especially as regarded the activities of the CIA. His books include The Secret Team: The CIA and Its Allies in Control of the... Liberty Lobby was a right-wing political advocacy organization which existed in the United States between 1955 and 2001. ... Logo/Banner of the Institute for Historical Review (Acronym IHR) The Institute for Historical Review (IHR), founded in 1978, is an American Holocaust denial[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] organization which describes itself as a public-interest educational, research and publishing center dedicated to promoting greater public awareness...

In 1991, Berlet wrote a report entitled "Right Woos Left," which was critical of a number of critics of U.S. intelligence policy including Prouty, Mark Lane, Dick Gregory, Craig B. Hulet, and Victor Marchetti for being willing to work with groups on the right such as the John Birch Society or Liberty Lobby. Berlet has more recently criticized Ralph Nader for working with Roger Milliken on antiglobalization issues.^[10][11] Mark Lane is the author of the book Rush to Judgment. ... Dick Gregory (1964) Richard Dick Claxton Gregory, (born October 12, 1932) is an African American comedian, social activist, writer, entrepreneur, and nutritionist. ... The John Birch Society is a conservative American exceptionalist organization founded in 1958 to fight what it saw as growing threats to the Constitution of the United States, especially a suspected communist infiltration of the United States government, and to support free enterprise. ... Liberty Lobby was a right-wing political advocacy organization which existed in the United States between 1955 and 2001. ... Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American attorney and political activist of Arabic descent. ... Roger Milliken (born October 24, 1915). ...

In 1996, he acted as an advisor on the Public Broadcasting Service documentary mini-series With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America, which was later published as a book by William Martin.^[12][13] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Berlet argues that the U.S. is currently undergoing a right-wing backlash that is the most sustained of its kind in U.S. history. He argues that, although 95% of the USA's hate crimes are committed by people not affiliated with any group, they have nevertheless internalized a narrative developed and promoted by the right wing that demonizes certain groups, including blacks or gays. He argues that the left must develop coalitions to find a way to counter-balance these narratives, instead of becoming isolated as another side of the "lunatic fringe."^[14] This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ...

In ZOG Ate My Brains, Berlet warns of a "troubling resurgence on the political Left" of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories as a result of Gulf intervention and the 9/11 Terrorist attacks.^[15] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A conspiracy theory is a theory that defies common historical or current understanding of events, under the claim that those events are the result of manipulations by two or more individuals or various secretive powers or conspiracies. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly...

Berlet has lent support to a campaign, run by relatives of Jeremiah Duggan,^[16] to reopen the investigation into his death. The British student died in disputed circumstances near Wiesbaden, Germany. Jeremiah Duggan Jeremiah Jerry Duggan (November 10, 1980 – March 27, 2003), a British student at the Sorbonne in Paris, died after being hit by several cars while running down the middle of a busy road near Wiesbaden, Germany. ...

Criticism of Berlet

Berlet has been criticized by The New American for having accused the Anti-Defamation League, in a 1993 op-ed piece for the New York Times, of down-playing the right-wing threat while focusing on left-wing groups.^[17] The John Birch Society (JBS) is an ultraconservative organization that was founded in 1958 to fight the threat of Communism in the United States as well as restoring the constitutional principles the United States was founded on in its original American government. ... Anti-Defamation League Logo The Anti-Defamation League (or ADL) is an advocacy group founded by Bnai Brith in the United States whose stated aim is to stop, by appeals to reason and conscience and, if necessary, by appeals to law, the defamation of the Jewish people. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ...

Reviewing Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, Robert H. Churchill of the University of Hartford criticized Berlet and other authors writing about the right wing as lacking breadth and depth in their analyses, failing to make contact with significant figures in the movement and conduct significant research on the Internet, and for providing analyses of far right movements that proscribe as "racist" a broad range of conservative political ideologies that are "driven more by the association of the author with various civil rights organizations and leftist political activists outlined in the acknowledgements than by the primary evidence presented in the footnotes."^[18]

In 2003 the Southern Poverty Law Center published "Into the Mainstream," ^[19] in which Berlet named conservative activist David Horowitz's Center for the Study of Popular Culture (CSPC) as one of an "array of right-wing foundations and think tanks support[ing] efforts to make bigoted and discredited ideas respectable." Berlet accused Horowitz of blaming slavery on "'black Africans ... abetted by dark-skinned Arabs'" and of "attack[ing] minority 'demands for special treatment' as 'only necessary because some blacks can't seem to locate the ladder of opportunity within reach of others,' rejecting the idea that they could be the victims of lingering racism."^[20] Horowitz responded that his reminder that the slaves transported to America were bought from African and Arab slavers was a response to demands that only whites pay blacks reparations, not to hold Africans and Arabs solely responsible for slavery, that the statement that he had denied lingering racism was "a calculated and carefully constructed lie", and that Berlet's work was "tendentious...filled with transparent misrepresentations and smears...". ^[21]Since then, Horowitz's Front Page Magazine has carried a response from Berlet accusing Horowitz of "dismiss[ing] the idea that there are serious unresolved issues concerning racism and white supremacy in the United States",^[22] a further rejoinder from Horowitz,^[23] and an article by Chris Arabia claiming that "Chip Berlet has a demonstrated record of intolerance, inaccuracy, and distortion" and accusing Berlet of attempting to smear non-leftists by associating them with extreme right-wing groups like the Ku Klux Klan.^[24] The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American non-profit legal organization, whose stated purpose is to combat racism and promote civil rights through research, education and litigation. ... David Horowitz is an American conservative writer and activist. ... The Center for the Study of Popular Culture is an American Libertarian Conservative campaigning group. ...

Berlet was a founding member of the "Chicago Area Friends of Albania" in 1983, though he says he was one of the few dues-paying members who was not a Stalinist. His association with the group continued until he left Chicago and is the source of FrontPageMagazine.com's allegation that he was a supporter of the Enver Hoxha regime.^[25][26] This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Bibliography

Books

• (1995) editor of Eyes Right! Challenging the Right Wing Backlash, South End Press, Boston; paperback edition ISBN 0-89608-523-6
• (2000) with Matthew N. Lyons, Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, Guilford Press, New York; paperback edition ISBN 1-57230-562-2

Selected papers, reports, and articles

• (1980) "Lyndon LaRouche and the U.S. Labor Party: Cult Fanaticism and the Politics of Paranoia", Chicago Reader, March 7, 1980.
• (1981) "Ever Hear of Lyndon LaRouche? He May be Keeping Tabs on You", Des Moines Register, September 23, 1981.
• (1982) "Private Spies: A New Threat To Constitutional Rights", The Public Eye, Vol. III, Issues 3 & 4, 1982.
• (1982) with Russ Bellant and Dennis King, "LaRouche Cult Continues to Grow: Researchers Call for Probe of Potentially Illegal Acts", The Public Eye, Vol. III, Issues 3 & 4
• (1984) with Russ Bellant "LaRouche Loses Libel Suit", The Guardian, NY, November 14, 1984
• (1987) Review of Inventing Reality: The Politics of Mass Media by Michael Parenti, in The Library Quarterly, Vol. 57 No. 2, April
• (1987) Clouds Blur the Rainbow: The Other Side of New Alliance Party, ISBN 0915987031 , ISBN 978-0915987030 , Political Research Associates
• (1990) Review of The False Prophet: Rabbi Meir Kahane FBI Informant to Knesset Member, Z Magazine
• (1995) "The Violence of Right-Wing Populism", Peace Review, Vol. 7, Nos. 3 & 4, pp. 283288. Oxford: Journals Oxford Ltd.
• (1995) "Uniting to Defend the Four Freedoms", in Chip Berlet, ed., Eyes Right! Challenging the Right Wing Backlash, Boston, South End Press.
• (1995) with Margaret Quigley, "Theocracy & White Supremacy", in Chip Berlet, ed., Eyes Right! Challenging the Right Wing Backlash, Boston, South End Press.
• (1996) "Three Models for Analyzing Conspiracist Mass Movements of the Right", in Eric Ward, ed., Conspiracies: Real Grievances, Paranoia, and Mass Movements, Seattle: Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment [PB Publishing].
• (1997) "Fascism's Franchises: Stating the Differences from Movement to Totalitarian Government", presented to the American Sociological Association, Toronto
• (1997) "An Introduction to Propaganda Analysis", in Uncovering the Right on Campus: A Guide to Resisting Conservative Attacks on Equality and Social Justice, Cambridge, MA: Center for Campus Organizing.
• (1998) "Following the Threads: A Work in Progress", in Amy Elizabeth Ansell, ed., Unraveling the Right: The New Conservatism in American Thought and Politics, New York: Westview
• (1998) "Mad as Hell: Right-wing Populism, Fascism, and Apocalyptic Millennialism", presented at the 14th World Congress of Sociology, International Sociological Association, Montreal
• (1998) "The Ideological Weaponry of the American Right: 'Dangerous Classes' and 'Welfare Queens'", presented at the international symposium, The "American Model:" an Hegemonic Perspective for the End of the Millennium?, Group Regards Critiques, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
• (1998) "Who's Mediating the Storm? Right-wing Alternative Information Networks", in Linda Kintz & Julia Lesage, eds., Culture, Media, and the Religious Right, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
• (1998) "Y2K and Millennial Pinball: How Y2K Shapes Survivalism in the U.S. Christian Right, Patriot and Armed Militia Movements, and Far Right", presented at the annual symposium, Center for Millennial Studies, Boston University
• (1998) with Matthew N. Lyons, "One Key to Litigating Against Government Prosecution of Dissidents: Understanding the Underlying Assumptions, " Police Misconduct and Civil Rights Law Report, in two parts, Vol. 5, No. 13, Vol. 5, No. 14, West Group.
• (1999) "Abstaining from Bad Sects: Understanding Sects, Cadres, and Mass Movement Organizations"
• (2000) with Matthew N. Lyons, Right-Wing Populism in America: Too Close for Comfort, New York: Guiford Press.
• (2001) "Hate Groups, Racial Tension and Ethnoviolence in an Integrating Chicago Neighborhood 1976-1988", in Betty A. Dobratz, Lisa K. Walder, and Timothy Buzzell, eds., Research in Political Sociology, Volume 9: The Politics of Social Inequality, pp. 117-163.
• (2002) "Anti-Masonic Conspiracy Theories: A Narrative Form of Demonization and Scapegoating", Heredom, Vol. 10, pp. 243-275.
• (2002) "Encountering and Countering Political Repression", in The Global Activists Manual: Local Ways to Change the World, edited by Mike Prokosch, Laura Raymond, and Michael Prokosch, New York: Thunder Mouth Press/Nation Books
• (2004) "Mapping the Political Right: Gender and Race Oppression in Right-Wing Movements", in Abby Ferber, ed, Home-Grown Hate: Gender and Organized Racism, New York: Routledge.

Clouds Blur the Rainbow: The Other Side of New Alliance Party is a non-fiction book by Chip Berlet, published in 1987 by Political Research Associates. ... Political Research Associates (PRA) is a non-profit research group located in Somerville, Massachusetts, which studies the U.S. political right wing, as well as white supremacists, anti-Semitic groups, and paramilitary organizations. ...

Notes

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American non-profit legal organization, whose stated purpose is to combat racism and promote civil rights through research, education and litigation. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American non-profit legal organization, whose stated purpose is to combat racism and promote civil rights through research, education and litigation. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... David Horowitz is an American conservative writer and activist. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Biography of Berlet, Political Research Associates
• Biography of Berlet, Center for Millennial Studies
• National Committee against Repressive Legislation
• Chicago Historical Society
• History of the Public Eye Electronic Forums, Political Research Associates
• "Big Stories, Spooky Sources" by Chip Berlet, Columbia Journalism Review, May-June 1993
• "With God On Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America", IMDb entry, Amazon
• "Race, Class and Gender: Justice in the Intersections", brief description of Chip Berlet's work, Faith in Action dept., Unitarian Universality Association, 1999
• "The John Train Salon", LaRouche in 2004, no byline, undated, retrieved January 7, 2005
• "Lyndon LaRouche", Disinfopedia, Center for Media & Democracy; describes the John Train allegations, undated, no byline, retrieved January 7, 2005
• "Researcher Says 'Watchdogs' Exaggerate Hate Group Threat" by Robert Stacy McCain, The Washington Times, May 9, 2000
• "Propagandizing the Police" by William Norman Grigg, The New American, November 9, 1999
• "The A.D.L. Under Fire: It's Shift to Right Has Led to Scandal", by Dennis King and Chip Berlet, The New York Times, May 28, 1993, p. A29 (Op-Ed).
• "Zog ate my brains", by Chip Berlet, New Internationalist, October 2004
• "Right Woos Left", by Chip Berlet, Political Research Associates website, February 22, 1994
• "The Sucker Punch of Right/Left Coalitions by Chip Berlet, Political Research Associates, website, undated, retrieved January 7, 2005
• Right-Wing Populism by Chip Berlet, Political Research Associates website, undated, retrieved January 7, 2005
• "What's Become of the White Left?", by Dan Friedman, National Alliance, May 5, 1994
• Court TV – Crime Library: Terrorists, The Weather Underground & Black Liberation Army
• "Scrutinizing the Scrutinizers", by Lenora Fulani, no publication name, September 20, 1994
• "Finding Our Way Out of Oklahoma", by Adam Parfrey, Alternative Press Review, Winter 1996
• "The Truth Matters: Berlet's Papal Bull is Back", by Ace Hayes, Portland Free Press, July/August 1997
• Mark Robinowitz, "Oil Empire" page devoted to criticism of Berlet

External links

• Public Eye.org - the Political Research Associates official website.
• Berlet archive -assorted criticism of Berlet