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today clear conner is with us her new book wrapped in the flag is her story of
being raised by extremist parents in a household that embrace the John Birch
Society in the radical right
she was able to escape and lead her life as a progressive
clear it's so great to talk to you and I'm I'm on this program we do a lot with
extremism in many times we talked to extremist just last week we had a
a white separatist self-described and talked with him about
his goals in his ideas and kind of where his beliefs came from
you have a very different situation which is that your parents were to have
the first chicago members of the
John Birch Society and you were in a situation where the upbringing clearly
should have led you may be to be
a right-winger but that's not how it ended up so let's start first with kind
of your upbringing in what that was like
well first my thank you very much for having it and I'm
really excited has are between attacked your audience
first thing I think people need to understand
is the John Birch Society in the nineteen sixties what's the best funded
most successful in most powerful right-wing
populist organization in the United States ever seen
we get populist right-wing movements before
but in this particular case that band roots and John Birch Society
a fellow named Robert wells actually figured
out how to get call a membership working on the same thing at the same time
and he used it very monolithic approach
so wat he said is what the jammers decided yet
this is not an organization that embraced that concept
democracy either with n sell or
for the country at large my father was the first
member of the John Birch Society in the city in Chicago and my mother was the
second
table each so much in the cost
1959 the road at Shack
to the John Birch Society which you thousand dollars into place memberships
now would be like you David writing a check for twelve thousand five hundred
dollars today
for membership in they were true believers my father became a member of
the National Council
in 1960 when just after the National Council which is it implies recruit to
Robert last
just after spending so interestingly enough
he remained on leadership for 32 yours
this is not a man exchange just years backtracked
or rethought his positions you remain in true believer always light
even after I left the Birch Society he was constantly
treat me back into the comments so as you were growing up I mean what
I'll at what point did you know for certain time kids kind of don't know
that there are really other options right it's just what your parents tell
you that's the status quo with your frame of reference period
what was the catalyst that may just start to kinda reevaluate where you were
politically
lightning people think know it's like
this moment when I left out you know what happened said I'm not doing this
anymore
actually this story is much more complex man I think it's an object lesson for
anybody
with thinks about how people live in extremism
it takes a long time it's tell audiences it was like one step forward two back
I have to step forward I wanted very much to please my parents I love my
father
I left my mother and they were very powerful
strong in helping people so it should probably 25 years
%uh we enhanced probably brightness Miami able to say this is not
my vision for america I don't believe it when the John Birch Society is preaching
now the first step forward
for me had to do with me spelling's Ruffalo
oliver when I was 14 years old rebel Oliver was one of the John Birch Society
meters like my dad and once my father
him leader oprah Radio searchers went
in out of our like our home in Chicago it was like this
stopping wat sorry birch leadership rebel all priests have not replied
often and he was a ballot who was
very educated classics professor you
mom dnt have to my parents because Ravello oliver did not believe that
there was a holocaust
during world war 2 huh just suddenly even though I've been raised
in a Jewish neighborhood and had learned about the Holocaust when I was a little
girl
even before the word all across wasn't why
to the workers in germany century
my on a recent well you know that
the Germans were really just trying to stop the communists
from taking over in germany I thought my partner and my sis night minus
positive Ravello already helped him now that may not sound
a particular significance to people into you think about
yes doctor rebel owner in you
google him today you'll find out Ravello
alters the father the neo-nazi movement radio which stop do that
white supremacist last week that you we're sharing at how
statement he would help bad very knowledgeable
that level over Ravello oliver
hey claimed that term hollow
hoax be and charm is used all
across the anti-semitic a far-right
today in addition metallo oliver
hot you at to Andrew Pierce he was originally a purchaser
Andrew Pierce talking to you right & Noble
about the white supremacist a cover and America
that novel is called the Turner diaries
no interesting about the turner diaries went to please
stopped timothy mcveigh man hour after the oklahoma city bombing
what do you think mine in his car but excerpts
from the turner diaries incredible incredible you know we
we only have a few minutes left and there's a lot of other things I wanted
to touch base with you on so if you put things I wanted to ask about one was
before your parents passed away at ultimately what was your relationship
like with them or how did it change as a result the year
changed political views it was a very
very contentious relationship I lived in the same time
my parents I don't love him responsibility and concerns were the end
of their lives
and did everything he could to help them but they were dairy dairy
angry I think one of the keys to understanding
are right is they are anger your anger
your angry anti-government in acting creepy don't agree with not
so my mother used to say you are a disgrace to the country
into our you but the most important thing and I want to share with people
is I learned something from living in demand right
I learned that extremism breaks families
it brings families apart it destroys relationships
it is bolander sorted paranoid any heat that's really bad for families
not more important I don't want extremism to break my country
so that's why I read my blog to share this story what it's like
growing up in extremism how I escaped
it why it matters to the United States today
so how did you now it now with your children taking in
what you learn in what you experience with the dynamic with your parents
how you how is the conversation about politics happening around your children
because the case could be made
that maybe they on their own might choose right-wing believes in it could
be just as wrong for you to push progressive beliefs onto then
I think that they would be diverging views about that but how have you handle
politics with your children
I was always pretty much policy mom statement because I was raised in a
political family
I'm politics very interesting and
for a very long time Mike it's not a misprint how
interesting here it was it
what I want my children to understand is there's a difference between
ha %uh conservatives and extremists there's a big difference
and extremists velocities are dangerous to the government's in the United States
I think we actually eat on
a liable second party we need
GOP do you can't have one-party system networks
and all well with our constitutional structure. is but the previous yet
what's happened in the republican party today
is that this radical right has taken over
you see john bainer you here
policy ID is Chris Kratt budget leadership the GOP which isn't exactly
like when %uh
what was prescribed by the John Birch Society
way back when so it's repetition and the Saints orders we hate the government
we want to hobble the government we want to dismantle the government
long before Grover Norquist got the idea drowning the government in the bathtub
John Birch Society believes in apt so
I think there's a big difference at the same time
I also think that we have to be clear as
progresses it would he eat
to talk yeah how government works in what Americans should look like
I do not believe it should look like anything imagined
mind the John Birch Society we've been speaking with Clare Connor the new book
is wrapped in the flag to make sure to take a look at that book excellent read
claire thank you so much for being honest on with us today and we'll be
back with plenty more
right after this