WorldNetDaily is still in full-on victim mode in the Johnathon Irish custody case, obsessing over the Oath Keepers aspect and essentially ignoring the child abuse part.
An Oct. 14 WND article by Bob Unruh touts how Oath Keepers sent a letter to the New Hampshire Division of Children, Youth and Family complaining about Irish’s membership in the group being cited as a reason for the state to take the child. Unruh’s repetition of the Oath Keepers’ complaint that “the political affiliations of the parents have no business being cited in an affidavit alleging possible child abuse or neglect,” and his later quoting of a statement that Oath Keepers members “have seen first-hand the heart-rending abuse that children can suffer at the hands of dysfunctional adults. It is to prevent such abuse that child protective services is given great latitude and power” are his only references to the abuse aspect of the case, which Unruh has never gone into significant detail about.
Instead, he obliquely states that WND “has confirmed there are other allegations and issues included in the charging document, a copy of which has been posted at Oath Keepers with blocks of information unrelated to the Oath Keepers allegation redacted.”
Unruh clearly has no interest in delving into those “allegations and issues” — Irish is WND’s new poster child!
In his shilling for Oath Keepers, Unruh describes the group as one that “charges its members with following the U.S. Constitution and protecting the American life and American people,” uncritically repeats Oath Keepers’ claims that “they do not constitute a militia” and gives plenty of spaceto Oath Keepers defending the group.
Unmentioned are some of the more conspiratorial beliefs of the group, such as fearmongering about the government turning cities into “giant concentration camps.” The New York Times has reported that Oath Keepers plays a role in a “resurgent militia movement,” and has been “recruiting at Tea Party events around the country and forging informal ties with militia groups.”
WND itself has promoted the anti-Obama aspect of the group, quoting Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes — whom Unruh prominently features in his articles — stating that “fears crystallized when Obama took office and suddenly had access to the accumulated power” and that “WND already has reported on several members of the U.S. military who have raised concerns about the implications of Obama’s possible ineligibility to be commander-in-chief.”
Unruh is studiously toeing the WND agenda — condoning child abuse and hiding the facts about a militia-linked group.
UPDATE: A new article by Unruh noting the baby has been returned to the parents misleadingly claims the child was “snatched from her parents’ custody a week ago when her father was accused of being an ‘Oath Keeper.'” Unruh writes that “According to WND sources close to the case, the accusations against the father … have been dropped” — but he never mentions what those accusations were — you know, abuse — despite the fact that they are central to the story.