/10/28/atf_breaks_up_plot_to_assassinate_obama/
The lede of this article is a hard news article; it answers "who," "what,", and "when." Much of the appeal of this article comes from the shock value, it's a strange article that has mass appeal, especially as the presidential race nears November 4.
"Two white supremacists allegedly plotted to go on a national killing spree, shooting and decapitating black people and ultimately targeting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, federal authorities said yesterday."
The first graf talks more about who the convicted men were and what exactly they were planning. It answers many of the remaining "W's" that the lede did not get to.
The nut graf follow further in the article. "The court documents say the two men met about a month ago on the Internet and found common ground in their shared "white power" and "skinhead" philosophy. The numbers 14 and 88 are symbols in skinhead culture, referring to a 14-word phrase attributed to an imprisoned white supremacist - "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children" - and to the eighth letter of the alphabet, H. Two "8"s or "H"s stand for "Heil Hitler.""
This gives more detail about the situation and some background about where this idea came from.
The kicker is a quote from Jim Cavanaugh on the impact of such a plot. "He added: "They seemed determined to do it. Even if they were just to try it, it would be a trail of tears around the South.""
2 comments:
WOW - that's a hell of a lede - I had read your whole summary, because I was so interested in what you had to say about this story.
These guys are nuts! Also, that guy's trail of tears reference at the end? Not sure I want to link these crazy bastards' rampage to the exile of the Cherokees, but whatevskies.
Also, good luck on your final feature, I hope it's going well! Only a couple more drafts to go!
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