You gotta love those wacky, wacky ultra-right-wing conspiracy theorists:  they can make the most innocuous event look like a vast plot to destroy America.  Take, for example, the biannual efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the U.S. elections.  If you listen to the nutjobs long enough, they will convince you that vast hordes of European lefties are swooping down to steal our small-town values.

Four years ago, the vast-right-wing-conspiracy-that-often-sees conspiracies-everywhere (a.k.a. vrwctOSCE) were convinced that the OSCE monitoring mission represented the leading (w)edge of UN domination.  The fact that the OSCE did more than almost any other organization to promote human rights and democracy in the old Soviet bloc was largely lost on them.  No, this was an attack on America, an effort by effete Democrats to prevent George Bush from stealing another election winning reelection.

Here, for example, is Iraq war apologist-in-chief Daniel Pipes:

This is a significant step toward the erosion of American sovereignty, not so much operationally (what harm can some election monitors do?) but conceptually (placing the OSCE and perhaps later other institutions over domestic safeguards).

Then there’s raving nutjob 2004 Constitution Party candidate Michael Peroutka (whose VP candidate was current Constitution Party Presidential Candidate and Ron Paul endorsee, Chuck Baldwin):

It is an affront to our sovereignty and independence as a nation to allow so-called ‘international election monitors’ to observe or in any way interfere with our constitutionally mandated election process.

Last and certainly least, former Boston Herald columnist Don Feder:

The international-monitors scam is an assault on American sovereignty. Not that [Democrats] care. They’re internationalists who long for the day when Americans are ruled by the United Nations.  After OSCE monitors, what’s next?  Will disputed elections be decided by the World Court[?]

These courageous guardians of America better get ready — it’s happening again.  Last Friday, the OSCE announced its intention to monitor the 2008 election:

The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited election observation mission to monitor the 4 November elections in the United States of America.  The deployment of the mission follows an invitation from the United States government. As a participating State of the OSCE, the United States has committed itself to conducting elections in line with OSCE standards and inviting international election observers.

The ODIHR mission, headed by Ambassador Audrey Glover of the United Kingdom, includes a core team of 13 international experts with the head office in Washington, D.C., and 48 long-term observers deployed in teams of two around the country. The observers are drawn from 20 OSCE participating States.

Oh. My. God.  They’re coming — all sixty-one of them.  Be vewy very afraid.  This is going to cause panic, even rioting.  I mean they might actually assign four people to Florida or something.

Those black-helicopter-riding, blue-helmeted bastards.  To the hills!  WOLVERINES!

(Best. Conspiracy. Theory. Movie. Ever.)

The absurdity of the vrwctOSCE’s attacks on the OSCE demonstrate just how out of touch the far right is. The OSCE’s token effort is little more than a demonstration to Russia, Belarus and other OSCE problem children member states that every country should welcome election observers.  That’s why even the Bush Administration supports this.

That said, how much do you want to bet that this year, with Obama in the lead, the vrwctOSCE doesn’t say a thing?   They’re probably too busy worrying about whether the latest iteration of the bailout represents a coming of the New World Order.  I wonder if anyone has suggested that Henry Paulson is the Anti-Christ?

Silly people.  It’s not Henry Paulson.  Or Barack Obama.

It’s Gordon freaking Brown.

Hat tip on OSCE:  Undip reader PK.

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