Right wing “terrorist” says he misspoke
Redding, CA Sixty seven year old Bert Stead is a portly, soft spoken, slightly grey and thin haired senior who rides a Goldwing motorcycle. Stead could not have imagined that he would be part of a controversy that erupted on a national scale after Second District Republican Congressman Wally Herger praised Stead’s comment at an Aug. 18 Redding health care town hall when at the end of his remarks Stead proclaimed, “I am a proud right wing terrorist.”
Herger responded with “Amen. God bless you. There goes a great American.”
Published in the Southern Siskiyou Newspapers, Herger’s remarks have been picked up by the national media and have generated fierce denunciations and lively debate.
Stead says it was not his intention to use the work “terrorist” and his remarks were in response to Democratic policies and pronouncements."“I meant to say extremist.... I was defending my right to be extreme, but not in the same sense as going out and doing violence. One of Barak’s people called us extremists. I am not a terrorist. I am a patriot.”
As for Herger’s remarks, Stead thinks Herger misunderstood him.
“I think Wally heard extremist,” Stead said.