DHS Report: Rightwing Extremism

[jmm99]

The Michigan Militia of Norman Olson, wiki here and 1998 archived website here, was more a figment of Mr Olson's imagination than anything real. As posted above, there was a 1996 arrest of some Battle Creek militia who were playing with things they weren't supposed to have - that was the last Michigan incident I know of.

The present Michigan Militia (several small groups) has a harmless rhetoric - and expresses a view on the DHS report that can be found here.

Perhaps, the Militia Babes are more of a threat - you may judge.

While I'll stick with the half-dozen local gun clubs (e.g., Ottawa - decent ranges), I'll also not lose any sleep over the present Michigan Militia.

Websites like Stormfront are another kettle of fish. While a lot said there is rhetoric, the sheer volume of posts suggests that there may be some who walk that walk beyond the talk.

Stormfront activists are not primarily motivated by 1.) a visceral opposition to gun control, and 2.) a deep seated mistrust of the Federal government which is viewed as invasive and attacking personal liberties and freedoms.

Many, very law abiding citizens, who happen to own guns, are influenced by those two considerations; but not by Stormfront.

Old lawyer proverb runs: If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If neither is on your side, call your opponent a schmuck. In this case, seems that some in DHS would like to substitute "fascist" for "schmuck".

[goesh]

Ruby Ridge, Tim McVeigh, Gordon Kahl and the Posse Commatatus, all of these events did not inspire much collective action on the part of adherents to said philosophies and politics. Guns and taxes are fertile ground for strong rhetoric but in good times, they lose their punch as motivators. The ideology of some of the Leftist groups, i.e. ELF, seems more enduring and consistent as a motivator. There have been gun-grab scenarios floating around for as long as I can remember with no real mob action.

[bourbon]

New Border Fear: Violence by a Rogue Militia, by Jesse McKinley and Malia Wollan. The New York Times, June 26, 2009.

The three people arrested in the crime include the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a Washington State-based offshoot of the Minutemen movement, in which citizens roam the border looking for people crossing into the country illegally. Former members describe the group’s leader, Shawna Forde, 41, as having anti-immigrant sentiments that are extreme, at times frightening, even to people accustomed to hard-line views on border policing.

The authorities say that the three suspects were after money and drugs that they intended to use to finance vigilantism, and that members of the group may have been involved in at least one other home invasion, in California.

Woman held in 2 slayings an outcast, activists say: But Shawna Forde had high-level contacts in Minuteman movement despite extreme views, by Tim Steller. Arizona Daily Star, June 28, 2009.

In 2007, Forde applied to join Simcox's group, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, and was allowed in on a probationary basis, said group Vice President Al Garza and founder Simcox, who left the group this year to run for the U.S. Senate. The group vetted her through interviews and a background check, members said.

"Within a few weeks, she was so assertive, wanting to take charge and wanting to be a spokesperson," Simcox said.

"She lasted less than six months. After that, she went and tried other groups," he said. "She thrust herself into the movement where no one else wanted her."

"It's a hodgepodge of folks"

The world she entered is a set of individuals and groups, many using the word "Minuteman" in their name, many harboring hostilities with each other. They share an interest in stopping illegal immigration.

A bad article by the NYT imo, the Star article has more detail. The Times headline seems sensationalistic at this point, we'll see where this goes.

[bourbon]

READY TO REVOLT: Oath Keepers pledges to prevent dictatorship in United States - Group asks police and military to lay down arms in response to orders deemed unlawful, by Alan Maimon. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct. 18, 2009.

Depending on your perspective, the Oath Keepers are either strident defenders of liberty or dangerous peddlers of paranoia.

In the age of town halls, talk radio and tea parties, middle ground of opinion is hard to find.

Launched in March by Las Vegan Stewart Rhodes, Oath Keepers bills itself as a nonpartisan group of current and retired law enforcement and military personnel who vow to fulfill their oaths to the Constitution.

More specifically, the group's members, which number in the thousands, pledge to disobey orders they deem unlawful, including directives to disarm the American people and to blockade American cities. By refusing the latter order, the Oath Keepers hope to prevent cities from becoming "giant concentration camps," a scenario the 44-year-old Rhodes says he can envision happening in the coming years.

I’m scratching my head about this one. Not sure if this is the appropriate thread to post it, had never heard of this group.

[Hacksaw]

Seems each side has the same take when the opposite is in the driver seat.

[jmm99]

from Hacksaw
Seems each side has the same take when the opposite is in the driver seat.

.........................

I'm trying to be as succinct as you - that is difficult for me.

Mike

[bourbon]

Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason, by Justine Sharrock. Mother Jones, March/April 2010.

Glenn Beck loves them. Tea Partiers court them. Congressmen listen to them. Meet the fast-growing "patriot" group that's recruiting soldiers to resist the Obama administration.

It's not hard to see the appeal of Oath Keepers for guys like Pray and Brandon, frustrated young men nervous about their future prospects. They signed up to defend the greatest country in the world, only to be cast aside. Even their injuries were suffered ingloriously. Brandon can't sit for long after being flung from a pickup truck; Pray now walks with a cane, possibly for good. The men sincerely believe their country is headed for disaster, but as broken warriors they are powerless to do anything about it. They have tried writing to Congress, signing petitions, and voting, all to no avail. Oath Keepers offers a new sense of pride and comradeship—of being part of something momentous.

Note: This article is from a left-wing liberal/progressive publication, and as such an innate bias can be expected. Though I believe the author makes a decent attempt at impartiality, ymmv.