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Date: Fri, 12 Dec 1997 13:19:00 -0800
To: (Recipient list suppressed)
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: Beware the Broad Brush!! (fwd)
<snip>
>
> The following article was published in the December issue of
>Police magazine published by Bobit Publishing Co., 21061 S. Western Ave.,
>Torrance, CA 90501-9998 - e-mail:police@bobit.com.
> I am posting it here even though I realize that most of the
>members of this list may not hold sympathies with some of the groups
>mentioned herein. I am posting it to show, as the subject line attempts
>to imply, what a "broad brush" is being used to lump anyone who doesn't
>agree with the government together under the heading of "patriots," and
>these patriots are all to be considered armed and dangerous, and enemies
>of the state.
> On the title page is a photo taken by the author to, again,
>demonstrate this broad brush technique. It is a photograph of various
>"patriot" publications. In the photograph are copies of The Spotlight,
>The Resister, The New American, Soldier of Fortune, Paladin Press
>catalog, Delta Press catalog. Jack McLamb's Operation Vampire Killer
>2000, William Pierce's "Turner Diaries" and "Hunter," plus Lyle Stuart's
>publication of, "Turner Diaries." There are a few who's titles or authors
>are only partially legible,i.e."Freedom from War:The United States Program
for
>General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World," "OKBOMB!
>Conspiracy and Cover-up,""Home Workshop Explosives Catalog," "Schiller
>Institute." Also, stuck in amongs all of the above is a catalog from
>Aaron Zellman's organization,"Jews for the Preservation of Firearms
>Ownership." I scanned this photo and was going to attack it, but not
>knowing what types of e-mail readers most are using, I didn't want to run
>the risk of causing problems.
>I am posting the article as it appeared, typos and all. FYI!!
>
>Right-Wing Terrorism's Renewed Threat in the USA
>
>Such recent incidents as Waco and the Oklahoma City Bombing point to
particular
>risks for law officers who sometimes face recruitment pressures from these
groups.
> BY KATHY MARKS
>
> Escalating right-wing terrorism poses a more ominous and insidious
threat than ever
>before to law enforcement as large numbers of citizens seemingly are
refusing to obey
>laws and submit to governmental control.
> These patriots or "sovereign citizens" are thwarting tax laws, taking
over courthouses,
>and calling for common-law courts to pass death sentences on prosecutors,
judges and
>lawmen who dare to enforce the law. The bombing of the Oklahoma City
federal building
>showed just how far anti-government supporters are willing to go.
> "Without a doubt, patriot groups are a growing problem, even after the
Oklahoma City
>Bombing and the publicity after it," said Mark Potok, director of
Publications and
>Information of the Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Klanwatch.
> "The number of patriots and militia members is not known due to secrecy
and estimates
>are so varied, they are not accurate," Motok told POLICE. "But the most
current report
>shows 858 identified patriot organizations with 380 of these being militia
groups," he
>added.
> Distrust of the government, seeded with incidents such as the sieges
at Waco and Ruby
>Ridge, has created a new subgroup of Americans. They talk about
conspiracy theories,
>gun control, and government takeover by the United Nations. Domestic
terrorist attacks
>and conspiracies to attack government facilities have increased.
> Such domestic terrorist attacks often involve right-wing extremists.
They identify with
>conservative politics, nationalism, their own brand of patriotism and
religiosity, with frequent
>involvement in racist activities. When their political and religious
activities stay within the
>realm of legal and constitutionally protected activities, they are not a
concern for law
>enforcement officers. It is when they step over the line and commit
criminal acts or violate
>the rights of others that they become a legitimate concern for police
scrutiny.
> "Everyone is concerned about the recent proliferation of such
groups," said National
>FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Executive Director Jim Pasco. "Officers
have found
>themselves in deadly situations with no prior warning," he told POLICE.
> The post-Civil War Ku Klux Klan was the best known of right-wing
extremist groups, with
>intimidation of freed blacks, lynchings, beatings and murder common. The
Klan declined
>in power to arise in times of social unrest, such as after the Brown vs.
Board of Education
>ruling in 1954.
> The Minutemen in the 1960s used guerrilla tactics, gathering of
intelligence information,
>a hit list of their enemies, and formation of secret cells to thwart
infiltration.
> The Christian Patriots Defense League in the 1970s combined
paramilitary training,
>including "Freedom Festivals" with conspiracy theories about the government.
> "The public is truly concerned about people out there who are
antigovernment and
>antipolice," said Michael Rowland, state's attorney of Franklin County,
Ill., the site of a Klan
>rally and recent threats against a federal judge by the Illinois Freedom
Militia: Southern
>Zone.
>
> Christian Identity
>
> Christian Identity groups began springing up during the 1970s and
1980s. This "religion"
>served as a glue to hold together disparate groups and ideas, with its
leaders aligning with
>patriot and militia groups. Christian Identity has its own interpretation
of the Bible
>combined with racist ideas, which holds that white Anglo-Saxons of
American and Euro-
>pean descent are the true descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel and
the Midwest
>United States is the Promised Land, not current-day Israel.
> The Posse Comitatus and Christian Identity were brought to national
attention when the
>Posse's Gordon Kahl killed federal agents in 1983 when they tried to serve
tax evasion
>warrants. Kahl became a folk hero as he dodged federal agents for months.
His death
>made him a martyr for the right-wing movement.
>
> Bob Mathews and the Order of Silent Brotherhood
>
> Kahl's death was the main concern at the 1983 Aryan Nations World
Congress where
>members of various white rightwing groups meet. Bob Mathews of the
National Alliance
>was inspired to avenge Kahl's death and start The Order or Silent
Brotherhood. The Order
>was an effort to bankroll a new whites-only American nation in the five
Pacific Northwest
>states.
> The Order committed the largest Brinks robbery in history at that time
and murdered a
>Missouri state trooper and a prominent Jewish talk show host. They had
plans to shut
>down a major city through terrorism. Most of the $4 million plus from the
armored car heist
>and robberies was never recovered and probably had already been
distributed to groups
>of similar beliefs. The Order was important because it represented a
combined effort of
>various right-wing groups, including the Klan, Aryan Nations, National
Alliance, and
>Christian Identity people.
>
> William Pierce and the National Alliance
>
> Bob Mathews came by his teachings from the National Alliance, the work
of William
>Pierce, a former follower of George Lincoln Rockwell of the American Nazi
Party. Pierce
>has taken a leadership role by providing information to thousands of
mail-order members
>and via the Internet, short-wave and AM radio stations and many
publications through his
>National Vanguard Books. He is best known as the author of the fictional
novel, "The
>Tumer Diaries," allegedly used as the blueprint for The Order and the
inspiration for the
>Oklahoma City bombing.
> The Oklahoma City bombing closely paralleled a chapter in "The Turner
Diaries" which
>described how the FBI headquarters was blown up by a truck bomb made of
ammonium
>nitrate at nearly the exact time the Alfred P. Murrah Building was
destroyed. In late 1995,
>Pierce directed his followers to develop militia contacts in order that
the National Alliance
>could influence militia groups.
>
> Randy Weaver and Ruby Ridge, Idaho
>
> Several incidents have fueled the fires of discontent and distrust of
the government. The
>membership of citizen militias soared after situations when the federal
government
>obviously made grievous errors or went beyond its constitutional bounds.
>
> Federal Marshal William Degan, Vicki Weaver, and her teen-age son,
Samuel, died at
>Ruby Ridge. Their deaths came after Randy Weaver failed to appear for
court after being
>charged with sawing off the barrels of two shotguns. Federal agents
sought to arrest him
>for several months and a firefight began after Sammy Weaver and Weaver's
friend, Kevin
>Harris, surprised federal agents doing surveillance in the woods. It is
still disputed who
>fired the first shots but Marshal Degan and Sammy Weaver died there.
> Vicki Weaver was killed the next day with her infant in her arms.
This came after a
>questionable and probably illegal and unconstitutional FBI order was
issued that agents
>"could and should" shoot to kill any armed adult in sight. Snipers had
been given orders
>to not en-danger any of the children in the cabin.
> Senate hearings concluded that the revised "rules of engagement" were
im proper and
>criticized the federal agencies involved for their lack of willingness to
take charge, make
>decision, and accept responsibility for the outcome of their decisions.
They criticized the
>inaccurate and exaggerated intelligence information used to target Randy
Weaver as a
>dangerous one-man commando squad and the failure to attempt to negotiate a
peaceful
>end before the sniper opened fire.
>
> Waco and the Branch Davidians
>
> Shortly after Ruby Ridge, another crisis in federal law enforcement hit
the media.
>Attempts by the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agency to serve warrants for
federal
>firearms violations in 1993 at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco,
Texas, ended in
>the deaths of four federal agents and several Branch Davidians. The
assault on the
>compound culminated in a 51 -day siege ending in the fiery deaths of 76
Branch
>Davidians, including 25 children on April 19,1993.
> WACO! continues to be a battle cry for anti-government dissidents.
Congressional
>hearings questioned the wisdom of initiating the raid at all when the
planners knew David
>Koresh had already been tipped. Those in charge used faulty intelligence
and ignored their
>own psychological and religious consultants in the final assault.
> The fire that started at Waco fueled Timothy McVeigh's anger and
probably precipitated
>the Oklahoma City bombing. Militia groups were started with Waco in mind,
such as the
>51st Missouri Militia, named for the 51-day siege.
> April 19 became a national militia holiday.
>
> Oklahoma City Bombing
>
> The lives of 169 victims of the Oklahoma City bombing and their
families came crashing
>to the pavement on April 19, 1995. McVeigh was allegedly obsessed with
the Waco siege.
>His fictitious driver's license was issued April 19, 1993, the day the
Branch Davidian siege
>ended. From evidence presented at his federal trial, it appeared that the
bombing was an
>act of retribution for the deaths at Waco.
> McVeigh carried "The Tumer Diaries " everywhere with him and sold the
book at guns
>shows. He visited the scene of the carnage at Waco and the Oklahoma City
bombing was
>orchestrated to follow the description of the bombing of an FBI building
in "The Tumer
>Diaries."
> McVeigh was convicted and sentenced to death, but many claim he is part
of a conspiracy
>much larger than simply he and his co-conspirator Terry Nichols.
>
> The Militia Movement and Patriot Groups
>
> The militia movement emerged in Montana, Idaho, Michigan, Florida,
Indiana, and
>spread to other states, gaining much impetus from Waco and Ruby Ridge.
The form
>varied and militias did not claim allegiance to any one national
organization. Most militias
>have not been tied to illegal activities, although more than 400 armed
militias have been
> identified as well as that many more loosely identified "patriot" groups.
> Militia members have been arrested in Washington state, Arizona,
Florida, Georgia and
>West Virginia. Arrests have generally involved bombing conspiracies, or
weapons and
>explosives charges. The Michigan Militia gained much publicity after the
Oklahoma City
> bombing when Terry Nichols was al legedly tied to it.
> The Militia of Montana (MOM) was formed by friends of Randy Weaver. MOM's
>spokesperson, Bob Fletcher, predicted shortly after the Oklahoma City
bombing, "Expect
>more bombs."
> Militias claim authority from the Constitution and believe laws
restricting gun ownership
>to be unconstitutional. It is difficult sometimes to separate these
militia-style groups from
>other "patriot" groups. Some of these "patriot" groups seek to clog the
courts with red tape
>by filing hundreds of property liens and other obstructive documents.
They set up their
>own "common-law" governments and claim to be "sovereign" citizens, immune
from the
>restrictions of state and federal government and as such, not required to
pay taxes.
> Militias often have their own "militia manuals" which outline codes of
conduct, training
>and strategy. One widely distributed manual, advertised in "Shotgun
News," is the "U.S.
>Militiaman's Handbook." This handbook calls for a regular militia or
"Minutemen" to meet
>openly and a second secret organization, called the "Sons of Liberty," to
train in secret
>with the two groups sometimes interwoven.
> Militias encourage the use of "leaderless resistance." This idea is
not new but was
>popularized by Louis Beam of the Texas Klan and Aryan Nations in the 1992
edition of his
>"Seditionist" newsletter.
> Police officers performing routine traffic stops are sometimes put at
risk when stopping
>militia members or "sovereign" citizens.
> "The Sovereignty movement is the fastest growing segment of the
extremist movement,"
>said Klanwatch's Potok. "The primary danger is that these people continue
to threaten
>judges and other public officials and there is a danger of the people
involved being killed
>because of patriot beliefs."
> Frazeyburg, Ohio, was the scene of a shooting with a man who claimed to
be "militia
>chaplain" of the Ohio Unorganized Militia and "chief justice" of the
militia's common-law
>court. Michael Hill, a former Canton, Ohio, police officer was stopped by
Sgt. Matt May
>when Hill's vehicle displayed no registration, instead sporting a "Ohio
Militia 3-13 Chaplain"
>license plate.
> Capt. Larry Sims of the Muskingum County Sheriff's Department in
Zanesville
>investigated the shooting and described the events: Hill exited his
vehicle once, then fled
>the scene in his car to stop again and again exit the vehicle. He
brandished an Ithaca
>1911A .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol which he pointed toward May who
drew his own
>weapon and fired, killing Hill.
> Sims stated that the small departments in his area never expected
something like that
>to happen and that "ongoing training is needed to learn new trends and
hear what other
>agencies are dealing with."
> Chief Don Henry of Frazeyburg was a patrol officer at the time of the
June 1995 incident.
>He stated, "Even in a small town, every stop could be the serious one and
should be
>looked on as that. Every department should prepare themselves for the
inevitability of such
>activity."
>
> Montana Freemen and 'We The People'
>
> The Montana Freemen have the distinction of claiming the longest siege
in law
>enforcement history - 81 days. They thought they had learned ways to
avoid losing family
>farms through bogus property liens and worthless money orders by
attending classes held
>by Roy Schwasinger of We the People.
> We the People is a nationwide anti-government group that has held
classes, attended
>by hundreds all over the country at $300 a head, to teach people ways to
avoid debt and
>taxes. They supply kits to file liens against government officials and
then use the liens as
>assets when ap plying for credit. The claims are ad dressed to "Our One
Supreme Court"
>or "The Common Law Court."
> We the People also teaches the use of bogus money orders to pay
unsuspecting
>creditors. Many We the People members, including their founder,
Schwasinger, have been
>indicted or are serving prison sentences for their activities.
> Common-law courts, such as those involved with We the People, may use
militias as
>their enforcement arms. Common-law courts claim authority of the law for
themselves and
>declare themselves outside the jurisdiction of state and federal laws.
They issue property
>liens, proclaim their right to arrest, judge and even sentence to death
their enemies, usually
>local police, judges and prosecutors.
>
>Implications for Law Officers
>
> Right-wing terrorism groups have grown rapidly since the 1970s and
clearly present an
>organized threat to law enforcement. The inevitability of domestic
terrorist acts has become
>clear but few efforts have been made to develop a coordinated system of
information about
>such terrorism or a program for training and intelligence gathering.
> Certain facts become evident looking at the picture of right-wing
terrorism that has
>evolved in the United States in the past two decades.
> First, the right-wing movement is organized and technologically
sophisticated. They have
>the capability of instantly contacting large numbers of members via the
Internet and
>organized fax networks, which increases the risk of reinforcements
arriving in siege
>situations. Survival expos and gun shows present opportunities to arm and
supply
>themselves.
> Second, people motivated by their religious beliefs can be doubly
dangerous. The
>Christian Identity religion tells them that blacks are subhuman, Jews are
the children of
>Satan and abortion clinic doctors are serial killers.
> Third, infiltration and intelligence-gathering involving these groups
and individuals will
>become increasingly more difficult. People involved in right-wing groups,
including militia
>groups, have been arrested on weapons' charges and bombing conspiracies.
Infiltration
>by police has been responsible for most of the arrests involving
right-wing groups and they
>will increase security and background investigation of prospective members.
> Police intelligence sources have revealed that just as law enforcement
authorities are
>gathering information on individuals and groups involved in criminal
activities, these same
>people are collecting information on them and their families. Lists of
police, judges and
>other officials are being compiled and disseminated to group members.
> These groups are also targeting po lice, National Guard, and military
people for
>recruitment. This gives them access to contemporary weapons and
intelligence gathering
>devices and could allow them to gain insider information on criminal
investigations involving
> their members, or prior information about arrests or raids.
> Finally, determining the correct approach to arresting armed
individuals or groups with
>the least casualties to both the officers and offenders can be very
difficult. Federal agents
>were criticized at Waco for being too precipitous and in Montana for being
too
>accommodating.
> Local, state and federal law enforcement officers would be wise to
pool resources and
>information.
> Meanwhile, specific training for officers continues in some quarters.
The National FOP,
>for example, holds seminars in conjunction with ATF on militias and
similar right-wing
>groups at its national conference.
> And among legal tools to help fight the problem is the U.S. Justice
Department's recent
>work on guidelines for national legislation regarding the common-law
movement, according
>to Klanwatch's Potok.
> But when it comes down to it, officers on the street must be aware they
are the first line
>of defense.
> "It is important to note that no police officer can feel that because
of the work he does
>or the physical location that he won't come into contact with such
people," FOP's Pasco
>told POLICE
> "Remember that it was an Oklahoma State trooper on a routine traffic
stop who stopped
>and arrested Timothy McVeigh."
>
>15 Years of Violence
>
> Here are some of the more high-proffle incidents and developments in
the United States
> involving right-wing extremism since 1982:
>
>1983- Gordon Kahl of the Posse Comitatus shoots it out with federal officers.
>
>1983 - Silent Brotherhood/The Order, crime spree fashioned after "The
Turner Diaries."
>
>August 1992 - Randy Weaver siege at Ruby Ridge; his wife, son, and a
federal marshal
> killed.
>
>April 19, 1993 - Branch Davidian assault at Waco, Texas.
>
>April 19, 1995 - Oklahoma City bombing.
>May 1995 - Larry Harris, alleged National Alliance member arrested with
Bubonic Plague
> virus.
>
>June 1995 - Frazeyburg, Ohio, Michael Hill, Militia Chaplain killed.
>
>October 1995 - Amtrak's Sunset Limited derailed in Arizona desert by Sons
of Gestapo.
>
>March 1996 - Montana Freemen holed up on Jordan, Montana, ranch.
>
>July 1996 - Arizona Viper Militia members arrested in weapons and bombing
conspiracy.
>
>October 1996 -West Virginia's Mountaineer Militia members arrested in
conspiracy to sell
> blueprints of the new FBI fingerprint facility to
uncover agents posing as
> foreign terrorists.
>
-Kathy Marks
>
>
> References:
> "A Force Upon the Plain: The American Militia Movement and the Politics
of Hate."
> Kenneth S. Stem, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
>
> Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, New York, N.Y
>
> Coalition for Human Dignity, P. 0. Box 40344, Portland, Ore. 97240
>
> "Every Knee Shall Bow: The Truth and Tragedy of Ruby Ridge and the Randy
> Weaver Family." Jess Walter, New York: HarperCollins, 1996.
>
> "False Patriots: The Threat of antigovemment Extremists." Montgomery:
Southem Poverty
> Law Center, 1996.
>"The Federal Raid on Ruby Ridge, Idaho." Hearings before the Subcommittee on
>Terrorism, Technology and Government Information of the Committee on the
Judiciary,
>United States Senate, Sept. 6-Oct. 19, 1995, #J-104-41.
>
>"Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat." Morris Dees, New York: Harper
Collins, 1996.
>
>Klanwatch and Militia Task Force, Projects of the Southern Poverty Law
Center, 400
>Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Ala. 36104.
>
>"The Tumer Diaries." William Pierce, Hillsboro, WV. National Vanguard Books.
>
>"U.S. Militiaman's Handbook." Dan Shoemaker, R 0. Box 556, Moritnouth,
Ill. 61462-
> 0556,1994.
>
> Kathy Marks, a resident of Illinois, authored the recent book "Faces of
Right-Wing
>Extremism," available from Branden Publishing Company. She teaches at the
Southern
>Illinois Criminal Justice Training Program, specializing in research of
right-wing extremism
>issues. She has professional experience in law enforcement, probation and
child abuse
>investigation and holds a master's degree in the Administration of
Justice. This is her first
>piece for POLICE.
>
<snip>
===========================================================================
Paul Andrew Mitchell, Sui Juris : Counselor at Law, federal witness 01
B.A.: Political Science, UCLA; M.S.: Public Administration, U.C.Irvine 02
tel: (520) 320-1514: machine; fax: (520) 320-1256: 24-hour/day-night 03
email: [address in tool bar] : using Eudora Pro 3.0.3 on 586 CPU 04
website: http://supremelaw.com : visit the Supreme Law Library now 05
ship to: c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 : this is free speech, at its best 06
Tucson, Arizona state : state zone, not the federal zone 07
Postal Zone 85719/tdc : USPS delays first class w/o this 08
_____________________________________: Law is authority in written words 09
As agents of the Most High, we came here to establish justice. We shall 10
not leave, until our mission is accomplished and justice reigns eternal. 11
======================================================================== 12
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