Time: Fri Dec 12 13:18:48 1997 To: From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SLS: Beware the Broad Brush!! (fwd) Cc: Bcc: sls References: <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>
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