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Wed Sep 13 00:39:12 1995
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ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
David H. Strassler, National Chairman Abraham H. Foxman,
National Director Howard P. Berkowitz, Chairman, National Executive
Committee Peter T. Willner, Chief Operating Officer Kenneth
Jacobson, Assistant National Director Robert G. Sugarman, Chairman,
Civil Rights Committee Jeffrey P. Sinensky, Director, Civil
Rights Division Gary Zaslav, Chairman, Fact Finding and Research
Committee October 1994 This publication was prepared by Irwin
Suall, Director of Special Projects; Thomas Halpern, Associate
Director, Fact Finding Department; David Rosenberg, Assistant
Director, Fact Finding Department; and James Q. Purcell, Assistant
to the Civil Rights Director.
(C) 1994 Anti-Defamation League, Printed in the United States of America,
All rights reserved
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Arizona
Efforts have recently begun in Arizona to create a
militia movement. David Espy, who portrays himself a latter-day American
Revolutionary captain, has attempted to organize militia meetings over
the last several weeks. An advertisement he placed in the September
11 and 25. 1994 issues of the Prescott Courier announced a meeting in
Paulden, Arizona of the "Association of the Sons of Liberty and
the Volunteer Militia." The purpose of the meeting was to discuss
plans for action against the federal government which, he asserts,
"continue[s] to pass legislation that weaken our unalienable,
private property and Bill of Rights (sic)." The formation of a
militia is an integral part of Espy's plan: So. everyone out there,
who thinks that taking pride in owning firearms, is being fanatical or
nuts, should remember where you are living and how we all got here to
begin with. It wasn't by just sitting back and letting the government
run our lives and usurping our fundamental rights as free people. So
forgive me, if I see a clear and present danger with what is happening
in our country today, and that I feel a genuine and rational need to
form a volunteer militia force. if for no other reason than to [let]
Washington know that there is still a large group of us out here
that have inherited revolutionary DNA and are willing to fight for
it until our dying breath. Another aspect of his plan is a demand
for "the legal cessation (sic) of Arizona from these federal
United States." Also active in Arizona is Gary D. Hunt. a man
obsessed with the Waco Branch Davidian incident. Hunt himself was
present during the siege in Waco and wrote about the event at the time,
comparing the Branch Davidians to the original revolutionary Minutemen:
"I understand why [the Minutemen] were willing to stand and face
portions of the greatest military force in the world. And I understand
why David Koresh and the other brave defenders of Mount Carmel stand
fearlessly defending their home and mine." More recently, Hunt
has distributed a flier dated July 2, 1994 and labeled "Sons
of Liberty No. 3." The flier describes the effectiveness of
militias in the Revolutionary War and suggests that militias are
again needed now. At the bottom of the flier, written in by hand,
Hunt announced: "March on Phx FBI 8-25-94 5-6 p.m. to release the
Branch Davidians. Bring legal signs + guns. Tell a friend." The
FBI and Phoenix Police paid close attention. but the planned march
never materialized.
Colorado
Militias in Colorado have benefitted
from the support of a number of right-wing groups. Most active in the
movement are so-called Patriot groups that proliferate throughout
the state. Others showing support for militias in Colorado are the
Constitutionists. the Guardians of American Liberties (GOAL). and state
representative Charles Duke. Militias, calling themselves Patriots, are
being formed across the state and are currently operating in Lakewood,
Longmont, Boulder, Greeley and Fort Collins. The Fort Collins group
is led by Duncan Philp, who has been a member of Pete Peters' LaPorte
Church of Christ. a racist and anti-Semitic church that embraces the
ideology of the Christian Identity movement. The Patriots propaganda
promotes the view that the federal government has betrayed the people
and the Constitution through laws regarding home-schooling, abortion,
taxation, freedom of speech and religion, and, most importantly, gun
control. While calling on citizens to take political action (e.g., write
their Congressmen, attend meetings, etc.), they also urge that people
prepare to resist the government by forming militias and stockpiling
weapons, groceries and other necessities for survival. The Patriots
publish a newsletter and sell tapes and videos through "The
Patriot Library." Among the titles for sale are "The New
World Order, Communist groups supported by Hillary Clinton." as
well as tapes describing black helicopters said to be scrutinizing
the actions of citizens in the western states. A June 22, 1994
"Patriot Factsheet" encouraged members to read, by
computer access, The Spotlight, the organ of the anti-Semitic Liberty
Lobby. Guardians of American Liberties. a multi-slate organization
centered in Boulder. is attempting to take a leadership role in
the militia movement. It describes itself as a national grassroots
network of American Citizens formed to insure our government is
free of corruption, that it is actively aligned with the will of
the people and to safeguard the Constitution of the United States of
America from all forms of corruption." GOAL has some 40 to 50
members in Colorado as well as claimed chapters in Texas, Arizona,
California and Nevada. It has established a militia committee,
although it is not clear what degree of success it has achieved
in organizing militias in Colorado or elsewhere. GOAL literature
lists these additional committees: a "Federal Reserve &
IRS Committee." a "Political Prisoner Committee,"
and a "Sovereignty & Freedom Committee," beneath
which is printed the slogan. "Kick the Feds out of the
Counties." GOAL's leader. Stewart Webb. has appeared frequently
on right-wing radio shows to discuss his various conspiracy theories
regarding, among other issues, the S&L and BCCI scandals. Webb
has a history of anti-Semitism. From the mid-1980's and into the
90's. he made a series of threatening anti-Semitic phone calls
and continued to do so even after receiving a cease and desist
order. The Constitutionists. a Kansas-based extremist group whose
leadership includes Evan Mecham, the impeached former governor
of Arizona, has received support in its promotion of militias
from Colorado State representative Charles Duke. Duke spoke at the
group's June conference in Indianapolis and promoted the formation of
militias as an effective way for citizens to protect themselves from
the government. At a Patriots meeting last July, Duke said: "We
need some ability to get some firepower to protect the citizens. I would
like to see a militia...[the type] that functions as a sheriff's posse
and has sufficient training." Radio station KHNC in Johnstown
has offered its facilities to the Patriots and other groups active
in the militia movement. KHNC broadcasts continuous Patriot programs
and talk on "conservative issues." Among regulars on the
station are Bo Gritz (see Idaho section of this report) and Dr. Norm
Resnick, an outspoken opponent of gun control. In addition to using
the radio to air their views. Colorado militias also disseminate
information on computer bulletin boards that reach readers across
the country. The Colorado Free Militia and Boulder Patriots, for
example, are promoted on the New Age Electronic Information Service,
a Colorado bulletin board.
Florida
Several groups using the name
"militia" have appeared in Florida.(6) Among them are
groups whose handbooks and leaflets variously engage in anti-Semitic
innuendo. serve up alarmist warnings of a government conspiracy to
abolish individual rights (especially gun ownership rights), and
specify the amount of ammunition and other material each militia
member is expected to carry. One such outfit is the Florida State
Militia, whose prime mover is Robert Pummer of Stuart, in Martin
County. Pummer, a Kansas native who was a drug dealer in Michigan in
the early 1970's and served time for second-degree murder, has been
agitating on some of the same issues exploited by militia-style groups
around the country: gun control, the Branch Davidian conflagration
in Waco, the Randy Weaver siege at Ruby Ridge in Idaho, allegations
of Russian and other foreign troops operating on U.S. soil, and
other conspiracy-minded themes. He claims members in every Florida
county. The Florida State Militia's handbook, published by Pummer,
declares: "We have had enough -- enough drugs and crime, enough
violence and bloodshed, enough Waco- and Ruby Ridge-style government
attacks on Christian Americans." The handbook explains how to
organize militia regiments. It prescribes the recommended survival
gear and weaponry: "BUY AMMO NOW! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY IT
LATER! while expressing worry over the possibility of infiltration, the
handbook offers the following reassurance: "[Y]ou still have your
inner circle, and this the FBI, ATF, or any other federal scumbags
cannot penetrate, if you keep up your guard." Publications
contained in a "Patriot List" in the Florida State Militia's
handbook include several anti-Semitic periodicals: The Spotlight,
organ of the Washington. D.C.-based Liberty Lobby, the wealthiest and
most active anti-Semitic propaganda organization in the country: The
Truth At Last, an obsessively anti-Black and anti-Jewish hate sheet
produced by longtime extremist Ed Fields of Marietta. Georgia; Criminal
Politics, a conspiracy-oriented anti-Semitic, "anti-Zionist"
and anti-establishment monthly; and The National Educator, whose pages
have honored the leaders of the far-right terrorist gang called The
Order and the neo-Nazi paramilitary group, Aryan Nations. The handbook
says a short-wave radio is an essential piece of communications
equipment. It particularly endorses the Liberty Lobby-controlled
program "Radio Free America" as one source that transmits
"what the mainstream media will not tell you ." Pummer's
militia sponsored an Information Fair and Campout in St. Lucie County
on the weekend of September 17, 1994. The event attracted approximately
100 attendees, including some parents who came with their children. Most
attendees carried firearms, including some semi-automatic weapons. Many
wore knives. A workshop on radio communications was conducted by a
man who identified himself as a retired police chief and Air Force
officer. All attendees were encouraged to attend the U.S. Constitution
Restoration Rally in Lakeland. Florida. on October 1 (see below). A
Key Largo-based group calls itself alternately the United States Militia
and the 1st Regiment Florida State Militia. Making a specious claim to
legitimacy from such documents as the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist
Papers, the Florida Constitution and Florida statutes, this group
has been attempting to recruit members at "patriotic"
and anti-gun control gatherings in Florida. Mimicking the style
of the Declaration of Independence, its literature speaks of a
"Train of Abuses" perpetrated on state and local governments
and the citizenry by the federal government. "Just as our Founding
Fathers of this country shook off their shackles of bondage," the
group declares, "so must we." The militia's regulations
state that "County units will be organized in each county of the
state." Militia members are told to expect to spend one weekend a
month engaging in unit activities including rallies, shooting events
and fund raisers. A list of suitable equipment is provided, which
includes one thousand rounds of ammunition per weapon and six 30-round
magazines for each militia member. While the group's regulations state
that "The unit may not be used against the police or governmental
authority within the state of Florida," an exception may be made
when such an "entity" commits "crimes of violation
of their oath of officer and "of "sections or articles
of the Constitution of the United States of America and of this
state." The United States Militia's material was distributed
at a U.S. Constitution Restoration Rally in Lakeland, Florida, on
October 1, 1994. Attended by 1,000 to 1,500 people, the event was
sponsored by Operation Freedom, an outfit created by Charles and Ruth
Ann Spross of Maitland Florida. The Sprosses describe their effort as
a "for profit partnership," and, indeed, they offer for sale
scores of video and book titles, such as "The Planned Destruction
of America" and Linda Thompson's "Waco, The Big Lie."
Featured on the schedule at the October 1 gathering was a speech by
M. J. "Red" Beckman, of Montana, who has been influential
in the militia movement in his home state. Distributed along with
the speakers program at the rally was a sheet bearing the heading:
"Paul Revere Rides Again." It proclaimed: "A strong
and growing Underground Patriotic Movement with state-wide militia
groups exists against The Sinister Ones that is unreported by the
monopolistic and controlled establishment media." (sic) Identifying
such enemies as the House of Rothschild, international bankers, the
Federal Reserve System and the Trilateral Commission, the flier asked:
"What is the range of British and Israeli influence in the upper
tiers?" It urged readers to "Stockpile food, water, guns and
ammo. Never surrender your weapons.... Subscribe to the weekly populist
newspaper The Spotlight.... Form or attend meetings with other spirited
patriots.... Consider yourself warned!" Also distributed in large
numbers at the rally was a flier urging that "All Gun Owners Should
Fire A WARNING SHOT As A Signal To The New Congress" on November
11 at 11:00 pm. "Congress has failed to safeguard the Bill of
Rights," it reads, "especially the 2nd Amendment." It
further declares: A warship will fire a warning shot across the bow,
a rattlesnake will sound off: these warnings are never ignored. It
is time to warn politicians that if they do not respect the Bill of
Rights they should at least fear the wrath of the People. Congress is
forcing the country into a civil war. A group in Tampa that claims
alignment with a national "patriot movement" has ordered
four judges and several Hillsborough County officials, including
the tax collector, to give themselves up for arrest to the group's
so-called Constitutional Court. Founder of the group, Emilio Ippolito,
and his daughter, Susan Mokdad, reportedly said they have an unarmed
militia composed of volunteers to execute the Constitutional Court's
orders. Subsequently, Ed Brown, an activist with an armed militia
group in New Hampshire, contacted Florida law enforcement authorities,
prosecutors' offices and the Florida Bar Association to express support
for Ippolito's court.
Idaho
As in other parts of the country, the
recent rise of militias in Idaho can be linked to four events: the Randy
Weaver siege, the Waco disaster, the passage of the Brady Law and the
federal anti-crime law. Idaho militias identify particularly closely
with the Weaver incident because it took place inside the state and
because some key militia figures in the region were allied with Weaver
and indeed participated in the events surrounding the siege. Samuel
Sherwood, an Idaho militia leader, has recruited hundreds of Idahoans
into his United States Militia Association. At a July meeting in
Blackfoot, Idaho, Sherwood reportedly told potential recruits that
President Clinton's crime bill authorized the government to hire
100,000 former Royal Hong Kong police to come to America to enforce gun
control laws. As of August 1991, Sherwood's association has organized
militias in at least a dozen of Idaho's counties. Sherwood's
recruitment campaign has met with opposition from law enforcement
officials. The Tri-County Sheriff's Association, representing 16
eastern Idaho counties, has passed a resolution against the formation
of militias. Greg Moffat, Madison County Sheriff and the leader of
the association, has asserted that they would "give absolutely
no support to the idea of a militia." BO GRITZ Although his
current project is not strictly speaking the formation of militias,
Bo Gritz's activity closely parallels the militia movement. Gritz, the
1992 Populist Party candidate for president, is a former Green Beret,
well-known for conducting SPIKE (Specially Prepared Individuals for
Key Events) training throughout the region, preparing participants
in weapons and survival techniques. Gritz is currently creating an
armed community on a 200-acre piece of land in Central Idaho known as
"Almost Heaven." He purchased the land and is now selling
it in lots. A second community called "Shenandoah" is
also planned nearby. Gritz plans to live at Almost Heaven with
30 other families in a self-sufficient community which he has
said will obey all laws "unless they go against the laws of
God and common sense." Through rigorous military training,
Gritz plans to prepare his followers to prevent the government from
making any attempts to intrude: "I want a community where if
the F.B.I. looks at us, they'll end up saying it's more trouble
than it's worth." Gritz derives much of his support from his
opposition to the federal government s actions in the Weaver and Waco
cases. He himself was present at the Weaver standoff and assisted
Weaver in surrendering to the authorities. Gritz recently wrote in
his newsletter, "The tyrants who ordered the assault on the
Weavers and Waco should be tried and executed as traitors." But
Gritz's extremist views go beyond opposition to certain government
policies. For example, in his book, Called To Serve, he peddles the
anti-Semitic myth that Jewish families control the Federal Reserve
System.
Indiana
Indianapolis is the home base of Linda Thompson,
an influential figure in the militia movement nationally. Thompson
is a lawyer and chairman of the American Justice Federation, which
describes itself as "a group dedicated to stopping the New World
Order and getting the truth out to the American public." Thompson
claims to have contact with militias in all 50 states. She appears
frequently at militia gatherings and gun shows, to lecture and sell
her videos "Waco, The Big Lie," and "Waco II - The Big
Lie Continues." The latter, she claims, "proves conclusively
the government murdered 100 men, women and children at Mt. Carmel in
April, 1993." She also sells other propaganda material such as
"The Traitor Files," which purport to link "Bill and
Hillary Clinton to a Marxist-Terrorist network." On July 13, 1991,
Thompson was arrested in Indianapolis for using her vehicle to block
a bus carrying supporters of President Clinton's health care plan. She
was charged with obstructing traffic. At the time of her arrest police
officers seized from her person a .45-caliber pistol and a .22-caliber
Derringer pistol. They also found in her vehicle an assault rifle
with 295 rounds of ammunition. Her case is pending. Thompson's
most ambitious undertaking to date was a planned militia march on
Washington. D.C., on September 19, 1994, where an ultimatum was to
be delivered to the government. The ultimatum commanded members of
Congress to initiate legislation that would, among other things, repeal
the 14th, 16th and 17th Amendments to the Constitution. and the Brady
Law and NAFTA. Designating herself "Acting Adjutant General."
of the "Unorganized Militia of the United States." Thompson
ordered all participants to come "armed and in uniform." She
announced that, besides delivering the ultimatum, "The militia
will arrest Congressmen who have failed to uphold their oaths of office,
who will then be tried for Treason by citizens courts." Realizing
after several months that support for her march was lacking, Thompson
called it off, yet her standing in the militia movement apparently
remains undiminished. The John Birch Society, troubled about
Thompson's influence on its members and staff, found it necessary
to warn them against her. On May 12, 1994. the Society, issued an
official "admonition to all members and a directive to all
employees" to "stay clear of her schemes." They said:
"Linda Thompson's call for the arrest in September of members of
Congress and the President of the United States by an armed militia is
not just insane, it is contrary to all understanding of the nature and
identity of the enemy." It appears that even by the standards of
the John Birch Society, Thompson is too radical. Meanwhile, Thompson
continues to appear at rallies and conferences around the country,
and on radio, promoting the militia cause and calling down thunder
upon the American government and its law enforcement agencies. A
rally to form a militia in Indianapolis took place in September 1994,
at a union hall in the south central part of the city. In attendance
were some 200 persons, filling the hall to capacity, while an overflow
crowd was turned away. A smaller militia is believed to be functioning
in Switzerland County, in eastern Indiana. The county, long plagued by
extremist activity, has been the home base of the Northwest Territory
Knights of the KKK. a Klan splinter group.
Michigan
The militia
movement has gained a following in Michigan. The most visible such
group in the state has sprung up in northern Michigan. Spokesmen there
make the (probably exaggerated) claim that militias have 10,000 members
and that brigades are operating or are currently forming in 66 of the
state's 83 counties. Meetings reportedly draw 50 to 100 attendees. The
issues animating Michigan's militias are the same as those fueling
the movement nationally. Chief among them is a belief that gun control
legislation is but a prelude to a complete ban on firearms ownership
in this country. An essential additional ingredient, though, is their
conviction that the government intends to wage war on citizens who
refuse to give up their weapons. They cite as evidence for this
view the tragic assault on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco,
Texas. and the 1992 raid on the cabin of Randy Weaver in Idaho, in
which Weaver's wife and son and a federal marshal were killed. They
also contend that this same federal government is acquiescing in
the surrender of U.S. sovereignty to the United Nations and other
international bodies. The militia's aims are to "stand against
tyranny, globalism, moral relativism, humanism and the New World Order
threatening to undermine these United States of America." Norman
E. Olson, 47, a Baptist minister and gun-shop owner in Alanson, is the
Commander of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Northern Michigan Regional
Militia. After a few months of discussion and recruitment, the group
was established in April 1994. It conducts training exercises twice
a month. At a recent session, weapons reportedly included Chinese
SKS semi-automatic assault rifles, shotguns and deer rifles. When
residents complained about militia members clad in camouflage uniforms
and painted faces gathering with their rifles at a village park and a
public campground in Pellston, the village council banned firearms from
those and other village sites. Militia commander Olson threatened to
sue the village for allegedly violating his rights. He also announced
that his group would no longer convene in the park or the campground,
saying: "The people of Pellston have got to want the light of
liberty." Olson strenuously denies that the Northern Michigan
Regional Militia is racist or anti Semitic. He claims some Jewish
ancestry, and professes admiration for Israel. But his militia's
rhetoric on occasion has been extreme and alarmist. In reference
to the aborted march on Washington promoted by Indianapolis militia
leader Linda Thompson, Olson has written: "Many thousands are
prepared to go to Washington in uniform, carry their guns, prepared
to present the ultimatum to the President and to Congress. This may
be the beginning of a Concord-like confrontation." A militia
pamphlet distributed at a May meeting in Petoskey attended by some 55
people reportedly asked: "What force exists to prevent a state or
federally orchestrated massacre like the one in Waco from occurring
in Michigan?" Ray Southwell, a real estate agent who is the
group's information officer, has said: "I'd guess that within
the next two years, you will see the Constitution suspended."
His further prediction: "Christian fundamentalists will be
the first to go under fascism this time. Just like the Jews were
the first last time." Southwell speaks as though he regards
confrontation with law enforcement as inevitable. His militia is
preparing for the day "when martial law is declared."
"We are taking a stand." he says, "and are prepared to
lose everything." Other militia activists in Michigan have had
their own encounter with the law. Police in Fowlerville (Livingston
County) arrested three militia members on September 8, 1994. Loaded
rifles and handguns, as well as gas masks, night-vision binoculars
and two-way radios, were found in their car. At the men's scheduled
September 14 hearing, at least two dozen uniformed supporters staged
a protest in front of the courthouse and stomped on a United Nations
flag. The suspects failed to appear and are considered fugitives. They
were described by their supporters as security aides to Mark Koernke
(a.k.a. "Mark from Michigan"), a former Army intelligence
officer whose "America in Peril" video and speeches have
helped to recruit members to militias around the country. All the
confrontational talk has caught the attention of law enforcement
authorities. "Some of their material is disquieting because
it defines the U.S. government as the enemy said a Michigan State
Police commander. "It is disquieting if people think redress
is in armed conflict with the U.S. government." The head of
the Detroit office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
expressed the hope "that the militia groups would use the power
of the vote rather than the threat of armed violent confrontation
to accomplish their goals."
Missouri
Militias are active
in Missouri but do not appear to be as well-organized as in other
states. They operate in at least five southern Missouri counties:
Crawford, Green, Barton, Dade and Cedar, and number collectively
approximately 130 members. The militias hold irregular meetings to view
training videos, discuss paramilitary techniques and exchange literature
reflecting right-wing views. Missouri's militias are attempting to
organize themselves for political action by, among other things,
running candidates for local office. In keeping with their political
aspirations, they have attempted to avoid any public identification
with more extreme groups. although some members also belong to the
John Birch Society and the Populist Party.
Montana
Militias have
been forming in Montana since February 1991. While the rhetoric of
these groups focuses on gun control and other familiar militia causes,
examination reveals that some of the leading figures in the Montana
militia movement have also participated in the activities of racist
and anti-Semitic groups. Meetings have been held across the state,
drawing as many as 800 at a March 10 meeting in Kalispell. Two other
meetings there also drew over 150 participants. Similar gatherings
held in Hamilton, Eureka, Big Timber and Great Falls drew over 200
participants each. Smaller numbers attended meetings in Sanders
County, Billings and Troy. While the crowds at initial meetings have
been large, they have tended to fall off somewhat at subsequent
gatherings. Montana militias often dwell on the state's history
as an independent outpost of freedom. A recent militia newsletter
quoted, with approval, Gary Marbut, president of The Montana Shooting
Sports Association (an anti-gun control group) in a call for rejection
of all federal control over the state: Montanans are fed up with the
federal government dictating to Montana and the people of Montana and
we are through with Congress's increasing encroachment on the Bill
of Rights. We have a thirst for freedom in Montana, and we simply
will not subsist under the boot heel of federal tyranny. There may be
some debate about what the Second Amendment means to the U.S. Supreme
Court or the people of Peoria, but there is no question about what
the Second Amendment means to the people of Montana. "The great
purpose" as Patrick Henry said, "is that every man be
armed." MILITIA OF MONTANA The Militia of Montana (M.O.M.) is
among the most visible and the most extreme of such groups in the
country. M.O.M. is run in Noxon, Montana by the Trochmann brothers,
John and David and David's son Randy. all of whom have long been
involved in the white supremacist movement. The Trochmanns have been
members of the Aryan Nations, the Idaho based neo-Nazi organization
that promotes anti-Semitism, white supremacy and the establishment
of a white racist state. John Trochmann was a featured speaker at the
Aryan Nations Congress in 1990. He has also been an active supporter
of Randy Weaver, the white supremacist who was involved in a shoot-out
with federal authorities. Some members of M.O.M. circulate neo-Nazi
publications among themselves. One such book, Seed of the Woman, is a
"novel" detailing the wild exploits of several young neo-Nazis
in a contemporary America peopled by gross stereotypes. Its favorable
depiction of Nazi-inspired slaughter and its promotion of Nazi doctrine
make it a prescription for violence against Jews, blacks. homosexuals
and others. M.O.M.'s eight-page pamphlet. "The Militia,"
discusses the history of militias and their origin in the United
States, arguing that the Second Amendment was intended to allow the
citizens to form "unorganized" militias in order to protect
themselves from a potentially tyrannical government. It outlines
the militia's role as follows: To balance the military power of
the nation with the might of the militia will put at odds any scheme
by government officials to use the force of the government against
the people. Therefore, when the codes and statutes are unjust for
the majority of the people, the people will rightly revolt and the
government will have to acquiesce without a shot being fired, because
the militia stands vigilant in carrying out the will of the people in
defense of rights, liberty and freedom. The purpose of government
is in the protection of the rights of the people, when it does not
accomplish this, the militia is the crusader who steps forward, and upon
it rests the mantle of the rights of the people. (sic) Displaying
the group s attitude towards taking up arms, John Trochmann recently
said: "We don't want bloodshed. We want to use the ballot box
and the jury box. We don't want to go to the cartridge box. But we
will if we have to." M.O.M.'s newsletter, Taking Aim, details the
ways that the government is currently failing to protect the rights
of the people. It cites gun control and the crime bill as evidence of
this, but also suggests a variety of conspiracy theories about plans
by world leaders to implement a world government. M.O.M. plays to
paranoid fears by making wild claims about the supposed activity of
foreign military troops in Montana and across the country. One report
on the activity of out-of-state troops brought in to fight forest fires
concludes: "One more note: Mysterious deaths have been taking place
since these troops appeared. Coincidence? We do not know." While
the newsletter does not echo the racist ideology of the Trochmanns,
it makes a homophobic slur in alluding to rumors regarding Attorney
General Janet Reno's sexual orientation. M.O.M. advertises
and distributes books, tapes and videos that provide further
"information" on their conspiracy theories. Typical of
the selection is a video advertised as "The Countdown to
History (Biochip - Mark of the Beast) UN Police Force, One World
Govt., Chip implants. All by the year 2000-Totally Documented."
Also offered are tapes and videos on organizing militias and on
survival and combat techniques. RED BECKMAN M. J. "Red"
Beckman, an influential figure in the militia movement, has a record
as an anti-Semite and an anti-tax activist. He recently lost a long
struggle with the IRS when he was finally evicted from his land long
after it had been sold to pay for taxes due the government. Beckman,
like many militia proponents, is a conspiracy theorist. He has said
that the Federal Reserve Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the
so-called New World Order are conspiring to dominate the world. In his
1984 book, The Church Deceived, Beckman proclaimed that the Holocaust
was a judgement upon the Jews for worshipping Satan. More recently. he
appeared on KULR-TV, a Montana television station. and repeated
his view that Jews are worshippers of Satan.
New Hampshire
New
Hampshire law provides for an "unorganized militia" made
up of all citizens over the age of 18 who are not in the national
guard or state guard. Militia enthusiasts in New Hampshire have
pointed to the state's legislation (as well as the Second Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution) to explain and justify their seemingly
oxymoronic organization of "unorganized militias." There
is nothing to suggest, however, that they actually intend to serve
according to the spirit of the laws by which they justify their
own existence. Such laws call for the governor of the state to
direct members of the "unorganized militia" to serve in
the National Guard during times of crisis. New Hampshire is the
home of the Constitution Defense Militia, a well-organized group
with at least 15 members. It is not known if the group engages in
paramilitary training or the stockpiling of weapons. The group has
held meetings at the home of Edward L. Brown of Plainsfield. Brown is
outspoken in his support of the concept of militias and devotes much
of his time and energy to the causes embraced by them: opposition
to gun control, the United Nations and the federal government. He
recently lobbied against a bill that would ban guns in school zones,
for example. While much of Brown's activity appeals to mainstream
opponents of gun control and big government, his enthusiasm for
conspiracy theories and his reliance on extremist propaganda places
him on the far reaches of the political spectrum. Brown is a devoted
reader of The Spotlight, the organ of Liberty Lobby, the best-funded
and most active anti-Semitic propaganda organization in the United
States. In a recent telephone call to ADL, Brown acknowledged that
he gets his information on domestic and international affairs from
The Spotlight. He recently wrote letters to his Congressman and
Senators in Washington regarding the alleged build-up of hostile
foreign troops inside the United States. Other members of his militia
reportedly also embrace conspiracy fantasies involving the Council
on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the Rockefeller
Foundation. At a recent meeting of the group, members expressed their
admiration for two extremist figures: Bo Gritz and Linda Thompson (see
the sections of this report on Idaho and Indiana). The group has been
in contact with Gritz regarding the organization of militias.
New Mexico
As in neighboring Arizona, the organization of militias in
New Mexico is in the nascent stages. Thus far, the most visible
manifestation of pro-militia sentiment in New Mexico has been found
in The Free American, a monthly newspaper published privately by
Clayton R. Douglas and his wife, Jan Douglas. The September 1994 issue
contained an advertisement declaring: "It's Time To Take Matters
Into Our Own Hands. It's Time To Protect Our Constitution! Join The
New Mexico Unorganized Militia." The accompanying phone number for
more information was the number of the newspaper itself. The militia
movement appears to be taking hold in Catron County, an area that in
recent years has experienced much anti-federal government sentiment
among some residents. Among the groups attempting to organize a local
militia are "Concerned Citizens" and the "Patriots of
Catron County." Finally, literature from Linda Thompson's (see
Indiana section) "Unorganized Militias of the United States."
has been distributed through gun shops in Albuquerque.
North Carolina
North Carolina's militia movement has been fueled by an
alarmist vision of a U.S. government bent on the destruction of
American liberties. A Monroe-based group called Citizens for the
Reinstatement of Constitutional Government has coalesced around Albert
Esposito. He denies that he is preaching revolution, but his rhetoric
includes clear overtones of preparation for battle with the imagined
enemy. He urges the group to amass caches of the "Four B's":
Bibles, bullets, beans and bandages. Many members own semiautomatic
weapons, including AR-15's and AK-47s. The group's program is a
mixture of anti-government, religious and conspiratorial ideas. It
aims to "make the Holy Bible and the United States Constitution
the law of the land." and it vows to "resist the coming New
World Order (one world government)." To accomplish its goals, it
promises to "Remove treasonous politicians and corrupt judges from
positions of authority, and return authority to the people."
(Precisely how these malefactors are to be removed from office
is not slated.) Citizens for the Reinstatement of Constitutional
Government meets twice a month, alternating between Monroe, in
Union County, and Matthews, in neighboring Mecklenburg County. At
one meeting, Esposito, a 43-year-old contractor, reportedly repeated
G. Gordon Liddy's alleged statement about the new crime law's assault
weapons ban: "He said. If they pass it, don't obey it. And
if they come after you, meet force with force." The group
has distributed application forms for the "National Free and
Sovereign Civilian Militia, North Carolina state Division."
The forms ask applicants whether they are proficient in the operation
of handguns and rifles. "reloading ammo," and a variety
of survivalist skills. Esposito has espoused his views on guns at
Union County commissioners' meetings. He also railed against federal
encroachment in announcing his support for a nonbinding resolution
passed by the commission in support of school prayer. Holding a copy
of the Constitution in the air, he declared: "We control the
county. Not Washington." Consistent with such anti-federal
government views, Esposito says he has refused to file federal income
tax returns for three years running because he regards the tax as
unconstitutional. The group he leads split off from a tax-protest group
in Charlotte called the Carolina Patriots, three of whose leaders
were convicted in October 1994 of conspiracy to help people avoid
their tax obligations. Esposito's group has attempted to distance
itself from the Carolina Patriots. In addition to their views on
guns and taxes, members of the Monroe group have expressed ideas and
conspiracy theories that are characteristic of some other militias
around the country. These include charges that the Federal Reserve
system has enriched a tiny elite (the group's literature advocates
the abolition of the Federal Reserve), and that some government
employees have been implanted with computer chips in order to monitor
the citizenry. Another claim made at one of the group's meetings,
that the government cannot require private citizens to obtain a
driver's license, echoes the stand of an earlier extremist group,
the Posse Comitatus. A separate North Carolina militia group has
been formed in Greenville, in the eastern part of the state. Led
by Scott Brown, the unit is part of the Idaho-based United States
Militia Association. Brown reportedly has said his group worries
that government representatives "don't really understand what
the Constitution means and stands for, and they're voting away our
unalienable rights." It is not known whether the Greenville unit
is engaging in any more incendiary rhetoric or activity. But this fear
-- which is apparently spreading and growing -- that the government is
a threat to the rights of the people, is a central theme that militia
groups are feverishly trying to exploit. A computer bulletin board
in Alamance County, called "The Spirit of '76." has served
as an area recruiting point for the militia led by Linda Thompson, the
Indianapolis woman who is a leading figure in the militia movement
nationwide. Another bulletin board system that made Thompson's
computerized materials available has referred individuals interested
in joining the militia to The Spirit of '76. For its part, The Spirit
of '76 has declared itself off limits to police and other government
authorities by posting a warning that states: "This BBS [bulletin
board system] is a PRIVATE system. Only private citizens who are NOT
involved in government or law enforcement activities are authorized
to use it."
Ohio>
Several militia-like groups have arisen in
scattered communities in the State of Ohio. One such militia has been
meeting and conducting paramilitary training exercises in Pike County
in rural south central Ohio. There is overlapping participation, and a
weapons-sales connection, among the Pike County militia, the neo-Nazi SS
Action Group and the Ku Klux Klan. Other militia groups have arisen
in Franklin County and Warren County. A militia-type group called
"Patriots" meets in Cincinnati and conducts paramilitary
exercises in rural Clermont County.
Virginia
On July 27 of this
year, James Roy Mullins, a founding member of a militia-like group
called The Blue Ridge Hunt Club, was arrested and charged with the
possession and sale of a short-barreled rifle and unregistered silencers
and with facilitating the unlawful purchase of a firearm. Ultimately,
three other members were also charged with firearm offenses. Federal
officials said that Mullins had formed the club to arm its members in
preparation for war with the government. The cases are pending. The
group, formed earlier in 1994, has had as many as 15 members. They are
said to have met three times before Mullins' arrest. While members of
the group say that their purpose is to lobby against gun control laws,
federal law enforcement officials tell a much different story. An ATF
official who investigated the case said that "Mullins is organizing
a group of confederates, to be armed and trained in paramilitary
fashion, in preparation for armed conflict with government authorities
should firearms legislation become too restrictive." Evidence of
such preparation is substantial. In searches of members' homes and
storage facilities, federal agents found a stockpile of weapons. In
Mullins' home, agents found 13 guns, several of which had homemade
silencers. They also found explosives, hand grenades, fuses and
blasting caps in a separate warehouse. Even pretrial incarceration
has not stopped Mullins from threatening violence. While in jail, he
wrote a letter to a friend saying that he wanted to borrow a machine
gun in order to "take care of unfinished business" with
certain prosecution witnesses. The strongest indications of the
group's goals was the draft of a portion of its newsletter found on
a computer disk obtained by federal agents. On the disk, Mullins had
written: Hit and run tactics will be our method of fighting... We will
destroy targets such as telephone relay centers, bridges, fuel storage
tanks, communications towers, radio stations, airports. etc... human
targets will be engaged ... when it is beneficial to the cause to
eliminate particular individuals who oppose us (troops. police,
political figures, snitches, etc.). An ATF official also said
that Mullins was planning to arm the group by burglarizing the
National Guard Armory in Pulaski, Virginia.
Conclusion
Given the
revolutionary posturing of so many of the militias, and the role in them
of hatemongers of long standing, the better part of wisdom dictates
that close attention be paid to them. There is a role here for the
press and for citizen organizations that monitor extremism. The
Anti-Defamation League is pledged to do its part. The chief
responsibility for keeping on top of the militia threat, however,
plainly rests with the law enforcement branch of government. That this
responsibility must be implemented with all due respect for the legal
rights to which everyone is entitled should go without saying. Law
enforcement agencies need the requisite resources to monitor these
groups and to take appropriate measures, when necessary, to protect
the public. One such tool is paramilitary training legislation already
on the books of many states. Those laws (many patterned after a model
bill first formulated by ADL, which is appended to this report) should
be applied, where appropriate. In states where such laws have yet to
be adopted, ADL urges that they be given prompt consideration. The
right to hold and promote one's views on the issues which are agitating
the militias -- such as gun control, the environment, and abortion
-- is inviolate under the Constitution. There is no right, however,
to use force or violence either to impose one's views on others
or to resist laws properly enacted. That is the crux of the problem
presented by the rise of the militias.
Appendix
ADL MODEL PARAMILITARY TRAINING STATUTE
A. (1) Whoever teaches or demonstrates to any other
person the use, application, or making of any firearm, explosive
or incendiary device, or technique capable of causing injury or
death to persons, knowing or having reason to know or intending
that same will be unlawfully employed for use in, or in furtherance
of, a civil disorder; or (2) Whoever assembles with one or more
persons for the purpose of training with, practicing with, or being
instructed in the use of any firearm, explosive or incendiary device,
or technique capable of causing injury or death to persons, intending
to employ unlawfully the same for use in, or in furtherance of, a
civil disorder, shall be fined not more than ___ or imprisoned not
more than ___ years, or both.
B. Nothing contained in this section
shall make unlawful any act of any law enforcement officer which is
performed in the lawful performance of his official duties.
C. As used in this section:
(1) The term "civil disorder" means
any public disturbance involving acts of violence by assemblages
of three or more persons, which causes an immediate danger of or
results in damage or injury to the property or person of any other
individual.
(2) The term "firearm" means any weapon which
is designed to or may readily be converted to expel any projectile
by the action of an explosive; or the frame or receiver of any such
weapon.
(3) The term "explosive or incendiary device" means
(a) dynamite and all other forms of high explosives, (b) any explosive
bomb, grenade, missile, or similar device and (c) any incendiary bomb
or grenade, fire bomb, or similar device, including any device which
(i) consists of or includes a breakable container including a flammable
liquid or compound, and a wick composed of any material which, when
ignited, is capable of igniting such flammable liquid or compound. and
(ii) can be carried or thrown by one individual acting alone.
(4) The term "law enforcement officer" means any officer or
employee of the United States, any state, any political subdivision
of a state, or the District of Columbia, and such term shall
specifically include, but shall not be limited to, members of the
National Guard, as defined in section 101(9) of title 10, United
States Code, members of the organized militia of any state or
territory of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
or the District of Columbia, not included within the definition of
National Guard as defined by such section 101(9), and members of
the Armed Forces of the United States.