Tag: Militias

Is It Implied Violence?

***This was a post that I originally wrote for Progressive Independence (go to blogroll to visit).

By now most Americans have seen all the images of the common man branishing his gun at the townhalls across the country.  Some bill them as “average” Americans dis hearted by the government take over.

I have heard several pundits state that this people are exercising their 2nd Amendment right by appearing in the protests while packing.  That is all well and good but what does packing a gun have to do with health care?  I guess it is just a constitutional thing, huh?

Back to the “average” Americans with guns….most of these mach little pricks have been exp[osed as members or supporters of right wing militias.  And in case you do not know, most of them see the government as something evil and needs to be confronted whenever possible.

Carrying a gun at a public townhall meeting with a public figure is “implied violence”, no matter which side of the political spectrum you stand on…it is Implied Violence!  The cowards in the city governments that are allowing this are playing with fire.  They allow this so they cannot be sued for some constitutioonal busting law suit.  They are AFRAID!

What would be the outcome if a person from an anarchist group showed up with a gun?  Would they be treated with kid gloves like the macho morons on the right?  If the anarchist is a threat why is the right wing militia member not a threat?

If violence is not implied why pack heat?  The carrying of a weapon is in NO way part of the conversation on health care.

How long will this continue?  How long will the Secret Service look the other way?  How long will ALL law enforcement people look the other way?  How long will it be before someone packing over-reacts?  Will it take the injury to a president before these dipsticks are taken out of the public?

Sad to say, that it looks like the death of a president will be the only thing that will wake up a sleeping country to the implied violence of guns at public meetings.

Here We Go Again…….

I recall in the 80’s the uptick of the right wing militias; the standoffs with survivalists, and the violence in the Northwest.  I was thankful that the “fad” died out somewhat, but as usual, I was mistaken, they did not die out, thewy just went on silent running.

Some months ago, the DHS issued a report that stated their could possibly be a rise in the right wing extremosm and the Right immediately ju,per onto the report as unfair to vets and others.  It seems that the report had said that there was a possiblity that returning war vets could be singled out for recruitment.

Guess what?  The report was accurate about the right wing extremism it is on the rise and membership is climbing.  As reported by the AP:

Militia groups with gripes against the government are regrouping across the country and could grow rapidly, according to an organization that tracks such trends.The stress of a poor economy and a liberal administration led by a black president are among the causes for the recent rise, the report from the Southern Poverty Law Center says. Conspiracy theories about a secret Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwest are also growing amid the public debate about illegal immigration.

It’s reminiscent of what was seen in the 1990s — right-wing militias, people ideologically against paying taxes and so-called “sovereign citizens” are popping up in large numbers, according to the report to be released Wednesday. The SPLC is a nonprofit civil rights group that, among other activities, investigates hate groups.

While anti-government sentiment has been on the rise over the last two years, there aren’t as many threats and violent acts at this point as there were in the 1990s, according to the report. That movement bore the likes of Timothy McVeigh, who in 1995 blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City and killed 168 people.

The militia movement of the 1990s gained traction with growing concerns about gun control, environmental laws and anything perceived as liberal government meddling.

The spark for that movement came in 1992 with an FBI standoff with white separatist Randall Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. Weaver’s wife and son were killed by an FBI sniper. And in 1993, a 52-day standoff between federal agents and the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, resulted in nearly 80 deaths. These events rallied more people who became convinced that the government would murder its own citizens to promote its liberal agenda.

Now officials are seeing a new generation of activists, according to the report. The law center spotlights Edward Koernke, a Michigan man who hosts an Internet radio show about militias. His father, Mark, was a major figure in the 1990s militia movement and served six years in prison for charges including assaulting police.

A series of domestic terrorism incidents over the past year have not been directly tied to organized militias, but the rhetoric behind some of the crimes are similar with that of the militia movement. For instance, the man charged with the April killings of three Pittsburgh police officers posted some of his views online. Richard Andrew Poplawski wrote that U.S. troops could be used against American citizens, and he thinks a gun ban could be coming.

The FBI’s assistant director for counterterrorism, Michael Heimbach, said that law enforcement officials need to identify people who go beyond hateful rhetoric and decide to commit violent acts and crimes. Heimbach said one of the bigger challenges is identifying the lone-wolf offenders.

Here we go again……deja vu all over again…….

Have Gun–Will Travel

Just like the 60’s western, some people travel with their gun to make a point…

I have heard all the news and debate about the guy who was outside the Hew Hampshire townhall….that he was on private property…..that he left before the pres arrived…..that he is a libertarian…….that he was exercising his 2nd amendment right (that I am still working on).  He was also holding a sign that said the tree of liberty needs watering….with a don’t tread on me snake adorning it.  I also heard the argument that he should have never been allowed to a tense situation with a gun.

No matter what the opinion of my reader is about the gun issue there is something that has been left out of the debate.  In an article written by Robert Anglen for the Arizona Republic, there is more to this guy and the story:

William Kostric, 36, formerly of Scottsdale, stood outside the New Hampshire meeting on health care with a gun holstered at his thigh and holding a sign proclaiming that “it is time to water the tree of liberty.” State law permitted Kostric to openly carry a licensed handgun.

The quote, often referenced by those in separatist and militia movements, refers to Thomas Jefferson’s famous call for vigilance: “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of tyrants and patriots.”

Web sites indicate that Kostric is a “team member” of the Arizona chapter of We the People Foundation, which has a stated goal of “returning America to its founding principles.”

On its Web site, We the People’s founder Robert Schulz says, “Our recent initiatives have focused largely on questioning the federal government’s abuse of its Constitutional powers to incur debt, tax labor, create currency by fiat, conduct war and police the peace.”

The group maintains that it is not concerned with politics or personalities in office. But Schulz supports the so-called birther movement, which promotes the idea that Obama wasn’t really born in the United States and shouldn’t be president. We the People joined a lawsuit that unsuccessfully challenged Obama’s presidency based on the citizenship claim.

So as usual, there is always more to the story than the beltway pundits want to include into the conversation.  This guy may have attacked in a civil and peaceful way, but how will the next gun nut act or recat to the situation?  It has been reported the Obama gets between 20-30 death threats a day….who is to say if the next wingnut will not act on a threat?