The arrest and indictment of nine members of the "Hutaree" (which, supposedly, means "Christian Warrior") group has focused a lot of national attention on militias and "right-wing hate" groups. This, despite the fact that when the Hutaree group asked the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia for help, they were brusquely rebuffed:
It wasn’t clear what prompted the raids, but Michael Lackomar, a spokesman for the Southeast Michigan Volunteer Militia, said one of his team leaders got a frantic phone call Saturday evening from members of Hutaree, a Christian militia group. They said their property in southeast Michigan was being raided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to Lackomar.
“They said they were under attack by the ATF and wanted a place to hide,” Lackomar said. “My team leader said, ’no thanks.’”
The SWVM is, indeed, cooperating with the FBI. The Hutaree folks, actually, seem less accurately characterized by "right-wing hate," than by "wrong wing stupidity." Regardless of the dubious nature of any supposition of shared ideology between the Hutaree and the various Constitutional militias across the country, the corporate media, and groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, are busily tarring every militia with the Hutaree brush.
The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence (ICHV), on the other hand, has a more specific, narrower, target: so-called "assault weapons." From their executive director, Thom Mannard:
It is disturbing to read today that a Christian cult and militia sought to arm themselves with deadly weapons and to train its members to kill other people, including law enforcement officials, based on a sick and twisted interpretation of the Christian faith. This FBI raid is yet more proof that hate groups, cults and militias in our nation can easily arm themselves with some of the most deadly weapons available, such as military-style assault weapons, powerful handguns and other dangerous weapons of mass destruction.
Congress and the Obama administration must act to address the terrorism threat enabled by America's weak gun laws. America's safety and security continues to be at grave risk until we ban the sale of all military-style assault weapons, such as AK-47s and .50 caliber sniper rifles, and require criminal background checks on every firearm sold. Ultimately, comprehensive federal legislation must be enacted to address this danger and improve homeland security.
Never mind that the climax of the "plan," such as it was, calculated to cause the bulk of the casualties, involved bombs--and explosives are already quite heavily regulated. The ICHV, though, wants to focus on so-called "assault weapons," including the AR-15 platform--the biggest selling centerfire rifles in the U.S.; and .50 caliber rifles, which have not, to my knowledge, ever been used to kill anyone in the U.S., despite having been on the civilian market for over a quarter century.
Mannard then goes on to urge passage of two Illinois "assault weapon" (and .50 caliber, and "high capacity" magazine) ban bills--HB 3036 and HB 5751. As I recently mentioned, neither of those bills (or any other Illinois gun bill) is likely to see any action this year, but the ICHV is clearly hoping to exploit the Hutaree arrests to change that.
I have remarked before on the forcible citizen disarmament lobby's contemptible habit of exploiting tragedy--"dancing in the blood" of the victims, as it were. Now, though, with tragedies becoming inconveniently more difficult to come by, the ICHV has been reduced to attempting to exploit alleged atrocities that never happened.
Atlanta: Ed Stone | Austin: Howard Nemerov | Boston: Ron Bokleman | Charlotte: Paul Valone | Cheyenne: Anthony Bouchard | Chicago: Don Gwinn | Cleveland: Daniel White | DC: Mike Stollenwerk | Denver: Dan Bidstrup | Fort Smith: Steve D. Jones | Grand Rapids: Skip Coryel | Knoxville: Liston Matthews | Los Angeles: John Longenecker | Minneapolis: John Pierce | National: David Codrea | Parkersburg: Nicholas Arnold | Phoenix: Douglas Little | Pittsburgh: Dan Campbell | Seattle: Dave Workman | St. Louis: Kurt Hofmann | Tucson: Chris Woodard | Wisconsin: Gene German
Comments
"wrong wing stupidity" is an appropriate description if this group was targeting local police. A militia would be charged with protecting the same turf as the local police. Their communities!
Great article! Well said! Keep 'em coming!
These hysterics have yet to demonstrate, even marginally, how all these "laws" will keep guns out of the hands of actual criminals.
Criminals, by definition, don't have any respect for "laws" and will get what they want however they need to.
"Wrong wing stupidity" applies to more than flintstone comics in cammo.
It's telling that the Hutaree mess broke only a couple of days after the Southern Poverty Law Center vented its outrage at a sheriff in Michigan because she accepted help (decisive help, as it turned out) from one of the local "Constitutional Militia" groups in a search-and-rescue operation.
I'm not saying that every group that calls itself a "militia" is a benign bunch of people out training in search-and-rescue and ready to step in and help at a time of need . . . but it's undeniable that those groups are out there alongside the nuts.
Time to take the guns away from the Christians. People who believe in magical thinking can not be trusted with firearms.
Sure thing whoops, I mean it's not the atheists like Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot that killed millions of people after they took their guns.
Nicely said, Kurt.
Yeah, the commentary thus far on this whole topic has been telling from a number of angles; I wrote on it today as well.
Those who have made a professional career out of exploiting people's fear of the unknown and of people who are weirder than they, seem to be whipped into an even frothier frenzy than usual. (And I seriously do wonder, sometimes, if Potok isn't jonesin' for a new Cabinet position.)
I also love pointing out the irony of those who call everyone that doesn't agree with them, paranoid. :-)
Hitler was not an atheist, he was a believer in the Aryan Jesus. I thought you gun nuts would know that sort of thing, given your close association with white supremacists and neo-Nazis.
Says whoops: "I thought you gun nuts would know that sort of thing, given your close association with white supremacists and neo-Nazis."
If that "close association" were not a libelous lie, perhaps we would--assuming, of course, that by "gun nuts," you mean gun rights advocates.
Illinois <strike>Council Against Handgun Violence</strike> Conspiracy to Attack Helpless Victims.
Fixed it for you.
Jeez, whoops, I always knew that liberals weren't very good at doing things, but when you can't even LIE well, where do you go from there? You can't even be a liberal foot soldier anymore.
Whoops,
You have little knowledge mixed with a large amount of Liberal/Progressive Hate. A sweet combination indeed.
Hitler was a follower of an escoteric occult theology having very little to do with Christianity.....much like some of the Elites follow today in Belgium, Britain and...gulp...the USA.
Wake up and grow up before it's too late.
Whoops, you should really move to England or Australia where guns are banned, lets see how long you last there since you like totalitarian governments. Stay the F$#@ outa MY country. PU%$Y!
Well, I see they’re back on the assault weapon kick again. Wanting to paint a goose yellow and convince people it’s a duck. Keep a law vague enough and it’ll probably work.
Full auto Airsoft guns may just be “machine guns”. The definition of a machine gun doesn’t include the word “firearm” just “weapon”. If the BATFU and the gun grabbers can convince a judge that full auto Airsofts are “weapons” hundreds or thousands of folks across the US may be in for a world of hurt.
Take a look in the US Code for the definitions of “destructive device” and “weapons of mass destruction”. A “spud gun” made of PVC pipe that will propel a chunk of Irish potato over 1/2 inch in diameter, a golf ball, or a tennis ball will qualify.
Federal prosecutors are paid to twist words into rope to hang otherwise law abiding citizens, and there are always the touchy feely liberals who want nothing more than to either force you to conform to their ideals or demonize you if you refuse.
[W-III]
From the State Department, on down, is NOTHING but corruption,lies and deception. I reserve judgment because they have framed, set-up and fabricated TOO many times...and they arent even smart enough to get a new game!!! Same one over and over! If you dont play right you are demonized, discredited, labeled insane, or criminalized.
Ruby Ridge and Waco made loud ass statements to the American people.....if you dont hear it, then I just dont know what to say. Check the facts out, and the ones that were involved in the above events, they are speaking out about the truth.
Another Oops! from Whoops: "Time to take the guns away from the Christians. People who believe in magical thinking can not be trusted with firearms."
Nothing personal here, Whoops, but I'd tend to keep guns and young girls away from people who believe in nothing."
Is it illegal to plan and train to defend yourself, your family, and your community from potential lethal encounters by those who break the law? How about when those who are breaking the law and treatening you are police or government agents? Are you allowed to plan and train to defend yourself from them?
I know what the Hutaree members are charged with, but I don't know what they were acutally doing. I have heard of no police killed or individual or police groups actually threatened. Are they merely guilty of the crime of anti-government/anti-police thought? As I stated, I don't know. The Hutaree may be crazy and they may be stupid, but as yet they have not been proven guilty of anything.
Waiting and the author have it right: "wrong wing stupidity" fits these guys perfectly -- and gives the government and mainstream media all the ammunition (pardon the pun) they need to paint anyone opposed to the federals with the same brush.
We in the Texas Nationalist Movement are urging any of our members who feel the need to engage in military activities to join the Texas State Guard -- the state's authorized militia, which answers to the Governor.
Whoops says "Time to take the guns away from the Christians"....
Are you gonna try?
What ever happened to that "innocent until proven guilty" thing? Do we all just assume that because someone is arrested that they are actually guilty? My how far we have fallen! Then there are people like whoops that talk about things without facts to back them up. He is full of hatred for people that aren't like himself.
These people won't stop until American citizens are powerless to stop a corrupt government. The Japanese didn't invade America because "everyone" had a gun. These people would have enabled the Japanese to invade our country. I believe that these people have no knoweledge of the Constitution or Bill of Rights and the principles behind them. The "Assault Weapons Ban" should read "Gun Ban" as that is their real goal. We should look at these people for what they really are, traitors to America.
Listen: The FEDS better be EXTREMELY careful how they proceed with THIS one! CHRISTIANS around the U.S. r watching very... very closely. Politically, its has the capacity of a 1000 H-Bomb's - all at once!
The SPLC & like socialist-driven, Soros-funded proganda machines (Brady bunch, ICHV, etc.)... who CARES. ... Nobody. They "spew"... nothing new.
Best way not to get it on "U"? Stay away from 'em -like MOST AMERICANS on BOTH sides of the issue already do!
[Good Article - their propaganda 'needs' to constantly be exposed for what it is... anti-american vile]
It occurs to me, that we forget the past at great peril, a paraphrase of a plaintive quote from the past should remind us where this is going: When they came for the Communists, I didn't care because I wasn't a Communist. When they came for the...when they came for me, there was no-one <i>left</i> to care.
I don't remember the whole thing, but, you can be assured they came for the Hutarees because they believed them the most vulnerable. One tiny step at a time, and, be assured, eventually they will come for us all.
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