The Militia Movement Is A Toothless Old Dog,

[MineralMan]

barking madly at strangers, but unable to actually live up to the menacing it uses to try to scare the fearsome intruders away. When confronted directly, it urinates on itself and shows its belly.

As we saw with the raid on the Hutaree "Militia," no resistance was made and no shots were fired. These overgrown schoolboys talked a good fight, but when superior forces showed up, they hung the white flag out of the window and went peacefully. Now, faced with serious federal charges, they all want a public defender -- a government lawyer -- to defend them against these charges. Their white, bloated bellies are exposed in their submissive posture.

At best, these "militias" function at about the patrol level. Maybe a dozen of these beer-swilling non-soldiers could be gathered together for an "operation." Their training is a joke. Their armaments are a joke, when compared to the arms that can be assembled by any small town police department. We won't even discuss the capabilities of the local National Guard forces.

One of the things I saw about this Hutaree organization showed one of their members with his "armored vehicle," a 1970s IHC Scout II, for pete's sake. Yes, that will do quite nicely as an "armored vehicle," I'm sure, as long as nobody opposing this man has more than a pellet rifle.

That the militia types are ugly-thinking sorts is not in question. They are, indeed. Like a toothless old dog, though, they pose a minuscule threat, and would be easily removed from any actual conflict. They know that, so there will be no such conflict.

Instead, they will content themselves with their endless "training," studying lessons in making pipe bombs using the black powder they can buy at any sporting goods store, and posting ominious-looking videos on Youtube.

If they start getting nasty, the police from several agencies will show up with their real armored vehicles, flash-bang grenades, and tear gas and put them under arrest. That's what happened with the fearsome "Hutaree militia." Now, they're in jail, facing charges and crying for gubmint lawyers to defend them.

What a joke!

On the other hand, there are truly dangerous people out there -- people who don't care about their own lives and whose paranoid fantasies might actually come to fruition. They don't join the phony "militias." They don't post on internet forums, but they read the incitements on them. They are off their meds and armed.

Acting alone, they may create terror in any place, and at any time. These are the people we should be afraid of, not the toothless dogs that make up the "militias." I fear these lone wolves, and they may be just waiting for their moment to go out in a blaze of misanthropic glory. I hope our law enforcement people are focused on these individuals even more intently than they are on the fake soldiers of the public and noisome "militias."

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Well said.

[Warpy]

2. However, once in a while they produce a Timothy McVeigh

and if you buy into that "lone nutcase" stuff about him, I've got a beachfront house in New Mexico to sell you sight unseen, you can trust me.

The government has always wanted to ignore the violent right so it can concentrate on the horrible threats posed by Quakers and Raging Grannies. It tends to bury the ones it catches as quickly as possible, getting them out of the news, offering plea bargains to make it go away, or executing the few effective ones as quickly as possible while assuring us all that they're just lone nutcases.

Bullshit.

[MineralMan]

4. McVeigh was certainly enabled by the militia movement,

but was still apart from it. He's precisely the lone wolf I'm talking about. Yes, the militia enables such people, but they're not part of the militia. They scare these toothless old dogs.

[HereSince1628]

3. Frankly. I worry about the TRIPLE DOG DARE YA response

of guys sitting around a garage drinking beer and oiling the actions on their weapons.

[Frances]

5. Having grown up at a time and in a place

where the Ku Klux Klan operated with the tacit approval of local leaders, I think that groups can be dangerous.

I think that unscrupulous leaders of any group can manipulate others to commit acts they would not commit if they did not believe that a group would support their acts. I think people who others label as "losers" are especially vulnerable to this manipulation.

Sarah Palin was called "Baricuda" when she was in high school. Her speeches are designed to get her followers, many of whom know that others consider them "losers," to identify with her. These "losers" know that Fox, Palin, McCain, and the GOP will protect them while they intimidate the average person so much that the average person will be too afraid of these barricuda bullies to stand up for themselves and to vote for Democrats. It's pretty classic that many people will get on the side of bullies so that they won't be bullied themselves.

That does not mean that I do not know that lone wolves are also dangerous.

[lumpy]

8. Hear hear. If militias continue to expand they can be a real

threat whether they are old dogs or young bloods; supported by red state ignorance, watch out!

[NJmaverick]

6. OK City bomb and Waco showed these nut jobs are dangerous

and a threat that should not be ignored or underestimated

[MineralMan]

7. I still think they should be watched carefully, and special

attention paid to the hangers-on who are not active members of the groups. But, it's not the militias who have public websites and the like who are the serous risks, in my opinion. The risk is more from those influenced by these groups' rhetoric and peripheral support.

[Mopar151]

10. Exactly so.

Ask anybody that knows outlaw bikers - you have to be extrodinarily obnoxious to even be noticed by anybody with an officer's patch, or colors covered with run pins.
Prospects, and even worse, hangarounds and wannabees, OTOH, are about as much fun as sweaty dynamite.

[kctim]

9. It is a big mistake

to assume small outcast groups like the Huts are an accurate description of an actual 'militia.'

[MineralMan]

11. I don't actually know of any of these militias that have a large

active membership. They all pretty much seem to be in the same mold, with just a small group of participating members.

There are exceptions, such as the current Michigan Militia, but they seem to have lost their vigor and are more like VFW chapters these days.

The noisy ones, though, seem to be centered around some individual who knows how to create a website and shoot videos. I don't consider such "public" militias to be much of a threat, except insofar as they rile up and enable the wacko lone wolves.

[kctim]

18. The "noisy ones"

are religious end of world types and the racist types. The members are usually those who were denied membership into a 'real' militia or whom have been kicked out because of their radical views. They are pretty much nothing more than a wannabe "guerilla fireteam" and I agree that they do not pose much of a threat to anyone other than innocent victims of random acts of violence. They also barely have support outside of their own circles.
These are the ones who make the news.

The larger ones are better organized and have a very clear goal: defend and protect the US Constitution and the rights and freedoms it grants. They are primarily average middle class men and women, and they train with ex military vets who were in long enough to know what they are doing. MANY are vets themselves. Their numbers and support are ALOT greater than that of the "noisy ones."
These are the ones who do NOT make the news.

I'm not saying we should fear them or that they would react if the government did anything, but I think it is a mistake to lump them in with the nutjobs and dismiss them all together.

[MineralMan]

19. Our actual military and national guard is also sworn to uphold

the Constitution, as are most police officers. Our elected officials also take such an oath. So, perhaps you could explain how the militias' adherence to the Constitution is any different. We have an organized and functioning system to handle those Constitutional issues, from our legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government to our military and National Guard units in every state.

Do these "militias" have a better understanding of the Constitution, do you suppose? Do they have any Constitutional power to take any actions at all? I maintain that they do not and that they are simply posturing for some political effect.

Our system of government is based on that very Constitution and the various Constitutions of the 50 states. We don't have any real need for irregulars to "defend and protect" the Constitution. This country is full of people in official positions who have sworn to do that.

The day the "Militia" comes up my street under arms is the day I retrieve my own arms and defend myself against their illegal actions. No ragtag militia is going to make my Constitutional decisions for me. We have a structure in place, answerable to the people, to do that. If these "militia" folks want to participate in that, I understand the National Guard is recruiting. Beyond that, they have no power to take any actions at all.

[kctim]

21. We weren't discussing

who is right and who is wrong. Both sides have their own opinion on the matter and I am sure there is NOTHING anyone can say that would make them believe govt would never take any of their rights, or make you believe that govt "officials" are not going to protect all of you're rights for you.

You pretty much describe the Huts as the typical militia group and I believe you are sadly mistaken and very wrong for doing that.

[EnviroBat]

12. I guess what bothers me most is Hutaree is the first one we know of.

I'm wondering how many more of these hill-billy fueled, armed insurrectionists are out there playing G.I. Joe belly-crawling through the mud in the name of Jesus. I'd bet there are many more. I think we are only witnessing the beginning of this bullshit, and one or more of these morons are going to end up hurting or killing some innocent civilians.

[MineralMan]

15. Well, if you've been following all of this for years, you know

of many others. There are a lot of them, mostly small, and not all in the name of Jebus. The thing is that the FBI and others are watching them pretty carefully. In the case of the Hutaree morons, their current plot was considered serious enough to shut them down. That it was done with no shots fired is another indication of what I'm saying.

There is a risk to unarmed and innocent civilians, though. Since many of these groups have strong racist and anti-Muslim sentiments, I consider attacks on unarmed people to be the most likely thing. Such attacks can be done in a cowardly way without risk to their own safety. So far, that hasn't happened, though.

These groups are being closely monitored. Like most bullies, they want to be seen and noticed. That's why they post websites and Youtube videos. "Look at us!" they say. "See how brave we are." The ones who are doing those things are spending their energy in putting on a public face.

Oh, they "train," but they videotape that stuff, too, and you can watch their "training." It's pretty funny, most of the time. They can't run 50 yards without huffing and puffing. They have arms. Most of them are semi-auto .223 weapons. Some even have big old .50 caliber rifles. You see those in the training videos, too. Trouble is that ammo for those is really, really expensive and closely tracked by the BATF. So, they don't fire them very often.

They dress up in their "camo" uniforms, which they buy at the many "military surplus" stores around the country. Some even served in the military...some time...usually in REMF jobs. The soldiers who fought and who still want to serve and are fit enough get hired by Xe/Blackwater and other such companies.

Now, Xe/Blackwater and its clones are dangerous. They truly are. They do have training and arms and numbers. I worry about them. But they're being closely monitored, too. And they're busy guarding warlords and drug smugglers in the Middle East. They make a lot of money doing that, so they're not all that active in US stuff right now.

[8 track mind]

13. i've looked all over for it

but i canont find the political cartoon that came out after the OKC bombing. It showed a militia group practicing camouflage techniques and all you could see was their beer guts!

[MineralMan]

17. You can find plenty of videos on Youtube that are better

than any cartoon. Just search for Militia Training. Some of the videos are a hoot. I especially like the Metal music they all seem to use as a soundtrack.

[hack89]

14. It's the lone wolves that feed off their hate that are the danger. nt

[MineralMan]

16. That's true. And the problem with them is that we don't necessarily

know who they are, since they're not the one bragging about their "plans." They have the hatred, but not the public exposure. They're certifiably nuts, and will act alone and without warning. These are the people to fear, not the semi-literate, doughy militia types.

[opihimoimoi]

20. Its selfadoration too< They FEEL GOOD....Just noes its the right thing to do.

A desperate attempt at being "Somebody"....

They need Re Education real Bad

[upi402]

22. wrong

and dangerously wrong

rethink and study history. the people are mainly doughy oldies, but this is the rise of fascism.

[tblue37]

23. Yes and no. Timothy McVeigh was a truly dangerous nut, but he also was a member of

one of those homegrown militias.

When they start stockpiling weapons and explosives, even cowards can plant bombs and act as snipers, and they will if they believe they can do so safely, without getting caught. I am glad they are going after such militias.

Also, the news about RW terrorists is a good thing, since people need to be aware that this mindset is what the Tea Party types are really about.