Georgia Militia Terrorists Fit DHS Bulletin Profile Perfectly

[onehandle]

It's emblematic of just how cowed our federal authorities have been by the right-wing blowback against calling right-wing domestic terrorists what they actually are that the prosecutors in Georgia who recently charged a group of far-right militiamen with plotting carry out a series of attacks in Washington state and to assassinate President Obama took to calling them, in their press announcements, "anarchists" -- which meant, of course, that the media promptly followed suit.

Let's be perfectly clear: The only thing in the profiles of these men that suggests anything remotely "anarchist" in their politics is the fact that, according to the AP, they "aggressively recruited" other members of the military with a symbol that resembled the classic anarchist symbol, an "A" inside a circle (even though there are a number of far-right symbols that could fit this description as well).

In every other regard, however, these men were indisputably classic right-wing extremists:

-- One of the leaders of the plot, Joseph Aguigui, was a page at the Republican National Convention in 2008.

-- All of the plotters were members of the military and espoused a far-right philosophy, including targeting President Obama for assassination. "I did think that the government needed to change, and I thought that we were the people to be able to change it," one of the plotters told the judge in pleading guilty.

-- The targets of their terrorist acts were generally "liberal" government entities -- poisoning the Washington apple crop, for instance, largely targeted the liberal Seattle consumer market -- although no one can quite figure out why they targeted Savannah's Forsyth Park.

What's most disturbing about this case is that these men were obtaining their arms and combat training from the U.S. military and were aggressively recruiting other members from within their ranks.

http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/georgia-militia-terrorists-fit-dhs-b

[geckosfeet]

1. good ol boys will be good ol boys...

Georgia Militia Terrorists Fit DHS Bulletin Profile Perfectly

As it happens, this sort of thing -- as well as last month's murderous rampage by an ex-soldier/white supremacist at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin -- is exactly what that Department of Homeland Security bulletin on right-wing domestic terrorism of 2009 warned about:

[blockquote style="padding-left:8px; border-left:8px solid #666; width:60%;"]Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

Of course, the DHS wasn't alone in sounding this warning. The year before, in 2008, the FBI issued a similar warning:

[blockquote style="padding-left:8px; border-left:8px solid #666; width:60%;"]Military experience—ranging from failure at basic training to success in special operations forces—is found throughout the white supremacist extremist movement. FBI reporting indicates extremist leaders have historically favored recruiting active and former military personnel for their knowledge of firearms, explosives, and tactical skills and their access to weapons and intelligence in preparation for an anticipated war against the federal government, Jews, and people of color.

These folks are professional right wing extremists forged in the fire of the kkk. Hateful rhetoric and intolerance being forced down the gullet of a nation that values free speech, as long as that free speech is sold and marketed by Wall street.

On edit: a number of informative follow up links in the piece.

[pasto76]

2. Obtaining their 'arms' from the Army, eh? Any else know what happens when a weapon is unaccounted?

the entire post goes on lockdown. Wondering how they planned on getting into the weapons vaults, unless they were the supply NCO.

[pasto76]

3. on a brighter note

these soldiers, fortunately, are in the minority. Had they been in contact with my platoon, there definitely would have been some fights. And any wind of this our way would have had CID there pretty quick.

[JDPriestly]

4. I don't like the Patriot Act's definition of terrorism,

but certainly those guys fit it.

“ the term ‘domestic terrorism’ means activities that…involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State; appear to be intended…to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;…to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or…to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and…occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.’’

http://web.law.duke.edu/publiclaw/civil/index.php?action=showtopic&topicid=10

[Robb]

5. I disagree. I think the prosecution is calling them "anarchists" to win a trial.

They're in a courthouse in Long County, Georgia. The county went 2-1 for McCain in 2008, same for Bush in 2004 and 2000. 3,500 voters.

You want to put these guys away for a long time, you call them something that scares the jury into thinking they need to go away for a long time. In this case, that's gonna be "anarchists" instead of "right wing extremists."