FBI and anti-terror units raid Christian militia
Over the weekend the FBI staged a series of raids on a Christian militia organization in Michigan, with simultaneous raids in Ohio and Indiana. As yet, little detail is available, but Mountain Sage has some more information and links.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force also participated in the raids. Our country may have been spared something very nasty -- maybe even nastier than the religious terrorist attack which Russia suffered this morning.
Update 1: TPM has more (found via Green Eagle) -- nine militia members have been charged. Apparently the police were their intended target. The charges include "seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction".
Update 2 (30 March): Stupid Evil Bastard has a great post up on this, with numerous links to more info and commentary. The militia hoped that its planned massacre of police would trigger a nationwide uprising against the government.
In comments yesterday, I predicted: "At least some of the right-wing blogs will soon start claiming that the government staged this whole thing as a pretext to declare martial law. Then, when time passes and the government doesn't declare martial law, they somehow will never get around to retracting the claim that it was staged." Based on some of the rightist commentary SEB quotes, some of them are already floating the idea that the government engineered this.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Joint Terrorism Task Force also participated in the raids. Our country may have been spared something very nasty -- maybe even nastier than the religious terrorist attack which Russia suffered this morning.
Update 1: TPM has more (found via Green Eagle) -- nine militia members have been charged. Apparently the police were their intended target. The charges include "seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction".
Update 2 (30 March): Stupid Evil Bastard has a great post up on this, with numerous links to more info and commentary. The militia hoped that its planned massacre of police would trigger a nationwide uprising against the government.
In comments yesterday, I predicted: "At least some of the right-wing blogs will soon start claiming that the government staged this whole thing as a pretext to declare martial law. Then, when time passes and the government doesn't declare martial law, they somehow will never get around to retracting the claim that it was staged." Based on some of the rightist commentary SEB quotes, some of them are already floating the idea that the government engineered this.
posted by Infidel753 at 8:36 AM
7 Comments:
At some point in time these nutters, or nutters like them, will be successful. They see the police as representative of a socialist state led by a black man. Make no mistake. They are dangerous and I can warrant they are high on the FBI's list of terrorist organizations.
Interesting debates going on at the linked sites about whether or not this is "terrorism" -- since the FBI seems content to call them "extremists" or a "fringe group" -- I just don't understand why all the skittishness. Well, unless all that right-wing rhetoric about suspension of due process and torturing terror suspects is coming home to roost, since it's becoming more and more clear that they only meant this to apply to brown people.
No matter what kind of spin you put on the details of the Hutaree's plans, it seems to me to be a very clear case of terrorism. The plan to murder a member of law enforcement might not fit the definition, but the fact that the murder was part of a larger plan to detonate explosives at the funeral is clearly terrorism, since it targets both sworn government officials and civilian family members.
But, whatever they call it, I still commend the agencies involved for putting a stop to a truly terrifying plan.
Mad Mike: Unfortunately that's all too likely. This plot would have killed scores of people if it had gone forward, comparable to the Oklahoma City attack. Sooner or later it's likely that something that bad will actually happen. All we have going for us is that the authorities are alert and people are alert -- which is why I posted this.
God Lizard: There seems to be a reluctance to use that word about domestic groups. It would be hard to think of a clearer case of a terrorist group than the KKK, yet it is not often called that.
A prediction: At least some of the right-wing blogs will soon start claiming that the government staged this whole thing as a pretext to declare martial law. Then, when time passes and the government doesn't declare martial law, they somehow will never get around to retracting the claim that it was staged.
Our Communist gov'ment was absolutely justified in their actions in this situation. I applaud the decision. I also hope they are just as diligent when the targets are innocent, law abiding citizens.
I don't visit right-wing blogs anymore. I simply don't want to listen to their ignorant rants and I can still know mine enemy by getting excerpts from fellow bloggers, which is about all I can stomach. Besides they never say anything new, much less enlightening.
Indeed, if the government isn't supposed to prevent terrorist attacks, it's hard to see what it is supposed to do. The righties whom SEB quotes are in a fantasy world. I'm disappointed to see Glenn Reynolds among them.
Some of the right-wing bloggers are reasonable and think independently (there's the Frum Forum, Pamela's Oracular Opinion, The Crossed Pond.....not many, it's true). There are several others I read, just to keep up with what kinds of things they're saying, but rarely comment on.
"Amadmike1" said a few word's that were pretty accurate in my opinion, when he said "they see police as representative of a socialist state led by a black man". I mean .... when you talk with some of these folk's one on one .... whether their christian right or Aryan division's and such .... there seem's to be this sub-taste of that .... way before there was any talk of a black President .... many feared the day would come .... and a day would also come of a black dictated socialist police force. A few I have talked to, also felt these FEMA emergency center's were being built to soon lock up all citizen's who dont conform to the new socialism, and that they are also going to disarm American's, etc. I personally dont believe that we ever had a government that wanted or planned to disarm American's .... it is these type's and their little fantasies that are the "one's" who actually endanger all us other's gun right's folk's and advocate's, by planning these shenanigan's and terror attempt's! And they are not much different if you look at the earliest KKK group's that controlled southern state's, and even white people's action's through terror .... this is nothing new, they want to take over, and if you give them an "inch" they will take a "mile". "They" are the one's putting our 2nd amendment right's in jeopardy every time they pull this horseshit! I mean .... what is the government or law enforcement supposed to do when they are being threatened by terrorist's? .... give them more gun right's or ammo? We dont have a government trying a tyrannical takeover .... it is these folk's that are the true "tyrant's". Hell the global corportion's have more power these day's then those who even represent us in government .... yet these teabag type's want to give them "complete" control ... I'm even called a socialist by these type's these day's, time and again.
Thank You Sir ......
Considering that "socialist" is what they call pretty much anyone who isn't as crazy as they are, you should take that as a compliment.
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