Militia movement: prescription for disaster.

• Author: Halpern, Thomas

The militia movement came under intense national scrutiny after the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, when it was reported that two suspects, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, had attended militia meetings in Michigan. In addition, prosecutors charged that McVeigh was motivated out of anger at the Federal government for its handling of the Branch Davidian confrontation in Waco, Tex - an issue that has been one of the chief rallying cries of the militia movement.

There is evidence that the militia movement has continued to grow since the Oklahoma City bombing. The pattern is not uniform, but militia gains plainly appear to outweigh losses - contrary to the widespread expectation that public shock and revulsion at the bombing might prompt the militias to disband. Many hard-core militiamen believe that the U.S. government itself committed the bombing to create an excuse for further depriving citizens of their constitutional fights.

A survey by the Anti-Defamation League reveals that the militia movement has spread, with some of the growth taking place after the Oklahoma City bombing. Militias have been found to be operating in at least 40 states, with membership reaching about 15,000. While these findings are not a definitive indication of the militias' future prospects, they do point to the need for ongoing close attention to this movement.

Since the militias mainly are located in rural and small-town communities, the burden of monitoring them falls largely on state and local law enforcement agencies. Many of these agencies - in large measure for lack of adequate investigative resources - have not yet managed to rise to this task. That job will be made even more difficult if, as some militias' strategists are counseling, the groups adopt a strategy of organizing into small units designed to be less susceptible to detection, monitoring, and infiltration by law enforcement agencies. This approach echoes a strategic concept known as "leaderless resistance" that has been promoted in recent years by several far-right figures, including Tom Metzger, who leads the White Aryan Resistance, and Louis Beam, a former Texas Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon, who has been "Ambassador-At-Large" of the Idaho-based Aryan Nations.

The most ominous aspect of the militias' program is the conviction, openly expressed by many of them, that an impending armed conflict with the Federal government necessitates paramilitary training and the stockpiling of weapons in preparation for that day of reckoning. According to the militias' conspiracy view, the Federal authorities are enacting gun control legislation in order to make it impossible for the people to resist the imposition of a tyrannical regime or a "one-world" dictatorship. Many militia supporters believe that the conspiracy involves not only Federal authorities, but the United Nations, foreign troops, and other "sinister" forces. Some militia propaganda continues to exhibit an anti-Semitic strain that well could become more pervasive as a result of the movement's obsessive conspiracy-mongering.

In this connection, the role of America's leading anti-Semitic organization, Liberty Lobby, and its weekly publication, The Spotlight, merit attention. Many of the conspiracy fantasies fueling the militias were promoted heavily in a September, 1994, eight-page supplement of The Spotlight, which posed the questions: "Is America on the verge of war? Is a `national emergency' about to be declared and America placed under martial law? Is America on the brink of occupation by military troops under United Nations control?" In addition, the Militia of Montana has been promoting for sale in its catalogue a comprehensive bomb-making manual entitled The Road Back, produced by Liberty Lobby's publishing arm, Noontide Press. The catalogue describes the book as "a plan for the restoration of freedom when our country has been taken over by its enemies."

The militia movement's continued expansion is due at least partly to an effective communications network. Organizers have promoted their ideology not only at militia meetings, but at gun shows, "patriot" rallies, and gatherings of various groups with anti-government grievances. Some militia firebrands reach their audience through mail-order videotapes, computer bulletin boards, and the Internet. Exploiting yet another medium, the pro-militia American Patriot Fax Network disseminates material from hate-group spokesmen and conspiracy theorists, including some who proclaim that the government orchestrated the Oklahoma City bombing.

Of course, the fact that the men charged with the Oklahoma City bombing have had some association with one militia group does not make the entire movement responsible for the crime. Even if no further connection is established between the bombing and the militias, though, it should be clear by now that these extremists, particularly those engaged in paramilitary training, present a serious danger. The formula they have concocted - belief in Federal conspiracies, hatred of the government, and the conviction that an armed showdown is coming - is a prescription for disaster. The following is a state-by-state summary of militia activity:

Alabama has a small, but steadily growing, militia movement. Its most active groups, which appear to be in regular contact with one another, are the Gadsden Minutemen of Etowah County and the Montgomery County-based Sons of Liberty. The Gadsden Minutemen regularly publish a newsletter and meet periodically to practice battle skills and hand-to-hand combat techniques.

The Sons of Liberty is a small group with a deliberately low profile. The organization's manual advises members to "keep the group size down. If you've got more than 10-12 spin off another group." Followers also are warned not to "keep all your eggs in one basket. If you have more than one rifle, keep it in a hideaway spot." Finally, the handbook counsels, "Don't lose sight of our objective . . . . Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they [Federal officials] mean to have a war let it begin here."

Alaska. Small militias have formed in the state. Despite their modest size, the groups have caused concern among observers. An Anchorage attorney and board member of the National Rifle Association has called some of the militias "extremely dangerous." Alaskan militias are connected to the national militia movement via computers. The electronic bulletin board services AmeriKa" and "Back Woods," based *in Anchorage, provide users with conspiracy literature and act as forums to lambast the purportedly encroaching powers of the Federal government.

Arizona. William Cooper of St. Johns has broadcast a nightly shortwave radio program, "Hour of the Time," promoting militias and "New World Order" conspiracy theories. Jack McLamb, a former Phoenix policeman and founder of Police Against the New World Order, aims to convince law enforcement officials of a plot to create a one-world government through his conspiracy tract, Operation Vampire Killer 2000, and a newsletter, Aid & Abet. Another lawman, Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, has spoken at gatherings about his successful suit against the U.S. government to avoid enforcement of the Brady Law in his county, an action that has earned him the admiration of militiamen nationwide.

Militia organizing in the state has occurred in the areas of Phoenix, Prescott, Payson, Snowflake, Kingman, Pinedale, and the Four Corners, with continued expansion since the Oklahoma City bombing. In April, 1995, two men from Snowflake with reported ties to a militia were charged with illegal conspiracy to manufacture, possess, and sell 20 grenades to a Federal undercover agent. They reportedly said that their group was arming itself for a confrontation with the Federal government.

Arkansas. Militia organizing remains embryonic, with one to three groups in the northwest region of the state. They are not known to engage in paramilitary training.

California's militia movement has been growing rapidly, with approximately 35 units throughout the state. The locations range from urban centers to small towns, and extend from the northern to southern borders. Counties in which militias have been active include Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, Kern, Placer, Alameda, Marin, Santa Clara, Shasta, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, El Dorado, Tulare, Sonoma, Mendocino, Butte, Tuolumne, and Tehama.

This widespread activity has been encouraged on public access television and radio. "The Informed Citizen," a television program broadcast on Redding's public access channel, Michael Zwerling's radio talk show on KSCO in Santa Cruz, and "Truth Radio" KDNO in Delano all promote militias.

Dean Compton of rural Shasta County has founded the National Alliance of Christian Militias in response to the perceived threat of an impending "New World Order." The group, whose members are armed, reportedly blends biblical teachings and survivalism. Training sessions are conducted on Compton's 130-acre ranch.

Activist-recruiter Mark Koernke has spoken around the state. In Concord, he reportedly described a future takeover of the U.S...