From the Radio Free Michigan archives ftp://141.209.3.26/pub/patriot If you have any other files you'd like to contribute, e-mail them to bj496@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu. ------------------------------------------------ Armed and Dangerous Chip Berlet Many people assume that John C. Salvi 3d must be unbalanced - after all, what other explanation can there be for a person who allegedly sprays health clinics with bullets leaving death and destruction? Salvi's other reported actions add to this public assumption. he quotes the biblical book of Revelations; he meets with a Catholic priest and demands to distribute lurid photographs of aborted fetuses, charging that the Catholic Church is not doing enough to stop abortion; he confronts his parish on Christmas Eve for failing to live up to his interpretation of the Catholic faith and its obligations; he embraces violence while participating in a movement that calls itself prolife. The courts will decide if Salvi is competent to stand trial, but each of his actions and statements can be traced to specific theological and political arguments promoted by organizations in the Boston area and nationwide. The photographs of fetuses distributed by Salvi come from Human Life International, a right-wing Catholic antiabortion group with a chapter in Massachusetts. HLI promotes a highly dogmatic vision of Catholicism that is critical of liberal Catholics around the issues of abortion, sex education, homosexuality and feminism. HLI distributes books with titles such as "The Feminist Takeover,""Ungodly Rage: The Hidden Face of Catholic Feminism," and "New World Order: The Ancient Plan of Secret Societies." The last book promotes the longstanding conspiracy theories of ultraconservative and far right groups. Under the umbrella of the little-known "Patriots" movement, groups that fear a "New World Order conspiracy" held a meeting in November at Burlington High School. Speakers included John Birch Society stalwart Samuel L. Blumenfeld, Sandra Martinez of Concerned Women for America and leading antiabortion organizer Dr. Mildred Jefferson. Both the Birch Society and DWA are active in the antiabortion movement. Jefferson is in leadership roles in both the National Right to Life Committee and Massachusetts Citizens for Life. Salvi attended at least one meeting of Massachusetts Citizens for Life and met with several of its leaders. While Jefferson spoke, attendees browsed three tables fof literature brought by Den's Gun Shop in Lakeville. One book offered instruction in the use of the Ruger .22 rifle, the weapon allegedly used by Salvi. Other books contain diagrams on how to build bombs and incendiary devices. One title was "Improved Weapons of the American Underground." You could even purchase the book "Hunter" by neo-Nazi William Pierce of the National Alliance. "Hunter" is a book about parasitic Jews destroying America and the need for armed civilians to carry out political assassinations to preserve the white race. Leaflets from the National Alliance attacking the New World Order and "minority parasites" have been appearing in Cambridge, Somerville and other Boston-area communities. One speaker, Ed Brown, runs the Constitutional Defense Militia of New Hampshire. Brown passed out brochures offering "Firearms Training, Combat Leadership, Close Combat and Intelligence Measures." Brown is a part of the growing armed militia movement, which is the militant wing of the Patriots movement. Several months ago Planned Parenthood held a press conference in New York, where it released information about a Patriots meeting in Wisconsin, where antiabortion activists and armed militia proponents shared the podium. A key figure in training armed civilian militias was the featured afternoon speaker at the Burlington meeting. Robert K. Spear is the author of "Living Under the New World Order" and "Surviving Global Slavery." According to Spear, we are living in the "end times" predicted in the book of Revelations. True Christians will be asked to make sacrifices to defend their faith and prepare the way for the return of Christ. Spear's plan is the formation of armed Christian communities. The idea that we are in the end times is growing in right-wing Christian evangelical circles. While predominantly a Protestant phenomenon, there are small groups of dogmatic and charismatic Catholics that also are embracing end times theology. Like Salvi, they point to the book of Revelations. Spear cited Revelations 13, the prophesy that in the end times, Christians will be asked to accept the Satanic "Mark of the Beast" and reject Christ. These views are hardly marginal on the Christian Right, Pat Robertson, a leading figure in the religious right whose Christian Coalition is credited with helping elect many Republican congressmen, has been emphasizing end times themes on the TV program "700 Club." On the fringes of the antiabortion movement are groups that argue that it is morally justifiable to kill abortion providers. In recent years the most militant antiabortion groups have been influenced by the theology of Christian Reconstructionism or dominion theology, which argue that true Christians must physically confront secular and sinful society and return it to God. Through predominantly composed of right-wing Protestants, a similar movement among doctrinaire Catholics has emerged. The trajectory of Philip Lawler from the editorship of the Catholic publication The Pilot to the Catholic League for Religiouis and Civil Rights to Operation Rescue is one example of this drift toward militancy. Last spring Salvi joined 300 antiabortion demonstrators outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Brookline, where pamphlets were circulated citing Operation Rescue estimates that 18,000 abortions were performed annuallly at the facility. There is no evidence that Salvi attended the Patriots meeting in Burlington or that the rhetoric or ideaas of any of the groups or individuals mentioned directly influenced his acitons. The fact remains, however, that there is a growing right-wing social movement that uses theological arguments to encourage direct confrontation of its targets and tolerates discussions of armed resistance. Its adherents scapegoat abortion providers, gays and lesbians, feminists, even environmental activists. Some have called feminists who support abortion right "femi-Nazis" and argued that abortion is a genocide worse than that of Hitler. One slogan is "If you really think abortion is murder, then act like it." For some who hear this message, all that's left is to pull the trigger. Chip Berlet is an analyst at Political Research Associates. White Mountain Militia returns fire: The "Armed and Dangerous" editorial appeared in the Boston Globe Friday, January 6, 1995. This is the first serious effort that I have seen by an east-coast establishment newspaper at linking the Patriot community with violence at abortion clinics. I offer the following analysis: 1. The title, "Armed and Dangerous" is also the title of a recent ADL report on the unorganized militia and the Patriot movement. This report was characterized by a reckless series of half-truths and lies. It was clearly an attempt to defame the Patriot community and link patriot activities to racist and anti-semite groups. 2. Chip Burlet, an analyst at Political Research Associates, is obviously a hired hatchet-man employed by this ADL front organization. Another tentacle of the ADL's propaganda leviathan, the Cult Awareness Network, was responsible for the systematic disinformation and defamation campaign against David Koresh. These efforts led to the publics' accepting the slaughter of innocent civilians at the Waco massacre. As the heat is turned up on the Patriot movement, we expect a similar campaign of disinformation against loyal Americans. 3. The first section of the editorial is an untenable effort to link unrelated causes and events, couched under the rhetorical question of John Salvi's sanity. The notions that fetuses are alive, that abortion is wrong, and that the "New World Order Conspiracy" exists are used collectively to support the idea that Salvi's action arises from the teachings of the "little known Patriots movement" and other named organizations. Fortunately, this juvenile disinformation strategy is easily discerned by those even slightly more alert than the brain-dead. 4. Next, Burlet attempts to link respected speakers such as Mildred Jefferson with Salvi, suggesting that he attended a meeting of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, an organization in which Jefferson holds a leadership position. The first sentence of the fifth paragraph offers Jefferson as a primary subject, and in the second clause introduces literature brought by Den's gunshop. The fact that a Ruger 10-22 rifle was allegedly used by Salvi, and a book on the Ruger .22 was available at the meeting is coupled with statements regarding literature on weaponry and a racist volume, "Hunter". Finally, the book "Hunter", an anti-semitic novel, is linked to other attacks on the New World Order by a racist group; all this seeming to suggest that Mildred Johnson supports a racist program. What is not revealed in the editorial is that Mildred Johnson holds degrees in medicine, is black, is a Patriot, and shared the podium with Bruce Chesley, a local representative of Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO), a fine pro-civil rights Patriot organization. These lies of omission are typical of the cheap strategies employed by establishment media pundits. Like most of the aging artillery of the ADL propaganda arsenal, this tactic is easily identified even by those of us educated in the public schools. 5. No assault on the Patriot movement would be complete without an effort to slander the unorganized militia. Training measures offered by all regional militia are provided by licensed, qualified individuals. These days anyone seeking knowledge on self-defense can be labeled as a fanatic by the hate-mongers at the ADL. Again, with the tactic of omission, Burlet ignores the legitimacy of the unorganized militia and its activities under ALL United States laws, state codes and statutes; also left out: The Constitution for the United States of America. Most mature individuals take the protection of themselves, their family, and their property seriously, and no amount of deception will change that fact of human nature. For this, all but propagandists and other criminals can be grateful. 6. Christians and Patriots are again taken to task for their discussion of the "Mark of the Beast". It is suggested that Salvi, in his lunacy, believes the application of such a mark to be possible, and that anyone holding similar beliefs is equally as lunatic. Even those of us who watch only mainstream media television news broadcasts have been acquainted with the use of tiny computer chips injected under the skin of animals for the purpose of tracking. Perhaps the scientific research wing of the ADL could use help from my children's high school Earth Science teacher. He suggests that computer chips implanted in infants would be a plausible deterrent to kidnapping, and allow for the easy recovery of the baby... Wouldn't that be great?? 7. The disclaimer. "There is no evidence that Salvi attended the Patriots meeting...or that the rhetoric or ideas of any of the groups or individuals mentioned directly influenced his actions". The ADL's legal research staff gets high marks here. And they had better be careful. ANY MINOR SLIP-UPS CAN LEAD TO A CLASS ACTION SUIT JOINED BY ALL OF THE MENTIONED GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS. 8. The conclusion. "For some who hear this message, all that's left is to pull the trigger." This ridiculous notion is only retained in the flaccid gray matter of the semi-conscious sheeple. The propagandist postulates that most Americans will timidly accept this notion and cower at the mere mention of the Patriot movement. He earns his money by encouraging fear disseminating disinformation, and undermining ideals. The geometric expansion of the Patriot community is demonstrable evidence of his certain failure. In summary, every attempt to defame the Patriot community brings legions to our ranks. Every effort to the undermine the continuing Patriot campaign aimed at exposing the systematic subversion of this Republic's Constitutional system awakens more concerned Americans. The sleeping giant is finally regaining consciousness from a long, enduced slumber. Once fully alert, he will smash the individuals responsible for the destruction of this nation and dismember the organizations they support. DEAR GIANT, ADD MR. BURLET AND THE POLITICAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES TO THE LIST. White Mountain Militia Information Service POBox 1358 Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766 ------------------------------------------------ (This file was found elsewhere on the Internet and uploaded to the Radio Free Michigan archives by the archive maintainer. All files are ZIP archives for fast download. E-mail bj496@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu)