“A much larger and more dangerous movement”: Right-wing militias thrive post-Bundy — and the media won’t talk about it - Salon.com

A deep overview of the modern history of the militia movement and its kin with William Potter Gale’s creation of the Posse Comitatus.
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Three months after the standoff at the Cliven Bundy ranch, the Southern Poverty Law Center has issued a report—”War in the West: The Bundy Ranch Standoff and the American Radical Right“—stating what should have been obvious at the time, but which most media coverage utterly obscured: The standoff was not some quirky, standalone event that spontaneously just happened out of the blue. Rather, it was a highly coordinated event reflecting the threat of a larger militia movement, which in turn has drawn together multiple threads of far-right ideology over the course of the last 40 years.

On the purely tactical level, the report notes that Bundy’s armed supporters had “overwhelming tactical superiority” due to their pre-positioning on the high ground above the confrontation—under the direction of a Montana militia member and Iraq War veteran—which is a primary reason why the Bureau of Land Management wisely withdrew. On a somewhat broader level, the report warns of the events’ ripple effect. “Just in the months since the Bundy ‘victory,’ tense standoffs between the BLM and antigovernment activists have taken place across the West — in Idaho, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.”

That’s in addition to the violent Las Vegas rampage of Bundy supporters Jerad and Amanda Miller, which left three innocents dead along with the two shooters. And it places these events in a larger context. First in the Obama era—“Since 2009, there have been 17 shooting incidents between antigovernment extremists and law enforcement”—but also beyond. It stretches as far back as the Whiskey Rebellion in the 1790s, but gaining much more organizational coherence with the confluence of the racist, anti-Semitic Posse Comitatus, starting in the 1970s, and two more mainstream movements, “the Sagebrush Rebellion of the 1970s and 1980s and the Wise Use movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.”

“The Bundy ranch standoff wasn’t a spontaneous response to Cliven Bundy’s predicament but rather a well-organized, military-type action that reflects the potential for violence from a much larger and more dangerous movement,” said Mark Potok, senior fellow in the SPLC’s Intelligence Project, and lead author of the report, in a statement accompanying the report. “This incident may have faded from public view, but if our government doesn’t pay attention, we will be caught off guard as much as the Bureau of Land Management was that day.”

[,,,]
The report not only provides a broad overview of how violence-prone right-wing anti-government conspiracism and broader land use grievances have interacted since the 1970s, it also provides direct evidence of how Bundy himself has espoused such fringe views throughout his decades-long period of refusing to pay the minimal grazing fees he owes.

But as far-reaching as it is, it is still remarkably focused, Clarkson points out. “The issue in the case of the Bundy grazing fees, is a long standing issue of federal lands in the West. But there are many such potential rallying points for the Patriot movement and its prospective allies, informed by a volatile range of beliefs, many of them religious.”

While the report does mention religion in passing, as Clarkson suggests, there’s a great deal more out there that lies beyond its scope. “In 2001, for example, there was an analogous situation when the Indianapolis Baptist Temple, which had refused to withhold taxes from their employee paychecks, faced the seizure of their assets. Militia groups also turned out to defend the church,” Clarkson said. In a post-Hobby Lobby world, who’s to say what would happen with similar situation today? In that case, however, “law enforcement simply waited until almost everyone had gone home and three months later seized the church without violence,” Clarkson noted. “Not every such standoff need end in violence. But ideological shifts in elements of the Christian Right in recent years, also point to a growing potential if not actual preparation for violence.”

“A much larger and more dangerous movement”: Right-wing militias thrive post-Bundy — and the media won’t talk about it - Salon.com

UPDATE::New Jersey Judge: Ex-Gay Therapists May Be Liable For Damages To Former Clients | ThinkProgress

An update of this initial posting,,,

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) brought the suit a year and a half ago, accusing Jews
Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) of consumer fraud for providing ex-gay therapy. Plaintiffs outlined humiliating and degrading experiences from their treatment, including having to strip nude in front of their therapist and re-enact past trauma. Their suit demands compensation for the failed treatment, as well as for the therapy they later sought to correct the damage incurred by JONAH.

JONAH sought a summary judgment to dismiss the claims for the post-JONAH therapy, but New Jersey Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. denied the request Friday, explaining that he thinks there’s a case to be made that the organization is liable. Assuming the truth of the plaintiffs’ experiences, Bariso wrote, “JONAH’s conversion therapy damaged the individuals it was meant ‘to cure,’” and thus “any subsequent costs of repairing Plaintiff’s mental or emotional health are the direct and proximate result of JONAH’s actions and, hence, should be borne by JONAH.” The case will now proceed considering both claims for damages.

New Jersey Judge: Ex-Gay Therapists May Be Liable For Damages To Former Clients | ThinkProgress

‘Sovereign citizens’ plaster courts with bogus legal filings—and some turn to violence

This is a fantastic article and lays a good foundation as to what they "believe" and the tactics used. "Paper terrorists" is an apt description,,,

What all of these cases have in common is that they are part of a movement of "sovereign citizens," according to law enforcement officials. Sovereigns—also called "freemen on the land" or "organic citizens"—believe that an illegitimate, usurper federal government has taken over, and that they don't have to pay taxes, pull over their cars for police or obey any other law they don't like.

These beliefs may sound silly, but sovereigns can be difficult to laugh off. For one thing, even though they don't believe they're subject to laws, they use laws as weapons. The FBI has called sovereigns "paper terrorists" because they so often fight perceived enemies—generally public employees—by filing false liens, false tax documents or spurious lawsuits. These can hurt the victim's credit, stymie attempts to sell or refinance property, and take years and thousands in legal fees to correct.

The trouble doesn't stop there. When involved in any legal matter, from pet licensing to serious criminal charges, sovereigns are known for filing legal-sounding gibberish, usually pro se, learned from other sovereigns who sell lessons in "law" online. Frequently, they cite the Uniform Commercial Code, maritime law and the Bible.

They're also known for the sheer volume of their filings, which can double the size of a normal docket. This can frustrate and delay courts as they consider the defendant's competence and otherwise try to minimize disruptions. With many court systems fighting heavy caseloads and budget cuts, these extra headaches are unwelcome.

And though most sovereigns are not violent, there are exceptions. The FBI has declared them to be domestic terrorists because they occasionally get into armed confrontations with law enforcement. A sovereign father and son, Jerry and Joseph Kane, were responsible for the 2010 murders of two West Memphis, Ark., police officers, during what should have been a routine traffic stop. Jerry Kane was a known figure within the sovereign movement, traveling the country to sell ideas on debt elimination and stopping foreclosure. His girlfriend, Donna Lee Wray, later made news by flooding Tampa's local government with paperwork when they wanted her to get a dog license.

‘Sovereign citizens’ plaster courts with bogus legal filings—and some turn to violence

Pt. 2::NC sheriff probing Kansas shooter’s ties to 1987 triple slaying following Raw Story report

Last week, Raw Story brought you an in-depth report exploring accused Kansas City shooter Frazier Glenn Miller’s possible ties to a 1987 triple slaying at an adult bookstore in North Carolina. Now, investigators with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office are traveling from North Carolina to Kansas to question Miller, according to a report this evening from Charlotte news station WBTV

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Miller was the founder of the White Patriot Party and Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. He testified in Sheets’ trial after taking a plea deal with federal investigators in a separate weapons crimes case in Missouri. Sheets’ attorneys argued it was Miller, not his client, who had no alibi for the night of the murders.

NC sheriff probing Kansas shooter’s ties to 1987 triple slaying following Raw Story report

Pt. 1::Frazier Glenn Miller’s ties to a 1987 triple slaying: Did the feds protect a killer?

On April 13, Frazier Glenn Miller was arrested after he allegedly shot and killed three people at a Jewish Community Center and a Jewish retirement center in suburban Kansas City. Within hours of the arrest, the media reported that Miller had a long history as a white supremacist and virulent anti-Semite who has spent time in prison and, more importantly, been freed in plea deals with the federal government.

Two defense attorneys tell Raw Story that Miller was working out his end of such a plea deal when he appeared as a witness for the prosecution in a murder trial nearly three decades ago. But they say it was obvious to them even then that Miller should have been considered the prime suspect in that crime — a crime that, to this day, remains unsolved.

As Miller faces charges for killing three people in Kansas City, these attorneys say it’s fair to ask the federal government – why wasn’t Miller in prison many years before this?

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Miller says in his autobiography that the federal officials approached him with a plea deal.

“I was to plead guilty to one count of felony possession of a hand grenade and answer all questions posed to me by the authorities,” he writes. “In return, they would recommend a 5-year prison sentence, immunity from any further prosecution by either state or federal authorities, and entrance into the Federal Witness Protection Program which included the financial support of my family while I served my sentence.”

Miller claims the information he provided to authorities did not result in any indictments or prison sentences. (The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that Miller testified against 14 white supremacy leaders on charges of sedition. None were convicted.)

One person Miller testified against was Doug Sheets, in a 1989 trial for the Shelby III bookstore killing.

[,,,]
Lyons believes that federal authorities – and their plea deal with Miller – prevented them from looking at Miller more closely.

“If they thought [the prosecutor] had screwed up somehow, they had the right to come in behind him and file civil rights charges, by virtue of depriving the people in the bookstore of their civil rights by murdering them,” Lyons says. “That was never attempted. The problem was — and what comes back to me is — Miller got to them first and they kind of took him for all they could get out of him. My thinking is that it is very possible they just looked the other way and were not very interested in following the path to Miller and I think they should have.”


Frazier Glenn Miller’s ties to a 1987 triple slaying: Did the feds protect a killer?

The United States of Hatred: From the KKK to black separatists, the 939 hate groups across America mapped | Mail Online

A revealing new map has made it clear where hundreds of hate groups are based in the United States, showing how racist and radical groups are still largely found in the South but the number of groups has multiplied dramatically since President Obama too office.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has released a 'hate map' last week which shows the national distribution of the various groups that they could confirm.

The overall number of groups actually dropped from 1,007 in 2012 to 939 in 2013- the last full year with available data- but one of their more troubling observations is that some of the far-right leaning groups have had their ideologies picked up by conservative Republican politicians.

The United States of Hatred: From the KKK to black separatists, the 939 hate groups across America mapped | Mail Online

Why They Join | Southern Poverty Law Center

Many people have asked why I focus on such negative stories. The simple answer, whether political in nature or religious, the dangers of these ideologies need to exposed. In my case I focus on the harm caused by religion and lately how religion is influencing our politics. A more complex answer. I am trying to understand what drives people to these ideologies and their willingness to maltreat another human being.

While this article focuses on the more "hardcore" extremism (the white power movement) the term "radical-right" is used in the discussion. That is where my interest is, more succinctly, why do people vote against their own best interests by following some of these movements.
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On common themes in their personal histories,,,
It’s pretty diverse but if I had to nail it down I would say one of the most common background characteristics is some kind of family disruption, whether that be divorce or parental abandonment, a parent becoming incarcerated, or substance abuse by one or both of the parents,,,

,,,people from a wide cross section of socioeconomic backgrounds become involved. I think this is really important not only in terms of challenging a pretty pervasive stereotype but also recognizing that these types of groups have a much wider recruitment potential than is often recognized.

In terms of personality, I wouldn’t say there is one type of personality, but I would say there are certain characteristics of thinking that make a person more prone or susceptible,,,

At the most fundamental level that’s what most of these movements are all really based on — oversimplifying a highly complicated world — and that’s a powerful thing to offer people, especially those who feel lost or are looking for some easy answers.

On violence,,,
Well, some people were already violent before they ever became involved in extremism,,,

But becoming immersed in a world of extremism definitely encourages additional violence. Violence is a central part of the culture — it’s all over the music, part of their ideology, and they talk about violence on a regular basis,,,
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Fortunately — and this is true for all extremists — there is far more violent talk than there is violent crime,,,

On ideology,,,
,,,Over time, ideology becomes more important as the person becomes more familiar with the ideas. But it’s not necessarily a smooth process where each member becomes a full convert to the same extent,,,

Conspiratorial thinking,,,
,,,we need to be mindful that conspiracy theories have a long history with a broad spectrum of influence. Conspiracy theories are certainly not the sole province of a few “wild-eyed wackos.”,,,




Why They Join | Southern Poverty Law Center

SPLC files groundbreaking lawsuit accusing conversion therapy organization of fraud | Southern Poverty Law Center

The Southern Poverty Law Center filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit today accusing a New Jersey organization of consumer fraud for offering conversion therapy services – a dangerous and discredited practice that claims to convert people from gay to straight.

The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey, charges that Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH), its founder, Arthur Goldberg, and counselor Alan Downing violated New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act by providing conversion therapy claiming to cure clients of being gay.

It is the first time a conversion therapy provider has been sued for fraudulent business practices. The lawsuit describes how the plaintiffs – four young men and two of their parents – were lured into JONAH’s services through deceptive practices.

“JONAH profits off of shameful and dangerous attempts to fix something that isn’t broken,” said Christine P. Sun, deputy legal director for the SPLC. “Despite the consensus of mainstream professional organizations that conversion therapy doesn’t work, this racket continues to scam vulnerable gay men and lesbians out of thousands of dollars and inflicts significant harm on them.”

The lawsuit describes how the underlying premise of conversion therapy – that a person can “convert” to heterosexuality – has no basis in scientific fact. Conversion therapy has been discredited or highly criticized by all major American medical, psychiatric, psychological and professional counseling organizations. It is the longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences that homosexuality is a normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation.

SPLC files groundbreaking lawsuit accusing conversion therapy organization of fraud | Southern Poverty Law Center

USA Today Op-Ed Endorses Psychologically Damaging "Ex-Gay" Therapy | Blog | Media Matters for America

Customers of JONAH's services typically pay a minimum of $100 for weekly individual counseling sessions and another $60 for group therapy sessions. The lawsuit describes sessions that involved clients undressing in front of a mirror and even a group session where young men were instructed to remove their clothing and stand naked in a circle with the counselor, [Alan] Downing, who was also undressed. Another session involved a subject attempting to wrest away two oranges, which were used to represent testicles, from another individual.

"Sadly, there is no accountability for those who practice conversion therapy," said Michael Ferguson, a conversion therapy survivor and plaintiff in the lawsuit. "They play blindly with deep emotions and create an immense amount of self-doubt for the client. They seize on your personal vulnerability, and tell you that being gay is synonymous with being less of a man. They further misrepresent themselves as having the key to your new orientation."

Downing and other counselors at JONAH also use techniques that leave clients alienated from their families. These techniques encourage clients to blame their parents for being gay. Clients even participate in violent role play exercises where they beat effigies of their mothers.

"These counselors are skilled at manipulating you into believing just about anything," said Benjamin Unger, another plaintiff in the case. "During my time with JONAH, they told me constantly that my mom had made me gay. I was so convinced that I refused to have any contact with her for several months, which caused a great deal of damage to our relationship."

USA Today Op-Ed Endorses Psychologically Damaging "Ex-Gay" Therapy | Blog | Media Matters for America

Sexual reorientation therapy not unethical: Column

No matter how you want to slice and dice it, sexual orientation can not be changed! What I find appalling, Cummings with so many years of "experience" does not know this and is spouting such rubbish. Personally I think he is aware of the damage he has caused and just doesn't care; it does not fit his world that his ideology is warped.
I have seen first hand what this type of thinking can do and it galls me that people are forced to live a life that truly is not their own.  To bury their "true" selves for the sake of what family or friends may think.

People may not want to be gay because of societies treatment of them however they will never be happy and fulfilled going against the core of their being. It is repression and is not fair to an opposite sex partner or spouse to force something on them that was never there to begin with. Don't call this forced, unnatural way of living a "cure" and phooey on USA Toady for even publishing this crap.

,,,The lawsuit is the opening salvo of a wave of activism intended to discredit therapy offered in 70 clinics across 20 states, according to the SPLC.

As it should be!! This therapy has been discredited long ago and the fact that "70 clinics" still use it is a pathetic crime. There's no evidence that anyone has actually changed; they rely on self report. As I have posted before, Exodus has completely collapsed under the weight of their falsehoods. John Paulk claimed he had changed for several years until finally admitting he hadn't. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and the ex gay industry doesn't really have any. Self-loathing is not "therapy."

Whatever the situation at an individual clinic, accusing professionals from across the country who provide treatment for fully informed persons seeking to change their sexual orientation of perpetrating a fraud serves only to stigmatize the professional and shame the patient.

And perpetuating a fraud is a crime in my book!!   I'd love to see follow up interviews with those 18,000 supposedly helped.

Sexual reorientation therapy not unethical: Column