Friday, December 23, 2011

Oathkeepers? More accurately Oathbreakers and Conservative Domestic Terrorists

"Remember the lesson from my book: It just took a few shootings at Kent State to shut that down for good," - Ann Coutler.
The Oathkeepers were a loose organization of Veterans, Police Officers, Active Duty Military and National Guardsmen which nominally declared they would never "just follow orders" and deprive Americans of their Constitutional Rights, with the motto "Not on Our Watch". Today they have little impact but you can still find right-wing blogs which tout the Oathkeeper Pledge, as conservative blowhard The Bloviating Zeppelin recently did in declaring himself an Oathkeeper.

Originally, following the election of President Obama, the Oathkeepers began coalescing around the time the Department of Homeland Security released their 2009 memo concerning the Rise of recruiting efforts amongst returning service members by violent Right Wing Extremist/Sovereign Citizen/Domestic Terrorist groups. The DHS Memorandum was spurred on by the murder of 3 Pittsburgh Police Officers by Right Wing Extremist Richard Poplawski and noted that the Republicon Recession and President Obama's election presented unique moment in American history.

Additionally, the Southern Poverty Law Center began to document the Re-Rise of the Patriot Militia Movements and the evolving nature of the internet allowed for more dynamic connectivity. Famously, amongst the Oathkeepers former Marine Charles Dyer's skull-masked youtube video set to the soundtrack of The Last of the Mohicans, and the ludicrous videos of Bob Basso pretending to be Thomas Paine dressed in standard 1776 garb became rallying points.

Much of the resulting Oathkeeper History became entangled with the Tea Party, Birtherism, Faux News, fear of the Michele Bachmann/Glenn Beck FEMA Concentration Camps and the Co-opting of the organization's energy by the 1% to direct anger at President Obama and the Democratic Party.

The salient point now is not their manipulation at the hands of the Republicon Party, FreedomWorks or the Koch Brothers but, in light of their 10 Point "NOT" Pledge, the fact The Oathkeepers are little more than another group who wittingly or unwittingly carries the water of the 1% and should more accurately be called the Oathbreakers Militia. This is Pledge #10:
We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
Want to guess what the reaction to OWS and #Occupy was from the Oathbreakers? Infiltration and Destruction.

I occasionally saw the odd Ron Paulian Banner at #OccupyChi, but the Oathbreakers attempt to pass along Alex Jones conspiracy memes at various #Occupy General Assemblies (GA) failed. Occupiers are too adroit (literally) and too well read to fall for that Pablum.

Of course, the failure of the Oathbreakers to successfully "Occupy the Occupation" may explain why when the NYPD, Oakland Police, Boston PD, and every paramilitary Police Force were ordered to beat, tear gas, pepper spray, shoot, destroy personal property, illegally detain and violate the Rights of Americans to Peaceably Assemble and petition the Government there was no outcry from the Oathbreakers. And as Right-Wing websites continued the call for more Police Violence and even as anti-American World Net Daily writer Phil Elmore requested,
"Call out the National Guard. Turn on the fire hoses. Send bulldozers. Bring flame-throwers, for pity's sake. Men and women who give a damn about their country, wearing Hazmat suits and respiratory gear, empowered by the lawful government of this nation, should be marching in ranks on every Obamaville this very moment, prepared to beat with truncheons and shoot with rubber bullets every last filthy hippie. The "occupiers" are criminals and terrorists."
There was naught but silence from the Oathkeepers.

When Richmond Police bulldozers turned the potential into the actual, the Oathkeepers showed themselves to be nothing more than a thinly veiled Militia, exactly what everyone at the DHS knew them to be, A Reactionary Anti-American Band of Pseudo Terrorists, who had no intention of standing for the American people but had the the very real purpose of blaming the Democratic Party and President Obama for the evils committed by Wall Street, the Corporate Plutocrats and the 1%.

Update:
“First amendment rights are not absolute.” Los Angeles Chief Deputy City Atty William Carter said in a public statement. He thinks that the lesson these protesters need to take away from being arrested and jailed for two days is that they were wrong about their rights. According to a LA Times article, Many Occupy L.A. protesters arrested during demonstrations in recent months are being offered a unique chance to avoid court trials: pay $355 to a private company for a lesson in free speech. Carter said the city won't press charges against protesters who complete the educational program offered by American Justice Associates.

You see as long as the Wrong Americans are having their Rights Violated, the Oathkeepers are willing to look the other way.

9 comments:

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Thanks for the plug, indeed!

BZ

Grung_e_Gene said...

Always glad to highlight a potential domestic terrorist, BZ.

toma said...

These 'keepers' are actually self-styled keepers of order, i.e. potential neo-fascists. They're as conventional and easily threatened as it comes. The timing of their rise while the presidency got blackened isn't suspicious, it's predictable. They get itchy when the local mall shuffles movies a little too quickly. I bet the drug testing of welfare recipients is a peachy good idea by them instead of an appalling government intrusion into our private lives, which it obviously is. I hear crickets.

Grung_e_Gene said...

@ toma,

A correct analysis of the Oathbreakers. There 10 point NOT pledge is chock-full of Neo-Confederate verbiage celebrating State's Rights and Militias and is a declaration of War on the Federal Government.

That is unless the Government tramples on the rights of those the Oathbreakers deem undesirables.

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gene. Love your blog. Hope you had a GREAT Christmas, and 2012 sees you and your family safe and healthy.

BZ

Grung_e_Gene said...

Well, I hope Saturnalia was wonderful for you BZ.

Matt said...

Ah, traditional left-wing dribble. Republicrat trash similar to the likes of faux and NBC. Both comments and article.

Are the oathkeepers useless? Definitely, but their message is constitutional. Ill stand with campaign for liberty, Ron Paul, and the libertarian party for Jefferson ideals. Freedom isn't freedom. More government no matter if its from either the "left or right" - even though farther right you get the less government and more social and economic freedom we have - is still statist ie fascism.

Grung_e_Gene said...

Hello, Matt.

Just to let you know you weren't censored I merely have an end date for automatic comment acceptance. I did delete your other comment because it seemed as if you posted it thinking there was a comment hiccup.

Now, to your points.

No, the Oathbreakers aren't constitutional. They're claiming they are for cover for their agenda.

I've heard not one word, let alone any support for OWS or to stop the Republican Rape Wand Legislation being adopted across the country.

And please the "farther right you get" doesn't get you less government but more government involved in peoples private lives and more government wedded to the ideal of Bomb bomb bomb Iran...

You are kidding yourself or have so swallowed and reinforced your own propaganda that any government = fascism as to be beyond having a rational discussion on the matter.

This is the actual case. As we continually cede more power to Corporations they are unconstrained by any belief in the Constituion or Civil Rights, human rights or any metric which will harm their bottom line.

What the Republicans are ushering in is an Era of Corporate Feudalism in which 99% of the world are reduced to Wage Slaves.

But, you can continue to debate Positive Liberty v. Negative Liberty while in the actual world the Corporate Monsters pollute the waters, circumvent regulations, pocket billions in taxpayer protection for their rampant gambling.

Anonymous said...

What sense does it make to strip law abiding citizens of there 2nd amendment right during a disaster? All that does is invite criminals who do not follow laws to come in invade and rob good people. And that has nothing to do with Left or Right Wing. It is just plain Fascism to strip law abiding citizens of rights. Taking or restricting law abiding citizens rights has nothing to do with protecting anyone from a terror attack, and you know it, It is about control and about protecting rich politician gangsters (I bet they don't get there guns taken) If you are against any of the constitution, or you want to restrict the constitution, Then to me and to all real Americans you are nothing but a anti-American and a fascist terrorist.