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Newsgroups: alt.conspiracy,talk.politics.guns,misc.legal,misc.survivalism,talk.politics.misc,alt.test
Subject: 1995 ADL: 'The Militia Menace Grows'
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 13:15:58 -0600

Fact Finding Report

BEYOND THE BOMBING:
The Militia Menace Grows

An Update of Armed & Dangerous

Anti-Defamation League
1995


David H. Strassler, National Chairman
Abraham H. Foxman, National Director
Howard P. Berkowitz, Chair, National Executive Committee Peter T.
Willner, Chief Operating Officer Kenneth Jacobson, Assistant National
Director Robert G. Sugarman, Chair, Civil Rights Jeffery P. Sinensky
Director, Civil Rights

This report has been made possible through a generous grant from the
William and Naomi Gorowitz Institute on Terrorism and Extremism

Copies of this report are in the
Rita and Leo Greenland Human Relations Library and Resource Center

This publication was prepared by:

Thomas Halpern, Acting Director, Fact Finding Department; David
Rosenberg, Assistant Director, Fact Finding Department; Irwin Suall,
Director of Special Projects; David Cantor, Research Analyst, Research
& Evaluation Department; Lori Linzer, Research Analyst, Research &
Evaluation Department; Rebecca Kaufman, Research Analyst, Research &
Evaluation Department.

Copyright 1995 Anti-Defamation League

Printed in the United States of America
All rights reserved

Table of Contents

Introduction.............     1
Alabama..................     6
Alaska...................     6
Arizona..................     6
Arkansas.................     7
California...............     8
Colorado.................     9
Delaware.................     10
Florida..................     10
Georgia..................     12
Idaho....................     13
Illinois.................     14
Indiana..................     15
Iowa.....................     16
Kansas...................     17
Kentucky ................     18
Louisiana ...............     18
Michigan ................     18
Minnesota................     20
Mississippi..............     20
Missouri.................     20
Montana..................     21
Nebraska.................     24
New Hampshire ...........     25New Mexico ..............     25
New York ................     26
North Carolina .........      27
Ohio................          27
Oklahoma.................     28
Oregon..............          28
Pennsylvania.............     28
South Carolina ..........     29
South Dakota ............     29
Tennessee................     29
Texas...............          30
Utah................          32
Virginia ................     32
Washington...............     33
West Virginia ...........     33
Wisconsin..............       34
Wyoming..................     34

INTRODUCTION

A new national survey by the Anti-Defamation League offers disturbing
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. The ADL survey also found that many
hard-core militiamen believe that the United States Government itself
conducted the bombing to create an excuse for further depriving
citizens of their constitutional rights.

In October 1994 the ADL issued a Fact-Finding Report titled Armed &
Dangerous: Militias Take Aim at the Federal Government, detailing
militia activity in 13 states. The report sought to alert the American
public and the law enforcement community to the danger posed by these
extremists, many of whom were engaging in paramilitary training while
spreading an incendiary anti- federal government message laced with
conspiracy theories and, in some places, anti-Semitism .

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

A Growing Movement

Continued monitoring by ADL in the months after publication of the
October 1994 report reveals that the militia movement has grown --
with some of the growth taking place after the Oklahoma City bombing.
In this new survey, conducted through ADL's regional offices and
completed six weeks after the bombing, militias have been found to be
operating in at least 40 states, with membership reaching some 15,000.
A continued flow of information indicates that these numbers could
rise still higher. 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.

In California, more than 30 militias are presently operating,
apparently having benefited from the large amount of publicity the
movement has received in recent weeks. Other states in which militia
activity has increased are Michigan, Georgia, Alabama. New Hampshire,
Missouri and Arizona. In a few states -- Ohio, Indiana and Colorado,for example -- activity has declined since the bombing. For some
groups, such as the Northwest Oregon Regional Militia, a factor in
their decline has been the belief that the government, having
engineered the blast, is now poised to take extreme measures to
destroy the militia movement.

Since the militias are mainly located in rural and small town
communities, the burden of monitoring them falls largely on state and
local law enforcement agencies. In the course of the current ADL
survey, it became evident that 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. 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 of Fallbrook,
California, who leads the White Aryan Resistance, and Louis Beam, a
former Texas KKK Grand Dragon who has been "Ambassador- At-Large" of
the Idaho-based Aryan Nations.

Weapons and Conspiracy Fantasies

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 also the United
Nations, foreign troops and other sinister forces.

Sometimes mentioned among these sinister forces are Jews. ADL's first
report on militias noted that a number of militia figures have
histories of bigotry. The current survey confirms that some militia
propaganda continues to exhibit an anti-Semitic strain that could well
become more pervasive among militia groups 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. In April 1995, ADL revealed that one of
the Oklahoma City bombing suspects, Timothy McVeigh, advertised for
sale in The Spotlight a military-style rocket launcher. On May 28, The
New York Times reported that Terry Nichols, the other bombing suspect,
and his brother James were readers of The Spotlight. Many of the
conspiracy fantasies fueling the militias were promoted heavily in a
September 1994 eight-page supplement of The Spotlight. The supplement,
widely distributed among militiamen, intoned: "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 catalog a
comprehensive bomb-making manual entitled The Road Back, which was
produced by Liberty Lobby's publishing arm, Noontide Press. The
catalog describes the book as "a plan for the restoration of freedom
when our country has been taken over by its enemies."

Spreading Their Message

The militia movement's continued growth is due -- at least partly --
to an effective communications network. Militia organizers have
promoted their ideology not only at militia meetings. but also at gunshows, "patriot" rallies and gatherings of various groups with anti-
government "grievances." Some militia firebrands reach their audience
through mail-order videotapes and through computer bulletin boards and
the Internet. Exploiting yet another medium, the pro-militia American
Patriot Fax Network disseminates material from well- known hate group
figures 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. But even if no further
connection is established between the bombing and the militias, 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 menacing conspiracies, hatred
of the government, and the conviction that an armed showdown is coming
-- is a prescription for disaster.

For these reasons, the Anti-Defamation League urges the vigorous
enforcement by the states of existing statutes outlawing specific
types of paramilitary training. Many of these measures, currently on
the books of 24 states, were patterned after a model bill formulated
by ADL (see ADL's recent Law Report, The ADL Anti-Paramilitary
Training Statute. A Response To Domestic Terrorism). The League has
written to the governors of the remaining 26 states, urging them to
work with their legislatures to adopt such a statute. In addition, ADL
has called for federal legislation to address the terrorist threat
associated with both international and domestic extremism. We are
encouraged at the rapid progress that appears to be taking place on a
bipartisan basis toward the adoption of a comprehensive anti-terrorism
bill.

The following is a state-by-state summary of militia activity,
supplementing the information contained in our October 1994 report,
"Armed & Dangerous."

MILITIA ACTIVITY IN THE UNITED STATES
[Editor's Note: The following is a textual recreation of a graphic
chart included in the report.]

Number of "Rifleman" indicates levels of activity in 40 states with
known Militia groups.

# OF
RIFLEMAN


Alabama..................     1
Alaska...................     1
Arizona..................     2
Arkansas.................     1
California...............     3
Colorado.................     2
Delaware.................     1
Florida..................     2
Georgia..................     1
Idaho....................     2
Illinois.................     1
Indiana..................     2
Iowa.....................     1
Kansas...................     1
Kentucky ................     1
Louisiana ...............     1
Michigan ................     3
Minnesota................     1
Mississippi..............     1Missouri.................     2
Montana..................     3
Nebraska.................     1
New Hampshire ...........     1
New Mexico ..............     1
New York ................     1
North Carolina .........      1
Ohio................          1
Oklahoma.................     1
Oregon..............          1
Pennsylvania.............     1
South Carolina ..........     1
South Dakota ............     1
Tennessee................     1
Texas...............          3
Utah................          1
Virginia ................     1
Washington...............     1
West Virginia ...........     1
Wisconsin..............       1
Wyoming..................     1




ALABAMA

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, led by Mike Kemp and
Jeff Randall, publish a regular 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
are also 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 Alaska. 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 -
- including articles by Linda Thompson (see Indiana) and on topics
ranging from "NATO and U.S. Join Together For Total Civilian
Disarmament" to "Why the British Had To Kill Abraham Lincoln." The
bulletin board services also act as forums for users to lambast the
purportedly encroaching powers of the federal government.

ARIZONA

A number of militia supporters and anti-federal government advocates
hail from 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. Gerald "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. McLamb targets a law enforcement audience with his
conspiracy tract, Operation Vampire Killer 2000, and a newsletter, Aid
& Abet, co-produced with Mesa police officer Rick Dalton. Another
lawman, Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, his spoken at "patriot"
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.

Actual militia organizing in the state has occurred in the areas of
Phoenix, Prescott, Payson, Snowflake, Kingman, Pinedale and the Four
Corners, with some continued growth 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. Kenneth Zesk, 40, and Danny
Fite, 26, reportedly said that their group was arming itself for a
confrontation with the federal government. The charges are pending.

On May 23, 1995, Stephen Gehring, a Mesa attorney and reputed leader
of the Payson- based Militia of Arizona, was charged with fraudulent
schemes and hindering prosecution, stemming from an alleged attempt to
pass bogus money orders. Gehring is accused of trying to use the notes
to pay off a property tax bill and to post bail for another reported
militiaman, Ricki John Lawhom

ARKANSAS

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

In Fayetteville, archery equipment producer Wayne Fincher of Elkins
has organized the Militia of Washington County.

CALIFORNIA

California's militia movement has been growing rapidly, with
approximately 35 units throughout the state. The locations of these
groups range from urban centers to small towns, and extend from the
state's 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 Comptom 33, a resident 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.

Visiting Activists

Far-right organizer and former Green Beret Bo Gritz (see Idaho) has
promoted his SPIKE program (Specially Prepared Individuals for Key
Events -- a paramilitary survivalist training course) in California.
Gritz conducted a SPIKE session and gave a speech in Butte County in
February 1995, at which time the Butte County Militia was forming. On
that visit, Gritz reportedly said that Americans might finally beawakening to the threats he sees: "Who would have ever thought," he
was quoted as saying, "these militias would spring up everywhere?"
Gritz also encouraged the formation of militias in a March 1995 speech
in Glendale.

Over the past year, Mark Koernke ("Mark from Michigan") has spoken
around the state as well. In August 1994, Koernke appeared in Concord,
where he reportedly described a future takeover of the U.S. by foreign
"New World Order" troops and claimed that the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) will establish concentration camps for
American citizens. "The solution," he said, "is militias. It looks
like we're going to pull the trigger. We eventually will. No doubt
about that." In August and September 1994, Koernke also spoke to
audiences in Kern County, and in May 1995, he addressed 600 people at
a "Taking America Back" conference in Palm Springs. The organizer of
the event, Tom Johns' claims to be the "intelligence officer" for the
Morongo Valley Militia.

Bob Fletcher of the Militia of Montana addressed a San Fernando Valley
group called the Granada Forum in Tarzana in March 1995. The group,
which gathers regularly to discuss "patriot" issues. has also heard
speeches by longtime anti-Semite Eustace Mullins and California State
Senator Don Rogers, who has proposed a resolution objecting to any
U.S. assistance in the formation of a "global government" and the
"merger of the United States" into such a world government.

COLORADO

Sources indicate that militia organizing in Colorado has been frozen
in the aftermath of the April 19 bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal
Building. Meetings have been put on hold, though it does not appear
that the groups have disbanded.

Despite this development, anti-federal government and conspiracy-
oriented tirades continue to be phoned in by listeners to radio
station KHNC in Johnstown, which broadcasts a steady stream of
"patriot" programs. In recent weeks some callers have expressed the
view, held by many militia supporters, that the government itself
carried out the Oklahoma City blast.

Another important vehicle for pro-militia activism in Colorado is The
USA Patriot Magazine, edited by D. A. Weideman and published monthly
by the USA Patriot Network in Johnstown. The periodical, whose cover
price is "4 FRNs" (Federal Reserve Notes). contains a "Telephone &
Address Book" listing dozens of contacts. Among them are The Free
American a pro-militia periodical from New Mexico; Militia Supply,
identified as a "Patriot Hardware" outlet with a catalog and a toll-
free phone number; Mark Koernke (listed as "Mark from Michigan"),
whose speeches and videotapes have encouraged militia organizing
throughout the country; and Bob Fletcher, of the Militia of Montana.

Fletcher has traveled to Colorado on behalf of his militia. In a
January 1995 speech in Fort Collins, he instructed fledgling
militiamen that "you better damn well learn how to use a gun if you
don't know how to use one now.

Prior to the Oklahoma bombing, militias had organized in Larimer and
Weld Counties near the Wyoming border, in counties around Denver, in
Park County west of Colorado Springs, and in the southern region of
the state.

Charles Duke

Colorado's militia movement has been publicly defended by State
Senator Charles Duke, who has reportedly said that "the few militia
people I know practice a policy of nonviolence, ... not altogether toodifferent from a Boy Scout kind of idea." Following the Oklahoma City
bombing, a Denver Post columnist reported that Duke raised the
possibility of a government role in the bombing: "They're certainly
capable of it. Look what they did to Waco. There's many people around
the country who believe they did it.... Is it unreasonable to see the
continuation of a pattern here?"

DELAWARE

The Delaware Regional Citizens Militia, located in the central part of
the state, began organizing in the early months of 1995. Leader Andrew
Brown has claimed that membership in the group is so secretive he
would identify "only seven or so, even if you tortured me.

Brown has joined the chorus of militia leaders attributing the
Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995, to the federal government.
"The government is behind this one," he has said. "I'm telling you,
the government perpetrated that bomb. There's going to be more
bombings, but it's not us, man. It's not us.

FLORIDA

Militias and their "patriot" supporters are operating throughout
Florida in the following counties: Alachua, Duval, Clay, St. Johns,
Marion, Orange, Brevard, Highlands, St. Lucie, Martin, Volusia, Indian
River, Okeechobee, Pinellas, Sarasota, Pasco, Polk, Hillsborough, Palm
Beach and Monroe. Robert Gene Pummer, formerly of Martin County and
once the key organizer of the Florida State Militia, has moved to
Mayfield, Kentucky.

On December 3, 1994, outside Melbourne, a collection of anti-
government activists and militia groups organized a "Patriot Alert
Rally." Martin "Red" Beckman, a tax protestor from Montana, told the
gathering, "They lied to us about Pearl Harbor and Vietnam and Korea
and the energy crisis and the Kennedy assassination. We don't want to
have to go to the militia if we can help it. But if we don't have
truth in this country, part of the judgment that's going to come on
this country is going to come from the militia."

Literature for sale at the rally included copies of The New Federalist
(a publication of political extremist Lyndon LaRouche), The Spotlight
(the organ of the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby), literature from the St.
Lucie-based Florida State Militia, 2nd Regiment, and a handbill from
the Brevard County Militia proclaiming: "Wake-up America, Your country
is being taken over bit-by-bit. Join Your fellow PATRIOTS to STOP this
MOVEMENT."

The same month, the Gainesville City Hall briefly flew a United
Nations flag. Members of militias from around the state and the
nation, including then-Michigan Militia leader Norman Olson, issued a
flood of complaints and threats to the city and local business
leaders. The flag was removed. Gainesville's city manager stated, "The
city commission meeting that we had regarding the U.N. flag was
probably the meeting at which I felt more personal fear than any other
public meeting I've ever attended in 20 years."

On the airwaves

In Pensacola, militias are promoted by Chuck Baldwin, the pastor of
Crossroads Baptist Church. Baldwin hosts a radio show on the Christian
Patriot Network and invites listeners to call in: "We're talking about
citizens' militias, federal government's encroachment on individual
rights, New World Order, United Nations, gun control, it's all
related." Militias are also promoted on the public access channel in
Alachua County, which airs a pro-militia video produced by the North
Florida Patriot Association.
GEORGIA

Frank Smith, an Air Force veteran and retired tool-and-die maker,
claims to lead the Georgia Militia. Days after the April 19 bombing of
Oklahoma City's Federal Building, Smith echoed the sentiments of
militia leaders across the country by blaming the U.S. Government for
the blast. Speaking on the CNN television program "Talkback Live,"
Smith said the government was "trying to get the militia movement to
come out and fight. We expected them to do something drastic. We
didn't expect it to be that drastic."

In March 1995, the Voice of Liberty Patriots, a group led by Rick
Tyler of Epworth, held a conference in Atlanta featuring state and
county rights advocates -- including Colorado State Senator Charles
Duke and California State Senator Don Rogers -- as well as conspiracy
theorists. Several in attendance sported "Georgia Militia" T-shirts
reading "Don't Tread On Me. " Literature offered for sale at the rally
included the anti- Semitic Liberty Lobby's Spotlight tabloid.

Tyler also directs a so-called constitutionalist, anti-tax group known
as the Georgia Taxpayers Association, and co-hosts "Voice of Liberty,"
a daily shortwave radio program. Soon after the Oklahoma City bombing,
"Voice of Liberty" listeners were told that the disaster was being
used by the government as an excuse "to put across their agenda of
establishing a police state.... They are ruthless, they are cunning,
they are cutthroat, and furthermore, we are their target."

Another organization, known as Citizens for a Constitutional Georgia,
meets weekly at an Atlanta hotel. Materials available for sale at the
meetings have included pro-gun literature, but also The Protocols of
the Elders of Zion and The Spotlight. The group has sponsored local
appearances by well-known militia activists Mark Koernke (see
Michigan) and Marietta native Linda Thompson (see Indiana). The latter
gave a speech at the Cobb County Civic Center that was attended by
some 800 people.

A militia group in north Georgia conducts paramilitary maneuvers on a
38-acre tract in Hall County, northeast of Atlanta.

IDAHO

In recent months, Idaho's militia movement has attempted to achieve
mainstream acceptance. Carefully toning down his group's rhetoric,
militia leader Samuel Sherwood, of the Blackfoot- based United States
Militia Association (USMA), has told Idaho lawmakers that his
organization is working for change within the political system. On
other occasions. however, Sherwood has derided the state's government
and has seemed to encourage violence against its representatives.

Sherwood has exploited local dissatisfaction with federal
environmental policy to boost his recruiting efforts. In January 1995,
a federal judge issued an order prohibiting mining, logging and
ranching in five National Forests in Idaho to protect endangered
salmon in the area. The move threatened the livelihoods of many
Idahoans including residents of the small town of Challis. Sherwood,
plying the fears and anger of the community, reportedly encouraged
Challis residents to join his militia to fight such federal
restrictions and declared:

We're ready to look the federal government in the eye. We want a
bloodless revolution. but if the bureaucrats won't listen we'll give
them a civil war to think about. All it's going to take, is this crazy
judge to close down central Idaho and there'll be blood in the streets

Threat to Legislators
Sherwood issued another menacing threat in March. After meeting with
Idaho Lieutenant Governor Butch Otter, Sherwood complained that some
Idaho politicians ignored the interests of state citizens in favor of
a federal agenda. His advice to followers, widely reported. was: "Go
up and look legislators in the face, because some day you may have to
blow it off.

Sherwood has claimed that state militia members helped Republican Anne
Fox win election last November as Idaho Superintendent of Education.
According to the Associated Press, Sherwood said that I,000 militia
members were on hand to assist the campaign effort by answering
telephones and providing other services. After Fox's victory at the
polls, Sherwood served briefly as a member of her transition team.

In February 1995, Fox spoke at a USMA meeting in Boise. On the podium,
she expressed approval for the militia's strong opposition to gun
control and its calls for states' rights.

On April 15, 1995, militia members, tax protesters and
constitutionalists from across the country, gathered in Post Falls for
a day-long seminar. Speakers before the reported crowd of 300 included
Militia of Montana leader John Trochmann, anti- tax activist M. J.
"Red" Beckman, of Billings, Montana (see Armed & Dangerous), and
Eustace Mullins, of Staunton, Virginia, a longtime anti-Jewish
propagandist and conspiracy theorist.

Bo Gritz

Far-right figure and former Green Beret James "Bo" Gritz, who is
building a survivalist community in central Idaho, has engaged in
activities that have closely paralleled those of the militia movement.
He has traveled the country conducting a weapons and survival training
course he calls SPIKE -- Specially Prepared Individuals for Key Events
-- and has called for the execution as traitors of the "tyrants"
responsible for the government's actions in the Randy Weaver standoff
in northern Idaho and the Branch Davidian conflagration at Waco.

Recently, Gritz deplored the April 19 Oklahoma City bombing yet
praised its technique. At a speech in Dallas, Texas, he labeled the
blast a "Rembrandt," and said he considered it a "masterpiece of
science and art put together."

A radio station in Charlevoix, Michigan, alarmed by Gritz's remarks,
decided to suspend indefinitely broadcasts of Gritz's daily shortwave
program, "Freedom Calls." After the station was inundated with calls
protesting the move, however, "Freedom Calls" returned to the air two
days later.

ILLINOIS

A Lombard-based organization called the Illinois Minutemen describes
itself as a militia and has echoed the anti-government themes of
militia groups elsewhere. The group, formed in mid- January by Glen
Ellyn resident Mike Bafundo, now claims members from Cook, DuPage,
Will, Kane and McHenry Counties. It meets twice a month at a Lombard
bowling alley. Members do not wear uniforms or carry weapons, but they
are reportedly considering a paramilitary training session with the
Michigan Militia.

Another organization, the Southern Illinois Patriots League, held a
rally on April 22 in Carbondale to protest the presentation by
Governor James Edgar of the state's highest honor, the Order of
Lincoln, to gun control advocate James Brady. Signs at the rally,
which drew 150 participants, assailed some of the militia movement's
favorite demons: one described James Brady and his wife Sarah as"diabolical misfits," another equated agents of the U.S. Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms with Nazi stormtroopers. Protestors were
also invited to wipe their feet on a United Nations flag. Organizers
of the rally included Glad Hall, Scott Slinkard and Ken Potter.

INDIANA

Militias have become active across the state in such counties as St.
Joseph's, Allen, Johnson, Marion, Ripley, Warrick and Dearborn. Many
of the groups in these counties are also part of the larger Indiana
Citizens Volunteer Militia, a state-wide umbrella organization that
coordinates militia activities.

Influential militia propagandist Linda Thompson, of Indianapolis,
operates a computer bulletin board for militia groups across the
country. She has announced to prospective new members that her
bulletin board was for "doers, not whiners or talkers." She explained
that potential members had to be willing to provide the movement with
substantial assistance, such as a training site, ammunition, skills
training, food, medical care, or money.

Like many others in the militia movement, Thompson blamed the
government for the Oklahoma City bombing. "I genuinely believe the
government did this bombing," Thompson told The Boston Globe. "I mean
who's got a track record of killing children?"

On May 12, 1995, Thompson was arrested by Marion County police and
charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct; the case is
pending. According to officials, Thompson carried a concealed weapon
into the county prosecutor's office and refused to show her permit for
the gun.

Elsewhere in Indiana, the Boonville-based North American Volunteer
Militia, directed by Joe Holland, enjoys a considerable following.
Holl,and, who describes himself as a patriotic "freedom fighter,"
reportedly is under investigation by federal authorities for bank
fraud, bankruptcy fraud, securities fraud and tax evasion.

The North American Volunteer Militia is active outside Indiana,
particularly in Montana. In April 1995, Holland urged followers to
travel to Ravalli County, Montana, to show their support for militia
members there who had engaged in an armed confrontation with police
(see Montana).' Ravalli County law enforcement officials expressed
concern that Holland was attempting to provoke a violent encounter. He
surrendered to Indiana authorities after being charged in Montana with
criminal syndicalism.

In Elberfield, a militia group called the Tri-County Carbineers, led
by truck driver Jimmy Funkhouser, has been organized. To qualify for
membership, candidates are required to own an assault rifle and 100
rounds of ammunition.

James Heath, a member of the Indianapolis Police Department, heads the
Johnson County Militia? located just south of Indianapolis. Like
others in the movement, members of the organization meet to express
their deep distrust of federal lawmakers and share their fears of an
impending "one-world government.

In early May 1995, speaking before a Greenwood-based group called the
Sovereign Patriots, Heath derisively referred to Indianapolis Mayor
Stephen Goldsmith as "Goldstein." Noting that the mayor's home address
is unlisted, Heath also asserted that Goldsmith had something to hide.
In a subsequent apology, Heath employed an anti-Semitic stereotype to
argue that his slur was really a compliment. Several days later,
Indianapolis Police Department officials disciplined Heath for his
remarks by demoting him from sergeant to patrolman.
IOWA

Militia groups have formed in Iowa, but there is little evidence of
their size and influence.

Paul Stauffer, an Air Force veteran living in Cedar Rapids and the
self-described "national contact" for the Iowa Militia, has claimed
that his organization operates in 35 counties; he has not offered
specific membership figures. He contends that Iowa militia members are
concerned with "intelligence" gathering activities,, and that the
group maintains contacts with militia leaders across the country.

A May 3, 1995, Cedar Rapids meeting organized by Stauffer found many
among the audience of 60 parroting the fevered anti- government
conspiracy theories of the militia movement.

KANSAS

C. D. Olsen of Lyndon leads the Kansas Citizens Militia (also known as
the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia), the chief such group in the
state. Olsen took over recently from Morris E. Wilson, previously the
group's commander and now its "Executive Officer." Wilson claims
militia units are organizing in Wichita, Junction City and Topeka,
where at one meeting he played host to Michigan militia proponent Mark
Koernke.

Several individuals, including Wilson, were recently involved in a
brush with the law. On April 17, 1995, the Sheriff's Department in
Osage County responded to a local farmer's complaint of prowlers on
his land. Officers found four heavily armed men, all members of the
Kansas Citizens Militia, parked on the farmer's property. The men
claimed they had been informed of a possible burglary and had come to
offer their assistance. After a search of their vehicles by the
officers, Wilson and another man were arrested on charges of carrying
concealed weapons: a third man was arrested for possessing a gun with
a defaced serial number. While the charges against the other two men
have been dismissed, Wilson's case is still pending.

Some militia figures in Kansas, like their counterparts elsewhere,
have been quick to blame government officials for the April 19 bombing
of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Brad Glover, who calls himself
Brigadier General of the Kansas Militia and commander of the 1st
Kansas Mechanized Militia, has said, "My personal opinion is that it's
a [government] set- up. There are just too many coincidences."

KENTUCKY

There are two main militia groups in Kentucky, both of which are newly
formed and relatively small.

Danny and Diane Snellon are, respectively, the coordinator and the
secretary/treasurer of the Kentucky Citizens Militia. Formed in Fall
1994, the group does not "have uniform or gun requirements," says
Danny Snellon. Recent meetings have taken place at the main branch of
the Lexington Public Library and at a sportsman's shop in Paris,
northeast of Lexington. Attendance at these meetings has ranged from
10 to 20 people.

In Boone County, in northern Kentucky, a militia called the Defenders
of Liberty is believed to have a core group of 30 to 40 individuals.
Unlike the Kentucky Citizens Militia, the Defenders of Liberty do wear
uniforms and undergo paramilitary training. Since the bombing in
Oklahoma City, militia members in Kentucky appear to be lying low to
avoid the scrutiny of law enforcement officials.LOUISIANA

In Lafayette, the Militia of Louisiana has formed under the leadership
of Thomas Parker. It has engaged in paramilitary and urban combat
training, and is thought to number about 55 members-- some of whom
have had affiliations with so-called constitutionalist groups.

Early in 1995, Michigan-based organizer and ideologue Mark Koernke
addressed the militia.

MICHIGAN

The Northern Michigan Regional Militia, also known as the Michigan
Militia, has attracted national attention in the wake of the April 19
bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Group leaders have said that Terry Nichols, a suspect in the Oklahoma
blast. attended several of its meetings last year and that on at least
one occasion he brought another suspect, Timothy McVeigh.
Additionally, federal agents searching the Decker, Michigan farm of
Terry Nichols's brother James -- who has been considered a material
witness in the bombing case -- uncovered a number of documents
relating to the Michigan Militia.

Not surprisingly, leaders of the Michigan Militia have disagreed with
federal officials about the identity of the bomber, and have offered a
theory of their own. A week after the blast, Michigan Militia
commander Norman Olson, along with his chief of staff, Ray Southwell,
announced that they believed the Japanese had bombed the Oklahoma
building. The motive: retaliation for the recent nerve gas attack on
the Tokyo subways, which Olson and Southwell said was engineered by
the American government.

When their view was repudiated by a majority of the Militia's board.
the two men immediately resigned from their positions. Olson assured
the press that, nevertheless, "the Michigan Militia is as strong as
ever," and that he and Southwell will remain members of the
organization.

Despite negative publicity since the Oklahoma City bombing, the
militia movement in Michigan has enjoyed some continued success in its
recruitment.

Mark from Michigan

Minutes after the bombing in Oklahoma, outspoken activist Mark Koernke
(a.k.a. "Mark from Michigan"), whose militant "how-to" videotapes have
made him a prime recruiter for the movement. faxed a cryptic,
handwritten message about the bombing to U.S. Rep. Steve Stockmam a
freshman Republican from Texas. "First update," the fax read in part.
"Seven to 10 floors only. Military people on the scene." Koernke
insisted he had no prior knowledge of the bombing, and that he had
only sent the fax hoping Stockman would "get cameras in place as soon
as possible."

Koernke, of Dexter, Michigan, is employed as a janitor at the
University of Michigan. He has been identified as spokesman of the
Michigan Militia-at-Large, characterized as a more radical offshoot of
the Michigan Militia. Koernke has promoted conspiracy theories to
audiences around the country, including several in the Pacific
Northwest while on a speaking tour sponsored by the Militia of
Montana.

Until recently, Koernke also hosted "The Intelligence Report," a
shortwave radio program that aired five times a week. Days after the
Oklahoma bombing, Koernke told listeners that federal agents hadoutfitted suspect Timothy McVeigh in a bright orange jumpsuit in order
to make him an easy assassination target.

Koernke's program was subsequently pulled from the airwaves by WWCR,
the Nashville, Tennessee, shortwave radio station that had been
broadcasting his daily diatribes. "We've got to get the gasoline off
the fires," insisted the manager of the station, which reaches 2.7
million listeners in the United States and a number of foreign
countries.

MINNESOTA

There are several small militia groups sprinkled across Minnesota.
These include the Arrowhead Regional Militia in Duluth, the St. Cloud-
based Metro Militia and the Red Pine Regional Militia, located in the
Minneapolis area.

MISSISSIPPI

Drew Rayner of Ocean Springs has spearheaded recruitment for the
Mississippi Militia; on April 28, 1995 he appeared before a group of
65 to 75 near Laurel. Literature available at the meeting included the
Mississippi Militia "Information Booklet," which contained a 20- page
manual on the formation of a militia, The Revolutionary Spirit, a
Laurel-based tabloid that excerpted material from Liberty Lobby's The
Spotlight, and Operation Vampire Killer 2000, a manual by former
Phoenix Arizona, policeman Jack McLamb that aims to convince law
enforcement officials of a one-world government conspiracy.

MISSOURI

The Buckner-based Missouri Patriots are a recent addition to
Missouri's militia movement. Its newsletter, The Militia Minute, rails
against the federal government, "international bankers" and the media.
While its size is not known, leaders of the militia are also members
of the Kansas City-based White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. In
addition, a promotional item for the White Knights in their
publication, The White Beret, features the slogan: "Join the White
Militia."

Statewide, militias have been established in an estimated 14 counties
and are recruiting actively, with some continued growth since the
bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Although they maintain
separate identities, several units in the eastern section of Missouri
appear to operate under the leadership of the St. Louis-based 1st
Missouri Volunteers Militia a group established in January 1995 and
led by John Moore. Militia groups in the western part of the state are
directed by the Missouri 51st Militia, of Kansas City. The
Springfield-area 24th Missouri Militia is the largest and most
influential such group in the southeastern part of the state.

In March. the 1st Missouri Volunteers assembled a gathering of six
state militia groups for a "Missouri Regional Conference." At the
event, speakers, including State Senator David Klarich, declared that
unlike their counterparts in other states, the Missouri Militia does
not promote an agenda of bigotry. However, literature offered at the
meeting included extracts from hate publications like the Liberty
Lobby's The Spotlight, The Truth at Last, published by anti-Jewish
agitator Ed Fields of Georgia, and The Jubilee, a journal that
espouses the anti- Semitic pseudo-theology of the "Identity Church"
movement.

MONTANAMilitia groups in Montana, whose armed members have been embroiled in
hostile confrontations with police. are among the most volatile in the
country.

The Militia of Montana (M.O.M.). one of the movement's most visible
and extreme groups, has continued to spread its message around Montana
and the nation from its headquarters in the small town of Noxon.

M.O.M. was founded by John Trochmann -- who has been a speaker at a
major conclave of the white supremacist Aryan Nations -- along with
his brother David and David's son Randy. In public, John Trochmann has
tried to play down his Aryan Nations experience. In a recent press
release, however, Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler announced that
Trochmann had traveled to the group's Idaho compound "quite often ...
for Bible study," and that he "even helped us write out a set of rules
for our code of conduct on church grounds.

In December 1994, M.O.M. sponsored a five-stop speaking tour in
Washington and Montana with Mark Koernke ("Mark from Michigan"), whose
videos and speeches are key recruiting tools for the militia movement.
John Trochmann and Bob Fletcher, another M.O.M. official, were also in
attendance to answer questions from the audience. One month later,
Fletcher traveled to Colorado to reach out to sympathizers in that
state. He warned an audience of about 75 that a bloody battle was in
store, and instructed them to be prepared. "You better damn well learn
how to use a gun if you don't know how to use one now," he said. "If
you don't have bullets now, you better flat get them.

M.O.M. Propaganda

An item in an issue of M.O.M.'s monthly newsletter, Taking Aim,
printed several weeks before the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal
Building, underscores the centrality of the date, April 19, to the
group's ideology. The newsletter noted April 19, 1995, as the upcoming
execution date ("UNLESS WE ACT NOW!!!" it read) for convicted murderer
and white supremacist Richard Wayne Snell. The item recounted that
April 19 was also the day on which "Lexington burned.... Warsaw
burned.... The feds attempted to raid Randy Weaver.... The Branch
Davidians burned." By citing Lexington and Warsaw, M.O.M. seems to
compare today's U.S. Government to colonial America's British rulers
and, outrageously, to the genocidal Nazi regime, while simultaneously
agitating on behalf of a racist and anti-Semitic killer.

As is the case with many militia groups around the country, M.O.M.
leaders are obsessed with the notion that United Nations troops, aided
by Soviet-made weapons, are planning a takeover of the United States.
An "Intelligence Report" recently distributed by M.O.M. purports to
provide followers with detailed documentation of this conspiracy. A
National Guard case in Biloxi, Mississippi, is said to be filled with
trucks "of Soviet origin," whose "fuel tanks have been topped off and
apparently look ready to roll." The report adds: "These trucks are
being marked at this time United Nations."

The Militia of Montana distributes a catalog that offers for sale
numerous videotapes, audiotapes and publications on a variety of
conspiracy themes. The catalog also offers a comprehensive bomb-making
and warfare manual, The Road Back, which was produced by the anti-
Semitic Liberty Lobby's publishing arm, Noontide Press. M.O.M.
describes the book thus: "A plan for the restoration of freedom when
our country has been taken over by its enemies. 20 chapters on
organization, recruiting, intelligence, communications, supply,
weapons, sabotage, medicine, warfare, and training, etc.

Brush With the LawIn recent months, authorities in Musselshell County have learned that
several M.O.M. members, including John Trochmann, have cooperated with
so-called Freemen. Followers of this anti-tax movement have defied
local and federal law and have operated their own common law court
system, reflecting their view of the Constitution.

In early March 1995, rancher William Stanton, a follower of the
Freemen movement was sentenced by a judge in Roundup, Montana, to a
10-year prison term for criminal syndicalism -- the advocacy of crime,
violence, or property damage for political ends -- related to Freemen
activities. On the heels of Stanton's sentencing, and in an apparent
show of support for the Freemen, John Trochmann and six of his
followers embarked on a 500-mile journey to Roundup, armed with an
arsenal of weapons. "I believe the men were here to attempt to capture
or kill us," the Musselshell County Attorney told a local paper.

The seven men were arrested on charges of carrying concealed weapons
and felony intimidation. A search of their vehicle revealed a
collection of handguns and rifles, communications equipment, thousands
of rounds of ammunition, quantities of gold and silver, and $80.000 in
cash.

Charges against all but two of the men -- Frank Ellena of Billings,
and Dale Jacobi of Thompson Falls -- were dropped in late March after
a state prosecutor concluded that there was insufficient evidence to
support felony charges.

North American Volunteer Militia

The Boonville, Indiana-based North American Volunteer Militia (NAVM),
directed by Joe Holland (see Indiana), has an active outpost in
Montana. The group's attitude toward law enforcement officials may be
discerned from a letter by Holland to the Montana Revenue Department:
"How many of your agents will be sent home in body bags before you
hear the pleas of the people?" asked Holland in his letter. "Proceed
at your own peril!"

In early April 1995, an armed encounter between militia members and
Ravalli County officials ended with the arrest of one militiaman.
Drawing a parallel between this situation and the confrontations
involving the Branch Davidians at Waco and Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge
in Idaho, Joe Holland urged followers to travel to Ravalli County in a
show of support. "In my opinion," Holland wrote in an "alert" message
distributed by fax, "it looks as though another Waco or Ruby Ridge may
be in the planning stages in Ravalli County, Montana. There has been a
build-up of police over the last few days." In May, Holland and two
Montana men were charged with criminal syndicalism; Holland has
surrendered to Indiana authorities.

NAVM's Montana coordinator is Calvin Greenup of Darby, a dump operator
and elk rancher. In early May 1995, Greenup was charged with plotting
to kidnap, try in a common law court. and hang local government
officials. The charges, which were also filed against Joe Holland and
two of his cohorts, followed an undercover investigation conducted by
the state Justice Department. In addition, Greenup has been wanted by
officials for tax evasion, obstruction of justice, and running an
unlicensed game farm. For several weeks though, he avoided arrest by
hiding out on his large farm and threatening to shoot any law officer
who approaches. In early June, Greenup turned himself in to local
authorities, made bail, and was released. Greenup's son, Scott, who
was sought by police for assaulting an officer and jumping bail. also
surrendered.

Before ending his holdout, Greenup said his extreme stance was his
only guarantee that "the crooked politicians" will take notice. "Dothe political officials want this state to blow or do they want to set
it back and hear our pleas?" he asked.

NEBRASKA

An Omaha-based militia has been organizing since January 1995. The
group, which has used several names, including the Constitutional
Reinstatement Group and the Nebraska Militia, meets bi-weekly; at
those meetings, the notorious anti-Jewish screed The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion has been offered for sale.

The group does not appear to engage in paramilitary training.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

The Hillsborough Troop of Dragoons, led by Fitzhugh MacCrae, has
recently emerged as an active militia in New Hampshire. MacCrae told
The Boston Globe that his group comprises 63 members, of whom two-
thirds are allegedly combat veterans. While he emphasizes the group's
benign and civic activities, he also boasts, "We're probably better
armed than the Army.

Elsewhere, the White Mountain Militia operates in Cornish under the
leadership of N. Scott Stevens, who describes himself as director of
the militia's "Information Services." Stevens hosted a May 14, 1995,
rally in the Cornish town hall for militia members, extreme anti-gun
control groups, and others hostile to the federal government.

Ed Brown. head of the Plainsfield-based Constitution Defense Militia
(see Armed & Dangerous), has claimed to operate groups in seven
states, but his organization has not engaged in any publicly noted
activity in recent months. According to The Boston Globe, shortly
after the Oklahoma City bombing, Brown said "We think it s an inside
job.... These criminals within the U.S. Government want to make us
look bad."

NEW MEXICO

Militias in New Mexico operate in counties around Albuquerque and
Santa Fe and in the northwestern area of the state. On October 22
1994, six militia organizations from these regions met in Raton in an
unsuccessful attempt to form a combined New Mexico militia. More
recently, Governor Gary Johnson was criticized for meeting with
militia representatives on April 28 1995 although he claimed that he
met with them in order to ensure that they remain non-violent.

A Farmington militia is known to promote neo-Nazi and white
supremacist sentiments.

The Free American

At the start of 1995, the state's leading pro-militia voice, The Free
American, added anti-Semitism to its advocacy of armed preparedness.
!In its edition marked "January 1994" (the date was clearly erroneous
since the issue reported recent events), the Tijeras-based monthly
newspaper, published by Clayton R. Douglas, included a. coupon
stating: "Know Someone Who Doesn't Believe in Conspiracies? Send them
a copy of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The blueprint used for
the New World Order. Only $15.00."

Douglas, though he is not part of a militia, echoed many militia
leaders around the country when he speculated after the April 19
Oklahoma City bombing that "factions within our government" may have
engineered the deadly explosion.

NEW YORK
In recent months, several militias have surfaced in New York. A number
of these groups are clustered in the region of south central New York
along the New York-Pennsylvania line. While some of the organizing in
this area remains inchoate, established militias include the Citizens
Militia, Chemung Division, founded in Chemung County in November 1994
by Jerry Loper, a self-employed excavator and landscaper. Loper's
group, which engages in paramilitary training, receives literature
from the Militia of Montana and militia groups in Michigan, providing
further confirmation that groups in those two states serve as
important propaganda sources for militias around the country.

Militias have also organized in nearby Tioga, Steuben, Schuyler,
Chenango, Cortland and Broome Counties. In Chenango County, militiaman
Francis Catlin, who uses the code name "Moonshiner." has said that
outrage over the Waco conflagration fueled the militia movement in
upstate New York. "We figure this country is in real bad shape." he
has commented, adding that "Jewish people" are responsible for the
financial difficulties faced by grain farmers.

Near New York City, militias were formed in November 1994 in Dutchess
and Orange Counties. The. Orange County Militia, which has more
recently been known as the Committee of Correspondence, has
distributed literature incorporating conspiracy theories from
political extremist Lyndon LaRouche. Founder Walter Reddy, while
reportedly distancing himself from the group, has also expressed the
suspicion that the federal government was involved in the Oklahoma
City bombing. Reddy stated, "It was CIA- orchestrated, from the
information have. "

NORTH CAROLINA

The Alamance Minutemen is a small and secretive militia group whose
communications appear to be conducted largely through the "Spirit of
'76" computer bulletin board, operated by the group's leader, Jeff
Rudd of Alamance County.

Another organization, Citizens for the Reinstatement of Constitutional
Government, meets in the towns of Monroe and Matthews, both near
Charlotte. While it once promoted militia- style themes, it now claims
to engage only in Bible study. Indications are that the group's one-
time leader, Al Esposito (see Armed & Dangerous), may no longer be
active in that role.

OHIO

The first few months of 1995 were marked by the widespread organizing
throughout the state of the "Ohio Unorganized Militia" -- loose-knit
groups that conduct various paramilitary exercises. However, low
attendance at meetings since the Oklahoma City bombing suggests that
the militia movement in Ohio may have lost some strength.

The Ohio Unorganized Militia has justified its activity by citing both
the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment and a provision of state law:
the Ohio Revised Code provides for an "unorganized militia ... of all
able-bodied citizens of the state who are more than 17 years of age
and not more than 67 years of age." The group has been active in
Franklin, Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, Stark, Coshocton, Columbiana,
Williams, Lucas, Medina and Montgomery Counties.

Despite the claimed legal basis for its existence, the militia has
used highly inflammatory language. Rod Scott, a captain in the Brown
County group, has stated: "Any armed agent of the United States
Government who comes to my home or any militia member's home to take a
gun, to steal my property, to violate my freedom, will be met with
deadly force. "
OKLAHOMA

To date the most visible militia in Oklahoma, l.he Oklahoma Citizens
Militia operates in Eufaula, southeast of Tulsa, under the leadership
of denture maker Ross Hullett. Hullett has condemned the April 1995
Oklahoma City bombing, stating, "Christians don't do this to people."
But Oklahoma militia members also share the characteristic,
paradoxical "patriotism" of the broader movement. "I would lay down my
life for my country," member John Harrell told the Wall Street
Journal, "but I wouldn't spit on a congressman if he were burning to
death."

OREGON

Oregon's militia movement, which began to emerge in late 1994, appears
still to be in its infancy. Touting the familiar theme that "a
Civilian Militia is a final line of defense against all enemies both
foreign and domestic," the Central Oregon Regional Militia has
operated modest units in the town of Prineville and neighboring
Deschutes County.

The Salem-based Northwest Oregon Regional Militia was disbanded by its
founder, insurance salesman Mike Cross, following the Oklahoma City
bombing. Cross said he feared "persecution" by the federal government.
He stated, "If they would blow up one of their own buildings who knows
what they could do to militias."

PENNSYLVANIA

In recent months. sporadic militia organizing has been conducted
throughout eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania -- including Dauphin,
Delaware Bucks, Berks, Montgomery and Chester Counties. Some of this
activity may have been spurred in part by a November 20, 1994,
recruiting speech in suburban Philadelphia by Samuel Sherwood, head of
the Idaho-based United States Militia Association. Sherwood
subsequently appeared on local talk radio programs.

Similarly. in Crawford County in the western part of the state, a
February 4, 1995, appearance by Michigan militia proponent and video
agitator Mark Koernke attracted various militia sympathizers and
groups. The Keystone Militia has a base in adjacent Warren County.

Militias have formed in Potter and Elk Counties in north central
Pennsylvania. Ken Haupricht of the Elk County group has acknowledged
that two members also belong to the Ku Klux Klan. The Potter County-
based Bucktail Militia (named after Civil War sharpshooters who
trained in the area) claims "brigades" in neighboring counties.

SOUTH CAROLINA

In the early months of 1995, the South Carolina Civilian Militia began
actively recruiting in the Greenville-Spartanburg area, seeking in
particular, pilots and those with military skills. The militia's self-
proclaimed leader, Ian Roebuck, a preacher, claims 80 members in
several counties. Roebuck and " information officer" R. C. Davenport
disclaim any ties with white supremacist organizations, but advance
the notion, standard in the militia movement. that the United States
is on course to succumb to a United Nations-led tyranny.

SOUTH DAKOTA

The Rapid City-based Tri-State Militia is described by its leader
Rodger Chant as an umbrella organization for militia groups across the
state. Chant also claims that the group maintains ties with 35 other
militias across the country, including the Michigan Militia.
TENNESSEE

George Etter of Morristown leads the pro-militia Christian Civil
Liberties Association. He publishes a newsletter, The Militia News,
which he claims circulates to "millions" of militia- members, and
reportedly distributes materials that explain how to make automatic
weapons and explosives. Etter, who has a felony record, is himself
prohibited from handling firearms. Like many militiamen around the
country, Etter reportedly claimed the federal government engineered
the Oklahoma City bombing to discredit the militia movement.

Additionally, a militia has been reported to be operating near
Memphis.

TEXAS

An active militia presence was established in Texas with the founding
of the Texas Constitutional Militia in 1994. The organization's manual
includes language identical to the Michigan Militia's literature, with
a pledge to "stand against tyranny, globalism, moral relativism,
humanism, and the New World Order threatening to undermine our form of
government and these United States of America."

Since Fall 1994, the Texas Constitutional Militia has organized
widely, with groups active in the San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and
Beaumont areas. The militia's "commanding officers" include, in Collin
County, welder John A. Turner of Plano, and in Dallas County, Russell
Smith, a glass artist. A separate group, the Red River Militia (or Red
River Militia Guard), has organized in east Texas, and is believed to
be active in Gilmore, Marshall, DeKalb and Texarkana.

On November 12, 1994, the Texas Constitutional Militia convened an
"Alamo Rally" in San Antonio "to honor the Alamo heroes ... and to
petition the government for redress of grievances." The rally was
advertised in the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby's tabloid, The Spotlight.
Anti-Semitic and racist materials produced by such groups as Liberty
Lobby and William Pierce's neo-Nazi National Alliance were distributed
at the rally.

The Dallas-area militia, known as the North Texas Constitutional
Militia and based in suburban Richardson, has engaged in paramilitary
and survival exercises near the Texas- Oklahoma border. These
exercises have included the S.T.A.R. (Strategic Training for
Assistance and Readiness) program. According to its materials,
S.T.A.R. is conducted by a "cadre" of "former Rangers, Seals, Green
Berets, and Martial Arts Experts." On April 19, 1995, the day of the
Oklahoma City bombing. and two years to the day after the Branch
Davidian compound at Waco erupted in flames, the North Texas
Constitutional Militia erected near the site of the compound a stone
tablet in memory of those killed in the blaze.

Several militias are also believed to be active in Kerrville,
northwest of San Antonio, among them the U.S. Civil Militia, founded
by Betty Schier and her son Carl. In early May, the pair reportedly
turned over to federal authorities a variety of explosives, including
TNT, nitroglycerine and a homemade material incorporating ammonium
nitrate and paraffin. Betty Schier, 66, a retired gun dealer, said she
and her 35-year-old son "don't condone" the Oklahoma City bombing, and
claimed they only had the explosives for purposes of producing a video
called "The Mad Bomber," which the son has been trying to sell through
a survivalist magazine. The authorities questioned the pair and took
possession of the explosives after Carl Schier alerted the FBI that an
acquaintance had asked him for information on making a car bomb. No
charges were filed against the Schiers.Gritz Visits Texas

On February 18, 1995, Bo Gritz (see Idaho) brought his SPIKE
(Specially Prepared Individuals for Key Events) weapons and survival
training workshop to Dallas. Several timeworn anti- Semitic screeds
were sold at the seminar, including The Protocols of the Elders of
Zion, Jewish Ritual Murder, by mid- century British anti-Semite Arnold
Leese, The Jews and Their Lies, by Martin Luther, and The Truth About
the Protocols, by Gerald Winrod, the Kansas-based Jew-hating demagogue
of the 1930's and 40's known as the "Jayhawk Nazi."

The local contact person for Gritz's visit was Tom Baker, who runs
Baker's Outpost, a "Survival &. Preparedness Center" in nearby Plano.
Along with survival and "defense" supplies, Baker sells conspiracy
literature, including Peter Kershar's Economic Solutions -- The
Incredible Story of How You and America are Being Bankrupt & What You
Can Do to Avoid the Wipeout, which advances the anti-Semitic canard
that the Federal Reserve is run by eight Jewish families. The book
carries an endorsement by Bo Gritz.

Gritz returned to Dallas the following month for "Preparedness Expo
'95," where he shared the podium with, among others, the Michigan-
based militia figure Mark Koernke. On a more recent stop in Dallas,
shortly after the Oklahoma City bombing, Gritz deplored the tragedy,
but went on to describe the bombing as "a Rembrandt, a masterpiece of
science and art. "

Congressman Steve Stockman

In an official letter dated March 22, 1995, Congressman Steve Stockman
wrote to Attorney General Janet Reno claiming that "reliable sources"
had informed him that several federal agencies were preparing a
paramilitary style attack on the militias, whom he described as
"Americans who pose no risk to others." Mr. Stockman even specified
the dates and hour of the alleged impending attack: March 25 or 26 at
4:00 a.m.

Warning that the assault would "run the risk of an irreparable breach
between the federal government and the public," Congressman Stockman
asked for detailed information about the military arrangements for the
assault. The purported plan of attack, it turned out, was a fiction.

Stockman also wrote an article which appeared in the June issue of
Guns and Ammo magazine, claiming that the raid on the Branch Davidian
compound in Waco was conducted by the Clinton Administration "to prove
the need for a ban on so-called assault weapons." Earlier, Stockman
appeared as a guest on the radio program of Liberty Lobby, the leading
anti- Semitic propaganda group in the nation; he has since said he was
unaware of Liberty Lobby's anti-Semitism. ADL has recently conveyed
its concerns over these matters in a meeting with Congressman
Stockman.

UTAH

News accounts citing law enforcement sources report that at least
seven militia units are operating in Utah. One group, the Box Elder
County-based Unorganized State Militia of Utah, was disbanded this
spring by leader Doug Christiansen, who said he disapproved of the
growing militancy of the movement.

Johnny Bangerter, the leader of a St. George-based neo-Nazi Skinhead
group called the Army of Israel, claims his organization has ties to
militias in Montana, Texas and Utah. He and other Skinheads traveled
to northern Idaho in 1992 to express support for white supremacist
Randy Weaver during his standoff with federal law enforcement agents -
- an event that later contributed to the genesis of the militiamovement. Bangerter has asserted that he wrote a note delivered to
Weaver during the episode by influential far-right figure Bo Gritz
(see Idaho), who assisted in Weaver's surrender to authorities.

VIRGINIA

James Roy Mullins, a founding member of the militia-like Blue Ridge
Hunt Club (see Armed & Dangerous), pled guilty to federal firearm
offenses on February 27, 1995. On May 15, he was sentenced to a five-
year prison term. The trial of Warren Darrell Stump 11, another Hunt
Club member accused of firearm offenses, was delayed on April 26,
1995, when a federal judge determined that the Oklahoma City bombing
might affect jury deliberations. Two additional club members await
trial.

In Bedford County, pastor and gun dealer William Waters claims to lead
the 1st Virginia Freeborn Civilian Militia. Douglas Jeffreys, a state
highway department worker from Hanover County, says that he has been
touring the state working to form the Virginia Citizens' Militia, an
organization of loosely affiliated groups.

WASHINGTON

Washington has been the site of frequent recruitment and organizing
drives by militia groups based outside the state. Militias have
emerged throughout the state, particularly in the counties surrounding
Seattle, in the Spokane area, and in Clark and Cowlitz Counties in
southwestern Washington.

In central Washington, leaders of the Lake Chelan Citizens Militia
have been active in the Populist Party of Washington State and in the
1992 presidential campaign of far-right figure Bo Gritz (see Idaho),
who was the Populist Party nominee.

In Clark County, along the Oregon border, David Darby leads a branch
of the Idaho- based United States Militia Association. The
Association's prime mover, Samuel Sherwood, has spoken to Darby's
group.

The Militia of Montana (M.O.M.) has also recruited extensively in
Washington. M.O.M. sponsored a tour of the Northwest by Michigan's
Mark Koernke, during which he visited Spokane on December 2, 1994. In
February 1995, M.O.M.'s Bob Fletcher recruited in Snohomish County,
north of Seattle.

M.O.M. has continued its outreach efforts, particularly around
Spokane, in recent months.

WEST VIRGINIA

The leading militia figure in West Virginia is Ray Looker, whose
group, the Mountaineer Militia, holds periodic meetings. Echoing the
oft-repeated militia story that mysterious unmarked black helicopters
are surveilling leaders of the movement around the country, Looker
recently claimed that such copters have circled over his home in the
Clarksburg area. He has also asserted that the West Virginia National
Guard has been denied ammunition by the federal government.

WISCONSIN

The Militia of Wisconsin (also known as Freeman Militia of Wisconsin)
is an amalgam of three small organizations -- one under the leadership
of Don Treloar in Waupaca County, one in Vernon County under Will
Holzli, and a third near Slinger. Unified around the pro-gun, anti-
government, conspiracy-driven philosophies that characterize other
militia groups, they meet regularly and claim to engage in weaponstraining and maneuvers. Treloar, speaking of the group's regular field
exercises, says "we are preparing men for battle." Holzli, who called
media within hours of the Oklahoma City bombing to say that he thought
it might be part of a government plot, has boasted of 10,000 members
statewide, a plainly exaggerated claim.

Ernie Brusubardis III of Slinger has developed a 10-minute video to be
shown to recruits. While the militia claims to be open to any man 18
or older, the video reportedly states that only "professing
Christians" can become officers.

WYOMING

The Western United Militia (WUM), a small group based in Cheyenne, is
led by Robert Becker, identified as "Col. Becker" in WUM materials.
The group has advertised for recruits in a free shopper's weekly in
Cheyenne, and a WUM flier was distributed at a Cheyenne gun show in
May. Headed "Patriots Unite!", the handbill contends, in familiar
militia fashion, that President Clinton, the United Nations and other
global conspirators seek to establish a one- world government, and
that-- presumably toward this end -- Soviet-built tanks are being
transported to various U.S. locations. The flier, which makes the
(certainly exaggerated) claim that WUM has "21 divisions in 17 Western
States," instructs would-be members to enclose 20 dollars with their
applications.

In Sweetwater County, in southwestern Wyoming, leaflets headed
"Wyoming Militia" have surfaced, possibly indicating some nascent
local activity. The materials cite several laws as justifying the
militia's existence, but they also offer, for use in unsecured
telephone communications, suggested code words for "enemy,"
"contraband," "weapons," and "making or using explosives." Recommended
reading includes such titles as The Ultimate Sniper and Can You
Survive? -- the latter work written by Robert B. DePugh, who served
time in prison for firearms violations and other offenses related to
activity with the Minutemen, a heavily armed, far-right group he
founded in the 1960's. Other names that appear on the leaflets include
"Sweetwater Citizen Emergency Response Group" and "Wyoming
'Unorganized' (Reserve) Militia, 4th Group."