Posted on 10/15/2001 5:44:48 PM PDT by Merovingian
Backwoods militias suspected of being behind biowar threat IAN BRUCE
THE FBI's domestic terrorism unit is investigating the possible role of illegal militia groups in the spate of anthrax outbreaks in Florida and New York.
Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber who killed 168 people when he blew up a federal building in 1995, was a supporter of one such group, the National Alliance.
Others have threatened to use biological weapons, including anthrax, botulism, and ricin, in their struggle against what they see as a global conspiracy between the US administration and the United Nations to disarm and enslave them. Every state has its own "patriot" group of disaffected right-wing Christian radicals opposed to central government and federal regulations. Most are organised along paramilitary lines.
The FBI estimates their numbers at up to 40,000, with the larger militias in backwoods country areas. They claim they are mobilising to fight the "New World Order".
In places like Idaho, Texas, Montana and West Virginia, they wear army surplus camouflage uniforms and train with assault rifles and explosives against the day when they might have to defend themselves against direct interference from the federal authorities.
They range in outlook from Pat Robertson, a failed 1988 presidential candidate, with his vision of a "Christian America" to the sinister Posse Comitatus, Aryan Nations and Minnesota Patriots' Council, who favour armed insurrection.
All have links with the National Rifle Association, the influential lobby group which represents weapons' manufacturers, hunters and gun clubs and campaigns for the right of all Americans "to own and bear arms".
There is some doubt as to whether this right is enshrined legally in the American constitution but the NRA has powerful supporters in both senate and congress and no-one has yet managed successfully to challenge the all-pervasive nationwide gun culture.
Most of the militias' philosophy is based on white-supremacist principles, looking down on blacks as "mud people" and Jews as instigators of the global plot against them and manipulators of the world economy for their own benefit.
Despite their redneck reputation, they have developed a sophisticated communications network using computer e-mail, shortwave radio, and fax. The North American Patriots, a group with members from California to Kansas, publish a newsletter entitled Firearms and Freedom.
After the disastrous FBI storming of the Branch Davidian headquarters in Waco, Texas, and the Ruby Ridge stand-off fiasco, where an FBI sniper killed an unarmed woman in a mountain cabin, the militias have turned to the threat of biological weapons to up the ante.
In January 1999, police and security forces responded to 30 anthrax hoaxes in southern California alone. Since then, there have been thousands of false alarms across the country.
Many aimed at government buildings, including deliveries of envelopes containing suspicious white powder, were militia inspired. Others targeting schools, hospitals or newspapers were sent by disgruntled former employees or jilted lovers.
However, the FBI has never discounted the possibility someone might lay hands on lethal biological agents. In 1992, two members of the Minnesota Patriots' Council were arrested carrying vials of ricin, an extremely dangerous toxin. They intended to use the substance to kill police officers over a local feud.
Larry Wayne Harris of the Aryan Nations managed to buy samples of bubonic plague over the internet. Fortunately, the plague bacteria were inert.
Three members of the Republic of Texas bought what they thought was anthrax in 1998. It turned out to be anthrax serum, the liquid used to inoculate people against the infection.
An FBI source said yesterday that up to 80% of the weapons of mass destruction inquiries carried out in the last few years involved the threat of anthrax.
Before the death of a British-born newspaperman in Florida last week, only 28 people in the US had died from effects of the bacterium in the last 100 years.
Before biowar became a potentially popular hobby, anthrax was known as "wool-shearer's disease" because it had been contracted only by farmworkers in close contact with sheep, a prime carrier of the infection.
An FBI source said: "We can never rule out al Qaeda's possible role in the current deliberate spread of anthrax. It is causing more panic than anything else and has not, thankfully, been disseminated in a very efficient way if the object was to inflict casualties.
"But our own militias may also have a hand in some or all of the incidents. Copycats and hoaxers could also be having a field day. The problem is, we just can't afford to drop our guard."
-Oct 16th
First off, Tim McVeigh was a self-proclaimed agnostic, not a Christian. Secondly, militia groups do not support the NRA. They believe that the NRA compromises too much. Also, the NRA organazation and their state counterparts do not support the 'militia groups', and neither do I. Thirdly, Tim McVeigh was kicked out of the 'militia' because of his advocacy for violence. Fourth, not one member of the 'militia' has been convicted of terrorism. Fifth, I would like to know what ties Pat Robertson has to these 'militia' groups. Sixth, outside of the "Aryan" groups, I would like to know what proof you have that they are 'racist' and 'anti-Semetic'.
Being an NRA member, I highly resent being tied to terrorists, Nazi's, racists, and Anti-Semites, because I am a member of an organization that is not popular in Europe.
Name Withheld.
East Lansing, Michigan
United States of America
I wouldn't be surprised if they did have something to do with it. The targets hit are not ringing true for mid-eastern terrorists. Tom Brokaw, T. Daschle - these people are hated by the ultra right groups. Also, the fact that there is a coalition, the fact that NATO is assisting in guarding our country, the creation of the Homeland Security office, the Terrorist Bill being passed which will allow for more monitoring, and their general hatred of any rules might make them try and disrupt the government.
Hopefully not, attacks like these on fellow Americans during a time of attack and war would be treasonous in my opinion.
That will be my alternate screen name in case I ever get suspended or banned :-)
The Muslim fanatics hate the leftists ---Hollywood, the media, academia, feminists more than we do and in case the leftists don't realize it, they are the primary targets for all that UN crap, international planned parenthood, decrepid Hollywood movies and the tastelessness of the celebrities.
See comment number 4,and then remember Blair being here a couple of weeks ago pushing "unity". Blair is a big supporter of the fascist "The Third Way" political system.
We seem to agree on a lot of things. We are still going to have to kill them. I do hate to kill the enemies of my enemies.
Mid-eastern terrorists would have no interest in targeting media? high-placed government officials? This is just lazy thinking. The goal of any terrorist is to create terror, and what better way to do it than to attack highly visible targets - like media guys and government officials - rather than Joe Shmoes?
Tom Brokaw, T. Daschle - these people are hated by the ultra right groups
It is not as if ultra left groups have any great love for the likes of Brokaw or Daschle. Try again.
Also, the fact that there is a coalition, the fact that NATO is assisting in guarding our country, the creation of the Homeland Security office, the Terrorist Bill being passed which will allow for more monitoring, and their general hatred of any rules might make them try and disrupt the government.
Sure, it "might". We've seen no evidence of that yet whatsoever, however. The fact that Daschle has a (D) after his name ain't exactly a smoking gun. If a Republican had still been Senate Majority Leader and were attacked would you leap as quickly to the conclusion that he must have been attacked "because of his political party"?
This is what I don't get. So many people here see an attack on Daschle('s office) and think "Well, he's a Democrat, it must be because he's a Democrat!" He's also a white male. Could it be because of that? He's also got reddish hair. Could it be because of that?
Give me a break. Less speculation, more evidence, that's all I say.
Of course, they would be hard beat to top the clown that wrote this lying piece of crap.
They are desperately looking to find something, anything they can put into a template and jam down our throats ad nauseum.
We've seen that with the "racist attack on American Muslims" pieces.
They would just love to trot out a right wing bogeyman to distract and disinform. Their problem is no credible evidence of any right wing extremist activity. So in this article the poor author has to invent it out of idle speculation.
The Al-Qaeda network has every reason to try to disrupt the communications (i.e. media networks and news outlets, and yes, that would include AMI for a certain sector of the populous) of the country with which it is at war. That's the only m.o. that makes any sense, esp. given all the FLA connections and the stuff David Schippers has been talking about.
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