As government tightens its grip, individuals fight back. If they use weapons, they are asking for trouble.
I wrote about this almost 30 years ago in two books that I edited, Theology of Christian Resistance and Tactics of Christian Resistance. Both are online.
I have not changed my opinion. These groups are anarchistic and dangerous. They also draw way too much attention from authorities. One of these was arrested by local police.
According to court papers, Rice was involved in the “sovereign citizen” movement, a group that has attracted little national media attention but which the FBI classifies as an “extremist antigovernment group.” So-called sovereign citizens argue that they are not subject to local, state or federal laws, and some refuse to recognize the authority of courts or police.Since 2000, members of the movement have killed six police officers, and clashes with law enforcement are on the rise, according to the FBI. The deadliest incident came in 2010, when a shootout with a member left four people dead, including two police officers, during what began as a routine traffic stop in West Memphis, Ark.
Since then, in a notable shift in policy, federal officials have stepped up their attention on sovereign citizens.
The issue is violence.
In two recent unpublished studies, the Homeland Security Department and the National Counterterrorism Center ranked the sovereign citizen movement as a major threat, along with Islamic extremists and white supremacists. The FBI assigned a supervisor to coordinate investigations of the movement last year.
This is a right-wing movement. “Most important, some followers believe they are entitled to use armed force to resist arrest and fight police.”
The movement has its roots in the citizens movement of the 1970's, the Posse Comitatus movement. The original organizer was pro-Nazi. These militias were not authorized under county government. They were not led by anyone with civil authority. They were revolutionaries.
Fringe groups that take up arms against the state attract people without good sense. It is wise to avoid them.
Continue Reading on www.latimes.com
________________________
Published on Feb. 12, 2012. The original is here.
© 2022 GaryNorth.com, Inc., 2005-2021 All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.