From the Past, a Chilling Warning About the Extremists of the Present
They robbed an armored car outside a sprawling Seattle shopping mall.
They bombed a synagogue in Boise, Idaho, and within weeks assassinated a Jewish talk radio host in Denver.
Then a month later, they plundered another armored car on a California highway in a spectacular daylight heist that netted more than $3.6 million.
What initially seemed to F.B.I. agents like distant, disparate crimes turned out to be the opening salvos in a war against the federal government by members of a violent extremist group called the Order, who sought to establish a whites-only homeland out West.
Their crime spree played out in 1984. Fast forward to 2021. Federal agents and prosecutors who dismantled the Order see troubling echoes of its threat to democracy in the Capitol riot and the growing extremist activity across the country.
These are the final paragraphs of the article...
Though the motivations are related, there is plenty that separates groups active now from those that operated in the past. Far-right organizations once needed to engage with possible recruits in person; now much of that radicalization occurs online. They can connect, scheme and even act through the internet. It was also unthinkable that any high-profile politician would voice opinions that such groups considered encouragement. Now those words have come from a former president.
Former agents viewed the Capitol riot and last year’s protests over social justice issues as possible seeds for radicalization.
“I feel that if there is an organization today from the extreme right that is following in the footsteps of the Order,” Mr. Manis said, “you will not know anything about it until it is too late and they have already done something dastardly.”
Troubling, for sure. I still think they are fringe. Or are they 50 percent?
ReplyDeleteThey are getting a lot of support and encouragement from politicians in Congress. If the country is to rid itself of this scourge, it must begin with Congressional investigations. I don't see that happening.
ReplyDeleteRad - Wow! What a great comment! More attention needs to be given to these homegrown terrorists or the country will be in a whole lot of hurt in the very near future.
ReplyDeleteWhat is always surprising me and flabbergasted me it so see how easy it is to be part of such «terrorist groups» in USA.
ReplyDeleteProud Boys is now an outlaw terrorist group here in Canada and our police and secret sevices are investigating them to prosecute those who are their members, seize their banking accounts etc...
Such racist group as KKK is also not welcome here. How come this group can still be existing in USA?
Any individual or group that are spreading racist hate, political hate or sexual hate on internet or any other ways here are going against the law and our «Canadian Rights and Liberties Charter» which is included in our Canadian Constitution since 1982.
JiEL - We sure could use a "Rights and Liberties Charter" here.
ReplyDeleteOur Contitution was written in 1867 and was held in London, UK.
ReplyDeleteAfter the «Charter of the British North America Act» in 1937, it was time to make our constitution come back in Canada and renew some of its parts in 1982 under the Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau (father of our now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau).
It was in the time that our country was under alot of social changes and as Trudeau said then thet the governement as nothing to do in the bedrooms of any Canadians.
So the government added that Rights and Liberty Charter to our Constitution making all of its amendements fondamental law for all our country.
As your constitution is much older than ours, making a renewal of it could be suitable as the social fabric of the 21st century is much different than when it was written.
JiEL - Suitable, yes. Because it's sensible, it won't happen.
ReplyDelete