Memories of 'Patriotism'

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Issue Number:

102

Summer

2001

As the Oklahoma City bomber faces death, a movement fades. Read profiles of the top 40 'Patriot' and militia activists. Antigovernment tensions reach Washington State's 'Freedom County' and a prominent 'unregistered church' in Indiana.

In This Issue

The Rise and Decline of the 'Patriots'

With the planned execution of Timothy McVeigh, a movement that roiled the 1990s comes symbolically to a close

More than seven years after it began, the antigovernment "Patriot" movement is a shadow of its former self. The scheduled execution of Timothy McVeigh may well mark the fading of this particular form of the radical right.

False Patriots

Profiles of 40 antigovernment leaders

Brief profiles of 40 men and women who played pivotal roles in the antigovernment 'Patriot' movement, along with a timeline recapitulating the history of modern civilian militias, illustrate the changing shape of the radical right.

Organizing Freedom

By David Neiwert

Like Patriot groups nationwide, the organizers of Washington state's separatist 'Freedom County' are facing rejection from neighbors and failure in achieving any of their goals.

Church vs. State

The seizure of Indianapolis Baptist Temple ends a standoff, but the 'unregistered churches' movement is still in business

After 17 years of refusing to pay taxes, the Patriot-linked Indianapolis Baptist Temple was seized by the federal government after a 92-day standoff. But the 'unregistered churches' movement is still in business.

More Features

Into the Shadows Editorial By Mark Potok, Senior Fellow Report editor Mark Potok discusses the waning of the Patriot movement as convicted terrorist Timothy McVeigh faces execution.	Thirty Plots Foiled Since Oklahoma City Terror from the Right Since the Oklahoma City bombing, almost 30 right-wing terrorist plots — most of them foiled — have been uncovered in the United States.
Reevaluating the Net A growing consensus of experts finds that discussion groups, not Web sites, are where cyber-extremism really flourishes.	Coming Out For decades, Dan Gayman was a key ideologue of the racist Christian Identity religion. In an interview, his son and daughter-in-law describe life in Gayman's Church of Israel, and how they came to leave it.
'By Any Means Necessary' Taking a page from the radical right, the eco-radical Earth Liberation Front says it is targeting the federal government and even 'liberal democracy' itself.	Collateral Damage A new biography that purports to explain Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh is interesting, but misses key points.
A 'Patriot' Timeline Read a timeline tracing the history of the modern Patriot movement.

Briefs

Woman's Death Exposes Seamy Prison Scam Aryan Brotherhood The bizarre relationship between imprisoned white supremacist Paul "Cornfed" Schneider and his lawyers, Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel, began unraveling January 16.	German Extremist Loses Bid for U.S. Asylum Neo-Nazis A German neo-Nazi murderer arrested in West Virginia reportedly was denied political asylum in the United States. Without asylum he will likely be deported to Germany, where he faces a return to prison for parole violations.	Creationism Gets a Dash of Anti-Semitism Radical Religion Dr. Kent Hovind is notable for his wide reception and for his promulgating of conspiracy theories favored by the antigovernment 'Patriot' movement.
Aryan Family Values Racist preacher gets 30 years in kidnapping Anti-Semitic Christian Identity preacher Gordon Winrod is sentenced for 30 years in the kidnapping of his own grandchildren and indoctrinating them for years with white supremacist ideology.	Despite Tough Talk, Curtis Tells All 'Lone Wolves' White supremacist Alex Curtis was indicted on federal hate crime charges. Even though he promised never to cooperate with the government he crumbled by pleading guilty to three conspiracy charges.	Nazi Compound To Be Reborn As Rights Center Hate and the Law Greg Carr, who recently bought the Aryan Nations compound, will rededicate it as an education and conference center for human rights.
Anti-Abortion Extremism Accused assassin arrested in France The accused assassin of obstetrician Bernard Slepian was arrested in France just days after hard-line anti-abortion activists won a major court victory in California.	Florida 'Church' Leaders Guilty in Scam Patriot Games Florida 'Church' leaders were found guilty of running a massive Ponzi scheme that took close to half a billion dollars from victims who were promised that God would double their money in less than two years.	Surprise Ruling Backs Gun Rights By Brian Levin Departing from a long line of decisions, a federal judge finds the Second Amendment protects gun rights for individuals.

Southern Poverty Law Center