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Armed and Dangerous

Chip Berlet

	Many people assume that John C. Salvi 3d must be unbalanced - after

all, what other explanation can there be for a person who allegedly sprays

health clinics with bullets leaving death and destruction?  Salvi's other

reported actions add to this public assumption.  he quotes the biblical book

of Revelations; he meets with a Catholic priest and demands to distribute

lurid photographs of aborted fetuses, charging that the Catholic Church is

not doing enough to stop abortion; he confronts his parish on Christmas Eve

for failing to live up to his interpretation of the Catholic faith and its

obligations; he embraces violence while participating in a movement that

calls itself prolife.	

	The courts will decide if Salvi is competent to stand trial, but each

of his actions and statements can be traced to specific theological and

political arguments promoted by organizations in the Boston area and

nationwide.	

	The photographs of fetuses distributed by Salvi come from Human Life

International, a right-wing Catholic antiabortion group with a chapter in

Massachusetts.  HLI promotes a highly dogmatic vision of Catholicism that is

critical of liberal Catholics around the issues of abortion, sex education,

homosexuality and feminism.  HLI distributes books with titles such as "The

Feminist Takeover,""Ungodly Rage: The Hidden Face of Catholic Feminism," and

"New World Order: The Ancient Plan of Secret Societies."	

	The last book promotes the longstanding conspiracy theories of

ultraconservative and far right groups.  Under the umbrella of the

little-known "Patriots" movement, groups that fear a "New World Order

conspiracy" held a meeting in November at Burlington High School.  Speakers

included John Birch Society stalwart Samuel L. Blumenfeld, Sandra Martinez of

Concerned Women for America and leading antiabortion organizer Dr. Mildred

Jefferson. Both the Birch Society and DWA are active in the antiabortion

movement.  Jefferson is in leadership roles in both the National Right to

Life Committee and Massachusetts Citizens for Life.  Salvi attended at least

one meeting of Massachusetts Citizens for Life and met with several of its

leaders.	

	While Jefferson spoke, attendees browsed three tables fof literature

brought by Den's Gun Shop in Lakeville.  One book offered instruction in the

use of the Ruger .22 rifle, the weapon allegedly used by Salvi.  Other books

contain diagrams on how to build bombs and incendiary devices.  One title was

"Improved Weapons of the American Underground."  You could even purchase the

book "Hunter" by neo-Nazi William Pierce of the National Alliance.  "Hunter"

is a book about parasitic Jews destroying America and the need for armed

civilians to carry out political assassinations to preserve the white race. 

Leaflets from the National Alliance attacking the New World Order and

"minority parasites" have been appearing in Cambridge, Somerville and other

Boston-area communities.	

	One speaker, Ed Brown, runs the Constitutional Defense Militia of New

Hampshire.  Brown passed out brochures offering "Firearms Training, Combat

Leadership, Close Combat and Intelligence Measures." Brown is a part of the

growing armed militia movement, which is the militant wing of the Patriots

movement.  Several months ago Planned Parenthood held a press conference in

New York, where it released information about a Patriots meeting in

Wisconsin, where antiabortion activists and armed militia proponents shared

the podium.	

	A key figure in training armed civilian militias was the featured

afternoon speaker at the Burlington meeting.  Robert K. Spear is the author

of "Living Under the New World Order" and "Surviving Global Slavery." 

According to Spear, we are living in the "end times" predicted in the book of

Revelations.  True Christians will be asked to make sacrifices to defend

their faith and prepare the way for the return of Christ.  Spear's plan is

the formation of armed Christian communities.	

	The idea that we are in the end times is growing in right-wing

Christian evangelical circles.  While predominantly a Protestant phenomenon,

there are small groups of dogmatic and charismatic Catholics that also are

embracing end times theology.  Like Salvi, they point to the book of

Revelations.  Spear cited Revelations 13, the prophesy that in the end times,

Christians will be asked to accept the Satanic "Mark of the Beast" and reject

Christ.  These views are hardly marginal on the Christian Right, Pat

Robertson, a leading figure in the religious right whose Christian Coalition

is credited with helping elect many Republican congressmen, has been

emphasizing end times themes on the TV program "700 Club."	

	On the fringes of the antiabortion movement are groups that argue

that it is morally justifiable to kill abortion providers.  In recent years

the most militant antiabortion groups have been influenced by the theology of

Christian Reconstructionism or dominion theology, which argue that true

Christians must physically confront secular and sinful society and return it

to God.  Through predominantly composed of right-wing Protestants, a similar

movement among doctrinaire Catholics has emerged.  The trajectory of Philip

Lawler from the editorship of the Catholic publication The Pilot to the

Catholic League for Religiouis and Civil Rights to Operation Rescue is one

example of this drift toward militancy.  Last spring Salvi joined 300

antiabortion demonstrators outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in

Brookline, where pamphlets were circulated citing Operation Rescue estimates

that 18,000 abortions were performed annuallly at the facility.	

	There is no evidence that Salvi attended the Patriots meeting in

Burlington or that the rhetoric or ideaas of any of the groups or individuals

mentioned directly influenced his acitons.  The fact remains, however, that

there is a growing right-wing social movement that uses theological arguments

to encourage direct confrontation of its targets and tolerates discussions of

armed resistance.  Its adherents scapegoat abortion providers, gays and

lesbians, feminists, even environmental activists.  Some have called

feminists who support abortion right "femi-Nazis" and argued that abortion is

a genocide worse than that of Hitler.  One slogan is "If you really think

abortion is murder, then act like it."	

	For some who hear this message, all that's left is to pull the

trigger.

	Chip Berlet is an analyst at Political Research Associates.



White Mountain Militia returns fire:

	The "Armed and Dangerous"  editorial appeared in the Boston Globe

Friday, January 6, 1995.  This is the first serious effort that I have seen

by an east-coast establishment newspaper at linking the Patriot community

with violence at abortion clinics.  I offer the following analysis:	

	1. The title, "Armed and Dangerous" is also the title of a recent ADL

report on the unorganized militia and the Patriot movement.  This report was

characterized by a reckless series of half-truths and lies.  It was clearly

an attempt to defame the Patriot community and link patriot activities to

racist and anti-semite groups.  	

	2. Chip Burlet, an analyst at Political Research Associates, is

obviously a hired hatchet-man employed by this ADL front organization. 

Another tentacle of the ADL's propaganda leviathan, the Cult Awareness

Network, was responsible for the systematic disinformation and defamation

campaign against David Koresh.  These efforts led to the publics' accepting

the slaughter of innocent civilians at the Waco massacre.  As the heat is

turned up on the Patriot movement, we expect a similar campaign of

disinformation against loyal Americans.  	

	3. The first section of the editorial is an untenable effort to link

unrelated causes and events, couched under the rhetorical question of John

Salvi's sanity.  The notions that fetuses are alive, that abortion is wrong,

and that the "New World Order Conspiracy" exists are used collectively to

support the idea that Salvi's action arises from the teachings of the "little

known Patriots movement" and other named organizations.  Fortunately, this

juvenile disinformation strategy is easily discerned by those even slightly

more alert than the brain-dead.	

	4. Next, Burlet attempts to link respected speakers such as Mildred

Jefferson with Salvi, suggesting that he attended a meeting of Massachusetts

Citizens for Life, an organization in which Jefferson holds a leadership

position.  The first sentence of the fifth paragraph offers Jefferson as a

primary subject, and in the second clause introduces literature brought by

Den's gunshop.  The fact that a Ruger 10-22 rifle was allegedly used by

Salvi, and a book on the Ruger .22 was available at the meeting is coupled

with statements regarding literature on weaponry and a racist volume,

"Hunter".  Finally, the book "Hunter", an anti-semitic novel, is linked to

other attacks on the New World Order by a racist group; all this seeming to

suggest that Mildred Johnson supports a racist program.  What is not revealed

in the editorial is that Mildred Johnson holds degrees in medicine, is black,

is a Patriot, and shared the podium with Bruce Chesley, a local

representative of Jews For the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO), a

fine pro-civil rights Patriot organization.  These lies of omission are

typical of the cheap strategies employed by establishment media pundits. 

Like most of the aging artillery of the ADL propaganda arsenal, this tactic

is easily identified even by those of us educated in the public schools.  	

	5. No assault on the Patriot movement would be complete without an

effort to slander the unorganized militia.  Training measures offered by all

regional militia are provided by licensed, qualified individuals.  These days

anyone seeking knowledge on self-defense can be labeled as a fanatic by the

hate-mongers at the ADL.  Again, with the tactic of omission, Burlet ignores

the legitimacy of the unorganized militia and its activities under ALL United

States laws, state codes and statutes; also left out: The Constitution for

the United States of America.  Most mature individuals take the protection of

themselves, their family, and their property seriously, and no amount of

deception will change that fact of human nature.  For this, all but

propagandists and other criminals can be grateful.  	

	6. Christians and Patriots are again taken to task for their

discussion of the "Mark of the Beast".  It is suggested that Salvi, in his

lunacy, believes the application of such a mark to be possible, and that

anyone holding similar beliefs is equally as lunatic.  Even those of us who

watch only mainstream media television news broadcasts have been acquainted

with the use of tiny computer chips injected under the skin of animals for

the purpose of tracking.  Perhaps the scientific research wing of the ADL

could use help from my children's high school Earth Science teacher.  He

suggests that computer chips implanted in infants would be a plausible

deterrent to kidnapping, and allow for the easy recovery of the baby... 

Wouldn't that be great??  	

	7. The disclaimer.  "There is no evidence that Salvi attended the

Patriots meeting...or that the rhetoric or ideas of any of the groups or

individuals mentioned directly influenced his actions".  The ADL's legal

research staff gets high marks here.  And they had better be careful.  ANY

MINOR SLIP-UPS CAN LEAD TO A CLASS ACTION SUIT JOINED BY ALL OF THE MENTIONED

GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS.  	

	8. The conclusion.  "For some who hear this message, all that's left

is to pull the trigger."  This ridiculous notion is only retained in the

flaccid gray matter of the semi-conscious sheeple.  The propagandist

postulates that most Americans will timidly accept this notion and cower at

the mere mention of the Patriot movement.  He earns his money by encouraging

fear disseminating disinformation, and undermining ideals.  The geometric

expansion of the Patriot community is demonstrable evidence of his certain

failure.  	

	In summary, every attempt to defame the Patriot community brings

legions to our ranks.  Every effort to the undermine the continuing Patriot

campaign aimed at exposing the systematic subversion of this Republic's

Constitutional system awakens more concerned Americans.  The sleeping giant

is finally regaining consciousness from a long, enduced slumber.  Once fully

alert, he will smash the individuals responsible for the destruction of this

nation and dismember the organizations they support.   

   DEAR GIANT,

	ADD MR. BURLET AND THE POLITICAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATES TO THE LIST.

White Mountain Militia Information Service

POBox 1358

Lebanon, New Hampshire 03766





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