Word: militiaization
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Chechnya happens on the territory of a single state -- the Russian Federation. You might recall that in 1787 the population of Wyoming Valley sought to secede from Pennsylvania and form its own state. The executive council answered that challenge with orders to a unit of the state's militia to arrest their leader. We found ourselves in a similar situation under different circumstances in different times. [Chechen rebel leader Jokhar] Dudayev had launched an armed rebellion with the goal of destroying the integrity of the Russian Federation. Hence coercion by the state was used...
Before the Oklahoma blast, the militias could count on two freshmen Republicans in Congress for staunch support. Representative Helen Chenoweth of Idaho has publicly noted that "black helicopters" operated by the Federal Government -- a common demonic image in militia lore -- have harassed Idaho citizens. Representative Steve Stockman of Texas sent a concerned letter to Attorney General Janet Reno in March when he heard rumors that the Federal Government was about to raid local militias. "A paramilitary-style attack against Americans who pose no risk to others ... would run the risk of an irreparable breach between the Federal Government...
...part, Chenoweth fired off several letters a day to newspapers that criticized her, and refused to denounce citizen militias, even as she deplored the loss of life in Oklahoma. She receives support from militias beyond her state: the Militia of Montana sells videos of her campaign speeches. Chenoweth has proposed legislation that would require federal agents to get the approval of local law enforcers before carrying weapons during an arrest or investigation...
...militia's friends in Washington are muted nowadays, the zealots can count on one loud voice at the state level: Colorado state senator Charles Duke, 52, a fervent leader of a movement to reaffirm the 10th Amendment and strengthen states' rights. Local rights are, of course, a militia tenet. And Duke plays up those sympathies. At a rally last week, Duke lent weight to the scuttlebutt that the government was behind the Oklahoma bombing. Though criticized, he still warned darkly of "serious allegations of government involvement" that his office is probing. "More people die from skiing every year than...
...explain why a few individuals or breakaway groups resort to violence against innocent people. "Most people have a lot of restraints-family or close friends. And they don't have the means to be violent," says Dr. Richard Wyatt, chief of neuropsychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health. Militia officers themselves may stop some hotheaded individuals from taking up terrorist tactics. Sometimes, it is only after people have been kicked out of a group that they feel free to commit murder...