Saturday, April 03, 2010

Guardians? Rightwing and Leftwing? Huh?

Guardians of the free Republics looked to Gandhi, King, and Mandela
In a recent plea, Sam Kennedy, a "guardian elder" of the Guardians of the free Republics, warned the modern-day "original government" revolutionaries to approach their March 31 "Restore America Plan" with Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mohandas Gandhi in mind.

"We would simply like to urge patriots everywhere to champion their faith instead of force, and allow The Restore America Plan an uneventful 30 to 60 days for visible implementation which will ultimately end the bogus prosecutions and terrorist activities once and for all," wrote Kennedy recently.

The FBI failed to understand the Guardians' peaceful intentions.

A letter by Mr. Kennedy to all 50 governors demanding they step down within three days or be removed contained an implicit threat – and could be a cause, the FBI worried, for incitement for others to take action against the government.

Actively recruiting across the country in the last few months and promoted on a Texas radio station, the Guardians of the free Republics believe the US government is a corporate imposter put in place by corrupt bankers as part of the New Deal in 1933.

[...]

A mix of left and right

"Traditionally, critique of the IRS has come from the right, such as the Christian patriot movement, but [sovereign citizen] movements also invoke a lot of left-wing ideas like anti-capitalism that are consistent with the times and the downturn in the economy, where people may have property liens against them," says George Michael, an expert on political extremism at the University of Virginia's College at Wise. [...]

Is it newsworthy? I suppose. But I suspect it's also a storm in a tea cup, no matter how much the media would like to make it a hurricane.

Arnold in California didn't get his:
Guardians of the Free Republics' letters to governors spur inquiry
[...] California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not received the letter, said a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol, which is charged with the governor's safety. The CHP would not discuss whether changes were made to the governor's security detail.

Federal law enforcement officials would not comment on the investigation. A source in a governor's office that received the letter confirmed its wording.

The Guardians of the Free Republics appears to work in the anti-government and anti-tax movement. The group's philosophy -- rife with its interpretation of arcane federal law -- mingles with the anti-Federal Reserve mantra espoused by followers of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas as well as with anti-tax advocates.

"Everything is going to be orderly and no one is going to be harmed in this movement," said Billy Ray Hall, who identified himself in a telephone interview Friday as a follower of the Guardians of the Free Republics. "It's going to be really good. There's going to be funds enough for everybody." [...]

"Funds for everyone"? Yeah. Whatever. How is getting rid of Governors supposed to help? I expect there is more to this story, I'm just not sure it's worth hearing about.
     

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