Southern Preposterous Lie Center sez I'm a "divisive propagandist" who's "doing real damage to our country."

3 Alabama men among 30 profiled by Southern Poverty Law Center as key leaders in radical groups

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Three Alabama men are among 30 people from around the nation profiled in a report released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center on what the group characterizes as key leaders of radical right groups.

"Their divisive propaganda, which is being embraced by opportunistic politicians and pundits and exploited for partisan gain, is doing real damage to our country," Mark Potok, senior fellow at the Montgomery-based center and editor of the new report, said in a prepared statement. . .

The Alabama men highlighted in the report are Michael Vanderboegh of Pinson, described by the report as a "Patriot leader;" Michael Hill of Killen, with League of the South, described as a neo-Confederate group; and Timothy Turner of Ozark, described as being with the Sovereign Citizens Movement. . .

Vanderboegh disputed the center's characterization of him. "The so-called 'Patriot Movement' is a false construction of the SPLC to be able to conflate large numbers of dissimilar and even opposing philosophies for the purposes of creating fundraising bogeymen to scare their donors," he wrote in an email. He described himself as a long-time leader of the constitutional militia movement.

Conducting a training class in communications and sensors, getting ready to work the border, 2005.

The center's profile on Vanderboegh states he dislikes immigrants. "I worked the border in October 2005 in support of the Minutemen," Vanderboegh wrote. "I do not 'dislike' immigrants nor have I ever written such ... I did oppose the Bush administration's failure to enforce the immigration laws of this country as a direct threat to the rule of law."

The profile on him states that in 2010, after Congress passed President Obama's health care reform bill, Vanderboegh used his Sipsey Street Irregulars blog to urge opponents to throw bricks through the windows of Democratic offices nationwide. Bricks were thrown through several offices around the nation.

"Specifically I called for the breaking of local Democrat Party headquarters windows," Vanderboegh wrote. "Political vandalism to make a point is a fine old American tradition, going back to original Sons of Liberty."

The report also notes the arrests in November of four men, ranging in age from their 50s to 70s, with a Georgia militia charged with allegedly planning attacks against government officials and buildings. The planned attacks were inspired, in part, by an online novel published by Vanderboegh, according to news reports and the center's report.

"Blaming me for the 'Georgia Geriatric Militia' is like blaming Tom Clancy for September 11," Vanderboegh said.

One professor who studied and wrote a book on the growth of militia groups in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing questioned the tone of the center's report.

"Dispassionate unbiased analysis it is not," said Robert Churchill, associate professor of history at the University of Hartford, Conn., who wrote "To Shake Their Guns in the Tyrant's Face: Libertarian Political Violence and the Origins of the Militia Movement."

Churchill wrote in an email that he believes the center takes a few cheap shots at Vanderboegh, including the attempted link to the Georgia militia case and questioning Vanderboegh's claims that he was a moderate who denounced neo-Nazis. "Vanderboegh was in fact a very important anti-racist voice within the militia movement in the 1990s," Churchill wrote.

Here's some quotes responding to the SPLC screed that didn't make it into the paper:

As to the "posturing as a civic improver by leading attacks on a botched gun investigation," they are referring to the fact that I broke the "Fast and Furious" scandal story in December, 2010, verifying whistleblower accounts through my own sources within the ATF. I, along with my fellow gun rights blogger David Codrea, was subsequently responsible for linking up whistleblowers like ATF agent John Dodson first with Senator Sessions' office and then with Senator Grassleys'. The SPLC, which has long had a symbiotic relationship with ATF (they defended ATF during the racist Good O' Boys Roundup scandal) is likely taking this opportunity to express their dislike of my criticism of their gravy train. (Ask SPLC how much they make from Federal law enforcement contracts providing "extremist training" to federal and state LE agencies. They will not tell you.)

SPLC: "In that role, he has been regularly consulted as an expert by Fox News, which hasn’t bothered to mention his background as a militia leader or instigator of criminal brick-throwing attacks."

My reply: In my year and a half of working the Fast and Furious scandal, I have been interviewed by William LaJuennesse of FOX exactly twice. If that constitutes "regular" it is a definition contrary to the one in Webster's. . .

SPLC: "That would be officials of the very same government, as it turns out, that sends Mike Vanderboegh, each and every month, a disability check for $1,300."

My reply: Accurate as far as it goes. The collectivists such as SPLC, MSNBC and others have made much of the fact that I am on SS disability for this princely sum. My doctor suggested I apply after I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. It was immediately granted without reference to any lawyer. What really galls these professional liars for money is either (a) that I am getting some of the forty plus years that I paid into Social Security back while they understand that they'll never draw theirs, (b) more likely, they understand the ancient guerrilla warrior logistics tactic of living off the substance of the enemy.

My conclusion to the email: SPLC gets by with their years of lies, conflations and half-truths simply because you in the media never look under their skirts. They have been denounced by ex-employees (see Montgomery Advertiser series in the 1990s, "Marketing the Militias"); by activists on the left who despise them more than I do; by old civil rights foot soldiers who sneer that Dees is a "civil rights pimp" who started out defending Klansmen and then saw where the money was; by Dees ex-partner, the founder of Habitat for Humanity and by non-partisan, non-profit watchdog groups.

Yet they get by with ad hominem attacks such as the sneer just dissected because you in the press view them as "extremist experts." One might as well write a history of the Jews in Spain by relying solely upon the memoirs of Cardinal Francisco Jimenez, the Grand Inquisitor.

David Codrea: Grassley holds key to bypass balking on Holder contempt charges

"There is one other option, perhaps the best one, and it’s a course recommended consistently in this column: Reenact the law that expired in 1999 to allow for a truly independent counsel."

MAIG Coordinators Paid as City Employees, Saves Gun-Hater’s Money

Just in case you were wondering if you're paranoid. You're not.

Ho, hum. Another Inspector General report.

Big deal.

Did You Hear the One about U.S. Internment Camps?

Latest from J.M. Berger.

THE CRISIS OF LEGITIMACY: Boehner said to be blocking Issa committee vote on contempt. His defenders claim Democrat disinformation. If not, it will be time to take the fight to Boehner, the GOP leadership & even Romney.

Lapdog AP reporter Jordy Yager writes: Rep. Issa might not have the votes to push forward Holder contempt charge>

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) might not have the votes in his own committee to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress.

A number of Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are wary of moving forward with Issa’s proposed measure, putting the powerful chairman in an awkward position as he attempts to build support for the move. . .

Two of the committee’s 23 Republicans have declined to support the measure at this point, while five other GOP panel members did not respond to repeated requests for comment over the last two weeks.

When compared with the 16 Republicans on the committee who have actively been speaking in favor of the measure, the silence, lack of outspoken support and desire by these eight GOP caucus members to avoid the issue could be a problem for Issa.

Republican leadership has been hesitant and reluctant to voice its support for Issa’s move, possibly owing to the chairman’s inability to guarantee the measure’s passage in his own committee. . .

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) plans to hold off making a decision on whether he will support the measure until Issa puts forward a final version of the resolution and formally introduces it, his office told The Hill. Rep. Frank Guinta’s (R-N.H.) office said the lawmaker declined to comment on whether he supports Issa’s measure.

Reps. Todd Platts (R-Pa.), Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Connie Mack (R-Fla.), Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) have not responded to repeated requests for comment over the past two weeks.

Main Justice's version.

I received this little bit of news this morning while I was in the ER yet again. I made some calls from there. What I learned made me livid. One source I trust implicitly says that the story is correct.

"They (the GOP leadership) don't think that they will suffer for failure to follow through. They're scared of Holder's race card. . . they're scared of Trayvon. They think if they let Issa fail, that it will only be a story in the blogosphere for a day . . . that they can weather it. . . . They exert pressure behind the scenes on those weak-kneed bastards (GOP congressmen), promise them shit and when the vote happens it will only look like Issa's case was weak. . . It will be his fault, not theirs."

Another source close to the committee claims that the entire story is disinformation planted by the White House "to get the GOP fighting each other and blame Boehner for it." I explained to several people I talked to just how this story would play on the street among people who are already upset at the glacially slow pace.

"Don't they understand that this is the final crisis of their own legitimacy?" I fairly screamed into the phone at one. "Don't they understand how poorly some are going to react?" I added, "You know there's a whole lot of folks who have lost all faith in the system, people who don't listen to me about restraint and letting the system work. Doesn't Boehner understand that this is his last f--king chance to prove his oath means anything to him before people start acting on that? Does he really think this will have no consequences for him?"

I sent word that I wanted to hear from someone at the Committee directly, to give them the opportunity to convince me that despite the evidence this really was disinformation. It is evening. I haven't heard a word.

I promised this to one source and told him to spread it around: "If I have to put my sorry, cancer ridden, half-dead ass on the line and break the sedition laws of the United States by calling for targeted civil disobedience, vandalism and monkey wrenching on these GOP traitors to their oaths, then I will do it. . . What have I got to lose? If Boehner wishes us to believe that he is NOT dragging his feet then let him issue a press release tomorrow denying the AP story." I pointed out that I have a certain history of pushing the sedition laws and that the press -- who they seem entirely eager to avoid -- could not fail to cover the first broken window, or the second or third. Rachel Madcow would be all over the story. Let them contemplate that and its effect on the Romney campaign.

The sources defending Boehner who claim disinformation begged for me to wait until the Tuesday after Memorial Day when Holder's deadline is up. In the meantime, anybody who lives in the congressional districts of these weak sisters that Boehner seems to pressuring needs to get hold of them by email, fax, phone or shouting in his face and tell them what you think of their being Obama's patsies.

I am sending this out on my own email list. I urge all of you to do the same. This is the final crisis of the search for justice in the Gunwalker scandal. If they get away with this, we have lost. I will have more as events unfold.

Talk, talk, talk. Boner and Company send Holder a letter (snooze).

Letter here:

So what? Spot on comment here: ‘Too Little, Too Late’ From GOP Leaders on ‘Fast and Furious’

Texas lawmakers play hardball over Fast & Furious

Boehner asks Obama, pretty please, to get Holder off the dime. As if that's going to work.

LATER: Another, more detailed, account.

Meanwhile, the GOP does nothing except fund raise using the issue and makes the Dems points for them.

LATER: Boehner continues to hide.

Obama "Memorializing" Brian Terry in the dark.

David Codrea writes Obama memorials bury Fast and Furious law enforcement deaths

John Richardson: A Lack Of Class

David Codrea: Issa invites questions while staffers ignore them.

Not for the first time.

Praxis Questions: Length of pull on a bolt action rifle & how truly important is it to be able to manipulate the bolt while the rifle is seated in your shoulder?

A reader asks, and although I have my opinions, I'm wondering what you readers have to say. Remember to look at it from two points of view, from the big shooter forced to deal with a weapon with too short length of pull and a small statured shooter using a weapon with too long a length of pull.

Still stalling.

DOJ: Issa’s Move To Hold AG In Contempt ‘Unprecedented’

"The first guy who uses a Second Amendment weapon to bring a drone down that's been hovering over his house is going to be a folk hero in this country."

Krauthammer On Drones Flying In US: "Stop It Here, Stop It Now"

Washington Times: Hold Holder in contempt

No more slow-walking Fast and Furious probe

Tom Sowell: Is A Race War Being Censored To Avoid White Backlash?

Slouching toward bloody insanity.

What does Trayvon have to do with justice for Brian Terry and hundreds of dead Mexican citizens? -- Nothing except weak-kneed GOP leadership.

Darrell Issa Keeps Pursuing Contempt.

A GOP aide also warned against a racial backlash if Republicans are seen as unfairly targeting the first black attorney general, who is serving under the first black president. “Especially after Trayvon,” the aide said, referring to slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

Meanwhile resistance to Boehner's spinelessness grows.

Looking for a book. Any ideas?

Am looking for a copy of the out-of-print 1991 softcover reprint (couldn't possibly afford one of the 1949 originals) of Bataan Uncensored by Ernest B. Miller and republished by the Minnesota Historical Society. Can't find one on the Internet. Any ideas?

LATER: Got one coming guys. Thanks!

Rodney King, Obama and the Looting of America

The Airborne arrives in Detroit, 1967.

Interesting analysis, as far as it goes. My own analysis would point out that predatory, collectivist governments almost always benefit from such chaos, which in any case is a function of class and culture, not race. I once met a National Guard veteran of the Detroit riot in 1967 at a show of the Ohio Gun Collectors Association, probably about 1977 or so. The conversation somehow got around to the riot and the efficacy of M-1 Garand fire on arsonists. The veteran had shot a rioter about to set fire to a building and was completely unapologetic. "What was I supposed to do? Kiss him?" he asked rhetorically. The Guardsman was black. The riots were used later that year as an excuse for the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968. It ain't about race, it's about power, folks -- mostly government power. Keep that in mind.

Ch'i. Must be getting back to normal, my insomnia is becoming more regular.

"In war, moral power is to physical as three parts out of four." -- Attributed to Napoleon by Maturin M. Ballou, Treasury of Thought, p. 407 (1899).

It is said that Naploeon read an early French translation of Sun Tzu's Art of War, although I doubt he was entirely conversant with the complexities of that Chinese general's discussions of the importance of ch'i, sometimes rendered as troop morale, or moral force.

Paging through Ralph D. Sawyer's translation and historical introduction of Art of War about 2 in the morning, I came across the quote below in one of the footnotes, which bears remembering, especially if you are committed Christian fighting for a principle that you don't mind dying for.

The concept and manipulation of ch'i have already been briefly discussed in the introduction. They are fundamental topics in the military writings; each thinker proposes different methods for attaining courage, for developing the ch'i necessary in the soldiers. A separate monograph on the psychology of ch'i in battlefield contexts would be required to fully address the subject, which might well be summarized by a passage from the Wei Liao-tzu: "Now the means by which the general fights is the people; the means by which the people fight is their ch'i. When their ch'i is substantial they will fight; when their ch'i has been snatched away they will run off." (Combat Awesomeness," p. 247). The ideal was to nurture warriors oblivious to death, who would therefore fight with invincibility and awesome power. The image of a warrior committed to death is found in several writings, sometimes placed in . . . the Wu-tzu -- in the woods. Wu Ch'i said: "Now if there is a murderous villain hidden in the woods, even though one thousand men pursue him they all look around like owls and glance about like wolves. Why? They are afraid that violence will erupt and harm them personally. Thus one man oblivious to life and death can frighten one thousand."

Your tax dollars at work: ATF paid for the motel room where an 18 year old woman was sexually abused

Violent criminal on federal payroll as informant.