I had vaguely heard of the Oath Keepers or Elmer Steward Rhodes before the Jan6 insurrection. Same with Proud Boys, 3%ers, Boogaloo or other pseudo military militia groups. I knew we had pockets in Idaho and the south where there were anti government groups. I underestimated the Neo Nazi and White Supremacist followings. I looked online to see how many there are and Wikipedia listed 43. The common threat is they are anti government control.
Frankly they make me much more wary than our government. They are armed and unpredictable. They have some warped story running in their minds that they are here to save our country from a certain type of citizen not like them. They recruit and radicalize fringe members of society who are easily manipulated. They disguise their motive in flag waving and Bible thumping. And we have clear evidence of members of Congress and state government leadership who are on their side, support their cause, hold them up as Patriots. I am having trouble processing what these people want as the end result and who they are willing to destroy to get there.
I will celebrate the true patriots who gave their lives to defend our country and way of life even if they didn't always agree with our leadership or if they didn't agree with the cause they were sent to fight. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
May 29, 2023·edited May 29, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Thanks, Steve, for this thoughtful piece. I am playing my tiny violin for Rhodes and his ilk. When we shed the absurd deference for all things military many have come to embrace - another feature of authoritarianism - and focus on the true examples of sacrifice and service, we will have made progress.
While I applaud this sentence, I and millions of other Americans STILL await the indictment and trial of the "Insurrectionist-in-Chief" who continues to walk free and even promises to grant Rhodes and other convicted traitors pardons if he is elected. When will this nightmare end?
I’m with Judge Mehta. I will hold my breath next election cycle. At least, I hope the Capitol will be protected - all seats of government should be protected this time and any inklings from the terrorists have to taken seriously.
While Mr. Rhodes may be behind bars, there are (horrifyingly enough), many thousands more like him who have yet to be jailed, including (as you noted) a certain Orange leader..........
May 29, 2023·edited May 29, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Sometimes after a Judge Mehta of this country hands down justice as he so correctly did..it is often in prison where that justice is really felt..Where Rhodes is going, there will likely be criminals of many stripes serving their sentences, including murder..Criminals perhaps but Americans nonetheless, not traitors to the republic..
It is my understanding that inside, rapists and abusers of women and children are not received well, as many there are husbands and parents..I’m curious to see how traitors are..
Steven, I am grateful for your eloquent words of moral clarity on Memorial Day. These vicious seditionists dishonor and destroy what our true soldiers and true patriots fought and died to protect.
Quite appropriate words for this most meaningful holiday by you and the Judge.
A simple yet meaningful analogy was once told to me by a wise man, that suits Trump’s part in motivating the Oath Keepers action before, on and after January 6th namely, “The fish stinks from the head down“
Judge Mehta’s eloquent exigesis of the case against these subversives was and is what we’ve needed.
Thank you. The thoughtful writing here is brilliant and encouraging.
Ummm what about Gosar trump and the rest of the CONGRESSIONAL SEDITIONISTS?
I had vaguely heard of the Oath Keepers or Elmer Steward Rhodes before the Jan6 insurrection. Same with Proud Boys, 3%ers, Boogaloo or other pseudo military militia groups. I knew we had pockets in Idaho and the south where there were anti government groups. I underestimated the Neo Nazi and White Supremacist followings. I looked online to see how many there are and Wikipedia listed 43. The common threat is they are anti government control.
Frankly they make me much more wary than our government. They are armed and unpredictable. They have some warped story running in their minds that they are here to save our country from a certain type of citizen not like them. They recruit and radicalize fringe members of society who are easily manipulated. They disguise their motive in flag waving and Bible thumping. And we have clear evidence of members of Congress and state government leadership who are on their side, support their cause, hold them up as Patriots. I am having trouble processing what these people want as the end result and who they are willing to destroy to get there.
I will celebrate the true patriots who gave their lives to defend our country and way of life even if they didn't always agree with our leadership or if they didn't agree with the cause they were sent to fight. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Thanks, Steve, for this thoughtful piece. I am playing my tiny violin for Rhodes and his ilk. When we shed the absurd deference for all things military many have come to embrace - another feature of authoritarianism - and focus on the true examples of sacrifice and service, we will have made progress.
If only we had judges with wisdom and honesty like Judge Mehta on our Supreme Court.
Mr. Smith goes to Washington to put together the facts of "sir's" complicity in the January 6th duplicity. Well, Mr. Smith. Tick tock, tick tock.
I simply cannot wrap my mind around these persons’ mindsets! Dangerous and deluded!
While I applaud this sentence, I and millions of other Americans STILL await the indictment and trial of the "Insurrectionist-in-Chief" who continues to walk free and even promises to grant Rhodes and other convicted traitors pardons if he is elected. When will this nightmare end?
The wheels of justice grind slow, and let them roll on. Looking at you, djt
And DeSantis promises to pardon many of these J6 thugs on Day 1 if he becomes President. A horrifying thought on many levels.
I’m with Judge Mehta. I will hold my breath next election cycle. At least, I hope the Capitol will be protected - all seats of government should be protected this time and any inklings from the terrorists have to taken seriously.
While Mr. Rhodes may be behind bars, there are (horrifyingly enough), many thousands more like him who have yet to be jailed, including (as you noted) a certain Orange leader..........
Sometimes after a Judge Mehta of this country hands down justice as he so correctly did..it is often in prison where that justice is really felt..Where Rhodes is going, there will likely be criminals of many stripes serving their sentences, including murder..Criminals perhaps but Americans nonetheless, not traitors to the republic..
It is my understanding that inside, rapists and abusers of women and children are not received well, as many there are husbands and parents..I’m curious to see how traitors are..
Steven, I am grateful for your eloquent words of moral clarity on Memorial Day. These vicious seditionists dishonor and destroy what our true soldiers and true patriots fought and died to protect.
Quite appropriate words for this most meaningful holiday by you and the Judge.
A simple yet meaningful analogy was once told to me by a wise man, that suits Trump’s part in motivating the Oath Keepers action before, on and after January 6th namely, “The fish stinks from the head down“
Well said and well written. Thank you.🐼❤️