Truth Bombs

The Hutaree, an anti-government Christian militia group with roots in the Midwest, were indicted on charges of seditious conspiracy and attempted use of weapons of mass destruction as well as teaching and demonstrating the use of explosive materials after the FBI raided outposts in Michigan and Indiana.

An undercover FBI agent permeated the Hutaree ranks and ascertained that the group planned to murder a police officer and then car bomb the funeral procession or another police gathering in the first strike of an intended war with the US government. Members were reportedly moving forward with their so-called covert reconnaissance mission before the raids on March 27th.

While the Hutaree's official website offers little insight into the charges its 9 highest ranking members currently face, it does illuminate some of the ideology that motivated their allegedly treasonous ambitions.         

To begin with, despite their expansive private armories, the Hutaree are unduly terrified of unlikely looming crises, such as the implementation of a one-world government and the arrival of the antichrist. Self-styled "Christian Warriors," the Hutaree's disparate members convene in Michigan's vast woodlands, bedecked in full camouflage for firearm and armageddon-preparedness training every month.

Convinced that police officers belong to a secretive "brotherhood," Hutaree rifleman Joshua John Clowe wrote in a web post last month that all law enforcement personnel are "the enforcement arm of the enemy." The master plan of David Stone, Sr., the Hutaree's leader, or "Radok" according to their arbitrary ranking system, was to create a Colonial Christian Republic in a Michigan county and wage war with a one-world army.

The militia movement, largely dormant since the Clinton administration, has witnessed a recent explosion in membership. Since the election of Barack Obama, at least 369 new militia have sprouted across the country, each with specific goals and philosophies, but unified by an irrational fear of government takeover couple with a worshipful love of firearms. The only person who loves guns more than a militia member is a hyper caffeinated 10-year old boy at a Michael Bay movie.

While unfair to conflate the cultish Hutaree with the majority of militia groups, it's an easy enough mistake to make. Almost immediately after the Hutaree story broke, representatives from the Oath Keepers to the Michigan Volunteer Militia alike rushed to distinguish themselves from their recently arrested brothers in arms.

Indeed, the Hutaree homesite links to a number of area militia organizations with whom their members have trained, but each of the groups listed profess their ignorance of the offending group's intentions or beliefs.

I would readily, if reluctantly, concede that most militia members do not currently pose a threat to the nation at large, and amount to little more than nervy, conspiratorial man-children who never grew out of playing "army" with their buddies. As a general fan of freedom, I respect their 2nd Amendment protections. However, the question of their relevancy in the 21st century, especially when considering the palpable threat posed by the fringes of the movement, remains. Should we even have militias anymore? I mean, I think we're safe from the Redcoats now.