Got to finish up a think tank piece on white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement and the military (should run around Jan 20), but as soon as that’s finished, I’ll do the rest of those Christian Identity threads for you guys. Thanks for the patience.
After I take care of the infiltration piece, I’ll also try to compile the sources doc on Christian Identity you asked me for, too.
If you made other requests that slipped my mind, let me know, and I’ll put it on the running to-do list.
Meanwhile: if you want to know more about white supremacist infiltration of the military / police, here's:
Before I forget to mention it, I updated the research files drive link you'll find above to include: Independent Commission on LAPD (Miscellaneous, 1991)
We need massive, sustained public pressure to force authorities' hands on the law enforcement / military infiltration issue they've paid lip service to with very little substantive action...
There’s a reason I keep harping on white supremacists’ infiltration strategy - you can trace a direct line from Metzger, WAR, David Duke, and the KKK to Richard Spencer and Stephen Miller.
Here’s @LA_Kings_67 talking about Metzger’s death.
Quick interlude mini-thread for you about confronting the white supremacist threat and the hope that people can change.
For perspective on what I’m about to say:
I’m more cynical than most about “redemption,” and I don’t trust ‘formers’ easily. There’s a good reason for that.
My first personal encounter with targeted political violence was at 15 - from Christian Identity affiliated Army of God.
I’ve also lost friends and family to ISIS, Army of God, and other violent groups.
I’m the last person on earth to accept ‘reform’ claims at face value.
I learned I was targeted by a different group of neo-Nazis last November, and one of the people who likely literally saved my life was @LA_Kings_67 - the person quoted in that Metzger article linked earlier in the thread.
When he was in the movement, Chuck was everything from a Hammerskin to WAR to militia member to Christian Identity - the umbrella group that targeted me and my friends at 15.
He preached at Peters’ Laporte Church of Christ, where members of The Order (the Berg case) attended.
Today, there are few people I trust more than @LA_Kings_67, and he’s rare proof that redemption can be possible - even to cynics like me.
And like I said, I don’t trust ‘formers’ easily - with damn good reason. If you forgot why, scroll up.
But it’s possible.
/Fin
Not good enough.
We need full throttle public pressure for congressional hearings to force authorities’ hands on investigating infiltration of the military & law enforcement.
For literally decades, it’s been last minute and mostly reactive lip service to bad PR.
Yeah, so I’m just going to leave this Oath Keepers Capitol siege news here.
I’ll let you scroll up to refresh your memory about what I said related to OK and the leaked 2009 DHS report that got the entire right-wing monitoring office closed.
In light of the news that investigations found 2 National Guard members with far-right militia ties among those deployed to DC, and broader DOD investigations...
I’ve got a quick story to tell you about how those investigations can work. And what they miss.
Spoiler: a lot.
In 1988, @LA_Kings_67 was in the Navy, and shared a house with 2 other active-duty neo-Nazi skinheads.
That year, CBS-8 aired a series about the neo-Nazi skinhead movement, in which he appeared.
Also that year: the Navy opened an investigation into his activities.
Naval investigators uncovered, among other evidence, a trove of neo-Nazi propaganda belonging to the active duty house members. They also had the television interviews.
Shortly after, the Navy cleared all of any UCMJ violations.
Were they actively recruiting? Yes, off base.
The story doesn’t end with the Navy clearing all three open, active duty neo-Nazis - of course.
Another key detail:
Before the Navy investigation even began, Chuck Leek was charged with 9 violent felonies related to neo-Nazi activities, for which he later went to prison.
Chuck remained an active duty member of the US Navy until he entered a guilty plea to the charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to cause grievous bodily injury, at which point he went to prison.
His Navy discharge?
“General discharge under honorable conditions.”
Thankfully, Chuck Leek left the white supremacist movement around 2000, and has since worked tirelessly to help others get out.
But his story is merely one case among many, and demonstrates:
The military’s long blind eye to neo-Nazi infiltration.
So Atomwaffen founder Brandon Russell was detained over a murder at his house in 2017.
Nazi roomies killing Nazi roomies, what can you do?
(Hi, Brandon! IMO@ it’s kinda weird they let you record propaganda videos from prison - maybe it’s just me, though.)
Nazi Brandon’s Nazi roomie Devon gave the police a taped confession about killing their other Nazi roomies.
And in that tape, he talks a LOOOOT about what Atomwaffen Division gets up to.
He also specifically asks for an FBI liaison to step in and prevent further bloodshed.
Did the FBI do anything?We don’t know!
Why? They wouldn’t tell us!
If they did, did it work?
Haha, no. You’re a sucker, and I hope you weren’t on that Atomwaffen kill list.
BUT WAIT WAIT THERE’S MORE
I’m going to set aside the issue of all those explosives ole Brandon left lying around ye olde Nazi frat house, and give you a short list of: horrible acts provided by Atomwaffen.
Settle in and get comfy!
Why Atomwaffen absolutely sucks
- wanted WMDs
- targeted a nuclear power plant
- killed a lot of people
- tried to kill a lot more people
- stockpiled explosives
- tried and failed to assassinate a sitting cabinet member
- harassed tons of journalists and activists
I could talk all day about why Atomwaffen sucks super hard in addition to the average run of the mill Nazi death knitting circle, but: that’s not the point here.
Soooo:
Let’s talk DOD “seriousness,” shall we?
So despite how S E R I O U S L Y
Brandon Russell and Atomwaffen Division were taken after the 2017 murder (Russell initially convinced some LEOs they were ‘just a club’ - you know, like the Nazi Boy Scouts! No, really), it seems:
Not so much!
Surprise, surprise for the aftermath of a murder where the cops found a stockpile of explosives...
The 2017 murder case didn’t seem to prevent ...
Alllllllll the stuff I mentioned above. Crazy, right? 🤔
Anyway so this is one of my favorite parts of the idiotic Nazi story that was Atomwaffen Division (now NSO):
Let’s talk about the incredibly thorough investigation DOD undertook over a very long period into the activities of ole Nazi roomie #2, Brandon Russell.
After the 2017 murder and Brandon’s arrest, the National Guard decided to Check. Out. The. Nazi. Frathouse. Scene.
It took them a super long time.
Three whole weeks, in fact!
Nothing suspicious about this murder scene:
As an aside:
Aside from telling the cops Atomwaffen Division wasn’t violent Nazi stuff, but just a fun social club...
Brandon explained away all those explosives as “for making model rockets.”
What a top Boy Scout, this guy.
The National Guard’s 3 week investigation into Nazi allegations determined:
Brandon “did not present consistent characteristics that would have led a reasonable person to suspect Russell held such radical beliefs.”
Wait for it.. wait for it...
Guess what cops ALSO found at the Nazi frathouse murder scene (aside from explosives, that is):
- SS military insignia
- copies of Mein Kampf
- copies of the Turner Diaries
- framed photos of Timothy McVeigh
Nothing to see here, right?
Want to hear that again?
- SS military insignia
- copies of Mein Kampf
- copies of the Turner Diaries
- framed photos of Timothy McVeigh
“No reasonable person,” indeed...... National Guard!
Reread the above thread about National Guard’s 2017 investigation of Atomwaffen.
Now reread this thread about the 1988 Navy investigation into @LA_Kings_67’s Nazi activities.
Internal Wix messages “encouraged staff to support Israel’s ‘narrative’ in Hamas conflict,” specifically advising them to “‘show Westernity’ in social media posts backing Israel, as ‘unlike the Gazans, we look and live like Europeans or Americans.’” irishtimes.com/ireland/2023/1…
I’m just going to repeat a key point here.
Wix employees were specifically encouraged to “show Westernity” in pro-Israel social media posts, underscoring that Israelis “unlike the Gazans, look and live like Europeans and Americans.”
There’s an apt adjective for this: racist.
I’ll go ahead and be a bit more blunt with my translation:
“Make sure your pro-Israel posts are as white as possible and emphasize that people in Gaza are brown so we have to kill them if we want a Disneyland in the Middle East”
Extremely brief thread and then I’m eating sleeping pills and praying for a few hours of unconsciousness.
Here goes: on #Gaza, amplifying Palestinian voices, and interview requests.
If you’re already here, you’re no doubt aware that while I fail relentlessly in all things, I do like to try to live up to the ethical standards I set for myself.
I’ve publicly stated here and on other platforms that I won’t be doing any media interviews on Gaza, and request that Palestinians be contacted instead.
Regardless of one’s political stance on this conflict, it is a fact that Palestinian voices are far less covered.
If I’m quiet for a few more days, please understand that I’m completely drained from everything going on offline — especially from people I haven’t heard from in literal decades hitting me up “because you have a PhD” for “your perspective” on all of this.
I can’t say I’m familiar with this person’s work (apologies), but this is accurate, and it sucks that such a statement is controversial.
For now, what I will say is that I guarantee 99.9% of the commentary you’re consuming — especially on here — is shit, and the loudest voices (as per usual) are generally those who know the least about historical and geopolitical contexts that ABSOLUTELY matter.
I’m not about to get sucked into any debates on Palestine / Israel right now, but what I will tell you as a geopolitical analyst vis-a-vis the hawks calling for war with Iran:
Iranian nationalism is nothing to take lightly - any such scenario would be disastrous for ALL parties.
The other thing that I will say (and believe me it gives me less than zero joy) concerns Hamas’ latest statement concerning the potential execution of civilian hostages.
Hamas’ desperation in laying out this ultimatum - that Israel stop bombing Gaza civilians or Hamas will execute Israeli civilian hostages because “that’s the only language Israel understands” (paraphrased) is a very bad sign.
And Muslims, y’all know more than anyone what it’s like to be expected to apologize or explain the actions of someone in a diverse community to which you happen to belong.
Empathy, support, and solidarity — now, more than ever.
It doesn’t matter if you “don’t understand being trans.”
I don’t either — because it’s not my struggle.
But I know this: Ramadan is about compassion, mercy, and fighting base impulses like judgment. Don’t forget that.
I'm on day 2 of an all-nighter trying to finish writing this case study / profile of Dylann Roof --
-- whose actions were not considered representative of an entire community.
Before that, I wrote about Tres Genco.
Before that, James Reardon.
Before that, Patrick Crusius.