False Patriots: Report Summary

By the fall of 1994, newspapers across the country were reporting on an astonishing new phenomenon. Under headlines like "Ready for a Fight," alongside photos of armed men in camouflage, the stories described rapidly growing bands of so-called "Patriots" so fed up with the government that they were preparing for armed confrontation.

But the newspaper accounts told only part of the story.

While some Patriots were demonstrating their guerrilla stances for the cameras, others were busy learning how to build bombs, poison water supplies and obtain biological weapons. Some of them were inspired by the violent teachings of white supremacists.

When 169 people were killed in the Oklahoma City explosion, it became clear that there was something more to the Patriot movement than their weekend war games. Still, little information on the workings of the Patriot movement was available, and information provided by Patriots themselves was often inaccurate and confusing. This report, based on information collected by the Militia Task Force from both public and confidential sources, attempts to fill the information gap by explaining what this movement is all about and assessing the danger it presents.

The Patriot movement is not easily defined. It has no single national organization or leadership but consists of previously unrelated groups and individuals who have found a common cause in their deep distrust of the government and their eagerness to fight back.

They are convinced that the American people are being systematically oppressed by an illegal, totalitarian government that is intent on disarming all citizens and creating one world government. They believe that the time for traditional political reform is over, that their freedom will only be secured by resistance to the nation's laws and attacks against its institutions.

Their suspicions were fueled in recent years by several events they hold up as proof of the government's betrayal: the passage of the Brady Bill, requiring waiting periods for handgun purchases; and the pair of law enforcement blunders that resulted in deaths at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and at Randy Weaver's fugitive outpost at Ruby Ridge, Idaho. They expect more confrontations like those at Waco and Ruby Ridge, but next time, they say, they will have well-trained militia forces on their side.

Part of the danger of the Patriot movement lies in its powers of deception. Patriot propaganda is based on false assumptions about Constitutional rights and mandates. Patriot leaders would have people believe, for instance, that the Constitution permits private armies and gives citizens the right to carry weapons, even though the Supreme Court has clearly and repeatedly ruled otherwise.

The Patriot press is filled with wild tales of government conspiracies. Some of the most widespread myths assert that the government is using black helicopters to spy on its citizens, mustering Hong Kong police officers to disarm Americans, and implanting electronic monitoring devices in newborn babies.

A complex and bizarre theology also helps Patriots explain their beliefs and justify their tactics. Many subscribe to the Identity religion, which holds that white people are God's chosen and that it is their divine duty to battle the satanic "beast" of government.

Though they have no unified leadership, these Patriots are connected like no rebel force has ever been. On the Internet and by fax machine, they share their gripes against government and trade tips on how to avoid tax laws and fight government regulations. At gun shows and survivalist expos, they equip themselves for the armed confrontation they believe is inevitable. Through mail-ordered manuals, they learn how to build bombs, conduct surveillance and disable public utilities. On the weekends in isolated fields, they practice the arts of guerrilla warfare. At public meetings, their rage is rationalized by the propagandists of the movement.

Patriots participate in the movement on various levels. Many followers are armchair Patriots: they correspond by fax and modem and immerse themselves in arcane political theories. Many are lifestyle Patriots: they might home school their children, practice survival skills, or follow rigid Identity doctrines. A few are professional Patriots: they serve as media spokespersons and operate Patriot mail order businesses. Others are outlaw Patriots: they might refuse to pay income tax, fail to appear in court, resist arrest, collect illegal weapons, and join illegal private armies, or "militias".

But the most dedicated and the most dangerous are the underground Patriots: they form secret cells of two to ten people and plan acts of terrorism and large-scale sabotage against public officials and institutions. Their hope is that, through a series of catastrophes like the Oklahoma City bombing, they will provoke a harsh government reaction, create greater public frustration and distrust, and drive ordinary American citizens into the Patriots' ranks.

Among the underground Patriots are white supremacists who have abandoned the more public methods of the past in favor of armed revolt. Two, Louis Beam and William Pierce, have devoted their entire lives to the cause of white revolution and have written the prescription for underground terror that hard-core Patriots are now following.

No one knows how big the Patriot movement is. Time magazine estimated the number of Patriots as high as 12 million. The Militia Task Force has identified 441 armed militias in all 50 states.

Patriots have described their movement as a "hydra," the mythological beast with many heads. When one head was cut off, it was replaced by two others. The metaphor is regrettably appropriate. No single response to the Patriot movement will weaken it, and it is likely that the movement will use any resistance from law enforcement as more fuel for its fire. Nevertheless, unchecked, it will keep growing, and so will the threat of violence.

If we are to preserve the democratic freedoms our Constitution grants all Americans, we must first arm ourselves with the truth about those who would destroy those freedoms. We hope this report will help unmask the menace of those who call themselves Patriots.