Armed militia participation in the Rand Paul for Senate campaign

Following up on my earlier post about mutual support between the Hutaree Militia and the Ron Paul / Rand Paul campaigns, here's something that should have been included in that post.  The video below is from last Saturday's pro-gun rally at the State Capitol Building in Frankfort, Kentucky, at which the featured speaker was Rand Paul who's running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator.  The video features a speaker accompanied on the dais by several men heavily armed men dressed in camouflage fatigues with Rand Paul stickers.  They are not with the police or military.  They are members of the Ohio Valley Freedom Fighters Militia ("OVFF").  The speaker describes himself as a "colonel" of that organization.  Watch this:




Think about this quote from that speech by the "Colonel" (via Barefoot and Progressive):

"This latest forced health care bill, which is really about people control, the same thing as gun control, is the modern day equivalent of the 1765 Stamp Act, its only more disastrous to our freedom, living, way of life, etc… History it seems is ready to repeat itself. After a long and costly civil war that is imminent and sure to be forced upon us, we are taking note of those who are responsible for the treason, and they will be held accountable. I advise the press to start getting it right from this moment on, and stop aiding and abetting un-American activities. Like the Tories of old, the worst shall be hung,"

The "Freedom Fighters" cite as a hero and inspiration Charlie Puckett.  (Read here.)   Puckett was the leader of the Kentucky Militia and one of the key figures in the militia movement until he was brought up on weapons charges for possessing machine guns and pipe bombs.  He later threatened a witness and was charged with felonious witness intimidation.  He copped a plea, went on the lam briefly, then turned himself in to serve a 30-month sentence.   (Read here.)  In spite of his crimes, the OVFF still boast of having worked with Puckett. (Read here.)

In 2001, Puckett told his followers to learn "where every socialist lives, works, etc.," adding that "sooner or later, they will need a big hug and kiss as in Waco." (Read here.)  That same year, Steve Anderson, one of his followers, opened fire on a cop who had pulled his car over for having a broken tail light. After a car chase, Anderson escaped and has been at large, considered armed and dangerous, ever since.   Searches of his abandoned car and home revealed pipe bombs and a vast arsenal of other weapons.  Anderson is an adherent of the Christian Identity movement, which teaches that Jews are descendants of Satan.  Prior to his escape, he promoted these beliefs in a radio program called "The Milita Hour".  He also used that radio program to advocate killing federal agents.  (Read here.)

In the pre-Obama era, the Ohio Valley Freedom Fighters Milita seemed to make silly dirty tricks a specialty.  Their website boasts that (read here):

"We were involved in many operations in the 1990's, mainly PSYOPS, the most noteworthy was when we infiltrated the radical gun banning group, and the Ky. chapter of Handgun Control, Inc [Sarah Bradley’s people] .Two of our members was assigned to run their booth at the Ky. State fair, where we promptly turned it into a militia recruiting booth."

But they grew increasingly ugly in the Bush years, and have taken a turn toward armed demonstrations and veiled threats of violence since President Obama took office.  In September, OVFF members roamed around a Louisville teaparty rally dressed in camouflage fatigues, reportedly armed with AK-47s and handguns. That rally was filled with racist images of President Obama, images of him as anti-Christ and tyrant, and placards and speeches charging that the country was becoming communist -- the ugly stuff seen at many if not most of the teaparties. (Read here.)

With the atmosphere of the teaparty movement in mind, let's remember what OVFF people advocate.  They say that they have the constitutional right to take military action against the federal government when it acts in ways they define as tyrannical.  Those ways include the normal business of the federal government.  They take an oath to act on a war footing with the federal government, under certain conditions, in order to "to return America to the Constitutional Republic our forefathers envisioned". (Read here). Elsewhere, by publishing an absurd bill of particulars written by an Indiana militia leader, they say these conditions now exist (read here).  That document, which calls state governments "quislings" of the federal government and warns that we are under the control of the "Bilderbergers", should be read to get a sense of the sheer insanity of this group.   They also take an oath to resist federal and state enforcement of a wide range of laws, specifically those limiting weapons possession.

Now add to that the violent anti-Obama backlash of the teabag movement; the fear that their weapons will be confiscated, the fear of communism, or Muslims, or the Illuminati; and the Hutaree Militia arrests.  Add to that the legitimization of paranoia by allegedly mainstream figures like Glenn Beck, Ron Paul, Michelle Bachman, and now Rand Paul.  Ominously, Ohio Valley Freedom Fighters Militia currently declare themselves to be on high alert for "imminent enemy action", prepared to do battle with the federal government or other enemy with only  two hours warning, or as they call it, "Code Orange".  (Read here and look for color code here..)

Watching this militia parade around Rand Paul's pro-gun, anti-Obama rally in Frankfort last weekend with their AK-47s, I get the sense that Rand Paul's senatorial campaign is so deeply irresponsible and reckless as to be a public menace.  How can the front-running candidate for U.S. Senate from Kentucky work hand in glove with advocates of armed insurrection?

(HAT TIP: Barefoot and Progressive.  Images found at the Ron Paul Forums / Rand Paul Forums.)


UPDATE (4/4/10):  Members of the OVFF militia used a January 30 Rand Paul rally in Louisville to recruit new members. (Read here.)   According to their internet forum, militia members attended the rally in their full militia regalia to seek new members by handing out literature and business cards.  The rally took place at the Kentucky Fair and Expo Center, and included speeches by both Rand Paul and Ron Paul.  (Read here.)  According to the posting on the OVFF website, the militia contacted the Rand Paul campaign and got permission from them to pass out flyers at the entrance to the rally site, and to limit their recruiting inside the rally to passing out business cards.

Is anyone else going to this? If so the ORP (objective rally point) is throntons at 4309 crittenden drive, we need everyone at the ORP by 15:00 hours to meet up, tickets to get in are $25 dollars a piece, I talked to a guy from the Rand Paul campaign on the phone and he said we can't pass out flyers on the event grounds but thats fine off the event grounds so We'll probably pass out flyers outside of the event before it starts then go in when it starts. We can also pass out personal business cards on the premises (thats not flyers, but cards with your name and number)

Bring a pen and paper for this.

We need everyone in uniform and looking sharp.

More Details to follow.

A subsequent posting on the website indicates that OVFF members not only handed our flyers at the rally decked out in their militia uniforms and went inside dressed that way, they also met and were photographed with both Ron Paul and Rand Paul. (Read here.)




UPDATE (4/8/10): At 2:52 of the below-embedded video, Rand Paul comments on armed militia particiaption at the Frankfort gun rights rally at which he spoke. He claims that he didn't hear what they said there, and that he rejects their call for violence including hanging journalists who disagree with them.  He fails to comment, however, on why he thinks it appropriate for them to participate in his campaign rallies, or for him to share a stage with them.




With respect to the OVFF militia's connections to the Hutaree Militia, look at the following screen shot of the OVFF myspace page.  Note the friends listed in the lower right hand portion of the page.