The Nevada Democrat's new opponent reaches out to a group preparing to resist federal tyranny.
| Tue Jun. 8, 2010 11:51 PM PDT
Oath Keepers, which recruits soldiers and police to resist federal "tyranny," has become a hub in the sprawling anti-Obama movement.
Sharron Angle won yesterday's primary to become Nevada's Republican candidate for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's seat. She may have never advocated bartering for health care with chickens [1], as her opponent Sue Lowden did, but Angle already has some issues. Beyond embracing the Tea Party, she's also reached out to the Oath Keepers [2], the fringe patriot group whose core membership of cops and soldiers are gearing up to resist the Obama administration's anticipated slide toward outright tyranny.
Back in April, Angle told TPM's Evan McMorris-Santoro that she was a member of the Oath Keepers [3]. This Monday, Angle's husband Ted told TPM [4]'s McMorris-Santoro and Justin Elliott that "We support what the organization stands for" and that he and his wife "desire" to join it. Oath Keeper founder Steward Rhodes said that candidate Angle had paid a visit to the group's Southern Nevada chapter last fall.
For the full scoop on the Oath Keepers and what they stand for, check out the in-depth investigation [5] MoJo published about them this spring. In it, Justine Sharrock profiles Pvt. 1st Class Lee Pray, a young soldier who joined the group to prepare for the day when he might have to turn against his commander-in-chief to resist martial law and the mass detention of American citizens. Pray told Sharrock that he'd been recruiting buddies, running drills, and stashing weapons—just in case. Like all Oath Keepers, he's sworn to disobey any orders he considers unconstiutional or illegal.
Back in April, Angle told TPM's Evan McMorris-Santoro that she was a member of the Oath Keepers [3]. This Monday, Angle's husband Ted told TPM [4]'s McMorris-Santoro and Justin Elliott that "We support what the organization stands for" and that he and his wife "desire" to join it. Oath Keeper founder Steward Rhodes said that candidate Angle had paid a visit to the group's Southern Nevada chapter last fall.
For the full scoop on the Oath Keepers and what they stand for, check out the in-depth investigation [5] MoJo published about them this spring. In it, Justine Sharrock profiles Pvt. 1st Class Lee Pray, a young soldier who joined the group to prepare for the day when he might have to turn against his commander-in-chief to resist martial law and the mass detention of American citizens. Pray told Sharrock that he'd been recruiting buddies, running drills, and stashing weapons—just in case. Like all Oath Keepers, he's sworn to disobey any orders he considers unconstiutional or illegal.
Angle's not the group's only high-profile ally. Glenn Beck, Lou Dobbs, and conspiracy guru Alex Jones have praised it, and last year it helped organize the National Liberty Unity Summit [6], a Tea Party-type confab that drew Georigia Republicans Rep. Phil Gingrey and Rep. Paul Broun. Since she's not an active duty police officer or soldier, Angle can't actually become a full-on Oath Keeper. But she already seems to have the rhetoric down. As she told the Reno Gazette-Journal [7] last week, she's noticed that ammo seems to be flying off the shelves at sporting goods stores: "That tells me the nation is arming. What are they arming for if it isn't that they are so distrustful of their government? They're afraid they'll have to fight for their liberty in more Second Amendment kinds of ways?...If we don't win at the ballot box, what will be the next step?"
Continue to the Next Photo [1]
Glenn Beck loves them. Congressmen listen to them. How the Oath Keepers are mainstreaming the militia movement.
| Mon Feb. 22, 2010 4:46 AM PST
The Tea Party's Military Wing
Oath Keepers, which recruits soldiers and police to resist federal "tyranny," has become a hub in the sprawling anti-Obama movement.
Continue to the Next Photo [1]
For our March/April 2010 issue [2], reporter Justine Sharrock [3] got up close and personal [4] with Oath Keepers [5], a fast-growing "patriot" group that recruits active-duty soldiers, police, and veterans to resist what its members consider an increasingly tyrannical government. Members reaffirm their service oath to uphold the Constitution and further vow to disobey any orders they deem illegal or unconstitutional. Unveiled last April, the group has already established itself as a hub within the larger anti-Obama movement [6], attracting a wide range of followers from politicians to Tea Partiers to militia enthusiasts—not to mention alienated soldiers like Private 1st Class Lee Pray, above. The group has also drawn praise from a who's who of right-wing cable hosts [7] including Glenn Beck. (Bill O'Reilly [8] proved a tougher audience.) In this slideshow, we look more closely at some of the group's connections.
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