My lentil-eating NY Hempster buddy forwarded me this story from the The New York Times: “Montana Sheriff Contends Right-Wing Militia Plotted Killings.” Here’s the gist:
State and federal officials are investigating the case of a man in the northwest section of Montana who is described as part of a right-wing conspiracy to assassinate local police officers, prosecutors and judges.
[…] Officials said Mr. Burgert was part of a right-wing militia cell, Project 7, a label apparently taken from the number designated for Flathead County on the state’s license plates.
Sheriff Dupont said Mr. Burgert hoped that killing police officers and others would bring on a war with the federal government. Many extreme conservatives contend that counties are the only legitimate government and that state and federal governments have no power over them.
Where have I heard this before….? Ah, yes! I’ve got it! Helter Skelter!
Exactly how large Project 7 is remains unclear; Sheriff Dupont said his research showed there might be nine other members in addition to Mr. Burgert. ‘They like to keep these militia cells small,’ he said. He said the F.B.I. and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were also investigating.
[…] Flathead County, adjacent to Glacier National Park, is home to some of Montana’s wildest country, with vast tracts of forest and rugged mountain ranges. Another militia group, called Project 56, operates in nearby Lincoln County, and other associates are in northern Idaho, the sheriff said. But so far they have not been linked to Mr. Burgert.
Adjacent to a National Park, you say? Another militia group hundreds of miles away? Hmm. The plot thickens…
Here’s my favorite part, though…
Ken Toole, a Democratic state senator, is the program director of the Montana Human Rights Network, a private nonprofit group in Helena that has studied the growing right- wing movement in northwest Montana and Idaho. Mr. Toole said that while Project 7 was apparently small, many residents in the Flathead Valley felt it was acceptable to intimidate and harass environmentalists and other liberals.
He blamed statements by some elected officials. ‘The political majority