FALL 2020

The Public Eye

Book Review: Spectres of Fascism • Could Anti-Government Militias Become Pro-State Paramilitaries?
No Sanctuary: Anti-Abortion “Abolitionists” Go to City Hall • Conservative, Christian, Corporate: COVID-19 Opportunism and Betsy DeVos’s Education Agenda
FALL 2020 Total Life Reform: The Real Consequences of the Far Right’s Self-Help Grift
 editor’s letter

We’re closing this issue of The Public Eye on the eve of Election Day. Whatever this week
THE PUBLIC EYE
will bring, Political Research Associates will continue to bring sharp, relevant analysis and QUARTERLY
insight to the trends shaping our country and world.
PUBLISHER
In our book review (pg. 3) this issue, Matthew N. Lyons reads Spectres of Fascism, a
Tarso Luís Ramos
collection of essays considering the rise of right-wing authoritarian and populist move-
EDITOR
ments across the world, from the U.S. and Hungary to India and the Philippines. “One Kathryn Joyce
of the challenges in trying to understand fascism is that it touches on so many different COVER ART
aspects of human experience,” writes Lyons, “from the brutality of mass imprisonment Shea Justice
and killing to the pageantry of a political rally; from the calculations of geopolitics to the PRINTING
intimacies of family life.” Park Press Printers
In a piece encompassing original data research, “Could Anti-Government Militias
Become Pro-State Paramilitaries?” (pg. 5), Jaclyn Fox and Carolyn Gallaher look at the The Public Eye is published by
concerning possibility of overlap and collaboration between various sectors on the far- Political Research Associates
right and the Trump administration. While militia movements have traditionally defined
Tarso Luís Ramos, Executive Director
themselves in opposition to government, this year has shown a worrying trend of these
groups’ potential alignment with the state—“engaging in extra-judicial violence states Kevin Chinn, Operations Coordinator
desire but can’t or won’t formally sanction.” As Fox and Gallaher write, “By embracing Frederick Clarkson, Senior Research Analyst
Trump, the new generation of militias has accepted, however tacitly, that the power of the
federal government, in the ‘right’ hands, may deliver bigger rewards.” Cloee Cooper, Research Analyst
Cloee Cooper and Tina Vasquez team up for our next feature, “No Sanctuary: Anti- Ethan Fauré, Research Analyst
Abortion ‘Abolitionists’ Go to City Hall” (pg. 13), to look at the trend of anti-abortion
Steven Gardiner, Assistant Research Director
advocates engaging in hyper-local activism in support of abortion “sanctuary cities.” In
states across the country, activists co-opting the legacy of both anti-slavery activists and the Heron Greenesmith, Senior Research Analyst
immigrants’ rights movement are lobbying for municipal and county-level ordinances that Olivia Lawrence-Weilmann, Program Coordinator
purport to criminalize abortion locally. While for the most part, these ordinances are still
largely symbolic, they nonetheless have significant repercussions both locally and nationally. Isabelle H. Leighton, Development Director
In “Conservative, Christian, Corporate: COVID-19 Opportunism and Betsy De- Ben Lorber, Research Analyst
Vos’s Education Agenda” (pg. 18), Alex DiBranco dives deep into the ways that Trump
Koki Mendis, Communications Manager
Secretary of Education DeVos has taken advantage of the pandemic to advance her career-
long goal of school privatization and taxpayer support for religious education. As DiBran- Anne Murphy, Finance Director
co writes, “Since her deeply contested confirmation hearings, DeVos has been criticized
Charles Ocitti, Director of Operations,
for incompetence and ignorance regarding the public education system. But this lens ob-
scures the extent to which DeVos’s decisions as secretary are less inept bungling than in- Greeley O’Connor, Managing Director
tentional right-wing strategy.” Aidan Orly, Donor Program Manager
Finally, in “Total Life Reform: The Real Consequences of the Far Right’s Self-Help
Grift” (pg. 25), Shane Burley delivers an in-depth report on Operation Werewolf, an en- Harini Rajagopalan, Communications Coordinator
trepreneurial lifestyle brand created by the co-founder of the far-right pagan group Wolves Fellows
of Vinland, which uses a self-help model to radicalize men into White supremacist politics. Dan Atkinson • Zoé Samudzi • Tina Vasquez
This “Amway for ethno-nationalists” has developed a following among various intersecting Interns
subcultures, reflecting “an intentional strategy of post-war fascist circles to decontextual- Cat Gonzales Fergesen • Rodrigo Pimental
ize far-right politics as cultural and artistic—a means of influencing culture and identity Ava Sasani-Kolori
more than immediate politics, with the hope of changing politics further down the line.” Board of Directors
In advance of Election Day, PRA published a memo online, “Paramilitaries at the Polls: Jeyn Levison, Chair
Fatema Ahmad • Cathy Albisa • Saqib Bhatti
What to Expect Around the 2020 Elections,” with key takeaways and thoughts on how to Ginna Green • Ellen Gurzinsky
prepare for far-right militancy. Our Winter issue, forthcoming in January, will be a special Orson Moon • Mandisa Moore-O’Neal
Mohan Sikka • Zeke Spier
post-election issue, looking forward to the various movements and themes that will be im- Carla Wallace • Susan Wefald
portant in the coming months.
Founder
In the meantime, as always, we will be publishing fresh research, reports, and analysis Jean V. Hardisty, Ph.D.
online, so be sure to visit us at politicalresearch.org.
1310 Broadway, Suite 201
Thank you, Somerville, MA 02144-1837
Kathryn Joyce Tel: 617.666.5300
[email protected]
© Political Research Associates, 2020
All rights reserved. ISN 0275-9322
ISSUE 103

www.politicalresearch.org
2 • The Public Eye FALL 2020
 BY MATTHEW N. LYONS

Book Review

Spectres of Fascism

O
ne of the challenges in trying that today’s fascism is shaped by other
to understand fascism is that it factors, such as the dominance of finance
touches on so many different capital, automation, climate change, and
aspects of human experience, from the international mass migration.
brutality of mass imprisonment and kill- Some of the book’s range of disciplin-
ing to the pageantry of a political rally; ary approaches can be seen in the three
from the calculations of geopolitics to the essays that I consider to be its strongest,
intimacies of family life. Spectres of Fas- at least from the standpoint of helping us
cism: Historical, Theoretical and Interna- understand today’s authoritarian Right.
tional Perspectives (London: Pluto Press, In “The Outsider as Insider: Steve Ban-
2020) approaches this challenge by tak- non, Fourth Turnings, and the Neofascist
ing an interdisciplinary approach. Edited Threat,” philosopher Joan Braune de-
by Samir Gandesha, a scholar of Frank- tails the far-right ideological influences
furt School critical theory—a dynamic that have helped shape former Trump
school of radical thought that coalesced administration strategist Steve Bannon.
in the 1930s—the collection takes in- Notable among them are the apocalyptic
spiration from that tradition in two re- mysticism of the Traditionalist School
spects. First, the book follows the Frank- (whose ranks included neofascist phi-
furt School’s recognition that analysis losopher Julius Evola) and Jean Raspail’s
of class struggle and crisis in capitalism racist novel The Camp of the Saints. The ti-
is only part of understanding fascism’s tle of Braune’s essay highlights her argu-
rise, and that an analysis of subjective ment that Bannon’s populism is rhetori-
factors, such as culture and psychology, cal cover for an elitist, anti-egalitarian
is also needed. Second, like the school’s worldview.
organizational home, the Institute for In contrast to Braune’s ideological fo-
Social Research, the book assembles ippines. (See the Winter/Spring 2020 cus, Gandesha’s own essay, “‘A Compos-
scholarship from many different fields, “international” issue of The Public Eye ite of King Kong and a Suburban Barber’:
with contributors representing political to read more about some of these coun- Adorno’s ‘Freudian Theory and the Pat-
science, philosophy, economics, sociol- tries.) In the introduction, Gandesha ar- tern of Fascist Propaganda,’” explores
ogy, anthropology, law, history, psycho- gues that today’s authoritarian populist the social psychology of fascism. As Gan-
analysis, and aesthetics. Right represents not a simple return to desha relates, Adorno argued that adula-
Spectres of Fascism grows out of the lec- fascism as it emerged in Europe in the tion of and identification with the leader
tures and discussions in a year-long “free 1920s and ’30s, but a reworking of fas- caused people to give up their individu-
school” of the same title that Gandesha cist elements in new forms and under ality and even their interest in self-pres-
organized in 2017 as director of Simon new conditions. For example, while clas- ervation. (Think mask-less Trump rallies
Fraser University’s Institute for the Hu- sical fascism attacked liberal democracy in the age of COVID-19.) Adorno empha-
manities. The collection seeks to make head on, contemporary fascism erodes sized the role of mass-produced culture
sense of the recent upsurge of right-wing or suffocates it gradually from within. (at the time, radio and film) in promoting
authoritarian populist movements, par- And while 1930s fascism emerged as a “the authoritarian personality” by teach-
ties, and governments in countries as counter-revolutionary response to mass ing people to be passive—a dynamic Gan-
varied as the United States, Italy, Hun- working-class radicalism in an era of ri- desha sees extended in an era of social
gary, India, Brazil, Turkey, and the Phil- val colonial empires, Gandesha argues media algorithms and fake news.

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 3

 Going beyond Adorno, Gandesha also benefit big business. While many studies Mansoor draws directly on the words of
argues that neoliberalism has sharpened of right-wing populism focus on its ex- F.T. Marinetti and other Futurist artists
the contradictions that make fascism ap- clusionary dimension (us versus them), to thoughtfully explore the complexities
pealing, by increasing people’s sense of the Gudavarthys focus here on its efforts of Futurism’s relationship with fascism
individual responsibility for their own to forge political unity among disparate in the interwar period. Unfortunately, in
success, while depressing wages and groups with conflicting interests—in this the last part of the essay, Mansoor argues
slashing social services so that the vast case, Indians divided by caste and class. that Futurism can help us understand the
majority of people have fewer resources Unfortunately, the remaining essays current-day Alt Right but does consider
with which to realize their individual in the collection are less useful for illu- what Alt Rightists themselves have to
goals. The resulting guilt, frustration, minating the threat of fascism or right- say on the subject—despite the fact that
and anger can be readily exploited by wing authoritarianism today. Some are one Alt Right website, Counter-Currents,
populist agitators and channeled into strong essays that nonetheless tell us alone has published scores of articles on
Futurism.
While classical fascism attacked liberal democracy head Right-wing voices, of course, need to
be placed in context. In “Are the Alt-Right
on, contemporary fascism erodes or suffocates it gradually and French New Right Kindred Move-
from within. ments?,” political scientist Tamir Bar-On
generalizes about the Alt Right almost
racist scapegoating and exclusionism. more about the preconditions for study- entirely from a close reading of one docu-
There’s a lot in Gandesha’s essay that ing fascism than about fascism itself. For ment, Richard Spencer’s 2017 manifes-
speaks to our current situation, but the example, in “Which Came First, Fascism to, “What It Means To Be Alt-Right.” The
essay also points to questions that Gan- or Misogyny? Reading Klaus Theweleit’s result captures some key points, such as
desha does not address. For example, Male Fantasies,” media theorist Laura U. the Alt Right’s antisemitism, desire for
how do we parse the social psychology Marks rightly urges us to examine fas- ethno-states, and use of metapolitical
of neoliberalism to understand its effects cism’s relationship with misogyny in his- strategy. Yet Bar-On’s approach exagger-
not just on “the vast majority” of people, torical rather than essentialist terms, but ates Spencer’s role within the movement
but on specific groups within society? she doesn’t offer any guidance on what and presents a misleading portrait of its
And how do we square the charismatic such an approach would tell us. In “De- political activity, by focusing on conven-
role of the traditional populist agitator colonizing the ‘Contemporary Left’?: An tional propaganda while saying nothing
with the fundamentally decentralized Indigenous Reflection on Justice in the about the Alt Right’s pioneering use of
(and often anonymous) nature of internet New World Order,” legal scholar Patricia internet memes and online harassment
meme activism? M. Barkaskas argues that the Canadian campaigns. These shortcomings are to
Authoritarian populism’s roots in the state and legal system are built on and some extent mitigated by the fact that
contradictions of neoliberalism also fig- deeply connected with the dispossession other essays in the collection highlight
ure centrally in the third essay I want and violence of settler colonialism. Her the movement’s reliance on social media
to highlight, “Populism, Fascism, Neo- essay is a powerful indictment of liberal and memes such as Pepe the Frog.
liberalism: Theorizing Contemporary democracy and describes a key part of the Spectres of Fascism starts from a valu-
India,” by political scientist Ajay Guda- context in which North American fascist able basic concept: to illuminate Right-
varthy and economist Vijay Gudavarthy. politics develop. But while Barkaskas ist authoritarianism by approaching it
While Braune’s focus is ideological and notes in passing that settler colonial from multiple angles, perspectives, and
Gandesha’s psychological, the Gudavar- violence is related to fascism, she offers disciplines. It’s a success for this vision
thys foreground class dynamics and eco- no specifics about how a right-wing au- that the book’s best contributions ex-
nomic policy in addressing the question: thoritarian version of settler colonialism plore dramatically different dimensions
How does Indian Prime Minister Nar- might differ from a liberal democratic of fascistic politics (ideological, psycho-
endra Modi’s Hindu nationalist govern- one. logical, and socioeconomic). Yet the con-
ment manufacture consent? They trace The collection would also be stronger cept could have been realized more fully
how neoliberal policies of deregulation if it included greater attention to right- if more of the book’s essays focused on its
and privatization have intensified rural wing voices. Only a third of the essays cite central topic squarely and in depth.
inequality and displaced millions of ten- any works by current-day Rightists. That
ant farmers into migrant labor, disen- may be fine if you’re writing about the Matthew N. Lyons has been writing about
franchising them and disrupting their socioeconomic impact of neoliberalism, right-wing politics for over 25 years. His
work focuses on the interplay between
social ties. Hindu nationalism, with its but not if you’re trying to understand far-
right-wing movements and systems of op-
fascistic vision of a unified and reempow- right ideas. In “The Future of Futurism:
pression, and responses to these move-
ered Hindu community, speaks to these From the Avant-Garde to the Neo-Avant-
ments by leftists, liberals, and the state.
grievances, while bolstering policies that Garde, or, How to Imagine Communism
feed inequality and disproportionately by Other Means,” art historian Jaleh

4 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 BY JACLYN FOX AND CAROLYN GALLAHER

Could Anti-Government Militias Become

Pro-State Paramilitaries?

Armed militia members march next to a WWG1WGA flag, a common identifier of QAnon believers, at the United We Stand & Patriots March for America,
St. Paul, Minnesota, September 12, 2020. Credit: Fibonacci Blue/Flickr.

I
n 2020 millions of Americans rupt and sow chaos at Black Lives Matter at the border and in the streets.
peacefully stood up against rac- (BLM) rallies.2 Many of these groups are This tension between hostility and sup-
ism and police violence in protests new and ready for violence. The Boogaloo port for the federal government is also
across the country. These protests are re- Bois, a loose network that first appeared showing up in the more established wing
markable not only for their size and dura- in 2018, aims to incite (or at least wel- of the anti-government movement—
tion, but their geographic scope, ranging comes) a civil war3 that will bring down the traditional militia or Patriot move-
from big cities to small hamlets.1 the government.4 In neonazi and White ment5—as two recent events make clear.
However, a corresponding burst of nationalist circles, newly empowered In August 2017, several militias attended
mobilization has also occurred on the Far accelerationists are trying to start a race the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottes-
Right, especially among groups with vir- war. QAnon, a movement that began on ville, Virginia. Their attendance was re-
ulently anti-government views. This en- 4chan in 2017, believes “deep state” en- markable not only because militias have
ergy has manifested in Second Amend- emies in the federal bureaucracy are try- historically eschewed overt racism,6 but
ment rallies (some at state capitols, where ing to overthrow President Trump. But, also because they’ve traditionally op-
protesters have intimidated lawmakers like QAnon, many of these movements posed the kind of strong central govern-
with military-grade weapons), demon- waffle between denouncing the govern- ment White nationalists believe is neces-
strations against government imposed ment (or “deep state”) and cheering on sary to build a White ethno-state. A year
COVID-19 lockdowns, and efforts to dis- President Trump’s shows of federal force later, Ammon Bundy, who led the 2016

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 5

 militia takeover of the Malheur National White ethnostate; and two, by acting as Part of the New Right’s success lay in
Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, criticized enforcers for Donald Trump and allied its ability to exclude conspiracy-minded
President Trump’s depiction of Central Republican politicians. These pathways elements of the so-called Old Right, no-
American asylum seekers as criminals.7 aren’t mutually exclusive, but they are tably paleoconservative groups like the
Bundy argued that migrants were pro- distinct, with different tradeoffs for mili- John Birch Society.16 New Right leaders
tecting their families from violence and tias and their members. embraced free-trade and foreign inter-
criticized the federal government’s ag- After the Unite the Right rally, many vention and refused to publicly traffic in
gressive policing against them. While commentators speculated that the first antisemitism, as some paleoconserva-
Bundy’s critique was consistent with the pathway was already occurring,12 but our tives had. Those paleoconservatives who
Patriot movement’s suspicion of federal analysis suggests that’s unlikely. White remained in the party did so largely be-
police, he was widely condemned by nationalist groups reject militias’ anti- cause of their shared opposition to Com-
other militias on social media. After re- government views and openly mock their munism.
ceiving death threats, Bundy announced military skills and masculinity; in turn, But unity among conservatives began
he was quitting the movement and said militias reject White nationalists’ rac- to fray in the early 2000s. The Iraq War
of his critics: “The vast majority seemed ist ideology. Our analysis indicates that deepened antagonisms between the
to hang on to what seemed like hate, and the second path—militias becoming en- party’s neoconservatives, who saw the
fear, and almost warmongering.”8 meshed with the government—is much war as a moral imperative; realists, who
These developments raise the possibil- more probable. Militia members appear believed it threatened U.S. interests; and
ity that some anti-government factions primed to support President Trump with reemergent paleoconservatives, who op-
could morph into pro-Trump paramili- violence, though we have no evidence posed it on isolationist grounds.17 The
GOP establishment’s support of bailouts
Militia violence is nothing to scoff at, but the violence for big banks after the 2008 housing cri-
sis exacerbated divides between business
of groups working on behalf of the state under Trump elites and grassroots conservatives in the
would likely increase in scope. GOP who saw them as Wall Street hand-
outs.18 Additionally, evangelicals grew
taries. The U.S. has little recent9 history yet they are involved in coordinated plan- weary of President George W. Bush’s
with paramilitaries—a term we use in ning with the Trump administration, or style of compassionate conservatism,19
its narrowest sense, as non-state armed each other.13 and their growing antipathy toward Is-
groups using violence to support the state A shift toward paramilitarism could lam put them at odds with neoconserva-
(or a particular regime that holds state pose significant danger. Militia violence tives, who believed the U.S. should try
power)—but they are a scourge across is nothing to scoff at, but the violence of to work with “moderate Muslims,” who
the world. Unlike guerillas and insur- groups working on behalf of the state under support Western values, to defeat “radi-
gents, who fight the state, paramilitar- Trump would likely increase in scope. cal Muslims.”20
ies share weapons, intelligence, and re- In his seminal book, Fascists,14 Michael Cracks in the New Right coalition21 al-
sources with the government and engage Mann argues that fascism contains three lowed the Far Right to make plays to con-
in extra-judicial violence states desire elements: organic nationalism, radical trol the center and its key institutions.
but can’t or won’t formally sanction. In statism, and paramilitarism. He asserts They primaried establishment conserva-
return, paramilitaries are allowed to prey that paramilitarism is what enabled Eu- tives, commandeered right-wing think
on civilians and co-opt local political ropean fascism in the 1930s and ’40s to tanks like the Heritage Foundation,22
structures—extorting businesses, brib- move from the realm of ideology to vio- hijacked Tea Party affiliates, and shifted
ing mayors, and threatening bureau- lence, from antisemitism to the final so- their focus to immigration23—all helping
crats, among other behaviors.10 lution. If today’s militias begin to work cement the power of once marginal views
To explore whether and how anti-gov- with the U.S. state, they could be used as within the GOP establishment.
ernment groups could transition into agents of repression. And their de facto
pro-Trump paramilitaries, we looked at independence means they could use tac- SHIFTS WITHIN THE MILITIA MOVEMENT
recently leaked online chats related to tics that are, as yet, off-limits to the state. In many respects, militias are the least
traditional11 militia groups. (We didn’t likely part of the far-right ecosystem to
look at newer groups because they were DIVIDES IN THE NEW RIGHT COALITION morph into paramilitaries, given that
either too recently formed to track or still AND AN OPENING FOR THE FAR RIGHT most see the federal government as ille-
consolidating at the time of our analy- The New Right coalition of White evan- gitimate and some have even tried to de-
sis.) What we found indicates that mili- gelicals, pro-business elites, and neo- stroy it, as Timothy McVeigh did when he
tias could become paramilitaries in two conservatives15 solidified in the run-up detonated a truck filled with explosives
ways: one, by making common cause to the 1980 presidential election and has in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
with White nationalists who want to underpinned Republican electoral suc- Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, kill-
use violence to create an authoritarian, cesses for nearly 40 years since. ing 168 people. And militias have threat-

6 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

ened government employees; during the have largely remained silent when Black Act. Although some militias organized
2016 Malheur standoff, the Bundy mili- people are arrested or fatally shot, as against the Patriot Act,37 it never became
tia’s supporters were accused of intimi- Philando Castile was, while carrying per- a rallying cry that significantly boosted
dating Forest Service workers. mitted concealed weapons.30 And in the movement numbers. Moreover, militia
Militias have also tried to thwart fed- wake of George Floyd’s murder this May, members who were Vietnam veterans
eral institutions in non-violent ways. several militias attended BLM protests often supported the War on Terror, or at
During the 1980s farm crisis, Sovereign in support of police, and some engaged least those who fought in it, in recogni-
citizens24 and nascent militias filed thou- in online and in-person intimidation of tion of their own experiences. They saw
sands of illegal liens in an effort to flood marchers.31 the commanders who’d sent them to Viet-
the court system with bogus paperwork The resulting impression is that mi- nam as feckless, and the civilians who’d
that would impede farm foreclosures.25 litias’ concern about government over- scorned them on their return as unpatri-
After the 2008 financial crisis, Sovereign reach extends only to the country’s otic.38 For them, supporting soldiers was
citizens used similar tactics to stop fore- White, Christian citizens. a way to right a historical wrong.
closures on homes.26 During the Obama presidency, militias
However, since the ’90s, militias have POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND PARTI- began to ramp up active support for Re-
been forced to reckon with two internal SANSHIP publicans, especially the populist wing
dynamics that complicate their attach- During the 1980s farm crisis, Sover- of the party. Many adherents joined Tea
ment to anti-government ideology: la- eign citizens and militia groups took Party affiliates39 and used them to ampli-
tent antisemitism and racism and grow- figurative and literal aim at politicians fy40 conspiracist claims such as birther-
ing partisanship within militia ranks. across the political spectrum. They were ism and the Aztlan/“reconquista” plan—
angry at Ronald Reagan, a Republican, a supposed plot to reconquer U.S. states
but also local sheriffs of all parties.32 By that once were part of Mexico.41 They
RACISM AND ANTISEMITISM the ’90s, however, militia groups began also joined efforts to encourage primary
While most anti-government militias focusing on Democrats. The sieges at challenges to moderate Republicans in
publicly reject overt White supremacy— Ruby Ridge and Waco, which occurred the 2010 elections.42 And returning vet-
in the movement’s rhetoric all citizens or were adjudicated during Bill Clinton’s erans, who claimed they worried about
are sovereign—its views on the evils of presidency, created the initial impetus. the government invoking martial law,
government are based on antisemitic In the aftermath, militia leaders began started new militias or took the helm of
and White nationalist conspiracism. The tentatively working with Republicans existing ones.43
movement’s identified enemy, the New and Blue Dog Democrats.33 In 1994 Ida- More recently, some militias have of-
World Order (NWO), is an updated, cod- ho militias threw their support behind fered to provide security to Republican
ed version of an older conspiracist theory Republican Helen Chenoweth’s congres- officials. In 2019 the Democratic-con-
trolled Oregon Senate considered a
For a movement that cut its teeth on hating the federal cap-and-trade bill designed to limit
government and suspicion of executive power, the greenhouse emissions. To prevent
the quorum necessary to vote, 11
uniformity of support for Trump in our data represents a members of the Republican Senate
major aberration for the movement. delegation fled to Idaho.44 When
Oregon’s Democratic governor sent
about Jewish domination, the so-called sional campaign. Once elected, Che- state troopers across the border to bring
Zionist Occupied Government (ZOG). noweth returned the favor by investigat- them back, Oregon militias promised to
Instead of accusing Jews of attempting ing conspiracist militia theories about head to Idaho to protect the senators.45
to create a one-world government, mi- UN black helicopters at Ruby Ridge.34 In (The senators ultimately returned when
litias use terms like international elite27 Kentucky, militia members worked with it became clear Democrats couldn’t pass
or globalists28 to identify so-called NWO Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats in the bill.)
architects. the General Assembly to write and pass Militias’ growing partisanship is re-
Similarly, militias have rarely defended militia-friendly legislation, including the flected in the ebb and flow of active
Latinx and Black victims of government state’s concealed carry law and a resolu- groups across four presidencies. The
aggression. Few militias condemned tion prohibiting UN troop maneuvers in Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) esti-
New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy, the state.35 mates, for example, that there were 858
which targeted young men of color, or During George W. Bush’s presidency, and 1,360 active Patriot groups at the
police violence in Ferguson, Missouri. militias were fairly muted, despite two midpoint of the Clinton and Obama pres-
During the 2015 Ferguson protests, wars and the intensification of federal idencies, respectively. During the Bush
the local Oath Keepers chapter came to policing,36 most notably the creation and Trump presidencies, the numbers
nightly protests to “protect journalists,” of the Department of Homeland Secu- were 156 and 576.46
not Black protesters.29 Likewise, militias rity (DHS) and the passage of the Patriot

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 7

 MEASURING PATHWAYS TO PARAMILITA- opt-in to membership. Within serv- militias were referenced in only 1.2 per-
RISM ers, users can create channels or spaces cent of threads in the message board, and
dedicated to specific topics and themes. most of these references mocked militia
To assess the likelihood of two path- Discord was originally built for gamers members’ age and training. One poster
ways to paramilitarism in the traditional to chat during game-play, but far-right offered this broadside:
militia movement—militias allying with groups soon joined the fray, creating nu- Michigan Militia and nearly all Mili-
White nationalists seeking an ethno- merous servers and sub-channels. Start- tia Movements are trash and literally
state, or their becoming enforcers for ing in 2017, Unicorn Riot gained access boomers larping50 about being Liber-
Trump and his allies—we looked at mes- to and published scores of separate serv- tarian An [sic] Cap Liberators in the
sages on various online forums used by ers belonging to White nationalist, neo- woods while wearing basic bitch ca-
both militias and White nationalists. nazi, militia, and other far-right groups; mo.51
Two forums, Discord and Iron March, this analysis draws on the 94 servers pub- When the leader of a Florida militia
contained private discussions between lished as of 2019.49 group joined Iron March in 2017, he
users, which were accessed and shared In our analysis we focus on two serv- was met with similar skepticism and de-
online by the independent media collec- ers. The first is the “Charlottesville 2.0” rision. One commentator railed, “You
tives Unicorn Riot and Bellingcat.47 The server, which was dedicated to planning are the Jeb Bush of White Nationalist
third forum is public: outward-facing the 2017 Unite the Right rally and con- militias.”52 Another sneered, “Most aw-
websites for two militia groups, the Oath tained 35,606 messages. The second is ful collection of patriotard reactionary
Keepers and the III Percenters. the “Patriots’ Soapbox” server, which in- cosplayers I have ever seen.”53 A third
The majority of our data is from Dis- cludes militias, Sovereign Citizens, and sarcastically asked, “Is this just another
cord and Iron March, but we added the other anti-government individuals, and one of those Amerifat militia groups that
militia websites after discovering that contains over 1.2 million messages from train out in the woods without actually
militias didn’t engage each other as fre- April 2018 through early April 2020. accomplishing anything?”54
quently, or in the same way, as White na- When militia ideology was referenced,
tionalist groups did within these forums Militia Websites it was harshly criticized. Militia heroes
(something that may reflect generational We also looked at two militia web- Cliven Bundy and Timothy McVeigh both
differences). While White nationalists sites—the Oath Keepers and the III Per- came in for withering criticism for their
engaged in raucous text-based conversa- centers. Both groups are nominally na- libertarian views. Referring to Bundy’s
tions, militias mostly just shared articles tional organizations with local affiliates. standoff with federal agents at his Ne-
or posted memes but rarely engaged in In practice, local groups are largely au- vada ranch, for example, one poster
text-based conversations.48 tonomous. Given the horizontal struc- noted:
ture of both groups, their websites’ con- This selfish old rancher won’t get off
Iron March tent represents areas of agreement across his land to save a [sic] endangered tor-
The now-defunct forum Iron March be- localities. toise. A bunch of lolbertarians are now
gan in 2011 as a meeting place for inter- at his ranch protesting, they then were
national fascists to discuss ideology and PATHWAY 1: WHITE NATIONALISM’S EN- tased by authorities for getting out of
the ideal state. By 2017, civil debate was FORCERS control and harassing officers. Serves
replaced with a fixed, forum-wide ideol- There’s little evidence in either the Iron them right.55
ogy based in racism, misogyny, antisem- March or Discord chats to suggest White Another poster offered a similar de-
itism, homophobia, and militarization. nationalist groups are working with mi- scription of Timothy McVeigh: “McVeigh
Over its six-year lifespan, Iron March us- litia groups in an organized fashion. is a libertardian who the media uses to
ers produced more than 195,000 posts Two reasons explain the lack of engage- paint us as violent terrorists. Why do you
and comments across 7,097 unique ment. First, White nationalists showed like him?”56
threads. Of those threads, approximate- utter contempt for militia members’ age, However, as one response to that query
ly 82 contained posts and comments appearance, and masculinity. Second, indicates, some posters were willing to
deemed relevant to the traditional U.S. White nationalists viewed militias as consider McVeigh, and by extension mi-
militia movement. unreliable ideological partners because litias, as useful instruments for destroy-
of their refusal to see race as central to ing the government, then headed by
Discord their stated concerns. Consequently, we President Obama, in order to make way
Discord is a free voice, video, and text believe it’s unlikely the militia movement for a fascist regime.
chat app, but unlike traditional social will morph into a paramilitary for White Yeah, he was your typical libertard.
media platforms where the default set- ethnonationalists. Personally, libertarians give me the
ting for posting is public, Discord was shits and i think their principles and
built to facilitate private, invitation-only Iron March logic are fucking stupid and you basi-
chat groups. Individuals must be invited The militia movement received scant cally have to be a yank with very little
to participate in a server and proactively attention in the Iron March data. U.S. understanding of historical context

8 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 or human society for libertarianism the Indy March Against Sharia. A bunch Another poster agreed:
to appeal. But that’s beside the point. of overweight 40-70-year olds carrying The Confederate flag is the BEST op-
McVeigh isn’t recognized for his ide- around fudded out ARs with no mags. tics because it’s beloved by legions
ology, but for his deeds. If it was a Intimidating, to say the least.”60 Anoth- of Southerners who are on the door-
muslim who blew up some yank fed. er sarcastically offered: “nothing more step of becoming just like us if we can
govt. building, i’d still cheer. If every intimidating than a bunch of old, over move beyond “heritage not hate.” They
american government building was weight, low testosterone men.”61 The ap- should be with us already but they’ve
applied the ryder truck treatment, the pearance of militia members’ wives also had weak leadership.68
world would be a better place. If they came in for derision: “lol, that oathcucks There’s little evidence, however, of
didn’t want their kids to die, maybe [sic] wife looks like Chris Farley.”62 formal coordination between the rally’s
they should have thought about that The posters also derided militia ideol- organizers and the militias that attended
before they burned all those waco chil- ogy. In some cases, posters cast doubt on the rally. Only a few posts even enter-
dren alive. Or maybe they shouldn’t militias’ professed anti-statism, insisting tained developing a working relation-
have put their daycare center in a high they were actually working for the police. ship: “I bet we could reach out to some
value strategic target to the opposing One poster argued: “Oathcucks are zero of these militia groups to help guard the
force (every decent man in the world is threat because they are cucked for police statue Sunday night.” The reply: “van-
america’s opfor) of the United States.57 and military and will absolutely obey the guard has some members in the pa mili-
Only a few posters suggested that mi- authorities with any request.”63 In one tia we could do some networking.”69
litia members could be mobilized to exchange, another poster predicted that Although the Discord chat doesn’t
join fascists in real world action. How- if violence broke out, militias would de- prove this request was made, Christian
ever, their goal wasn’t forging ideologi- fend the police rather than the rally’s or- Yingling, commanding officer of the
cal compromise but conversion. As one ganizers. Pennsylvania Light Foot Militia, told re-
poster enjoined: “Join some group that “There will be plenty of Oathcucks porters he was approached by rally lead-
is actually doing something. Go redpill a there to chant blue lives matter. We ers to provide security but that he told
militia. They are one step away from be- won’t have to do it.” them he couldn’t protect just them, he
ing fash. They’d already be on our side would need to protect everyone.70 His
in RaHoWa [racial holy war].”58 Another “Can’t we ban them?? Lol” armed group of 32 men instead came,
poster argued: he said, to provide ideologically neutral
I think it’s less important right now for “Oathcucks?” “volunteer security.”71 Per some reports
fascists in America to build tiny, ideo- from the scene, militia members broke
logically pure, and inevitably ineffec- “Yeah…I despise those larpy tryhards” up more fights than police until becom-
tual groups. Instead, we need to focus ing outnumbered.72
on cultivating relationships with lib- “They usually stand in the middle with Messages exchanged about rally lo-
ertarian gun owners and militias, be- the police anyway.”64 gistics also indicate that the organizers
cause even if they deny it, their goal is In still other cases, militias were equat- didn’t see the militias as supporters. One
to protect the white race. The ideology ed with Antifa. When a poster asked for poster wrote:
can come later but in the current cli- background on the III Percenters,65 a It looks like there are now 4 rallies go-
mate the most important thing is prag- poster replied, “Muh values; gun rights; ing on at four different parks. Unite The
matism and a strong defensive base. brown nation; ‘Judeo-Christian’ values. Right, The III%er “Unity” Rally, and
It doesn’t even matter if these groups So essentially boomer antifa but with two lefty rallies. By the way the III%er
have a token black guy or something guns and a few know how to use them. rally is being led by a young blond girl
because they will still end up, whether Oathcucks.”66 who looks like Lauren Southern. Ex-
unconsciously or not, protecting the Despite the Alt Right’s suspicions of cept she sounds like section 8 trash
white race.59 the militia movement, messages written when she talks.73
before the rally do suggest there was a There was also confusion about who
Charlottesville 2.0 Discord Server concerted effort to create the right optics the militias were there to defend. One
After Unite the Right, militias received for potential converts. In particular, the poster was hopeful: “But if things get
outsized media attention, with some rally’s organizers suggested employing hairy it’ll be a godsend if they’re on our
commentators suggesting the movement symbols like the Confederate flag to le- side. They open carry salt raifus [sic]
had become the Alt Right’s armed wing. verage militias’ latent racism. like a bunch of peckerwoods.”74 Another
But in chats on the Charlottesville 2.0 My preference is that people bring Con- poster disagreed: “Oathcuck says they
server, where the march was planned, federate flags over other flags because will defend antifa.”75
militias received negligible mentions it is most relevant to the Lee statue and
(about one percent of total messages), it resonates the most with the populist PATHWAY 2: GOP ENFORCERS
most of it also mocking. One poster crowd that is on the fence about us.67 It’s more likely militias are primed to
wrote: “I saw the Indiana Oathkeepers at become enforcers for Trump in his de-

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 9

 ment. While there was no active talk of
Patriots’ Soapbox Memes about Democrats preparing for a war to defend Trump, our
Memes posted in December 2019 on the Patriots’ Soapbox Discord server. findings suggest traditional militias are
sufficiently supportive to mobilize on
his behalf or that of down-ballot Repub-
licans. The 2020 presidential election
could serve as an inflection point.

Patriots’ Soapbox Discord Server

Although Discord servers are private
and thus ideal for frank discussions, the
Patriots’ Soapbox server76 was mostly
used to disseminate news articles from
far-right news outlets. Few discussions
emerged around these posts.77
To see how Patriots discussed President
Trump, we searched for messages that
contained “impeach” from August 2019,
a month before the impeachment inquiry
was announced by Nancy Pelosi,78 until
mid-March 2020, a month after Trump’s
acquittal. This resulted in approximately
2,778 messages for analysis. Of these,79
78 percent were links to articles, 16 per-
cent were novel content by users, and 6
percent were shared memes or tweets.
The links were overwhelmingly to ar-
ticles in far-right publications such as
Gateway Pundit and Breitbart, or main-
stream right-wing outlets like the Wash-
ington Examiner, with no additional com-
mentary by the user. These articles were
uniformly supportive of Trump and criti-
cal of the impeachment process.
The 16 percent of user-generated posts
were difficult to analyze because the
messages were context free—i.e., only
the messages containing “impeach” were
pulled without conversation on either
side, which may have been pertinent. As
such, we did a second data pull looking
for all messages for a shorter time span in
the server’s most popular channel.80 For
this we focused on 922 sequential mes-
sages, which were produced around the
House’s vote to impeach the President
(December 18-20, 2019), most of which
weren’t articles but shared memes and
tweets. But the content remained similar,
with most messages concerning Trump
clared fight against the so-called deep about “deep state” elites. and uniformly opposing impeachment.
state. In both Discord’s Patriots’ Soapbox For a movement that cut its teeth on As in the impeachment analysis, these
server and on independent militia web- hating the federal government and suspi- posts spurred minimal interaction.81
sites, support for Trump was remark- cion of executive power, the uniformity The third category of posts were
ably uniform. Militia members also con- of support for Trump in our data repre- memes. The memes about impeachment
sistently parroted Trump’s complaints sents a major aberration for the move- followed familiar tropes. Democrats

10 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

were depicted as hapless
and weak, and male Demo- Patriots’ Soapbox Memes about President Trump
crats were often feminized. Memes posted in December 2019 on the Patriots’ Soapbox Discord server.
By contrast, President
Trump was portrayed as
strong and in command.
Although the president’s
Twitter feed is strewn with
grievances, his image on
Patriots’ Soapbox was of a
confident, smiling execu-
tive untroubled by the im-
peachment process.
Memes also depicted
Trump and Patriots as en-
gaged in a heroic battle
against a shared enemy,
described with both tradi-
tional Patriot movement
terminology (like “NWO”
or New World Order) and
Trump catch phrases (like
“deep state”). Other memes
included references to pe-
dophilia, a fixation within QAnon con- Articles on both websites also por- presidential power is a larger question.
spiracies, and liberal use of Christian trayed the deep state as a cadre of elites Suffice it to say, the dominance of anti-
symbols and Bible references. seeking to overthrow the president be- government ideology in the traditional
cause he poses an imagined mortal threat militia movement is waning. Militias’
OATH KEEPERS AND III PERCENTERS to their power.82 Likewise, Republicans posture is increasingly pro-state (or at
WEBSITES such as Mitt Romney—who voted in fa- least pro-Trump), and could thus be mar-
We also consulted the national web- vor of impeachment—are depicted as shalled (internally or externally) toward
sites of the Oath Keepers and III Percent- turncoats aligned with “deep state appa- paramilitarism.
ers to see how these militias were dis- ratchiks” and other globalist elites plan- There’s already some evidence para-
cussing impeachment. We conducted ning a coup against Trump.83 militarism is happening on Trump’s and
searches for the word “impeach” on both To some extent, the deep state dis- Trump-aligned Republicans’ behalf. On
websites, which returned one article course adopted by Trump aligns with Pa- the Oath Keepers website multiple posts
from the III Percenters and eight high- triots’ longstanding conspiratorial world- solicited volunteers—especially from
lighted blog posts from the Oathkeep- view. Trump tends to describe the deep members of the III Percenters and other
ers website. Although the Oathkeepers state by referencing federal agencies militia, biker, and Patriot groups—to
had additional content using the search militias have opposed since the 1990s, provide security for Trump rallies in Flor-
term, the site curated a selection of posts like the FBI, or individuals who worked ida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan,
that we used for analysis. As with the Pa- there, such as James Comey and Robert Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New
triots’ Soapbox server, interaction and Mueller. He’s also complained about peo- Mexico, and Texas. “Security” was usual-
comments between group members was ple who work at other agencies militias ly couched as protecting Trump support-
minimal. distrust, including the State Department ers from “radical leftist assault.”84 The
The newsfeeds revealed several nota- (Marie Yovanovitch) and the National Se- efforts of Oregon militias detailed above
ble trends, including uniform support for curity Council (Alexander Vindman). are cut from the same cloth, scaled down
Trump and opposition to impeachment. It’s worth noting that Trump’s ire to size.
Such rock-solid support for any presi- against these figures isn’t based on their
dent, even a Republican one, is a new fea- supposedly “globalist” ideology, but their THE FUTURE AND WHAT IT HOLDS
ture for militias. Although Patriots have perceived efforts to block his consolida- The traditional militia movement’s
tended to criticize Democrats more fre- tion of personal power, and by exten- near lockstep support for Trump, and
quently than Republicans, they haven’t sion that of the executive branch. How the activities some militias are already
traditionally supported presidents of ei- militias can reconcile their suspicions taking to protect him, represent a signifi-
ther party since they consider the federal of federal power with lockstep support cant shift for a movement that was born
government their enemy. for someone who wants to concentrate out of suspicion of federal authorities.

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 11

 Discourses about the
deep state partially ob- Patriots’ Soapbox Memes about the Enemy
scure the contradictions Memes posted in December 2019 on the Patriots’ Soapbox Discord server.
their new stance creates,
but can’t entirely conceal
them, given that Trump’s
clear aim is to concen-
trate power.
The question that re-
mains is why this shift
is happening. Although
the messages above don’t
provide a definitive an-
swer, they point to an
explanation. Militias are
more pro-Trump than
pro-state. Indeed, mili-
tias continue to distrust
big government, as their
embrace of “deep state”
rhetoric suggests. These
views are why they cheer
Trump on—because he
wants to wreck portions
of the state they despise.
However, the ability
to support Trump does
involve some ideological
realignment. Trump has
made no effort to hide
his authoritarian im-
pulses and some in the
Carolyn Gallaher is a professor at American
movement, including Ammon Bundy, movement has always been decentral-
University. She has written about right-
have publicly repudiated him for it. Lo- ized, and there is little indication from
wing paramilitaries in the U.S. and North-
cal sovereignty has always been central our data that they are actively coordi-
ern Ireland. Her first book, On the Fault
to militia ideology, but efforts to build nating with each other, or with newer Line: Race, Class and the American Pa-
and defend it have largely failed, as the movements such as the Boogaloo Bois. triot Movement (Rowman and Littlefield,
Bundy’s attempted take-over of the Mal- However, as people from conflict zones 2003), looked at the rise of the Patriot
heur Refuge demonstrated. By embrac- with decentralized paramilitaries, such movement in Kentucky after the Oklahoma
ing Trump, the new generation of mili- as Colombia and Northern Ireland, can City bombing. Her second book, After the
tias has accepted, however tacitly, that attest, decentralization is no shield from Peace: Loyalist Paramilitaries in Post-
the power of the federal government, in violence. accord Northern Ireland (Cornell, 2007),
the “right” hands, may deliver bigger re- examined why loyalist paramilitaries took
wards. Should Trump win in November, Jaclyn Fox is a PhD candidate at American nearly 10 years after the 1998 peace agree-
their orientation toward and defense of University, School of International Service, ment to decommission their weapons and
specializing in political violence and secu- stand down their fighters.
aggressive state power is likely to con-
rity. Her work explores the changing shape
solidate.
of the far-right movement in the U.S. and
To be clear, the paramilitarization of
across the globe. Specifically, she investi-
militias on behalf of Trump and his GOP
gates the links between online rhetoric and
allies is by no means certain, but fall-out offline violence across the far-right ecosys-
from the COVID-19 pandemic and the tem. Fox is also a doctoral fellow with the
upcoming 2020 presidential election Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right
campaign season are potential inflection where she blogs about such topics as far-
points to watch. If militias do begin to right violence, disinformation, psychology,
paramilitarize, they aren’t likely to co- gender, and anti-government ideology.
alesce into a national group. The militia

12 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 BY CLOEE COOPER AND TINA VASQUEZ

No Sanctuary
Anti-Abortion “Abolitionists” Go to City Hall

Still of “The Differences Between a Pro-Life Bill and an Abolitionist Bill” uploaded on March 17, 2020, by abortion abolitionist group Free the
States. Credit: YouTube.com.

I
n the spring of 2019, a steady to warn of a “great evil occurring in the public, mostly about abortion, homosex-
stream of young, White men be- city of Raleigh, that there are citizens in uality, and salvation. Braddy’s territory
gan appearing at Raleigh, North our very midst that are being led away to was outside one of Raleigh’s two abortion
Carolina, City Council meetings to speak death.”1 clinics, where he became well known for
on behalf of the “pre-born.” Sometimes “That is,” Braddy continued, “the pre- harassing people who entered and exited
the men appeared with their elemen- born, children in the wombs of their the building.
tary school-aged children, who read pre- mothers.”  But that spring, Braddy shifted his
written speeches comparing abortion to Braddy is an open-air preacher with venue from outside the clinic to inside
slavery. In the months that followed, a Gospel of God Ministries, an evangeli- the Raleigh Municipal Building. Nearly
39-year-old man named Zachary Braddy cal Christian group that relies heavily on every month for a year, Braddy and his
would emerge as their ringleader. In one social media and street preaching to re- crew of five to 10 men attended council
of his earliest city council appearances, cruit new members and share the gospel. meetings there, claiming three-minute
on April 2, 2019, Braddy used the pub- Braddy and other members of the minis- public comment slots to compare abor-
lic comments portion of the meeting try have posts where they preach to the tion to slavery and the Holocaust and

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 13

 urge councilmembers to turn the state or county limits, criminalize abortion compromising approach instead.
capital into a “sanctuary city for the un- providers and people seeking abortion Durbin claims to have over 350 church-
born.” Sometimes so many of them came care, and block pro-choice groups from es globally in his End Abortion Now
that Braddy’s crew effectively monopo- operating within the jurisdiction. Abor- network,8 which until recently was dedi-
lized the entire public comment period of tion abolitionists have also worked close- cated to forming “abortion clinic min-
the meetings. ly with state legislators to introduce state istries” to deter people from accessing
One session made national headlines abortion abolitionist bills. For them, the abortion care. But in November 2018,
in 2019, when meeting attendees jeered work is guided by the need to bring the Durbin expanded the organization’s fo-
cus to target legislators and elected
Under the Trump administration, the reproductive rights officials.9 The organization devel-
movement has largely focused on protecting Roe v. Wade, and oped a six-point plan to “minister”
far less on the symbolic victories of abortion abolitionists. But to city councilmembers “on their
duty to preserve innocent life with-
it would be unwise to overlook how this network is mobilizing in their jurisdiction.” In practical
and building alliances across far-right sectors. terms, they lobby city councilmem-
bers to declare their jurisdictions
at 13-year-old Addison Woosley, who “Gospel into conflict with the evil of the “sanctuaries for the unborn.” (Though
challenged councilmembers: “Are you age.”4 abolitionists’ core framework is steeped
choosing to be like the plantation owner Under the Trump administration, the in anti-slavery metaphors, their tactic
flogging the little black child? Or are you reproductive rights movement has large- of proposing abortion “sanctuary cities”
going to protest [abortion] even if it going ly—and understandably—focused on the evokes a different racial justice frame-
to cost you your life like Martin Luther potential fall of Roe v. Wade, and far less work, muddling the boundaries between
King, Jr.?”2 on the symbolic victories of groups like the groups’ appropriation of anti-slavery
Weeks later, Woosley appeared on the abortion abolitionists. But it would history and contemporary immigrant
Gospel of God’s podcast, “Truth That be unwise to overlook the successful ways rights advocacy.10)
Transforms,”3 alongside Braddy, who ex- this network is mobilizing for policy and Before he made his Facebook page
plained their focus on city council meet- legislative change and building alliances largely private, Zachary Braddy’s posts
ings as following from Christians’ obliga- across far-right sectors. Through their showed he was highly networked with
tion to call on “local magistrates” to “do policy activism, abortion abolitionists Durbin’s ministry. And he wasn’t the only
justice” by ending abortion. are normalizing the criminalization of one. Durbin’s fellow Apologia Church
The rhetoric sounded a lot like Mat- abortion at all stages and creating small pastor James White called on the Phoe-
thew Trewhella, a pastor and prominent but meaningful shifts toward theocracy. nix City Council to adopt an abolitionist
leader of the anti-abortion movement’s If history tells us anything, it’s that fanat- measure in April 2019,11 and that Febru-
pro-violence wing in the 1990s, who dis- ical, uncompromising activists can push ary in New York, bookstore owner Jon
cussed this principle in his 2013 book, the Overton Window, creating space for Speed12 requested the same of the Batavia
The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates. As political violence and moving ideas that City Council.13 In addresses to their lo-
he wrote, “The lesser magistrate doctrine once seemed radical from the margins to cal city councils, both White and Speed
declares that when the superior or higher the mainstream. compared abortion to the Holocaust and
civil authority makes unjust/immoral urged councilmembers to make their
laws or decrees, the lesser or lower rank- THE ABORTION ABOLITIONIST NETWORK cities sanctuaries for the “pre-born” and
ing civil authority has both a right and a Arizona Apologia Church pastor Jeff “unborn,” respectively. Speed appears in
duty to refuse obedience to that superior Durbin’s long brown beard, tattoo-filled Babies Are Murdered Here, a documentary
authority. If necessary, the lesser author- arms, and appearances (as a martial arts produced by Apologia Studios, the media
ities even have the right and obligation to stuntman) on MTV’s Teenage Mutant Nin- arm of Durbin’s ministry, which has more
actively resist the superior authority.” ja Turtles5 make him an unlikely fit for the than 200,000 YouTube subscribers.14
Unbeknownst to Raleigh councilmem- founder of End Abortion Now, one of the Some jurisdictions successfully ad-
bers and residents, Braddy considers country’s leading abortion abolitionist opted abortion sanctuary policies. Before
himself an abortion abolitionist: part organizations.6 Like generations of anti- they were sued by the American Civil Lib-
of a nationwide network of far-right abortion activists before him, Durbin erties Union (ACLU) this spring, 10 Texas
Christians who compare themselves to cites as inspiration anti-slavery aboli- towns sought to render Roe v. Wade il-
19th-century anti-slavery activists. Like tionist leaders like John Brown, who died legitimate by banning abortion within
Braddy, the network advocates for “min- fighting for their cause.7 But in Durbin’s city limits and criminalizing abortion.15
istering” in front of municipal and coun- view, the contemporary anti-abortion Although the policies in Waskom, Na-
ty councils to declare a city or county a movement has become mired in incre- ples, Joaquin, Tenaha, Rusk, Gary, and
“sanctuary for the unborn”—policies that mentalism, leading to moral and strate- Wells were largely symbolic, they were
generally seek to ban abortion within city gic failures, and the need for a more un- successful in further stigmatizing people

14 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

seeking abortion care and spreading mis- crementalism Hurts the Cause to End conception on, even in instances of rape
information about abortion access. And Abortion,”20 was led by the co-founder of and incest. Some bills seek to only crimi-
there is evidence to suggest that the net- Abolish Abortion Texas, Bradley Pierce. nalize abortion providers, while others
work of so-called abortion abolitionists Pierce’s group claims to have 90,000 would subject people accessing abortion
is growing and increasingly influencing members. The group also takes credit care to murder charges, life in prison,
more mainstream anti-abortion advo- for convincing the Texas GOP to propose and even the death penalty.
cates nationwide. criminalizing abortion in their official While much of the Oklahoma con-
In February 2020, state and national party platform for 2016.21 ference showcased the efforts of a new
abortion abolitionist leaders, including As vice president and co-founding at- generation of anti-abortion activists,
Durbin, Speed, and Trewhella, gathered torney of the Christian homeschooling the speaker line-up also made clear how
at the “Abolition Now!” conference in legal advocacy firm Heritage Defense,22 much this contemporary network is bor-
Oklahoma City. The conference brought Pierce used his panel to describe how he rowing approaches and theories from
together young, contemporary abortion took his legislative approach to abortion the violent anti-abortion leaders of the
abolitionists; their forebears, who led
the violent wing of the 1990s anti-abor- Since 2018, six state-level abolitionist bills have been
tion movement; grassroots activists disil- introduced in Oklahoma, Texas, Indiana, Washington,
lusioned with the mainstream anti-abor-
tion movement’s incremental approach;
Idaho, and Alaska, all seeking to nullify Roe v. Wade
and Oklahoma state representatives—all and treat abortion as murder from the moment of
strategizing how best to fuse church and conception on.
state through an abortion abolitionist ap-
proach to legislative action. abolitionism to a new level. Founded in 1990s.
Hosted by the Norman, Oklahoma- 2016, Abolish Abortion Texas quickly Trewhella, an early Operation Rescue
based group Free the States,16 the con- built a following by appearing at Texas activist known for distributing how-to
ference was the culmination of years of legislative hearings on abortion. In a manuals on creating paramilitary mili-
networking and activism, sparked in post on its Facebook page, the group tias, was present at the event.34 While
the early 2010s after movement leaders describes itself as “a grassroots network these days Trewhella mostly makes the
called for a “reformation” in how Chris- of Christians in Texas who desire to glo- rounds in the abortion abolition cir-
tians fight abortion. One of those leaders rify God and in doing so abolish what He cuit as a pastor and the founder of the
was T. Russell Hunter, a former Universi- hates—the murder of tens of thousands Wisconsin-based group Missionaries
ty of Oklahoma grad student turned full- of babies in Texas every year.”23 In 2019, to the Preborn, he is also lauded as the
time anti-abortion activist who founded Pierce’s group authored a bill, the Aboli- architect of the Doctrine of the Lesser
both Free the States and Abolish Human tion of Abortion in Texas Act, which pro- Magistrates, a real paradigm shift for
Abortion,17 which together have helped posed charging abortion providers and the anti-abortion movement. Trewhella’s
turn Norman into the center of abortion their patients with murder. State Repre- book makes a “militia-like argument” for
abolitionist organizing. sentative Tony Tinderholt,24 whom Abol- defying the federal government when it
For Hunter and his peers, the abortion ish Abortion Texas claims as a member,25 comes to Roe v. Wade. At the Abolition
abolitionist movement is markedly dif- introduced the act. Now! conference, Trewhella gave a talk,
ferent from its mainstream counterpart. Although the bill failed to pass, Pierce “Why We Must Disobey the Despotic
“The pro-life movement has opposed claims that the publicity it generated led Court,” outlining the necessity of defying
abortion by seeking to compromise Abolish Abortion Texas’ membership to federal laws. And in a recent post on his
with it. Pro-life strategists have accept- skyrocket and influenced a wave of new website, Trewhella continued the theme,
ed  Roe  as the ‘law of the land’ and have proposals for abortion sanctuaries across writing, “We must quit the nonsense that
focused on trying to regulate the murder the state. Ultimately a dozen26 anti-abor- the pro-life movement has taught us for
of children in the womb to the greatest tion ordinances were proposed in Texas, the last 46 years, namely, that our only
degree the courts will allow,”18 Hunter all of which described abortion as mur- hope to protect the preborn is to go with
wrote. “As abolitionists we are attempt- der and made abortion illegal within city hat in hand to the tyrant and ask the Su-
ing to bring the Gospel of the Kingdom of limits.”27 preme Court to undo their evil. You can-
Jesus Christ into conflict with the culture Pierce’s victories were just one ex- not appease a tyrant. Tyranny must be
of death… The abolitionist calls for the ample of legislative success showcased confronted.”35
total and immediate criminalization of at the conference. Since 2018, six state- Also featured prominently at the con-
abortion as murder and never attempts level abolitionist bills have been intro- ference was Rusty Thomas, national di-
to simply regulate or reduce abortion by duced in Oklahoma,28 Texas,29 Indiana,30 rector of Operation Save America (OSA),
treating it as healthcare.”19 Washington,31 Idaho,32 and Alaska,33 all a longstanding anti-abortion organiza-
Conference panels reflected this seeking to nullify Roe v. Wade and treat tion known for its targeted harassment
idea. One session, “Ignore Roe: Why In- abortion as murder from the moment of of abortion providers.36 Thomas has been

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 15

 Still of Gospel of God Ministries YouTube video of Zachary Braddy preaching against abortion in the streets of Charleston, North Carolina. Credit: Gospel of God
Ministries/YouTube.

part of the effort  in Texas to establish introduce the first-ever resolution pro- pro-immigrant “sanctuary city” policies
“sanctuaries for the unborn,” and testi- posing a joint sanctuary for the unborn in an interview with Redoubt News,42 a
fied in favor of one at a city council meet- and for Second Amendment rights.40 The small outlet that calls for Idaho, Mon-
ing in Waskom, Texas, as well.37 resolution, which is still under consider- tana, Wyoming, and eastern parts of
ation, would simultaneously ban abor- Washington and Oregon to become a safe
COMMON CAUSE tion and any kind of gun restriction from haven or “redoubt” 43 for militia members
Recent events have made it clear that being enforced in the county. (Since and other anti-government activists.44
the abolitionist approach resonates 2018, gun advocates, members of the “[W]e thought to ourselves as the pro-
across other sectors of the Far Right, Patriot movement, and constitutional life community,” Hall said, “if they can
particularly among supporters of the Pa- sheriffs have used the sanctuary frame- declare themselves a sanctuary and resist
triot and militia movements. Many anti- work to block the enforcement of gun- federal law when it comes to unrighteous
abortion and Christian Right activists control measures, including universal causes, why can’t we do it when it comes
share the anti-government ideology and background checks and bans on assault to righteous causes?”45
revolutionary rhetoric of militia groups, weapons through introducing “Second Redoubt News has been a hub for other
which see abortion not only as murder, Amendment Sanctuary” resolutions and supporters of abortion abolitionist and
militia movement causes. In an April
“We must quit the nonsense that the pro-life movement has 2020 video on Redoubt News’ YouTube
taught us for the last 46 years, namely, that our only hope channel, Idaho state legislator Heather
Scott compared the governor’s COV-
to protect the preborn is to go with hat in hand to the tyrant ID-19 shelter-in-place order to a global
and ask the Supreme Court to undo their evil.” socialist agenda and called on residents
to defy it, reflecting a popular position
but as proof of an increasingly secular, ordinances across the country.41) within the Patriot movement.46 In 2019,
tyrannical, and explicitly anti-Christian Hall often promotes Patriot movement Scott sponsored the Idaho Abortion Hu-
government.38 rhetoric on his Facebook page, where man Rights Act, which would criminalize
In January 2020, a pastor named Jor- his profile picture depicts him wielding all abortions in the state47 and was cham-
dan Hall39 teamed up with the Richland a shotgun. He defended his joint reso- pioned by the local abortion abolitionist
County Republican Party in Montana to lution by speaking disparagingly about group Abolish Abortion Idaho.48

16 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 Along with Washington State Rep. Matt ary for the unborn. ACLU dropped the lawsuit after the cities
Shea, Scott is well known for supporting “There is a great deal of misogyny un- backed down and revised their ordinanc-
the 41-day armed takeover at Malheur derscoring all of this,” said Romano, es, allowing pro-choice organizations to
National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. In who noted the jarring display of Braddy’s operate. The jurisdictions also agreed to
his own legislature, Shea also sponsored mostly male associates crowding into stop calling Conner and her associates
a 2019 state bill, the Abolition of Abor- the monthly meetings. “I’m afraid he’s “criminal”—one of the primary reasons
tion in Washington Act (HB 2154),49 going to keep escalating and escalating Conner had sued.
demonstrating the striking overlap in the rhetoric. He shows up with this large Even in its early stages, the sanctuaries
networks between abortion abolitionists group of young White men and I believe for the unborn movement has drained
and Patriot movement leaders. Like the they’re trying to build power.” precious time, energy, and resources
Idaho and Texas bills, HB 2154 would ban Kamyon Conner, executive director from organizations focused on repro-
all abortions and nullify any federal law of the Texas Equal Access (TEA) Fund, ductive health, rights, and justice. How-
protecting reproductive rights in Wash- an organization that helps low-income ever, what the ACLU lawsuit illustrated
ington, and subject all parties involved people in Northern Texas cover the cost is that these local battles can be won, if
in abortion to murder charges.50 (There is of abortion services, has actively fought pro-choice advocates take them seriously
one exception: if a medical provider ac- abortion sanctuary ordinances because enough to fight back.
cidentally kills a fetus while attempting she understands the dangers of hyper- “Anti-abortion extremists are criss-
to save the life of the pregnant person.) local anti-choice activism and how effec- crossing the state in order to limit access
Shea was notoriously accused of engag- tive their disinformation can be. to abortion in rural communities that al-
ing in domestic terrorism51 when he col- Conner warns against dismissing at- ready face barriers to health care,” Con-
laborated with militia leaders to plan and tacks on abortion access in states like ner said. “Politicians could be working
execute the Oregon occupation.52 And in Texas and North Carolina as issues limit- to expand access to care that could actu-
a manifesto leaked to the press in 2018,53 ed to the “backwards” South. On the con- ally help communities thrive. Instead,
“The Biblical Basis for War,” Shea argues trary, she said, the South is often a van- they’re choosing to prioritize the politi-
that Christians have a right to “kill all guard, with right-wing lawmakers using cal ideology of anti-abortion extremists.
males” who support abortion, same sex Texas to pilot draconian policies before It’s not right.”
marriage, or Communism.54 rolling them out nationwide. Under the
Intersections between radical anti- Trump administration, this has certainly Cloee Cooper holds a master’s degree in
abortion, White supremacist, gun been true regarding attacks on asylum journalism from the Medill School of Jour-
nalism, specializing in social justice and
rights, and militia movements is not a seekers and other migrants, and Conner
investigative reporting. Cloee tracked,
new concept.55 Rather, it’s a convergence said this has always been the case when it
monitored, and organized against anti-
that dates back decades. In the 1990s, comes to abortion access.
immigrant organizations with ties to White
formidable Christian Reconstruction- Historically, Texas has always been an
nationalism with the Center for New Com-
ist Larry Pratt—also executive director abortion battleground. After all, Roe v. munity from 2009-2012. Her work can
of the libertarian group Gun Owners of Wade originated there. Conner said she be seen at Chicago’s local PBS affiliate
America—met with neonazis and Chris- would never downplay the importance (WTTW), Alternet, Social Justice News
tian Identity groups to discuss the idea of the landmark case, but she questions Nexus, Imagine2050, and Hard Crack-
of forming Christian militias: something what good it is if people can’t access the ers. Cloee is a Research Analyst for Political
many see as the inception of that era’s abortion care they need because of the Research Associates and currently serves
militia movement.56 In 1995, when PRA ever-growing patchwork of anti-choice on the editorial board of Hard Crackers,
senior researcher Frederick Clarkson state laws. The spread of sanctuaries a journal documenting the everyday life of
was working for Planned Parenthood, he for the unborn ordinances across Texas, those striving to overturn the mess we are
noted that many of the same people were aiming to restrict abortion at the local in.
involved in both the violent wing of the level, has only made things worse. Con-
Tina Vasquez is an award-winning jour-
anti-abortion movement and 1990s mili- ner warns that it’s only a matter of time
nalist, essayist, and editor with more than
tias.57 before we see similar efforts nationwide.
10 years of experience reporting on im-
Earlier this year, the ACLU sued the
AS GOES THE SOUTH seven Texas towns that declared them-
migration, racial injustice, reproductive
rights, and culture.  Now a senior reporter
Back in Raleigh, Tara Romano, execu- selves sanctuaries for the unborn—and for Prism, Tina was a Senior Reporter with
tive director of NARAL Pro-Choice North sought to outlaw abortion in their city Rewire News, where she covered immi-
Carolina, was troubled to learn that limits—on behalf of the TEA Fund and gration and reproductive rights.  Tina sin-
Zachary Braddy—whom she’d first en- the Lilith Fund. Even if the ordinances gle-handedly shaped the outlet’s first im-
countered through his street preaching were largely symbolic, the ACLU ar- migration beat, authoring enterprise and
outside abortion clinics—had shifted his gued, they suppressed free speech and longform stories focusing on marginalized
focus to harassing city councilmembers created confusion about Texans’ legal communities impacted by immigration en-
and trying to turn the city into a sanctu- right to access abortion care. In May, the forcement.

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 17

 BY ALEX DIBRANCO

Conservative, Christian, Corporate

COVID-19 Opportunism and Betsy DeVos’s Education Agenda

Betsy DeVos with school children on April 6, 2017. Credit: US Department of Education/Flickr.

S
ince her deeply contested con- destroy the agencies they run and weigh tion. Her commitment to building “God’s
firmation hearings, Secretary of the fate of policies and programs based kingdom” through private Christian edu-
Education Betsy DeVos has been on ideological considerations.”1 And she cation and her advocacy of free markets
criticized for incompetence and igno- sees the COVID-19 pandemic as a long- and opposition to regulations draws in
rance regarding the public education awaited opportunity to reshape educa- the Christian Right, libertarian groups,
system. But this lens obscures the extent tion.2 and other secular misogynist and racist
to which DeVos’s decisions as secretary From the early stages of the COVID-19 actors, like men’s rights activists.3 Bring-
are less inept bungling than intentional pandemic response, DeVos leapt to ad- ing differing ideological groups into col-
right-wing strategy. As a 2017 New York vance her agenda of privatizing the edu- laboration to pursue a common purpose
Times editorial put it, DeVos is “the per- cation system, promoting conservative has been a hallmark of U.S. right-wing
fect cabinet member for a president de- Christian schooling, and enabling racist, strategy for decades, facilitated by net-
termined to appoint officials eager to misogynist, and anti-LGBTQ discrimina- works such as the DeVos family-funded

18 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

Council for National Policy. thanks to the Right’s direct actions, but Black children left in public schools.
DeVos and her allies have made mul- also liberal organizations and officials Outside of the segregationist South,
tiple attempts during the pandemic operating under the opportunism mind- conservative parents and groups cam-
to move funding to private education, set of “disaster capitalism.”10 In May, paigned for the maintenance of Chris-
some successful, others thwarted or still- Democratic New York Governor Andrew tian, White, patriarchal norms in public
pending. In March, for instance, DeVos Cuomo raised alarm bells by announcing education in the 1960s and ’70s. Major
used relief funding for “microgrants” a plan to work with the Bill & Melinda flash points included sexuality educa-
that could be used for private education Gates Foundation to “reimagine educa- tion and curriculum battles, with a par-
providers, prompting Senator Chuck tion” following COVID-19, disparaging ticularly heated textbook controversy in
Schumer (D-NY) to denounce her for us- that “old model of everybody goes and Kanawha County, West Virginia, fuel-
ing pandemic relief “to augment her sits in the classroom.”11 Liberal collabo- ing incidents of violence. In 1974, Alice
push for voucherlike programs.”4 But ration with the movement framed as pro- Moore, a mother and wife to a Church
that $180 million was just a start. 5 When moting “school choice” is an element of of Christ minister, denounced Kanawha
Republican Senators Tim Scott and La-
mar Alexander introduced a COVID edu- White conservative Christians have viewed education
cation relief bill in July, they inserted a as a vital battleground for decades, protecting the
prior DeVos proposal providing for a per-
manent tax credit supporting privatized
maintenance of White Christian patriarchy in younger
education by up to $5 billion per year.6 generations.
The bill came in the wake of the under-
reported June Supreme Court decision in the DeVos strategy to advance education County’s new language arts curriculum
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Reve- privatization, and appears to overlook emphasizing multiculturalism as anti-
nue, which prohibits states from limiting the roots and continuing mission of the White and anti-Christian.15 The local bat-
government funding for private schools privatization project in maintaining ra- tle attracted a range of outside Rightist
to only secular institutions, opening new cial segregation and advancing Christian support, from Texan conservative Chris-
opportunities for funding religious edu- supremacy. tian textbook monitors Mel and Norma
cation.7 Gabler, to the White supremacist Ku
As the new school year approached, SEGREGATION, CHRISTIANITY, AND Klux Klan, to the newly formed Heritage
DeVos and President Donald Trump SCHOOL CHOICE Foundation, which, under the leadership
threatened to withhold federal fund- White conservative Christians have of New Right architect Paul Weyrich,
ing to pressure K-12 public schools to viewed education as a vital battleground sent two staff members there to support,
reopen for in-person instruction in the for decades, protecting the maintenance advise, and learn from the campaign.
fall, rejecting concerns about student, of White Christian patriarchy in younger The battle and resulting publicity helped
teacher, and staff health. An impasse be- generations through actions such as con- shape a lasting New Right frame portray-
tween the Republican-controlled Senate testing desegregation, opposing sexuali- ing “secular humanism” as a threat in-
and the Democratic-controlled House of ty education, monitoring textbooks, and doctrinating children in public schools
Representatives on an additional round dominating local school boards.12 with anti-Christian beliefs. The 1978
of pandemic relief funding persisted into Following the 1954 Brown v. Board of book Blackboard Tyranny, by Connaught
October, leaving K-12 schools to begin Education decision ending segregation in “Connie” Marshner, one of the Heritage
the semester without additional federal public schools, Southern states worked staff members sent to Kanawha County,
assistance—and without knowing if the to maintain White supremacy by pro- advised parents on fighting against secu-
final legislation would follow the GOP’s viding White families with vouchers to lar humanism in their own districts.16
plan to tie its $70 billion in education attend one of thousands of new private Over the course of the 1970s, the Su-
support to holding in-person classes.8 If “segregation academies.”13 These insti- preme Court undermined the viability
schools didn’t reopen in person, Trump tutions were sometimes referred to as of segregation academies, barring first
pitched that this “funding should follow “freedom of choice schools,” in contrast taxpayer funding for racially discrimina-
students so parents can send their child to what the Right demonized as “govern- tory private schools and then discrimina-
to the private, charter, religious, or home ment schools.”14 Many advertised them- tion in private schools itself. Weyrich,
school of their choice.”9 Such a determi- selves as Christian academies, such as Falwell, and other outraged Christian
nation would represent a massive influx the Lynchburg Christian Academy (now leaders painted enforcement of these de-
of funding into the privatized education Liberty Christian Academy), founded cisions as religious persecution, rather
industry with severe long-term conse- in 1967 by Southern Baptist Rev. Jerry than attempting to defend their preju-
quences for the stability of the public Falwell as a church ministry. The flight dice explicitly, rallying evangelicals to
school system. of hundreds of thousands of White stu- the New Right.17 Falwell, whom Weyrich
The pandemic threatens lasting con- dents, taking taxpayer dollars with them, had recruited to found the Moral Major-
sequences for public education not only drained the funding available to educate ity, wrote in his 1979 book, America Can

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 19

 Be Saved!, that he longed for a day when goal is nothing short of a radical re-cre- (FRC), an influential anti-LGBTQ Chris-
“we won’t have any public schools. The ation of education in the United States, tian Right organization that Edgar Prince
churches will have taken them over and with tax-supported religious and other helped found; the Heritage Foundation,
Christians would be running them.” private schools replacing the traditional a think-tank with significant influence
(Trump originally tapped Falwell’s son, public school system.”24 Over the course on the Trump administration; the Ameri-
Jerry Falwell, Jr., as education secretary. of three decades, DeVos has advanced a can Enterprise Institute (AEI); and many
The younger Falwell chose to remain conservative, corporate, Christian agen- others.32
president of the conservative Christian da to expand private religious education Betsy and Dick DeVos have followed
Liberty University instead, and in August under the mantra of “school choice.” in this legacy of supporting right-wing
2020 resigned from that position follow- Legislation enabling school vouchers— causes. In the 1990s, their foundation’s
ing a sexual scandal.18) tax money that students can take with largest grants went to FRC and Focus on
DeVos is not the first education secre- them out of the public education system the Family, but the couple developed
tary bent on dismantling public educa- to subsidize private school tuition—has their philanthropy into the 2000s with
tion. She follows in the tradition of Wil- been a key area of her philanthropic in- a focus for Betsy on education privatiza-
liam Bennett, education secretary under vestment. Redirecting funding from pub- tion and for Dick on weakening unions
President Ronald Reagan. (Reagan him- lic to private schools implicitly entails through so-called right-to-work legisla-
self campaigned on disbanding the De- shifting public funding from secular to tion.33 Their foundation has continued
partment of Education, only just formed religious education since two-thirds of to provide substantial funding to organi-
in 1979 under the Carter administra- private schools (enrolling three-quarters zations supporting Sec. DeVos’s agenda
tion.19) Former Federal Communications of private school students) are religiously during the current administration, such
Commission Chair Reed Hundt recalled affiliated.25 as support, from 2017-2018, for the Al-
Bennett choosing to withhold support DeVos is positioned at the intersection liance for School Choice ($1 million),
for funding and infrastructure-building of two massive conservative inheritances where she previously served as chair of
in order to weaken public schools over that give her influence as a major donor the board; the Acton Institute ($300,000)
the long-term, expressing the desire for and the funding to create and run her and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy
public schools to fail and “be replaced own education privatization advocacy ($650,000), two Michigan-based think-
with vouchers, charter schools, reli- groups.26 Her father, Edgar Prince, made tanks supporting school vouchers and
gious schools, and other forms of private a fortune through his automotive busi- right-to-work legislation; and AEI ($1.25
education.”20 ness, while her husband, Dick DeVos, million), where Betsy previously served
When taxpayer money goes to private hails from Amway wealth.27 In 2015, on the board and Dick currently does.34
religious schools through vouchers, it Forbes reported that the DeVos family The couple also invested in for-profit
has been used to support theocratic, mi- foundations alone had given a total life- companies in the right-wing privatiza-
sogynist, racist, and homophobic educa- time contribution of $1.2 billion, and the tion world, like virtual schooling pro-
tional materials.21 One of the largest re-
cipients of federal charter school funding The DeVoses’ strategy is also insidious in intentionally
distributed by DeVos this April, Respon-
sive Education Solutions (RES), devel-
couching a right-wing agenda so as to manipulate liberal
ops conservative Christian-based, White cooperation.
male supremacist curricula under a secu-
lar veneer.22 According to a 2014 inves- family appears annually on the publica- vider K12, Inc., developing corporate
tigative report in Slate, RES textbooks tion’s list of 50 Top Givers, most recently partners who would in turn support
contained false statements about evolu- appearing at number 26 with reported their agenda. In 2000, former Reagan
tion; defended the Confederate South; giving of $112 million in 2018.28 Education Secretary William Bennett
referred disparagingly to the “homosexu- The extended DeVos-Prince family co-founded K12 with a former McKinsey
al lifestyle”; and advanced the myth that have been major Christian Right and free consultant to provide online education
vaccines cause autism—misinformation market donors for 40 years.29 The Coun- “centered in the Judeo-Christian tradi-
with particular relevance as anti-vaxxers cil for National Policy, a secretive net- tion” to virtual charter schools and home-
have joined protesters opposing stay-at- work of influential Rightist figures who schoolers.35 From 2005 on, K12 worked
home orders, seeking allies against the assemble annually to strategize, featured with the American Legislative Exchange
distribution of a future COVID vaccine.23 DeVos’s father-in-law, Richard DeVos, as Council (ALEC) to design and promote
the keynote speaker of its January 1983 model legislation for states that would al-
THE DEVOS-PRINCE FAMILY LEGACY meeting.30 The group would also receive low virtual school expansion, taking on
“Although hardly a household name, if substantial funding from the DeVoses a secular image in acquiring profitable
Betsy DeVos has her way, every American and Princes from the 1980s forward.31 state and local school district contracts.36
could feel her reach,” analyst Rob Boston Other major beneficiaries of the two fam- Funding of advocacy, research, and
wrote in 2010 for Church & State. “DeVos’ ilies include the Family Research Council legal organizations demonstrates the

20 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

DeVoses’ strategic understanding of the charter schools have taken over about DeVos used her discretion over $350
greater impact that policy change can half of the Detroit public school popula- million in higher education relief funds
have versus direct charity. Speaking in tion, de facto segregation has increased to use the bulk of the money—intended
2001 to “The Gathering,” a meeting of as White students leave more integrated for struggling colleges and universities—
wealthy conservative Christians, Sec. schools for Whiter districts.42 Waste, to give small colleges total grants of half-
DeVos rejected the suggestion that Chris- corruption, and lack of oversight can be a-million dollars each without assessing
tian education should rely on direct phil- problems with charter schools across the their need.50 Under the original funding
anthropic support rather than seek tax- country, but Michigan stands out for the formula, compared in a Center for Amer-
payer funding through vouchers.37 “We lack of regulation resulting from DeVos’s ican Progress analysis, many of these
could give every single penny we have, influence.43 From 2006 to 2014, $7.7 schools were allocated only a few thou-
everybody in this room could give every million went to 72 charter schools that sand dollars or, at most, tens of thou-
single penny they had, and it wouldn’t never opened.44 A majority of Michigan sands.51 Giving them $500,000 instead
begin to touch what is currently spent charter schools are run by for-profit com- drained the pool of available funding for
public universities in need. The decision,
The pandemic has offered DeVos an opportunity to though it might look like bungling, is in
fact continuous with DeVos’s agenda of
pour hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars into her prioritizing private religious education at
privatization agenda. the expense of secular public education.
It provided substantial extra money to
on education every year in this country,” panies accountable to shareholders and almost 90 percent of U.S. faith-based col-
she argued, and touted education reform not student outcomes or the public.45 leges, according to Ben Miller, a former
as a way to “advance God’s Kingdom.”38 This includes K12, Inc., which operates DoE staffer and a CAP education ana-
While the DeVos family foundations do- the largest charter school in the state.46 lyst.52 (For instance, Calvin Theological
nate around $100 million total per year, Seminary, based in DeVos’s hometown
as education secretary with influence SEEING OPPORTUNITY IN CRISIS of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was awarded
over government policy and funding, De- “The current disruption to the normal $500,000 rather than its original alloca-
Vos is directing hundreds of millions to model is reaffirming something I have tion of $71,301; the private Christian
privatization and pushing to redistribute said for years,” DeVos announced this college is also a grantee of the DeVoses’
billions. April, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept foundation.53)
The DeVoses’ strategy is also insidious the country. “We must rethink education K12, Inc., which brought in more than
in intentionally couching a right-wing to better match the realities of the 21st $1 billion in revenue in 2019, anticipates
agenda so as to manipulate liberal co- century.”47 The pandemic has offered greater profits from the current crisis, as
operation. In 2002, William Bennett in- DeVos an opportunity to pour hundreds school districts and students seek remote
troduced Dick DeVos for a speech at the of millions of taxpayer dollars into her learning options this school year. But the
Heritage Foundation that discussed an- privatization agenda, taking advantage company expects this will last beyond
other element of the family’s long-term of the Education Department’s discre- short-term adjustments. Timothy Me-
strategy to push school privatization: lib- tionary power over COVID relief funds dina, K12’s chief financial officer, said
eral allies. Dick urged caution among his hurriedly passed by Congress—or using on an April quarterly earnings call, “We
fellow conservatives in publicly support- her position to redirect funding in what believe the effects of Covid-19 will be a
ing vouchers and “education choice,” appear to be illegal actions. In Septem- lasting tailwind to online education.”54
to avoid turning off liberals who would ber, a federal court ruling struck down K12 is part of a 2020 Heritage Founda-
otherwise buy into the idea of education a DeVos policy requiring school dis- tion “National Coronavirus Recovery
freedom and push the agenda for them.39 tricts to allocate a greater share of relief Commission” to design policy moving
For instance, following Hurricane Ka- funds toward private schools. The policy forward, which so far has largely recom-
trina in 2005, New Orleans witnessed the eschewed the typical federal formula, mended lifting regulations and standards
complete dismantling of its traditional which allocates funding based on low- for online schooling services, changes
public schools—an example lauded by income student population, in favor of that would last beyond the current pan-
the DeVos-founded American Federation using total student population—increas- demic and further virtual education de-
for Children—thanks to entities includ- ing the amount going to private schools, spite poor student outcomes.55
ing the liberal Gates Foundation.40 which disproportionately serve more The $180 million DeVos already dis-
In her home state of Michigan, Betsy wealthy students.48 An Education De- tributed for microgrants and incentiviz-
DeVos took advantage of Detroit’s strug- partment spokesperson responded to the ing, expanding, or launching new virtual
gling public school system to push a lawsuit with a right-wing talking point, schools is just a drop in the bucket com-
massive expansion of for-profit charter denouncing “that so many favor discrim- pared to $5 billion per year in proposed
schooling—but without success in pro- inating against children who do not at- tax credits for contributions to private
ducing better student outcomes.41 Since tend government-run schools.”49 education providers.56 DeVos advocated

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 21

 The “Oppose Betsy DeVos Protest,” Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2017. Credit: Ted Eytan/Flickr.

for these “Education Freedom Scholar- Today, DeVos urged SCOTUS to clear falls, the court has made things even
ships” last year at an ALEC meeting spon- the path for expanded public funding of worse by opening the door for further at-
sored by K12.57 On July 22, Republican religious schools, writing, “we are espe- tacks on state decisions not to fund reli-
Senators Tim Scott and Lamar Alexander
introduced the School Choice Now Act, One notable outcome of a reckless push for in-
which added a permanent version of
DeVos’s proposed tax credit among the person instruction—without providing resources for
emergency pandemic appropriations for recommended safety precautions—is that it encourages
privatized education.58 A recent Supreme
Court decision would prohibit states
parents to exit the public education system.
from requiring that this funding go only
to secular schools, representing a poten- cially eager for the Supreme Court to put gious schools.”62
tially substantial transfer of public fund- an end to the ‘last acceptable prejudice’ Greater taxpayer funding to religious
ing from secular to religious education if made manifest in bigoted Blaine Amend- schools means more students vulner-
passed. ments to 37 state constitutions that deny able to legal discrimination under De-
students the freedom to pursue faith- Vos’s policies. Earlier this year, the
EXPANDING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, RE- based education.”60 Department of Education issued a new
DUCING DISCRIMINATION PROTECTION Following the court’s ruling, DeVos re- religious exemption allowing any “edu-
On June 30, 2020, the Supreme Court leased a statement “calling on all states cational institution that is controlled by
ruled in Espinoza v. Montana Depart- to now seize the extraordinary oppor- a religious organization” to disregard
ment of Revenue that states must include tunity to expand all education options Title IX civil rights protections for stu-
religious schools in programs providing at all schools to every single student in dents without losing federal funding by
student aid to attend private schools, America.”61 Lily Eskelsen García, for- claiming the requirements violate their
opening the door to dramatically expand mer president of the National Education religious tenets.63 The exemption can
taxpayer funding for faith-based schools. Association, worried that the decision even be claimed retroactively, after a sex
The case was brought by the Institute will make it harder for states to resist De- discrimination claim has already been
for Justice—a long-time DeVos founda- Vos’s pressure to fund private religious filed. A letter from a group of Democratic
tion grantee also known for its opposi- schools. She commented in a statement, senators this February warned this “could
tion to affirmative action—to challenge “At a time when public schools nation- provide federally-funded faith-based in-
state “Blaine amendments” that prevent wide already are grappling with protect- stitutions and student organizations a
public funding from going to religious ing and providing for students despite a license to discriminate against students,
schools.59 In a January op-ed for USA pandemic and mounting budget short- employees, and beneficiaries who are

22 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 for recommended safety precautions—
is that it encourages parents to exit the
public education system.
This summer saw a spate of report-
ing on economically privileged parents,
wary of school reopening plans, hiring
private teachers for expensive home-
schooling pods—moving their children
out of the public education system,
which often also means removing tax
dollars, too.71 An industry quickly
sprang up to meet the new demand,
and the conservative Foundation for
Economic Education (FEE) has lauded
“entrepreneurial teachers” who are
“cashing in on the opportunity.”72 This
exit from the public education system
for parents with the financial resources
to do so exacerbates economic inequity
and encourages de facto segregation,
with children of color disproportion-
ately left behind.
The “Oppose Betsy DeVos Protest,” Washington, D.C., on January 29, 2017. Credit: Ted Eytan/Flickr. By hamstringing public schools’ abil-
ity to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic
LGBTQIA+, as well as women.”64 desire to reopen the economy before through temporary crisis measures that
It’s also an opening to end anti- Election Day.67 DeVos walked back an balance needs for safety and education,
discrimination protections for other initial threat to withhold federal funds wealthy and White flight to privatized ed-
groups. The DeVos Department of Educa- from public schools unwilling to comply ucation can turn temporary adjustments
tion has severely reduced accountability (which would have been illegal); instead, into more permanent changes. While
for discrimination by schools, not only the GOP proposed tying tens of billions Betsy DeVos is obviously unqualified to
with respect to Title IX and sexism, ho- in relief funding to in-person reopen- support a thriving public education sys-
mophobia, and transphobia but also rac- ing. School districts were already facing tem, her actions during the pandemic
ism, xenophobia, and ableism.65 Know budget shortfalls of up to 25 percent due made clear how she was most likely
Your IX board member Wagatwe Wan- to plummeting tax revenue, and DeVos selected for a very different set of com-
juki situates DeVos’s actions on Title IX has further strained resources by push- petencies: a lifetime’s experience in un-
as “part of a decades-long movement to ing their funding to private schools.68 In dermining secular public education, ex-
eradicate civil rights in America, particu- August, Trump said that school funding panding private religious schooling, and
larly in relation to education, [and] part in a proposed $70 billion K-12 educa- reinstating standards of White, Christian
of the backlash to desegregating schools tion relief package should “follow stu- male supremacy.
long ago.” She continues, “That, I think, dents” to privatized alternatives if public In that respect, she is more than quali-
is going to be one of the Trojan Horses schools did not reopen.69 (Ultimately, the fied to advance such a transformation.
for the right-wing to bring back segrega- beginning of the school year came and
tion to schools, and basically use federal went without an agreement on this sec- Alex DiBranco is the co-founder and execu-
money at their will … I think this shows ond round of relief funding; as of Octo- tive director of the Institute for Research on
Male Supremacism (IRMS). A sociology
a really good example of how you can’t ber, the entire COVID-19 relief package,
PhD candidate at Yale University, writing
separate White supremacy from male including education funding, remained
her dissertation on the U.S. New Right
supremacy.”66 (See sidebar: “Catering to stuck at an impasse.)70
movement infrastructure from 1971-1997,
Male Supremacists with Title IX.”) While DeVos claimed that her advo-
she was a member of The Public Eye edito-
cacy to physically reopen public schools rial board, formerly PRA’s Communications
REOPENING: ROUTES TO MAKING PRIVA- arose from concerns about children’s Director, and currently is affiliated with the
TIZATION PERMANENT education, that rationale conflicts with Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies.
In July, DeVos and Trump announced her long-term support for private virtual
that public schools would have to reopen schooling, even in the face of its poor ed-
for in-person instruction in the fall, re- ucational outcomes. But one notable out-
jecting health and safety concerns, a de- come of a reckless push for in-person in-
cision that has been attributed to Trump’s struction—without providing resources

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 23

 Catering to Male Supremacists with Title IX

Secretary Betsy DeVos has moved forward Research on Male Supremacism, writes in a Time rights groups and their allies on the new regu-
controversial policies aligned with her theo- op-ed, “almost  no  sexual harassment is con- lations. When DeVos announced her decision
cratic, misogynist, anti-transgender agenda sidered objectively offensive.” Bedera instead to rescind Obama-era guidelines in September
while the media and the public are distracted found that “Title IX administrators labeled most 2017, the Department of Education had already
by the pandemic. In cohort with men’s rights types of sexual misconduct or discrimination as been working for months with the National
and Christian Right groups, she stripped away ‘not that bad,’ including everything from unwant- Coalition for Men Carolinas (NCFMC), Families
Title IX protections supporting gender equity ed hugs to removing clothing in the workplace to Advocating for Campus Equality (FACE), and
in educational access, not simply rescinding death threats from physically violent abusers.” 77 Stop Abusive and Violent Environments (SAVE).
Obama-era guidelines to address campus sexu- While there isn’t space here to explore the rule’s DeVos’s top civil rights official at the time, Can-
al misconduct and transgender students’ equal many problems, one example of what the new dice Jackson, corresponded directly with these
access to school facilities, but regressing sex dis- “due process” will look like is harrowing. Under groups—all founded on the claim that women
crimination protections by decades. DeVos’s changes, in a formal investigation, an frequently make false accusations of sexual vio-
In May, the Department of Education re- accused rapist can refuse to undergo cross- lence—drawing on them for (inaccurate) infor-
leased a 2,033-page Title IX rule rolling back examination, in which case any statements mation about sexual assault, asking to collabo-
protections for student sexual harassment and they have made—including an admission of rate on op-eds, and arranging a meeting with
assault survivors. The lengthy rule is challeng- guilt—cannot be taken into consideration.78 DeVos. The Education Department even hired
ing for even experts to parse, much less survi- This shields perpetrators, providing them with attorney Hans Bader, SAVE’s primary funder, who
vors seeking to understand their rights, and that an easy means to block or invalidate damning was a driving force behind the new regulations.82
might be intentional. evidence from investigations. It seems obvi- FACE, a mostly female-led organization, does
DeVos appears to fully expect her new regu- ous that someone who has committed assault not identify as a men’s rights group. But like
lations will prevent Title IX investigations: the would likely refuse to cooperate when that so-called equity feminists and groups such as
rule includes a financial analysis estimating that choice enables them to avoid repercussions. the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), FACE
universities nationwide will save $189 million The Education Department touts cross-exami- uses rhetoric that maligns women who report
per year from the case reduction that will result nation as “truth-seeking” and claims the policy harassment or abuse as likely making false ac-
from implementation.73 A lawsuit against the provides all parties with “equal opportunity” cusations.83 Organizations in the broader right-
new rule brought by 17 state attorneys general and “the same limitations” in not being able wing network have also mobilized in defense of
plus the attorney general of Washington, D.C., to compel testimony. But if a survivor decides the new Title IX rule. IWF, where former Trump
who together also unsuccessfully sought a de- not to undergo the additional trauma of cross- advisor Kellyanne Conway was a board mem-
lay in the rule’s implementation, argues, “The examination about their assault, again the per- ber, joined the Foundation for Individual Rights
rule will reverse decades of effort to end the petrator benefits, by the dismissal of all victim in Education (FIRE), another DeVos grantee, and
corrosive effects of sexual harassment on equal statements—including, the Department speci- the Koch-connected Speech First in filing to
access to education.”74 fies, those found in “police reports, SANE [Sexual mount a defense of the new rule.84 Speech First
Similar to how the Right couches its privatiza- Assault Nurse Examiner] reports, [and] medical re- President Nicole Neily is a former IWF executive
tion agenda in the neutral language of “school ports” (emphasis in the original). It’s a win-win
79
director and has worked at the Cato Institute
choice” to facilitate liberal support, Title IX op- situation for perpetrators. and FreedomWorks; the organization’s board
ponents have used the frame of restoring “due Lawsuits filed by the American Civil Liberties of directors includes Kim Dennis, chair and co-
process” over the past decade. Alexandra Brod- Union and New York state attorney general argue founder of DonorsTrust.85
sky, a lawyer and cofounder of the advocacy that the new rule will prevent schools from tak- Under the cover of the pandemic, the DOE is-
group Know Your IX, explained in a May 2020 ing the same action on sex discrimination as they sued another Title IX-related document in May:
webinar that “men’s rights activists have wea- can for other forms of discrimination.80 And that, a memorandum asserting that policies that pro-
ponized vague concerns about due process to Brodsky emphasizes, is exactly what men’s rights vide nondiscrimination protections for trans stu-
advance their ultimate agenda, which is im- activists want: to “single out sexual harassment for dent athletes violate Title IX and threatening to
punity for sexual harm.”75 One way to prevent special treatment,” designing a complicated set of rescind funding for school districts that permit
schools from taking action, Brodsky states, “is to procedures and restrictions just for addressing sex trans athletes to compete in accordance with
erect onerous requirements that deter victims discrimination.81 The justification for this position their gender identity. This aligns U.S. education
from coming forward to their schools, and then is founded on the misogynist portrayal of woman policy with the position of Christian Right groups
tie schools’ hands if and when they do receive as deceitful and the societal refusal to believe including Alliance Defending Freedom, which
reports.”76 In this vein, the new rule restricts women that is part of rape culture. has received DeVos funding, and Concerned
actionable sexual harassment to that which is An investigative report released by The Nation Women for America, as previously reported by
“severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive.” on August 14, 2020, the day DeVos’s Title IX rule PRA senior research analyst Heron Greenesmith.86
But as Nicole Bedera, a fellow at the Institute for went into effect, reveals the influence of men’s – Alex DiBranco

24 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 BY SHANE BURLEY

Total Life Reform

The Real Consequences of the Far Right’s Self-Help Grift

Wolves of Vinland founder Paul Waggener: “As with most pyramid schemes, Waggener is marketing a program promising to make other
men as financially and socially successful as he is, while his financial success depends entirely on his followers’ willingness to give him money.”
Credit: Image of Waggener from a still of “Operation Werewolf - Incremental Progression,” YouTube.com.

R
ight from the start, the Were- feminist ideas of the manosphere when routines, and a growing list of associ-
wolf Elite program is billed as tuning in to learn how to pick up women, ated enterprises flowing from his tribal-
your last chance. Not just to Waggener’s programs build on the appeal ist philosophy. In Operation Werewolf,
take control of your fitness, get your fi- of strength and loyalty to connect self- Waggener tempered the Wolves’ open
nances in order, or meet life goals, but improvement with far-right ideas about White supremacist rhetoric and opted
for manhood, for “Total Life Reform” racial tribalism. instead for a sort of “tribalism for all
(TLR). The Werewolf Elite program is the Waggener is infamous not only on the people” ideology, in the hopes of attract-
latest package for purchase from Paul Far Right, where his brand of racialized ing a broader swath of men. It worked,
Waggener, co-founder of the far-right paganism and male tribalism inspires and over the past few years the business
Odinist cult the Wolves of Vinland and admiration, but in weightlifting, motor- has gone international, inspiring other
proprietor of a growing family of fitness, cycle, and black metal circles. He started groups and companies.1
lifestyle, and spirituality products built out founding the “folkish” heathen group At each step along the way, Waggener
around his carefully cultivated outlaw Wolves of Vinland in the early- to mid- has monetized his growing audience,
persona. Waggener’s various self-help 2000s, which mixed the organizational never missing a chance to launch a new
programs have become a strange path- style of outlaw bike crews, such as the product or business. While his project
way to far-right ideas, normalizing them Hell’s Angels, with pagan mysticism. mimics multi-level marketing—a sort of
by appealing to insecurities, subcultural Around 2015, seeking to market his Amway for ethno-nationalists—Waggen-
signifiers, and the desire to build strong ideas and products to a larger audience, er draws his customers toward violent
friendship circles. Just as happened in he founded Operation Werewolf: a small fascism by laundering in far-right ideas.
the “pick-up artist” community, where business empire including a webzine,
lonely men were introduced to the anti- self-published books, clothing, workout

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 25

 THE ODINIC WOLF CULT In 2014, Jack Donovan, who would views were clear.
go on to become a significant far-right “They hate Black people,” said Ka-
The Wolves of Vinland began2 as an author and thought leader, traveled to tie McHugh, a former Breitbart editor
outlet for Waggener and his brother Ulfheim, the Wolves’ compound near who dated Alt Right leader and Wolves
Matthias, who as teens were neonazi Lynchburg, Virginia, to write a profile of member Kevin DeAnna. According to
skinheads in Cheyenne, Wyoming.3 the group.7 He was so impressed by their McHugh, who publicly renounced the
The brothers’ goal was to flesh out their ritual “Baldr’s funeral” (where members Alt Right in 2019,13 the Wolves regularly
type of Ásatrú: a racially-specific form of get drunk and set a ship on fire) that he use racial slurs internally, including call-
joined the group, ing Black people “Unters,” short for the
which shared many Nazi term Untermensch, or sub-human.14
of his ideas about Waggener had played and sung in the
masculinity and the National Socialist Black Metal band Val-
need for identity- halla Saints in Cheyenne, doing split re-
based male “tribe[s].”8 cords with other neonazis and singing
The emerging ideol- songs about skinhead attacks.15 And as
ogy amounted to what he would argue on the masculinist pod-
Matthew N. Lyons cast The Pressure Project, he saw tribal-
calls “gang masculin- ism, including xenophobic racialism, as
ity,” wherein men use an inherent piece of the human psyche:
extreme fraternaliza- Who wants to live in a world where
tion—building bonds there’s no differences...tribalism is
through extreme always gonna be the nature of human
behaviors such as beings... I don’t care what this does to
Operation Werewolf Logo. Credit: YouTube.com. violence—to exclude my social standing to say that humans
women and reinforce are animals and as animals there is a
Nordic neopaganism. While most self- toxic masculinity.9 Donovan cut ties with difference in their breeding. And that
described heathens—people reviving the Alt Right after the deadly Unite the there’s a difference in their ethnic type.
pre-Christian Germanic religions—es- Right gathering in Charlottesville, Vir- It makes them different, characteristi-
chew racist politics, a substantial minor- ginia, in 2017, and parted ways with the cally speaking.16
ity see heathenry as intended for people Wolves the following year; he now says Like many folkish heathens, the
of Northern European descent alone.4 he wishes “White Nationalists would Waggeners consider the Wolves’ racial
Waggener eventually became “Grand- burn my books and stop following me.”10 tribalism a positive alternative to the
master” of the Galdraguild, a heathen But his time with the group nonetheless street violence of their skinhead roots.
mystic organization focused on runes.5 left a permanent imprint.11 The Waggeners’ ideology is inspired by
Despite his position, he saw the mystical The Wolves’ folkish politics—namely, the traditionalism and belief in male su-
elements of heathenism in metaphorical that only White people were allowed premacy of fascist philosophers like Ju-
lius Evola, who saw the modern world as
Just as lonely men were introduced to anti-feminist a degenerated mess that had lost its natu-
ral spiritual hierarchies, gender roles,
ideas when tuning in to the “pick-up artist” community, and warrior ethic. Waggener’s goal is to
Waggener’s programs connect self-improvement, strength, return men to identity segregated tribal
groups.17 They were also inspired by the
and loyalty with far-right ideas about racial tribalism. European New Right’s identitarian ideas,
particularly Guillaume Faye’s Archeofu-
turism, which proposed re-creating an
terms, more about creating discipline, to join—were firm, but not advertised. archaic image of tribal cultures inside a
mental focus, and physical transforma- They viewed race as an essential ingredi- modern technological setting.
tion than supernatural magic.6 Dissatis- ent to building tribal alliances, but they Much of the Wolves’ racial rhetoric fol-
fied with other racist heathen groups, rejected the rhetoric of pan-European lows a popular thread on the Alt Right
such as the Asatru Folk Assembly (which collaboration and activism found in opposing global “mono-culture,” sug-
lacked Waggener’s focus on fitness and much of modern White nationalism. In- gesting those in power want to meld cul-
personal success), he envisioned the stead they were fond of saying they were tures to make people easily controlled
Wolves as a more radical organization, “Wolves nationalist”: loyal to members consumers. “The mono-culture we re-
emphasizing ecstatic rituals and pushing of their specific organization rather than fer to is the idea that we, as people, are
members to self-improvement and fight all people of European descent.12 De- all the same, no matter what our back-
training. spite this rhetorical sleight of hand, their grounds, race, or culture. The reason

26 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

this is dangerous at the present time is ism, a new tribalism, or the European by folkish heathen and anti-feminist au-
not so much the philosophy as much as New Right’s return to paganism, there thor Juleigh Howard-Hobson.33 Juleigh
it is who is pushing it on us and why,” seem to be few other groups actually ex- and her husband David had caught the
Matthias said in a 2013 interview with ecuting these ideas in the real world— ire of Portland activists when they tried
Hunter Yoder, a folk artist who runs the even if some of the “Wolves” themselves to attend a 2009 event with Holocaust
website The Hex Factory.18 This rhetoric are blithely unaware about the implica- denier David Irving, and were also alleg-
has a certain currency because it tries to tions of what they are doing. And more edly members of European Americans
echo an anti-capitalist, anti-globaliza- importantly, it’s something that can be United.34 All of which is to say that, while
tion talking point about the destruction done right now—without waiting for a Paul may present the Wolves as outside
of indigenous cultures, while avoiding “collapse,” or a metapolitical shift.23 of contemporary politics, they are cen-
explicitly racist language. Like Donovan, DeAnna got other Alt Right figures in- tered directly at the heart of White na-
the Wolves claim to offer an alternative volved, too, including Devin Saucier, an tionalism.
to what they call the “Empire of Noth- American Renaissance staffer, and Scott
ing”—the global culture of capitalism— Greer, a contributor with The Daily Call- THE BIRTH OF OPERATION WEREWOLF
inspired by Evola’s position of refusing to er.24 A group of them lived in an Arling- In 2013, Waggener published a You-
engage in contemporary politics.19 While ton, Virginia, apartment they dubbed Tube video of him and DeAnna working
they frame this as apolitical, it’s actually “the Hate House,” which became a center out by lifting car parts in a scrap yard.35
an intentional strategy in post-war fas- of Alt Right activity and Jack Donovan’s The ad hoc exercise tape marked the
cist circles to recontextualize far-right home base when visiting the Washing- birth of Operation Werewolf36—a syn-
politics as cultural, artistic, or meta-po- ton, D.C., area.25 Amanda Prevette also thesis of Waggener’s training regimen
litical20—a means of influencing culture became a member of the Wolves while and his ideas about tribalism, “militant
and identity more than immediate poli- working at World Net Daily.26 While the strength culture,”37 and “rewild[ing],”
tics, with the hopes of changing politics Wolves maintained a public persona of which he began expressing in the zines
further down the line.21 political neutrality, they had become a Iron and Blood and Rewildyourlife.38 The
social center for the growing Alt Right Wolves had developed away from the tra-
APOLITICAL? and were openly welcoming active racial- ditionalist heathenry seen in many racial
In reality, the claims of apoliticism are a ist leaders. Ásatrú groups, and now focused more
smokescreen. Kevin DeAnna was an ear- As the Alt Right became increasingly on paganism’s mystical underpinnings,
ly Wolves member who joined Waggen- supportive of the Wolves, the Waggeners which Waggener taught were tools men
er’s group while he was organizing the were invited to speak on White national- could use to be successful. The “Odinic
far-right campus organization Youth for ist podcasts and radio at outlets like Red path,” in his teachings, was more about
Western Civilization (YWC). DeAnna also Ice Radio, Millennial Woes, and Counter- modeling your life on the “Germanic
worked at the Leadership Institute, a Currents Radio.27 The publicity helped hero aesthetic,” where a man aspires to
major conservative movement organiza-
tion and the primary training ground for The Wolves frame their movement as apolitical, but
young right-wing activists, and as a staff it’s actually an intentional strategy in post-war fascist
writer of the conspiracy-laden World Net
Daily. circles to recontextualize far-right politics as cultural or
DeAnna also wrote commentary pieces artistic.
for Richard Spencer’s Radix Journal, the
White nationalist publisher Counter- them raise $3,000 to build a meeting physical excellence through training and
Currents, the “race realist” organization hall at their Ulfheim compound, and discipline.39 With Operation Werewolf,
American Renaissance, and the viru- they even received support from Coun- he would train men to build their own
lently anti-immigrant webzine VDARE. ter-Currents publisher Greg Johnson.28 Wolves-like tribes. Following his tribal-
And from these perches, DeAnna some- Brad Griffin from Occidental Dissent also ism for all peoples approach, he included
times promoted the ideas surrounding voiced his admiration for the group, sug- non-White followers in a decision that
the Wolves. Writing for Radix under gesting he had been up to Ulfheim to seemed equal parts ideology and busi-
the pseudonym “Gregory Hood,” Dean- see what they had built.29 Swedish na- ness acumen.40
na argued that the Wolves could help tionalist and bodybuilder Marcus Follin, Operation Werewolf became a clearing-
Whites reclaim a tribal identity in a vapid known as the Golden One on YouTube,30 house for his writing, but also a business.
world.22 met and trained with the group when he This began by selling his introductory
The group doesn’t seem to be for ev- came to the U.S. to speak at American zines and book On Magic, which boiled
eryone, and pagan blood rituals, boxing, Renaissance.31 down his years in esoteric Germanic
and a “barbarian” ethos is hardly going to When Donovan created the Wolves’ groups. He designed clothing based on
appeal to the Orthosphere anytime soon. “Cascadia” chapter in 2015,32 the group the same rough aesthetic he was cultivat-
But for all the talk about Archeofutur- began holding events on property owned ing, mixing pagan symbolism with the

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 27

 junkyard appeal of biker gangs. Slogans and money involved. What he’s offering ardly digital attacks by the enemies of
like “only the inferior strive for equal- followers who buy into his Total Life Re- free speech and strength” that shut down
ity” were emblazoned online,41 though form program is an “alchemical process” their social media pages.57
he avoided clear-cut White nationalist wherein men transform body and mind
rhetoric. through suffering, and become heroes of OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Since around 2015, Waggener has their stories.52 As he writes in the primer Along with these programs, Waggen-
built a growing spiderweb of businesses, to the Elite program, It’s Not Enough: er sells branded content, including ten
most drawing on his existing fanbase. He We must impose our own trial of fire self-published books of his writing and
became a personal trainer, created work- and flame so that what emerges on the a branded notebook, called Master Logs,
out programs (such as the powerlifting other end is something entirely new. It where you track your progress in his pro-
program Barbaric Rites), and released will burn away weakness, cowardice, grams.58
new music in several genres: country and hesitation. It will also burn away Much of Waggener’s advice is about
music marketed under his own name; those things that are holding us back becoming independent from the “mod-
neofolk under the band name Totenwolf - be they unwanted people, unhealthy ern world,” including through self-
(a combination of the “Death’s Head” influences, or unconscious fears. … employment. Waggener offers himself
symbol worn by the Nazi Schutzstaffel or [The] goal is to secede from main- as a heroic archetype to emulate, both
SS with werewolf imagery); his band The stream culture and live a new one... physically—his website and social media
Pale Riders,42 which adopted the base- In other words, we propose to create a feature idealized images of him shirtless
ment aesthetic of Nazi black metal bands people.53 and covered in tattoos—and financially,
in Eastern Europe; another black metal The different “tribal” groups inspired as a self-made man unbeholden to cor-
band called Hunter’s Ground; and his by the Wolves of Vinland and Operation porate bosses. The problem, though,
new fashwave project A Neon Funeral.43 Werewolf are seemingly independent, is that his model of financial indepen-
His label, Wolf’s Head Records, publishes bound together only by an informal dence comes directly from extracting
some of his music,44 as well as other art- network and common aspiration, but money from his followers. Through his
ists like the guitarist David Lee Archer,45 Waggener’s example looms large. multiple businesses, Waggener seems
and a YouTube channel called Anarchist
Films hosts some of his music videos. What he’s offering followers who buy into his Total Life
In 2020, he started the Werewolf Elite
Program: a self-help scheme targeted
Reform program is an “alchemical process” wherein men
at fans who had started their own tribes transform body and mind through suffering, and become
on the Operation Werewolf model. heroes of their stories.
For around $250-$400 per year, Elite
members can access a message board, And their numbers are growing. Op- able to patch together a reasonable liv-
some spurious investment advice, and eration Werewolf is able to maintain ing. The community he’s cultivated has
five weekly posts from Waggener that its credibility thanks to the inability (or also created a series of businesses, from
amount to a spiritually-infused physical unwillingness) of tech companies to powerlifting gyms to clothing brands, yet
and mental training program.46 deplatform them. Although various there’s little evidence they are successful
Operation Werewolf encourages Werewolf accounts have been suspend- beyond attracting other Operation Were-
the use of initiation rituals, based on ed, including at Instagram,54 PayPal,55 wolf adherents. As with most pyramid
Waggener’s readings of esoteric tradi- Venmo, Stripe, and video sites includ- schemes, Waggener is marketing a pro-
tionalism, so that recruits must advance ing Vimeo,56 they have a currently ac- gram promising to make other men as
through different rankings, similar to tive YouTube channel, under Waggener’s financially and socially successful as he
belt levels in martial arts.47 Advancing name, with over 12,000 subscribers as of is, while his financial success depends
to each stage requires paying additional this writing. Waggener’s Instagram func- entirely on his followers’ willingness to
fees,48 attending the Wolves’ “Conclave” tions as a primary center of propaganda, give him money.
in Lynchburg,49 and rigid tests of one’s where he regularly promotes his brand. Waggener also runs a copywriting and
physical fitness and achievements in The group’s Telegram channel is an active branding company, the Berkano Initia-
learning various fighting styles, runic recruiting ground. They wanted to move tive, which offers advertising services
spiritual practices, and financial accom- people to a private, subscription-based and branding training. In one presenta-
plishments, like business creation and message board system where it is harder tion, he explains how he built customer
micro-investing.50 to deplatform, which is one reason why loyalty among Operation Werewolf
These hierarchies, which Waggener the Werewolf Elite forums were created. members by cultivating an aesthetic that
regards as both natural and reflective Waggener’s appeal can also be seen in a evokes the “branding archetype of the
of individual achievement,51 also help more recent attempt at crowdfunding Outlaw,” and much of Waggener’s advice
reinforce the sense that the Werewolf (which netted over $19,000), where he amounts to emulating the marketing
Elite program is worth the time, energy, complains they’ve been “targeted in cow- techniques of companies like Levi’s and

28 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

Harley-Davidson. This reveals
the intentions behind Opera-
tion Werewolf, where tone and
style are a means of selling a
product. The Elite program bills
itself as spiritual self-improve-
ment, but ends up as a small
business seminar.59
While tightlipped about who
hires the Berkano Initiative and
its associated ad agency, Rogue
Advertising, Waggener claims
he’s provided support to finan-
cial businesses and has done
copy work for Joy of the Trade,
a high-risk investment training
program run by trading guru
Jeff Zananiri.60 Mostly, though,
his work is about selling the
principles that gained him Op-
eration Werewolf recruits back
to the men who have followed
him as a sage.
“We will hit the pavement to Still: Paul Waggener, left, in his music video “Love Is Death in Your Veins” depicting a lifestyle characterized by heavy drug
and alcohol use, tattoo culture, and hypermasculinity. Credit: YouTube.com.
back alleys and fly to distant
locales in order to bring you
directly into the room with copywriters ing the world like a fucking female.”68 Conclave events, along with other fitness
and convicts, power brokers and pimps, Operation Werewolf has also argued and athletic companies, including Norse
branding experts and black metal mani- that recruits should get their testoster- Fitness (known for adding Nordic pagan
acs,” reads the Berkano Initiative’s initial one levels checked and consider getting symbolism to their workout clothing).74
contact email. A digital copy of the Ber- on Testosterone Replacement Therapy Another example is Vengeance Strength
kano Initiative’s Brand Builder’s Bible will (TRT) to maintain “maximum high” lev- Kvlt, a Nashville gym that matches Op-
run you $47 (on sale).61 More recently, els of the hormone.69 The group has also eration Werewolf’s style, branding, and
Waggener has announced a new project, promoted a Colorado provider, Brian rhetoric, and the owner of which has
the Virtuous Circle Artist Collective, in Komleske, working with a clinic called worked directly with both Paul and Mat-
which members pay $50 a month to ac- Sculpted Med, which Waggener says he thias Waggener. In 2017, the gym gained
cess what is essentially an art-focused coordinated with to get his supporters notoriety when it posted a message to its
Facebook group.62 on testosterone, suggesting he gets some website that seemed to echo Alt Right
Like many far-right grifters, Waggener type of financial support for doing this.70 ideology: “Instead of becoming victims
has also focused on alternative medicine. (Komleske did not respond to requests to life’s circumstances, join the rebel-
Drawing on a family connection through for comment.) lion against the world’s complacency and
a brother who works for a CBD company sloth. Take the Profane Oath to do battle
in Colorado,63 Waggener has hawked INFECTING SUBCULTURES against that force which degrades hu-
CBD products to his followers.64 And fol- Waggener’s reach has been profound mankind into the disgusting, diseased,
lowing an obsession with gender roles65 in several intersecting subcultures where incapable, grey masses that you see be-
common within Operation Werewolf, his brand of toxic tribalism has gained fore yourself.”75 (Former Wolves mem-
Waggener has also urged his follow- currency, including weight-lifting, mar- ber Jack Donovan also tried to establish a
ers to consider testosterone therapy.66 tial arts, and pagan circles. The #Op- presence in the power lifting community
Waggener takes a more pragmatic ap- erationWerewolf hashtag has been used by setting up a tattoo studio in a popular
proach, saying that it doesn’t really mat- around 25,000 times on Instagram.71 weight lifting gym in Portland, Oregon,
ter if falling testosterone is intentionally One such subculture is among the fol- called Kabuki Strength Lab.76)
caused by some nefarious actor or “just a lowers of Greg Walsh, a weight trainer72 In the martial arts world, former skin-
product of living in the modern world.”67 who has worked with Operation Were- head and Atlanta-area Jiu Jitsu instruc-
Arguing that testosterone governs men’s wolf.73 His fitness company, Wolf Bri- tor Joshua Buckley has become a high-
ideology, Waggener has said, “If your gade, has provided private workshops profile supporter of Operation Werewolf.
test levels are crashed you are perceiv- for attendees of Operation Werewolf’s Buckley is known for his work with fre-

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 29

 quent American Renaissance author and cover to those already embracing White Operation Werewolf. Two high-profile
speaker Sam Dickson in manipulating nationalism. American Front neonazis from Oregon,
tax liens for financial gain.77 He’s also au- The Wolves’ rhetoric is about turn- the brothers Jake and Gabriel Laskey (at
thored books on folkish paganism in col- ing inward and creating a revolutionary least one involved in desecrating a syna-
laboration with Michael Moynihan, edi- counter-culture, a dual-power situa- gogue91), began flying the Operation
tor of the 1993 book Siege: The Collected tion where participants retreat from the Werewolf banner on social media; they
Writings of James Mason, which inspired world. It’s a perspective, echoed by Evola, also worked out of a weapons store out-
the accelerationist terrorist organization where spiritual, anti-modern men stand side Eugene, Oregon, called Wolfclan Ar-
Atomwaffen Division.78 The Waggen- apart from the world, waiting to inherit mory, owned by their parents, using the
ers themselves have been influential in a new world when the current order col- werewolf aesthetic.92 A founding mem-
martial arts circles and own their own Jiu lapses.83 ber of Ravensblood Kindred, an Atlanta
Jitsu gym in Lynchberg called Devotion But while part of the TLR program cel- heathen group that’s openly supportive
Jiu-Jitsu. ebrates male stoicism, it simultaneously of White nationalism, has been photo-
Pagan circles have also been influenced cultivates male violence. Recruits are re- graphed wearing Operation Werewolf
by Operation Werewolf, partially because quired to undergo combat training, and apparel.93 The group is affiliated with
of Waggener’s complex esotericism. The are encouraged to own and train with both the folkish heathen Asatru Folk
Wolves’ offerings in terms of heathen firearms. Building on Jack Donovan’s es- Assembly and the neonazi Wotan Net-
magic, runework, ritual, and “ecstatic ri- say “Violence is Golden,”84 Waggener ar- work and its members attended Richard
tes” are attractive to many men alienated gues that violence is the essential force by Spencer’s 2017 speaking event at Auburn
by more conventional pagan organiza- which men apply their will to situations University.94 Waggener also promotes
tions, which they dismiss as “historical to determine human events and that men Wandervögel, a loose U.S. organization
re-enactment” groups lacking real vitali- should be prepared for violence from any- named after the volkisch German nature
ty. Well-known occultist Craig Williams, one from state authorities to antiracist group, which focuses on blood and soil
of Anathema Publishing, joined Opera- activists.85 His work has included guides rhetoric.95
tion Werewolf and had Waggener write to improvisational weapons, including This August, Waggener announced
a foreword for his book on gnosticism.79 how to hurt people with Maglites, loose that Operation Werewolf will shut down
This caused enough controversy that a change, bottles, and pens.86 “Why do we as an entity at the end of 2020,96 having
campaign to remove Williams and an- humans feel that we can demand equal previously shown some dissatisfaction97
other Operation Werewolf associate from treatment with mewling words? We must with his lack of control over those fly-
the lineup of a Montreal occult festival obtain respect with our actions, not as a ing the Operation Werewolf flag. But in
forced the entire event’s cancelation.80 right, but with a cold fury...we have to his announcement, he also clarified he is
be prepared to fight for our place in this just shifting his attention to other enter-
RADICALIZING MEN AND THE WOLF-NAZI world, to kill for it, if necessary,” writes prises, and intends to bring his network
PIPELINE Waggener.87 of followers with him as he focuses on his
While Waggener is profiting off the Although Waggener has made efforts other companies, which purvey the same
radicalization of his fans, and his militant to sanitize his rising professional pro- message. He’s maintaining the pay-for-
rhetoric at times seems like just another file, the Wolves’ rhetoric has continued play online community centered around
extension of his branding mentality, his to be radical. Recently Waggener has the Virtuous Circle, where artists from
relative consistency in interviews and his discussed rehabilitating the memory of the Operation Werewolf network can pay
writing suggests he’s still a true believer. Charles Manson as more spiritual outlaw $50 a month to be a part of a Facebook
But either way, whether Waggener’s ul- or “shaman” than serial killer—an argu- Group.98 In other words, this particular
timate aim is ideological or financial, he ment similar to that used by neonazi ac- name may be retiring, but what it repre-
is cultivating an apocalyptic us vs. them celerationist groups like Atomwaffen sents will live on, as Waggener continues
mentality among his followers. Matthias Division.88 (One Wolves member sells to profit off his position as a sage to his
Waggener suggests they are an “Odinic art and clothing adorned with apoca- community, to mobilize men to follow
Wolfcult”;81 members see themselves as lyptic war imagery, images of guns, and his example, and to seed his philosophy,
the resurrection of an ancient ideal: sit- Charles Manson’s picture through a proj- including White and male supremacism,
ting at the edge of civilization to protect ect called Wolfchild A.D., and recorded a along the way.
it, and thus unbeholden to the morality YouTube video with Waggener.89)
and strictures of contemporary society.82 Waggener’s various brands have also Shane Burley is a writer and filmmaker
Within this model Operation Werewolf become a catch-all for White nationalists based in Portland, Oregon. He is the author
of Fascism Today: What It Is and How to
adherents are encouraged to ready them- looking for a more publicly acceptable
End It (AK Press). His work has appeared
selves for revolutionary situations, when presentation. The American Front, his-
in places such as Jacobin, AlterNet, In
the outside world tries to interfere with torically one of the most violent skinhead
These Times, Truthout, Waging Non-
their tribe—a message that can both rad- gangs, tied to numerous murders and
violence, Labor Notes, ThinkProgress,
icalize some associates while providing acts of terrorism,90 has started promoting ROAR Magazine, and Upping the Anti.

30 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 endnotes

Could Anti-Government Militias 12. Michael Casey, “How Militia Became the news/2015/aug/11/oath-keepers-ferguson- 42. Suzy Khimm, “The Idaho GOP’s Pro-
Become Pro-State Paramilitaries? Private Police for White Supremacists.” Polit- automatic-rifles. Militia Candidate,” Mother Jones, April 2,
ico Magazine, August 17, 2017, https://www. 30. Michel Martin. Philando Castile Case 2010, https://www.motherjones.com/poli-
1. Lara Putnam, Jeremy Pressman, and
politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/17/ Asks: Whose Second Amendment Right tics/2010/04/idaho-republican-rex-rammell-
Erica Chenoweth, “Black Lives Matter Beyond
white-supremacists-militias-private-po- Is Protected? NPR’s All Things Consid- governor-election-miltia/.
America’s Big Cities,” The Washington Post,
lice-215498. ered, June 25, 2017, https://www.npr. 43. Southern Poverty Law Center, “Extrem-
July 8, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.
13. Much of our evidence—from leaked Dis- org/2017/06/25/534332874/philando- ists Files. Oath keepers,” https://www.splcen-
com/politics/2020/07/08/black-lives-mat-
cord chats, the Iron March forum, and militia castile-case-asks-whose-second-amendment- ter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/
ter-beyond-americas-big-cities/.
webpages—predates 2020, but the patterns right-is-protected . oath-keepers. See also: Shane Bauer, 2016. “
2. Mehdi Hasan, “How the Far-Right Boo-
we identify are broadly consistent with the di- 31. Isaac Stanley-Becker, “As protests spread “We’re Your Neighbors,” Says the Co-founder
galoo Movement Is Trying to Hijack Anti-
vides apparent in newer groups as well. to small-town America, militia groups respond of This Right-Wing Militia,” Mother Jones, Oc-
Racist Protests for a Race War,” The Inter-
14. Michael Mann, Fascists (Cambridge: with armed intimidation and online threats.” tober 26, 2016, https://www.motherjones.
cept, June 10, 2020, https://theintercept.
Cambridge University Press, 2004). Washington Post, June 18, 2020, https:// com/politics/2016/10/interview-three-per-
com/2020/06/10/boogaloo-boys-george-
15. Carolyn Gallaher, “Aberration or Reflec- www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-pro- center-militia-leader/ .
floyd-protests.
tion? How to Understand Changes on the tests-spread-to-small-town-america-militia- 44. John Sowell, “Oregon GOP Senators flee
3. J.J. Macnab. “Assessing the Threat from
Political Right,” The Public Eye, (Spring, groups-respond-with-online-threats-and- to avoid climate change vote. They may be
Accelerationists and Militia Extremists,”
2019), https://www.politicalresearch. armed-intimidation/2020/06/18/75c4655e- in hiding,” Idaho Statesman, June 21, 2019.
Testimony before the U.S. Congress’s Sub-
org/2019/05/24/aberration-or-reflection- b0a1-11ea-8f56-63f38c990077_story.html. https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/
committee on Intelligence and Counterter-
how-understand-changes-political-right . 32. Dyer, Harvest of Rage, 191-213. politics-government/state-politics/arti-
rorism, Committee on Homeland Security.
16. Sara Diamond, Roads to Dominion: Right- 33. In the 1990s, Blue Dog Democrats were cle231826048.html .
July 16, 2020. https://docs.house.gov/meet-
Wing Movements and Political Power in the a coalition of fiscally conservative Demo- 45. See Spencer Sunshine, “Smokescreen: How
ings/HM/HM05/20200716/110911/HMTG-
United States (New York: The Guilford Press, crats who opposed gun control laws. See: Timber Unity has mainstreamed militia groups,
116-HM05-Wstate-MacNabJ-20200716.pdf
1995). Jessica Mendoza, “Centrist Democrats are Alt Right, and conspiracy theories in Oregon
4. “The Boogaloo: Extremists New Slang
17. David Greenberg, “An Intellectual His- back. But these are not your father’s Blue politics,” March 4, 2020, https://spencersun-
Term for a Coming Civil War,” Anti-Defama-
tory of Trumpism,” Politico Magazine, De- Dogs.” Christian Science Monitor, June 4, shine.com/2020/03/04/smokescreen/. See
tion League, November 26, 2019, https://
cember 11, 2016, https://www.politico. 2019, https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/ also: Will Sommer, “Armed Militias Pledge
www.adl.org/blog/the-boogaloo-extremists-
com/magazine/story/2016/12/trumpism- Politics/2019/0604/Centrist-Democrats-are- to Fight for Fugitive Oregon GOP Lawmakers
new-slang-term-for-a-coming-civil-war.
intellectual-history-populism-paleoconser- back.-But-these-are-not-your-father-s-Blue- ‘At Any Cost’,” The Daily Beast, June 21, 2019,
5. We follow the Southern Poverty Law Cen-
vatives-214518. See also: John Mearsheimer Dogs . https://www.thedailybeast.com/armed-mili-
ter’s classification of militias as “anti-govern-
and Stephen Walt, “An Unnecessary War,” 34. Patricia Sullivan, “Obituary: Militia- tias-pledge-to-fight-for-fugitive-oregon-gop-
ment.” Anti-government groups are distinct
Foreign Policy, November 3, 2009, https:// friendly Idaho Rep. Helen Chenoweth-Hage,” lawmakers-at-any-cost.
from militiarized White power and neonazi
foreignpolicy.com/2009/11/03/an-unneces- Washington Post, October 4, 2006, https:// 46. Southern Poverty Law Center. “Extremist
groups because racism and antisemitism are
sary-war-2/ . w w w.washingtonpost.com/archive/lo- Files: Anti-government Movement,” https://
not their central focus. See: “Extremist Files:
18. Emily Ekins, “Today’s Bailout Anniversary cal/2006/10/04/militia-friendly-idaho-rep- www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-
Anti-government Movement,” Southern Pov-
Reminds Us That the Tea Party Is More Than helen-chenoweth-hage/9e77fc0f-5e1a-45c1- files/ideology/antigovernment.
erty Law Center (SPLC), 2020, https://www.
Anti-Obama,” Reason Magazine, October 3, bc99-e573c45248ac/ . 47. Iron March chats can be found here:
splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/
2014, https://reason.com/2014/10/03/the- 35. Carolyn Gallaher, On the Fault Line: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/how-
ideology/antigovernment.
birth-of-the-tea-party-movement-bega/. Race, Class, and the American Patriot Move- tos/2019/11/06/massive-white-supremacist-
6. In her analysis of the militia movement in
19. Melissa Deckman, Dan Cox, Robert Jones, ment (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, message-board-leak-how-to-access-and-in-
Michigan, Amy Cooter notes that “Michigan
and Betsy Cooper, “Faith and the Free Market: 2003), 98-102. terpret-the-data/. Discord chats can be found
Militia units are not racist at the group level”
Evangelicals, the Tea Party, and Economic At- 36. After 9/11, local police became more in- here: https://discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja/
because racism is “antithetical to their stated
titudes,” Politics and Religion 10, no. 1 (2017): volved in policing terrorism and ensuring na- discord/ .
mission of upholding Constitutional princi-
82-110. tional security. The Department of Homeland 48. Notably, Discord offers its users the abil-
ples of equality and freedom.” Amy B. Cooter,
20. George Kassimeris & Leonie Jackson, Security established information-sharing ity to engage in conversation over text and
Americanness, Masculinity, and Whiteness:
“The West, the rest, and the ‘war on terror’: protocols with local forces, hosted trainings, voice. While militia members did not engage
How Michigan Militia Men Navigate Evolving
representation of Muslims in neoconservative and offered grants for new equipment. See: in as much text-based conversation, it is pos-
Social Norms, Dissertation, 2013, p. 131,
media discourse,” Contemporary Politics, 17, Matthew C. Waxman, “Police and National sible they were utilizing the audio compo-
http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/98077.
no. 1 (2011): 19-33. Security: American Local Law Enforcement nent. However, as we did not have access to
7. Sam Levin. “Cliven Bundy rebukes
21. Gallaher, “Aberration or Reflection?.” and Counter-Terrorism after 9/11,” Journal the audio, we opted to employ additional text-
Trump over attack on migrants: ‘We should
22. Molly Ball, “The Fall of the Heritage Foun- of National Security Law and Policy, 3, 2009, based materials for triangulation purposes.
have a heart,’” The Guardian, November 29,
dation and the Death of Republican Ideas.” The 377-407. 49. https://discordleaks.unicornriot.ninja/
2018, https://www.theguardian.com/us-
Atlantic, September 25, 2013, https://www. 37. Anti-Defamation League. “The Quiet discord/.
news/2018/nov/28/cliven-ammon-bundy-
theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/ Retooling of the Militia Movement,” 2004, 50. Larping refers to live action role play.
criticizes-trump-immigration-border-wall.
the-fall-of-the-heritage-foundation-and-the- https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/ 51. Iron March messages are referenced by
8. Salvador Hernandez, “Ammon Bundy Is
death-of-republican-ideas/279955/. documents/assets/pdf/combating-hate/Mili- a) the number of the thread in which the post
Quitting The Militia Movement After Break-
23. Chip Berlet & Spencer Sunshine, “Rural tia_retools.pdf . was found and b) the date of the post. This
ing With Trump On Anti-Immigrant Rheto-
rage: the roots of right-wing populism in the 38. Gallaher, On the Fault Line, 219. message was thread number 7429, posted on
ric,” BuzzFeed, December 6, 2018, https://
United States,” The Journal of Peasant Studies, 39. Devin Burghart and Leonard Zeskind, 5/10/17.
www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvador-
46, no. 3 (2019): 480-513. Tea Party Nationalism: A Critical Examination 52. IM Thread 7863, 5/30/17
hernandez/ammon-bundy-helped-bolster-
24. Sovereign Citizens share anti-govern- of the Tea Party Movement and the Size, Scope, 53. IM Thread 7926, 6/7/17
the-militia-movement-now-hes.
ment ideology with militias, but are typi- and Focus of Its National Factions (Institute 54. IM Thread 7926, 7/7/17
9. The Jim Crow-era Klan behaved like a
cally independent actors unaffiliated with for Research & Education on Human Rights, 55. IM Thread 3836, 4/11/14
paramilitary. See Tara McAndrew, “The His-
any particular group. See: J.J. MacNab, 2010), https://www.irehr.org/2010/10/20/ 56. IM Thread 6808, 8/3/16
tory of the KKK in American Politics, JSTOR
“What Las Vegas Police Killings Show About introduction/; See also: Berlet, Chip, “What 57. IM Thread 6808, 8/3/16
Daily, January 25, 2017, https://daily.jstor.
Evolving Sovereign Movement,” Forbes, June is the Tea Party Movement?” Research for 58. IM Thread 4483, 11/22/14
org/history-kkk-american-politics/.
13, 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ Progress (blog). https://www.researchfor- 59. IM Thread 4537, 12/8/14
10. Francisco Gutiérrez-Sanín. “Tell-
jjmacnab/2014/06/13/what-las-vegas-po- progress.us/topic/558/faq-collection/what- 60. Messages found in discord server Charlot-
ing the Difference: Guerrillas and Para-
lice-killings-show-about-evolving-sovereign- is-the-tea-party-movement . tesville 2.0 will be cited as “channel,” “date.”
militaries in the Colombian War,” Politics
movement/#3cc9bbda2a28 . 40. Sonia Scherr, “Arizona Debate Unleashes For this message, #antifa_watch, 8/3/2017
& Society 36, no. 1 (2018), https://doi.
25. Joel Dyer, Harvest of Rage: Why Oklahoma New ‘Reconquista’ Accusations,” Southern 61. #antifa_watch, 8/3/2017
org/10.1177/0032329207312181.
City is only the Beginning (Boulder, CO: West- Poverty Law Center, May 5, 2010, https:// 62. #antifa_watch, 7.19/2017
11. We use the term traditional militia to
view Press, 1997). www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2010/05/05/ 63. #antifa_watch, 8/3/2017
refer to established groups such as the Oath
26. Edwin Hodge, “The Sovereign Ascendant: arizona-debate-unleashes-new- 64. #virginia_laws, 7/30/2017
Keepers, the III Percenters, and the Bundy
Financial Collapse, Status Anxiety, and the %E2%80%98reconquista%E2%80%99-ac- 65. #antifa_watch, 7/26/17
family militia groups led (at different points)
Rebirth of the Sovereign Citizen Movement,” cusations . 66. #antifa_watch, 7/26/17
by Cliven and Ammon Bundy. Newer groups,
Frontiers in Sociology 4, no. 76 (2019): 1-10. 41. Chicano activists in the 1960s believed 67. #antifa_watch, 7/21/17
such as the Boogaloo Bois and QAnon, have
27. Carolyn Gallaher, “Global Change, Local that Mexico should reconquer southwest- 68. #antifa_watch, 7/22/17
co-opted traditional militias rhetoric, infus-
Angst: Class and the American Patriot Move- ern states that had once been part of its ter- 69. #sunday-night, 7/15/17
ing it with anti-science and revolutionary
ment,” Environment and Planning D, Society ritory. Although the plan never became a 70. Joanna Walters, “Militia Leaders who
conspiracy theories, but for the most part
and Space, 18 (2000): 667-691. widespread rallying cry among Chicanos, Descended on Charlottesville Condemn
they aren’t working together. For a discus-
28. Mark Pitcavage, “The Militia’s Election: the right-wing activists used it to justify their ‘Rightwing Lunatics,” The Guardian, August
sion of this wider militia-sphere see: Joel
Extremists React to Trump Victory with Cel- fear/opposition to immigration. See Heidi 15, 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/us-
Finkelstein, John K. Donohue, Alex Gold-
ebration—and Anger,” Anti-Defamation Bierich, “Exploring Nativist Conspiracy Theo- news/2017/aug/15/charlottesville-militia-
enberg, Jason Baumgartner, John Farmer,
League, November 10, 2016. ries including the ‘North American Union’ free-speech-violence .
Savvas Zannettou, and Jeremy Blackburn,
29. In particular, the Oath Keepers in Fer- and the Plan de Aztlan,” The Intelligence 71. Jackson Landers, “Three Militias Barred
“COVID-19, Conspiracy and Contagious Se-
guson were focused on protecting reporters Report, (July 2007), https://www.splcenter. from ever Returning to Charlottesville (up-
dition: A Case Study on the Militia-Sphere,”
from Infowars. Joanna Walters, “White mili- org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2007/ dated),” Rewire.News. May 16, 2018, https://
Rutgers: Network Contagion Institute, June
tiamen roam Ferguson with rifles while black exploring-nativist-conspiracy-theories- rewire.news/article/2018/05/16/three-mi-
1, 2020. https://ncri.io/wp-content/uploads/
men wrongly arrested.” The Guardian. August including-%E2%80%98north-american- litias-barred-ever-returning-charlottesville/.
NCRI-White-Paper-COVID-19-Militia-Sphere-
12, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/us- union%E2%80%99-and-plan-de-aztlan. See also Ben Hallman, “Charlottesville May
1-June-512pm.pdf.

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 31

 endnotes

Change the debate over Armed Militias and 136,” YouTube, July 12, 2019, https://www. legislative-tracker/law/texas-bill-prohibiting- tions in Idaho,” Ktvb.Com, January 24,
Open Carry.” Business Insider, August 17, YouTube.com/watch?v=DU4CHELDpdg. abortion/. 2020, https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/
2017, https://www.businessinsider.come/ 9. “Take Action,” End Abortion Now, https:// 30. “Indiana Protection of Life Bill (HB local/capitol-watch/rep-heather-scott-
charlottesville-may-change-the-debate-over- endabortionnow.com/take-action/. 1430),” Rewire.News, https://rewire.news/ introduces-new-bill-that-would-ban-abor-
armed-militias-and-open-carry-2017-8. 10. The immigrant rights movement’s use of legislative-tracker/law/indiana-protection- tion-in-any-circumstance-in-idaho/277-
72. Benjamin Hart and Chas Danner, “3 Dead the term “sanctuary cities,” to describe mu- of-life-bill-hb-1430/. ac8bf355-17d4-49d6-b48d-c8367efd1db2.
and Dozens Injured After Violent White- nicipalities that refuse to turn undocumented 31. “Washington ‘Abolition of Abortion in 48. “Our Legislative Champions,” Abolish
Nationalist Rally in Virginia,” Intelligencer, immigrants over to federal authorities for de- Washington Act’ (HB 2154),” Rewire.News, Abortion Idaho, https://www.abolishabortio-
August 13, 2017, https://nymag.com/intel- portation, grew out of a custom within some https://rewire.news/legislative-tracker/law/ nid.com/idaho-legislative-champions/
ligencer/2017/08/state-of-emergency-in-va- Christian traditions to offer those fleeing gov- washington-abolition-of-abortion-in-wash- 49. Abolish Abortion WA, https://
after-white-nationalist-rally.html. ernmental persecution a safe harbor within ington-act-hb-2154/. w w w . a b o l i s h a b o r t i o n wa .
73. #antifa_watch, 7/26/17 the church. Ironically, abortion abolitionists 32. “Rep. Heather Scott Introduces New com/#seventhousandsignatures.
74. #antifa_watch, 7/26/17 are coopting the language of Christian tradi- Bill That Would Completely Ban Abor- 50. “Washington ‘Abolition of Abortion in
75. #antifa_watch, 7/29/17 tions created to protect people from govern- tions in Idaho,” Ktvb.Com, January 24, Washington Act’ (HB 2154),” Rewire.News,
76. Patriots’ Soapbox has 11,199 registered ment persecution, in order to justify persecu- 2020, https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/ https://rewire.news/legislative-tracker/law/
users. Of these, 82 percent were irregular par- tion against anyone involved in abortion. local/capitol-watch/rep-heather-scott- washington-abolition-of-abortion-in-wash-
ticipants, posting less than 10 times. Approx- 11. “WATCH: Professor Pleads with City introduces-new-bill-that-would-ban-abor- ington-act-hb-2154/.
imately six percent posted 100 or more mes- Leaders to Create ‘Sanctuary City for the tion-in-any-circumstance-in-idaho/277- 51. John Dougherty, “Embattled Washington
sages. The great majority of messages were Preborn,’” Live Action News, April 6, 2019, ac8bf355-17d4-49d6-b48d-c8367efd1db2. Rep. Matt Shea Is Skirting State Law to Fun-
made by 42 users, who each posted more than https://www.liveaction.org/news/professor- 33. “Alaska Abolition of Abortion Act of 2019 nel Campaign Funds to Far-Right Groups,”
5,000 posts. One “superuser” posted 87,463 council-sanctuary-city-preborn/. (HB 178),” Rewire News, https://rewire.news/ Southern Poverty Law Center, December 7,
times. It is possible that some of Patriots’ 12. Speed also spoke at End Abortion Now’s legislative-tracker/law/alaska-abolition-of- 2018, https://www.splcenter.org/hate-
Soapbox’s regular posters are bots, though we October 2019 conference in Arizona. abortion-act-of-2019-hb-178/. watch/2018/12/07/embattled-washington-
have no way to tell. 13. Kelli, “NY Bookstore Owner Urges Lead- 34. Frederick Clarkson, “Anti-Abortion rep-matt-shea-skirting-state-law-funnel-
77. It is worth noting that discord contains ers to Make City a ‘Sanctuary... for the Un- Bombings Related,” Southern Poverty Law campaign-funds-far-right.
both text and voice based chatting capacity. born,’” Live Action News, February 13, 2019, Center Intelligence Report, September 15, 52. “Oregon Standoff Timeline: 41 Days
That is, individuals may be simultaneously https://www.liveaction.org/news/ny-book- 1998, https://www.splcenter.org/fighting- of the Malheur Refuge Occupation and
typing and sending messages while talking store-owner-sanctuary-unborn/. hate/intelligence-report/1998/anti-abortion- the Aftermath,” Oregonlive.Com, February
with users over the chat function. Unfortu- 14. “What is the Gospel of Kingdom?,” Apo- bombings-related. 14, 2017, https://www.oregonlive.com/
nately, we do not have access to these audio logia Studies channel, YouTube, accessed Oc- 35. Matt Trewhella, “Why Trigger Laws are portland/2017/02/oregon_standoff_time-
files, which may house more discussion than tober 15, 2020, https://www.YouTube.com/ Prolonging the Slaughter of the Pre-Born,” line_41_da.html.
seen in the text channels. channel/UCK9RJwC7Er16-Y8dvIQ-3tw. Missionaries to the Preborn, September 15, 53. Chad Sokol, “Rep. Matt Shea takes credit,
78. Tom McCarthy and Miranda Bryant, 15. Kaur Harmeet, “Small Towns In Texas 2019, http://missionariestothepreborn. criticism for document titled ‘Biblical Basis
“Trump Impeachment: A Timeline of Key Are Declaring Themselves ‘Sanctuary Cities com/2019/09/15/why-trigger-laws-are-pro- for War,’” The Spokesman Review, October
Events so Far,” The Guardian, January 15, For The Unborn,’” CNN, January 25, 2020, longing-the-slaughter-of-the-preborn/. 31, 2018, https://www.spokesman.com/
2020, https://www.theguardian.com/us- https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/25/us/sanc- 36. “Apologia Studios,” https://apologiastu- stories/2018/oct/26/rep-matt-shea-takes-
news/2019/oct/31/trump-impeachment- tuary-cities-for-unborn-anti-abortion-texas- dios.com/apologia-academy/academy-bibli- credit-criticism-for-document-/.
inquiry-timeline-key-events. trnd/index.html. cal-bravehearted-manhood-GzZnzugS. 54. Matt Shea, “Biblical Basis for War,” The
79. These percentages were developed by cat- 16. “Abolitionist, Not Pro-Life,” Free The 37. Blane Skiles, “An East Texas Town Passed Spokesman-Review, October 25, 2018, https://
egorizing the first 250 messages. States, https://freethestates.org/abolitionist- an Ordinance Banning Abortion. What Hap- www.spokesman.com/documents/2018/
80. The channel #psb-voice-content contains not-pro-life/. pens next?,” KCBD, June 13, 2019, https:// oct/25/biblical-basis-war/.
over 720,700 messages, almost 60 percent of 17. “The Difference Between Pro-Lifers and www.kcbd.com/2019/06/13/an-east-texas- 55. Loretta Ross, “Anti-Abortionists and
the entire Patriots’ Soapbox server. Abolitionists,” Abolish Human Abortion, town-passed-an-ordinance-banning-abor- White Supremacists Make Common Cause,”
81. Discord contains text as well as live chat https://abolishhumanabortion.com/aboli- tion-what-happens-next/. The Progressive, October 10, 1994, available
capability. The #psb-voice-content channel— tionism/the-difference-between-pro-lifers- 38. Frederick Clarkson, “Dominionism at Free Online Library, https://www.the-
the most popular within the Patriots’ Soapbox and-abolitionists/. Rising: A Theocratic Movement Hiding freelibrary.com/Anti-abortionists+and+w
server—was paired with an audio component. 18. “Abolitionist, Not Pro-Life,” Free The in Plain Sight,” The Public Eye, August hite+supremacists+make+common+cause.
Individuals may have been voice chatting in States, https://freethestates.org/abolitionist- 18, 2016, http://www.politicalresearch. -a015783407.
real time while sending messages, memes, not-pro-life/. org/2016/08/18/dominionism-rising-a- 56. David Neiwert, “Insurgent Supremacists
and articles back and forth. That is, while the 19. “Criminalizing Abortion,” Free The States, theocratic-movement-hiding-in-plain-sight. Author Q & A with Matthew N. Lyons,” The
static text often appears unidirectional, there https://freethestates.org/criminalization/. 39. “Jordan Hall,” Facebook, https://www. Public Eye, date?, http://feature.politicalre-
may have been extensive communication of 20. “Abolition Now! Conference and Mis- facebook.com/jordan.hall.5836. search.org/insurgent-supremacists.
the shared materials within the audio. We did sion,” Free the States, Feb 7-12, 2020, 40. Tim Ravndal, “Life, Liberty and a Sanctu- 57. “Far-Right Militias and Anti-Abortion Vi-
not have access to this voice content. https://freethestates.org/wp-content/up ary in Montana?,” Redoubt News, February 5, olence,” FAIR, July 1, 1995, https://fair.org/
82. Nancy Oakley, “Impeachment? Bring It loads/2020/02/%E2%80%9CAbolition- 2020, https://redoubtnews.com/2020/02/ extra/far-right-militias-and-anti-abortion-
on. Trump Can Put the Dems on Trial in the Now%E2%80%9D-Conference-Schedule-2. life-liberty-and-a-sanctuary-in-montana/. violence/.
Senate,” Oath Keepers (blog), October 4, 2019, pdf. 41. Cloee Cooper, “A New Tactic Is Gaining Conservative, Christian, Corporate
https://archive.vn/vFWVf. 21. Sophie Novack, “Meet the ‘Abortion Abo- Momentum on the Right: Declaring Sanctu-
83. Nancy Oakley, “Impeachment? Bring It litionists’ Shaping Policy in the Texas GOP,” ary for Guns,” Political Research Associates, 1. The Editorial Board, “Betsy DeVos Teach-
on. Trump Can Put the Dems on Trial in the Texas Observer, July 29, 2019, https://www. December 5, 2019, https://www.politicalre- es the Value of Ignorance,” The New York
Senate,” Oath Keepers (blog), October 4, 2019, texasobserver.org/meet-the-abortion-aboli- search.org/2019/12/05/new-tactic-gaining- Times, Feb. 7, 2017, https://www.nytimes.
https://archive.vn/vFWVf. tionists-shaping-policy-in-the-texas-gop/. momentum-right-declaring-sanctuary-guns. com/2017/02/07/opinion/betsy-devos-
84. Stewart Rhodes, “Help Us Prevent Leftist 22. “Home,” Heritage Defense, https://heri- 42. Tim Ravndal, “Life, Liberty and a Sanctu- teaches-the-value-of-ignorance.html.
Assault of Trump Rally-Goers in MS and KY!” tagedefense.org/. ary in Montana?,” Redoubt News, February 5, 2. Jeff Bryant, “How a Trump administration
Oath Keepers, October 27, 2019, https://ar- 23. Sophie Novack, “Meet the ‘Abortion Abo- 2020, https://redoubtnews.com/2020/02/ official is quietly exploiting the pandemic
chive.vn/wip/lwwH0. litionists’ Shaping Policy in the Texas GOP,” life-liberty-and-a-sanctuary-in-montana/. to advance her family business — and right-
No Sanctuary Texas Observer, July 29, 2019, https://www. 43. John Dougherty, “Embattled Washington wing agenda,” Raw Story, April 23, 2020,
texasobserver.org/meet-the-abortion-aboli- Rep. Matt Shea Is Skirting State Law to Fun- https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/how-
1. “Raleigh City Council Evening,” April 2, tionists-shaping-policy-in-the-texas-gop/. nel Campaign Funds to Far-Right Groups,” a-trump-administration-official-is-quietly-
2019, http://raleigh.granicus.com/Media- 24. “Texas ‘Abolition of Abortion’ Act (HB Southern Poverty Law Center, December 7, exploiting-the-pandemic-to-advance-her-
Player.php?view_id=5&clip_id=6213. 896),” Rewire.News, https://rewire.news/ 2018, https://www.splcenter.org/hate- family-business-and-right-wing-agenda/.
2. “Teenager Jeered during Anti-Abortion legislative-tracker/law/texas-bill-prohibiting- watch/2018/12/07/embattled-washington- 3. Kristina Rizga, “Betsy DeVos Wants to Use
Statement at Raleigh Meeting,” NewsObserv- abortion/. rep-matt-shea-skirting-state-law-funnel- America’s Schools to Build ‘God’s Kingdom,’”
er, https://www.newsobserver.com/news/ 25. “Who We Are,” Abolish Abortion Texas, campaign-funds-far-right. Mother Jones, March/April 2017, https://
local/article231211123.html. https://abolishabortiontx.org/our-history/. 44. No author cited, “Militia Media Treated www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/
3. “Truth That Transforms-Podcast,” sea- 26. “Who We Are,” Abolish Abortion Texas,
26. as Legitimate Press at Montana Legislature,” betsy-devos-christian-schools-vouchers-
son 3, episode 36, Gospel of God Ministries, https://abolishabortiontx.org/our-history/. Montana Human Rights Network, March 13, charter-education-secretary/.
https://www.gospelgm.com/our-pod-cast/. 27. Sophie Novack, “Some Small Texas Towns
27. 2019, https://mhrn.org/2019/03/13/re- 4. Erica L. Green, “DeVos Funnels Coro-
4. “Biblical Not Secular,” Free the States, Are Declaring Themselves ‘Sanctuary Cities doubtnews/. navirus Relief Funds to Favored Private and
https://freethestates.org/biblical-not-secu- for the Unborn,’” The Texas Observer, Septem- 45. No author cited, “Sanctuary Status Dis- Religious Schools,” The New York Times,
lar/. ber 25, 2019, https://www.texasobserver. cussed in Richland County,” Redoubt News, May 15, 2020, https://www.nytimes.
5. “Jeff Durbin’s Promo Reel,” You- org/sanctuary-cities-unborn-texas-small- YouTube, February 4, 2020, https://www. com/2020/05/15/us/politics/betsy-devos-
Tube, https://www.YouTube.com/ town/. YouTube.com/watch?time_continue=298&v coronavirus-religious-schools.html.
watch?v=3mMDhPNjQAw. 28. “Oklahoma ‘Abolition of Abortion in =lHJ5KzEJAug&feature=emb_title. 5. Green, “DeVos Funnels Coronavirus Re-
6. “Meet The Team,” Apologia Church, ac- Oklahoma Act’ (SB 13),” Rewire.News, 46. “Rep. Heather Scott 3/31/2020,” Redoubt lief Funds.”
cessed October 15, 2020, https://apologia- https://rewire.news/legislative-tracker/law/ News, YouTube, April 2, 2020, https://www. 6. “Scott and Chairman Alexander Intro-
church.com/meet-the-team/. oklahoma-abolition-of-abortion-in-oklaho- YouTube.com/watch?v=6koy3ON1WfI&fea duce School Choice Now Act,” Tim Scott,
7. Author interview with James Risen, ma-act-sb-13/. ture=youtu.be&ab_channel=RedoubtNews. United States Senator, July 22, 2020, https://
March 26, 2020. 29. “Texas ‘Abolition of Abortion’ Act (HB 47. “Rep. Heather Scott Introduces New www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-
8. “Biblical Justice with Jeff Durbin | EP 896),” Rewire.News, https://rewire.news/ Bill That Would Completely Ban Abor- releases/scott-and-chairman-alexander-in-

32 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 endnotes

troduce-school-choice-now-act. Create and Expand Public Charter Schools Hess, “DeVos and the new normal in educa- 49. Michael Stratford, “Judge blocks De-
7. Lauren Camera, “The High Court Takes on in Areas of Greatest Need,” US Department tion,” American Enterprise Institute, Febru- Vos plan to send more pandemic relief to
School Choice,” US News, January 21, 2020, of Education, April 10, 2020, https://www. ary 7, 2017, https://www.aei.org/articles/ private school students,” Politico, August
https://www.usnews.com/news/education- ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-devos- devos-and-the-new-normal-in-education/; 26, 2020, https://www.politico.com/
news/articles/2020-01-21/the-high-court- awards-65-million-create-and-expand-pub- “Board of Trustees,” American Enterprise news/2020/08/26/judge-blocks-devos-
takes-on-school-choice. lic-charter-schools-areas-greatest-need. Institute, n.d., https://www.aei.org/about/ plan-pandemic-relief-private-school-stu-
8. Katie Connor, Julie Snyder, and Dale 23. Zach Kopplin, “Texas Public Schools board-of-trustees/. dents-402900.
Smith, “The next economic relief package: Are Teaching Creationism, Slate, Janu- 35. Wendy Shuman, “Bill Bennet’s Online 50. Erica L. Green, “DeVos Funnels Coro-
From CARES, HEALS and Heroes,” CNET, ary 16, 2014, https://slate.com/ Schoolhouse,” BeliefNet, October 2001, navirus Relief Funds to Favored Private and
August 26, 2020, https://www.cnet.com/ te c h n o l o g y/ 2 0 1 4 / 0 1 /c r e a t i o n i s m - i n - https://www.beliefnet.com/love-family/par- Religious Schools,” The New York Times,
personal-finance/cares-heals-and-heroes- texas-public-schools-undermining-the-char- enting/2001/10/bill-bennetts-online-school- May 15, 2020, https://www.nytimes.
acts-similarities-and-key-differences/. ter-movement.html; Katie Orr, “Anti-Vac- house.aspx. com/2020/05/15/us/politics/betsy-devos-
9. “President Donald J. Trump Is Working cination Activists Join Stay-At-Home Order 36. Nick Surgey, “Secretary DeVos Speaking coronavirus-religious-schools.html.
to Give Students and Parents Flexibility and Protesters,” NPR, May 9, 2020, https://www. at ALEC, Sponsored by a Private Company, 51. “CAP Modeling of CARES Act Higher
Schools the Support They Need to Reopen npr.org/2020/05/09/852861698/anti-vac- to Thank Them for Helping to Privatize Edu- Ed,” Center for American Progress, https://
This Fall,” White House Fact Sheet, July 23, cination-activists-join-stay-at-home-order- cation,” Documented, December 5, 2019, cdn.americanprogress.org/content/up-
2020, https://www.whitehouse.gov/brief- protesters. https://documented.net/2019/12/devos- loads/2020/05/08055827/CAP-Modeling-
ings-statements/president-donald-j-trump- 24. Rob Boston, “Sneak Attack,” Church & alec-k12inc-arizona/. of-CARES-Act-Higher-Ed-Allocations.xls?_
working-give-students-parents-flexibility- State, September 2010, https://www.au.org/ 37. Kristina Rizga, “Betsy DeVos Wants to Use ga=2.119224777.1573729678.1599429029-
schools-support-need-reopen-fall/. church-state/september-2010-church-state/ America’s Schools to Build ‘God’s Kingdom,’” 1244347919.1593459821.
10. Sarah Lahm, “How the Ed-Tech Industry featured/sneak-attack. Mother Jones, March/April 2017, https:// 52. Ben Miller, Twitter, May 1, 2020,
Is Trying to Profit From COVID-19,” The Pro- 25. Stephen P. Broughman, Adam Rettig, www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/ h t t p s : // t w i t t e r . c o m / E d u B e n M / s t a -
gressive, March 23, 2020, https://progressive. and Jennifer Peterson, “Characteristics of betsy-devos-christian-schools-vouchers- tus/1256237821867823104. Some schools
org/public-school-shakedown/edtech-indus- Private Schools in the United States: Results charter-education-secretary/. made the decision not to accept the funds al-
try-profit-from-covid-19-lahm-200323/. From the 2015–16 Private School Universe 38. Benjamin Wermund, “Trump’s education located.
11. Valerie Strauss, “Cuomo questions why Survey,” National Center for Education Sta- pick says reform can ‘advance God’s king- 53. “CAP Modeling”; Dick and Betsy DeVos
school buildings still exist — and says New tistics, August 2017, https://nces.ed.gov/ dom,” Politico, December 12, 2016, https:// Family Foundation, “Form 990-PF for pe-
York will work with Bill Gates to ‘reimagine pubs2017/2017073.pdf. www.politico.com/story/2016/12/betsy-de- riod ending December 2018,” ProPublica,
education,’” The Washington Post, May 6, 26. Rachel Tabachnick, “Preview of “School vos-education-trump-religion-232150. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprof-
2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/ Choice: Taxpayer-Funded Creationism, 39. Rachel Tabachnick, “Strategy for its/display_990/382902412/01_2020_
education/2020/05/06/cuomo-questions- Bigotry, and Bias,” Talk to Action, June 27, Privatizing Public Schools Spelled Out prefixes_38-39%2F382902412_201812_990
why-school-buildings-still-exist-says-new- 2011, http://www.talk2action.org/sto- by Dick DeVos in 2002 Heritage Founda- PF_2020011517034407.
york-will-work-with-bill-gates-reimagine- ry/2011/6/27/151131/081. tion Speech,” Talk to Action, November 54. Indigo Oliver, “A Virtual Charter School
education/. 27. Betsy’s brother, Erik Prince, founder of 23, 2016, http://www.talk2action.org/ Company Says Covid-19 Is the ‘Tailwind’ It’s
12. Janice Irvine, Talk About Sex: The Battles the mercenary company Blackwater, was story/2011/5/3/12515/58655/Front_Page/ Been Waiting For,” In These Times, June 18,
Over Sex Education in the United States, (Uni- recently implicated in spying on a Michigan Strategy_for_Privatizing_Public_Schools_ 2020, https://inthesetimes.com/article/char-
versity of California Press, 2004). teachers’ union for the right-wing Project Ver- Spelled_out_by_Dick_DeVos_in_2002_Heri- ter-schools-coronavirus-betsy-devos-mckin-
13. Noliwe Rooks, “Cindy Hyde-Smith itas. https://www.salon.com/2020/03/11/ tage_Foundation_Speech. sey-corporate-education-reform.
Is Teaching Us What Segregation Acad- watchdog-group-demands-congress-inves- 40. Lahm, “Ed-Tech”; Paul Dauphin, “10 years 55. “National Coronavirus Recovery Com-
emies Taught Her,” The New York Times, tigate-if-betsy-devos-knew-about-efforts-to- after Katrina: Louisiana’s landscape of school mission Launches to ‘Save Lives and Liveli-
November 18, 2018, https://www.nytimes. spy-on-teachers/. choice,” American Federation for Children, hoods,’” The Heritage Foundation, April 6,
com/2018/11/28/opinion/cindy-hyde- 28. Shandra Martinez, “$1.2B in dona- June 25, 2015, https://www.federationfor- 2020, heritage.org/press/national-corona-
smith-mike-espy-senate-mississippi.html. tions puts DeVos family on Forbes top phi- children.org/10-years-katrina-louisianas- virus-recovery-commission-launches-save-
14. Katherine Stewart, “What the ‘Govern- lanthropy list,” MLive, October 1, 2015, landscape-school-choice/; Sarah Lahm, lives-and-livelihoods.
ment Schools’ Critics Really Mean,” The New https://www.mlive.com/business/west- “How The Ed-Tech Industry is Trying to Profit 56. Andrew Ujifusa, “Four Things to Know
York Times, July 31, 2017, https://www. michigan/2015/10/13b_in_donations_puts_ From COVID-19,” The Progressive, March 23, About Betsy DeVos’ COVID-19 Grants for
nytimes.com/2017/07/31/opinion/donald- devos_fa.html; Jennifer Wang, “America’s 2020, https://progressive.org/public-school- Parents, States,” EdWeek, April 30, 2020,
trump-school-choice-criticism.html. Top 50 Givers,” Forbes, November 20, 2019, shakedown/edtech-industry-profit-from-cov- https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-
15. Irvine, Talk About Sex. forbes.com/top-givers/#4914997466ff. id-19-lahm-200323/. k-12/2020/04/betsy-devos-CARES-act-
16. Carol Mason, Reading Appalachia 29. Rachel Tabachnick, “Prince and DeVos 41. Mark Binelli, “Michigan Gambled on grants-coronavirus-four-things.html.
from Left to Right: Conservatives and the Families at Intersection of Radical Free Mar- Charter Schools. Its Children Lost,” The New 57. Surgey, “Secretary DeVos.”
1974 Kanawha County Textbook Controversy ket Privatizers and Religious Right,” Talk to York Times, September 5, 2017, https:// 58. “Scott and Chairman Alexander Intro-
(Cornell University, 2009). Action, January 9, 2017, talk2action.org/ www.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/magazine/ duce School Choice Now Act,” Tim Scott,
17. Randall Balmer, “The Real Origins story/2011/5/16/123025/506/Front_Page/ michigan-gambled-on-charter-schools-its- United States Senator, July 22, 2020, https://
of the Religious Right,” Politico, May 27, Prince_and_DeVos_Families_at_Intersec- children-lost.html. www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-
2014, https://www.politico.com/magazine/ tion_of_Radical_Free_Market_Privatizers_ 42. Mike Wilkinson, “Betsy DeVos and the releases/scott-and-chairman-alexander-in-
story/2014/05/religious-right-real-ori- and_Religious_Right. Segregation of School Choice,” BridgeMI, troduce-school-choice-now-act.
gins-107133. 30. 1983 Meeting Agenda. November 29, 2016, https://www.bridgemi. 59. Camera, “High Court.”
18. Katherine Stewart, “Betsy DeVos and 31. Heidi Beirich and Mark Potok, “The com/talent-education/betsy-devos-and-seg- 60. Betsy DeVos, “Betsy DeVos: Religious
God’s Plan for Schools,” The New York Times, Council for National Policy: Behind the Cur- regation-school-choice. liberty in our schools must be protected,”
December 13, 2016, https://www.nytimes. tain,” Southern Poverty Law Center, May 43. Peter Greene, “DeVos Makes New Char- USA Today, January 17, 2020, https://www.
com/2016/12/13/opinion/betsy-devos-and- 17, 2016, https://www.splcenter.org/hate- ter School Grants from Troubled Fund,” usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/01/17/
gods-plan-for-schools.html; Jan Wolfe, Aram watch/2016/05/17/council-national-policy- Forbes, April 11, 2020, https://www.forbes. betsy-devos-religious-liberty-schools-protect-
Roston, Katanga Johnson, “U.S. evangelical behind-curtain. com/sites/petergreene/2020/04/11/devos- ed-first-amendment-column/4488287002/.
leader Falwell to leave university after per- 32. Catherine Brown and Ulrich Boser, “The makes-new-charter-school-grants-from-trou- 61. “Secretary DeVos on Espinoza: Religious
sonal scandal,” Reuters, August 25, 2020, DeVos Dynasty: A Family of Extremists,” Cen- bled-fund/#75f80dbe7298. Discrimination is Dead,” US Department
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well-resignation-report/us-evangelical-lead- https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/ ment’s billion-dollar charter school program press-releases/secretary-devos-espinoza-reli-
er-falwell-to-leave-university-after-personal- default/news/2017/01/23/296947/the- is a complete disaster,” Salon, December 12, gious-discrimination-dead.
scandal-idUSKBN25L2CB. devos-dynasty-a-family-of-extremists/; Jona- 2019, https://www.salon.com/2019/12/12/ 62. “Conservative Supreme Court opens the
19. Dan Bauman and Brock Reed, “A Brief than Mahler, “How One Conservative Think why-the-federal-governments-billion-dollar- door for DeVos’s voucher schemes,” National
History of GOP Attempts to Kill the Education Tank Is Stocking Trump’s Government,” The charter-school-program-is-a-bigger-disaster- Education Association, June 30, 2020, http://
Dept,” Chronicle of Higher Education, June 21, New York Times, June 20, 2018, https://www. than-we-thought_partner/. www.nea.org/home/76290.htm.
2018, https://www.chronicle.com/article/a- nytimes.com/2018/06/20/magazine/trump- 45. “Background on Betsy DeVos from the 63. “Exemptions from Title IX,” US Depart-
brief-history-of-gop-attempts-to-kill-the-edu- government-aheritage-foundation-think- ACLU of Michigan,” American Civil Liberties ment of Education, https://www2.ed.gov/
cation-dept/. tank.html. Union, n.d., https://www.aclu.org/other/ about/offices/list/ocr/docs/t9-rel-exempt/
20. Bill Smith, “Charter schools perform 33. Andy Kroll, “Meet the New Kochs: The background-betsy-devos-aclu-michigan. index.html.
worse than public schools, for-profits are DeVos Clan’s Plan to Defund the Left,” Mother 46. Binnelli, “Michigan Gambled.” 64. “Murray, Democrats Push Departments
even worse,” Johnson City Press, March 11, Jones, January/February 2014, https://www. 47. Valerie Strauss, “Betsy DeVos finds new of Education and Labor to Withdraw Rules Al-
2018, https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/ motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/devos- pot of cash to push education agenda: fed- lowing for Federally Sanctioned Discrimina-
opinion/blogs/charter-schools-perform- michigan-labor-politics-gop/. eral covid-19 relief money,” The Washington tion,” U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Edu-
worse-than-public-schools-for-profits-are- 34. Igor Derysh, “Betsy DeVos’s Family Foun- Post, April 30, 2020, https://www.washing- cation, Labor, & Pension, February 19, 2020,
even-worse/article_6206af1c-2b99-500a- dation Funnels Money to Her Right-Wing tonpost.com/education/2020/04/30/betsy- https://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/
a15d-80d64a46b89f.html. Supporters,” Truthout, December 19, 2019, devos-finds-new-pot-cash-push-education- newsroom/press/murray-democrats-push-
21. Rachel Tabachnick, “Vouchers/Tax Cred- https://truthout.org/articles/betsy-devoss- agenda-federal-covid-19-relief-money/. departments-of-education-and-labor-to-
its Funding Creationism, Revisionist History, family-foundation-funnels-money-to-her- 48. Michael Stratford, “Judge strikes down withdraw-rules-allowing-for-federally-sanc-
Hostility Toward Other Religions,” Talk to Ac- right-wing-supporters/; “Mackinac Center DeVos plan to boost pandemic relief for pri- tioned-discrimination-.
tion, January 30, 2017, http://www.talk2ac- President’s Statement on Betsy DeVos Nomi- vate schools,” Politico, September 4, 2020, 65. Annie Waldman, “DeVos Has Scuttled
tion.org/story/2011/5/25/84149/9275. nation,” The Mackinac Center, n.d., https:// politico.com/news/2020/09/04/devos-pri- More Than 1,200 Civil Rights Probes Inher-
22. “Secretary DeVos Awards $65 Million to www.mackinac.org/23028; Frederick M. vate-school-relief-rule-struck-down-409272. ited From Obama,” ProPublica, June 21, 2018,

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 33

 endnotes

https://www.propublica.org/article/devos- 82. Hélène Barthélemy, “How Men’s Rights 10. Email from Jack Donovan to author, Au- gandist-onetime-conservative-insider?.
has-scuttled-more-than-1-200-civil-rights- Groups Helped Rewrite Regulations on Cam- gust 18, 2020. Previously, Donovan had clari- 23. Gregory Hood, “Wolves Among the Ru-
probes-inherited-from-obama. pus Rape,” August 14, 2020, https://www. fied his position in an essay on his website. ins,” Radix Journal, June 15, 2014, https://
66. Institute for Research on Male Suprema- thenation.com/article/politics/betsy-devos- (Jack Donovan, “Why I Am Not a White Nation- archive.vn/7erzr.
cism, “Panel on Title IX, Betsy DeVos, and title-ix-mens-rights/. alist,” Jack-Donovan.com, May 31, 2017, web. 24. Dana Liebelson, “Man Who Held ‘Bet-
Men’s Rights Activists,” YouTube, May 83. Alex DiBranco, “Mobilizing Misogyny,” archive.org/web/20170623063707/http:// ter To Grab A P***y Than To Be One’ Sign At
18, 2020, https://www.YouTube.com/ The Public Eye, March 08, 2017, https://www. www.jack-donovan.com/axis/2017/05/why- Pro-Trump Rally Has Ties To White National-
watch?v=I9eMQ27K-h8. politicalresearch.org/2017/03/08/mobiliz- i-am-not-a-white-nationalist/.) This followed ists,” The Huffington Post, October 15, 2016,
67. Erica L. Green, “DeVos Abandons a Life- ing-misogyny. an earlier essay, called “Mighty White,” in huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-white-na-
time of Local Advocacy to Demand Schools 84. Press Team, “Campus Civil Liberties Co- which he explains his enthusiastic support for tionalists_n_580129dde4b06e047594bc5f;
Reopen,” The New York Times, July 13, 2020, alition Files Petition To Defend Title IX Free White nationalists. Despite its title, in “Why Alex Amend and Stephen Piggott, “The Daily
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/13/us/ Speech, Due Process Protections Against I am Not a White Nationalist,” Donovan sug- Caller Has a White Nationalist Problem,”
politics/betsy-devos-schools-coronavirus. State Attorneys General Lawsuit,” June 26, gests his views haven’t changed, as he writes, Southern Poverty Law Center, August 16,
html. 2020, https://www.iwf.org/2020/06/26/ “I’m just not a spineless cuck who pisses his 2017, splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/08/16/
68. Green, “DeVos Funnels Coronavirus Re- campus-civil-liberties-coalition-files-peti- pants every time someone calls him a rac- daily-caller-has-white-nationalist-problem.
lief Funds.” tion-to-defend-title-ix-free-speech-due-pro- ist on Facebook. And I don’t let people who I McHugh says that she watched as Scott Greer
69. Camera, “Trump School Funding.” cess-protections-against-state-attorneys-gen- have no respect for tell me who I’m allowed to was formally inducted into the Wolves of Vin-
70. Linda Jacobson, “Trump Calls Off Ne- eral-lawsuit/; Dick and Betsy DeVos Family support or call a friend. Six years ago, before I land. Interview with author, March 4, 2020.
gotiations Over COVID-19 Relief Package, Foundation, “Form 990-PF for period ending ever spoke at an ‘Alt-Right’ event or submitted 25. Interview with author, March 4, 2020;
Leaving Educators Anxious Over State Budget December 2018,” ProPublica. an article to Alternative Right or Radix or Coun- Kevin DeAnna Email to Katie McHugh, April
Cuts in Faltering Economy,” The 74 Million, 85. Daniel Moattar, “The Dark Money Be- ter Currents, I wrote an essay titled, ‘Mighty 22, 2016.
October 1, 2020 (updated October 6, 2020), hind Campus Speech Wars,” The Nation, July White.’ I stand by it to this day, and my views 26. Email to author, October 27, 2020.
https://www.the74million.org/article/with- 9, 2018 https://www.thenation.com/article/ have changed very little over the years.” In an 27. Paul Waggener, “Greg Johnson Inter-
hopes-fading-for-another-covid-19-relief- archive/dark-money-behind-campus-speech- email conversation with the author in August views Paul Waggener,” Counter-Currents,
package-from-washington-educators-say- wars/. 2020, Donovan clarified that his “association February 3, 2016, https://archive.vn/DfGL3;
they-cant-survive-at-current-funding-levels/. 86. Heron Greenesmith, “Betsy DeVos Is with both the Wolves and the Alt-Right was a “Yule and Saturnalia (with graaaaaagh, Sur-
71. Melinda Wenner Moyer, “Pods, Mi- Complicit in Evangelical Right’s Assault on dark chapter of my life, and I’ve been working vive the Jive and Jarnefr Waggener),” Mil-
croschools and Tutors: Can Parents Solve Trans Athletes,” Truthout, June 5, 2020, hard to put it behind me.” lennial Woes, December 23, 2015, https://
the Education Crisis on Their Own?” The https://truthout.org/articles/betsy-devos-is- 11. Shane Burley and Alexander Reid Ross, archive.vn/DjWVD; “Wolves of Vinland: A
New York Times, July 22, 2020, nytimes. complicit-in-evangelical-rights-assault-on- “5 Things the Mainstream Media Missed Tribe Against the Modern World,” Red Ice
com/2020/07/22/parenting/school-pods- trans-athletes/. About Charlottesville,” In These Times, Au- Media, March 20, 2017, https://archive.vn/
coronavirus.html. Total Life Reform gust 19, 2017, https://inthesetimes.com/ EmBWk.
72. Aliyya Swaby, “As school reopenings fal- article/20437/mainstream-media-charlot- 28. Betsy Swan, “Inside Virginia’s Creepy
ter, some Texas parents hire private teachers. 1. Paul Waggener, “Greg Johnson Interviews tesville-white-supremacists-fascism-antifas- White-Power Wolf Cult,” The Daily Beast,
Others can only afford to cross their fingers,” Paul Waggener,” Counter-Currents, February cism. April 13, 2017, https://www.thedailybeast.
The Texas Tribune, July 23, 2020 https://www. 3, 2016, counter-currents.com/2016/02/ 12. Spartan Ownership, “How to Start a Tribe com/inside-virginias-creepy-white-power-
texastribune.org/2020/07/23/homeschool- greg-johnson-interviews-paul-waggener-2/; - Interview w/ Paul Waggener,” YouTube, Sep- wolf-cult.
texas-schools-reopening/; Kerry McDonald, There are groups in a number of countries, in- tember 13, 2016, RT: 1:14:07, YouTube.com/ 29. Betsy Swan, “Inside Virginia’s Creepy
“‘Pandemic Pods’ Make Homeschooling Eas- cluding a “Werewolf Legion” in Italy (https:// watch?v=DrpD1rIU390&t. White-Power Wolf Cult,” The Daily Beast,
ier For Parents and Profitable for Teachers,” archive.vn/0iCbQ) and “Operatives” in Den- 13. Rosie Gray, “Get Out While You Can,” April 13, 2017, https://www.thedailybeast.
Foundation for Economic Education, July mark (https://archive.vn/72r8G), among BuzzFeed News, May 1, 2019, https://www. com/inside-virginias-creepy-white-power-
23, 2020, https://fee.org/articles/pandemic- multiple other countries. buzzfeednews.com/article/rosiegray/katie- wolf-cult.
pods-make-homeschooling-easier-for-par- 2. Kit Pribble, “Weird Wolves of the Alt- mchugh. 30. Marcus Follin, “Why I’m a National-
ents-and-profitable-for-teachers/. Right,” Hypocrite Reader, August 2017, hypo- 14. Author interview with Katie McHugh, ist,” The Golden One, https://thegoldenone.
73. Nicole Bedera, “Trump’s New Rule critereader.com/78/weird-worlves. February 21, 2020. se/2017/05/05/why-i-am-nationalist/.
Governing College Sex Assault Is Nearly 3. Paul Waggener, “Operation Werewolf - 15. Paul Waggener entry at the Metal Ency- 31. The Golden One, “The Golden One in
Impossible for Survivors to Use. That’s the Antifa, The Joker, and Ancestry,” YouTube, clopedia, metal-archives.com/artists/Paul_ the New World. The Lion and the Wolves,”
Point,” TIME, May 14, 2020, https://time. October 18, 2019, RT: 14:41, www.YouTube. Waggener/42023. YouTube, May 10, 2018, YouTube.com/
com/5836774/trump-new-title-ix-rules/. com/watch?v=4ZJZp6C2pcY. 16. Paul Waggener and Justin Garcia, “The watch?v=VJg57P59XFQ.
74. Erika Williams, “Blue States Take Feds 4. Shannon Weber, “White Supremacy’s Pressure Project Podcast #145: Operation 32. Jack Donovan, Becoming a Barbarian
to Court Over College Sexual Assault Rules,” Old Gods: The Far Right and Neopaganism,” Werewolf - Grimnir Returns!,” YouTube, (Portland, Oregon: Dissonant Hum, 2016), 3.
Courthouse News Service, June 4, 2020, The Public Eye, February 1, 2018, politicalre- June 3, 2015, RT:1:47:44, YouTube.com/ 33. “The Wolves of Vinland: A Fascist Coun-
https://www.courthousenews.com/blue- search.org/2018/02/01/white-supremacys- watch?v=n8y6zTjTdqM. tercultural Tribe in the Pacific Northwest,”
states-take-feds-to-court-over-college-sexual- old-gods-the-far-right-and-neopaganism. 17. More specifically, Waggener believes Rose City Antifa, November 7, 2016, https://
assault-rules/. 5. Matthias Waggener,” The Hex Factory, that tribal lines should be constructed on rosecityantifa.org/articles/the-wolves-of-vin-
75. Institute for Research on Male Suprema- 2013, thehexfactory.com/matthiaswaggen- a form of essentialized identity, including land-a-fascist-countercultural-tribe-in-the-
cism, “Panel on Title IX, Betsy DeVos, and er.htm. most obviously ethnicity, but also other pos- pacific-northwest/.
Men’s Rights Activists,” May 18, 2020, https:// 6. Paul Waggener, On Magic: A No-Bullshit sible group commonalities that could make 34. The Wolves of Vinland: A Fascist Coun-
34. “
www.YouTube.com/watch?v=I9eMQ27K-h8, Primer on Working the Will (Lychburg: Self- a multiracial tribe possible. This falls in line tercultural Tribe in the Pacific Northwest,”
10:14. Published, 2016), 1-8. This book is treated as with the “essentialized identity” requirement Rose City Antifa, November 7, 2016, https://
76. Institute for Research on Male Suprema- a foundational text in Operation Werewolf: in some definitions of fascism. Shane Burley, rosecityantifa.org/articles/the-wolves-of-vin-
cism, “Panel on Title IX, Betsy DeVos, and one of the first things all recruits are in- Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It land-a-fascist-countercultural-tribe-in-the-
Men’s Rights Activists,” May 18, 2020, https:// structed to read, and constituting the founda- (Chico: AK Press, 2017). pacific-northwest/.
www.YouTube.com/watch?v=I9eMQ27K- tion of the Wolves’ spiritual outlook. As with 18. “Matthias Waggener,” The Hex Factory, 35. Paul Waggener and Kevin DeAnna,
h8,10:30. many folkish heathens, Waggener sees runic 2013, thehexfactory.com/matthiaswaggen- “The Centurion Method,” YouTube, May
77. Nicole Bedera, “Trump’s New Rule magic less in metaphysical than psychological er.htm. 12, 2013, https://www.YouTube.com/
Governing College Sex Assault Is Nearly terms, as a metaphor for creating and meet- 19. Blair Taylor, “Alt-Right Ecology: Ecofas- watch?v=1FJUdC-9vQE. This brand of perfor-
Impossible for Survivors to Use. That’s the ing life goals. cism and far-right environmentalism in the mative physicality is something that Donovan
Point” Time, May 14, 2020, https://time. 7. Jack Donovan, “A Time for Wolves,” Jack- United States,” in The Far-Right and the Envi- and Waggener share.
com/5836774/trump-new-title-ix-rules/. Donovan.com, June 14, 2014, web.archive. ronment: Politics, Discourse and Communica- 36. Paul Waggener, “Might Is Right,” Iron
78. Institute for Research on Male Suprema- org/web/20140617172729/http://www. tion, Ed. Bernhard Forchtner (London: Rout- and Blood, Issue 1: 1-2.
cism, “Panel on Title IX, Betsy DeVos, and jack-donovan.com/axis/2014/06/a-time-for- ledge, 2019), 284. 37. Paul Waggener, “What Is Operation
Men’s Rights Activists,” May 18, 2020, https:// wolves/. (Now offline). 20. Maddalena Gretel Cammelli, “Third Mil- Werewolf,” YouTube, February 16, 2019,
www.YouTube.com/watch?v=I9eMQ27K-h8, 8. Paul Waggner, “Greg Johnson Interviews lennium Fascism: Highlights from Italy,” The RT: 5:01, https://www.YouTube.com/
10:14. Paul Waggener,” Counter-Currents, counter- Public Eye, July 9, 2020, https://www.politi- watch?v=XWicQxAegIo.
79. “Questions and Answers Regarding the currents.com/2016/02/greg-johnson-inter- calresearch.org/2020/07/09/third-millenni- 38. Paul Waggener, Operation Werewolf: The
Department’s Final Title IX Rule,” U.S. De- views-paul-waggener-2/. Donovan formally um-fascism. Complete Zines (Lynchburg: Self-Published,
partment of Education, September 4, 2020, joined the Wolves in 2015, starting his own 21. The clearest explanation of this model 2016).
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ “Cascadia” chapter in Portland, Oregon. Jack of fascist discourse comes from Anton Shek- 39. Paul Waggener, “The Odinic Path,”
docs/qa-titleix-20200904.pdf. Donovan, Becoming a Barbarian (Portland: hovtsov in his study about the neofolk music Operation Werewolf War Journal, June 8,
80. Greta Anderson, “Legal Challenges Dissonant Hum, 2016). scene. Anton Shekhovtsov, “Apoliteic Music: 2018, operationwerewolf.com/war-jour-
on Many Fronts,” Inside Higher Ed, July 13, 9. Matthew N. Lyons, “Jack Donovan Neo-Folk, Martial Industrial and ‘Metapo- nal/2018/06/08/the-odinic-path.; Paul
2020, https://www.insidehighered.com/ on men: a masculine tribalism for the far litical Fascism’”, Patterns of Prejudice, Vol. 43, Waggener, “Greg Johnson Interviews Paul
news/2020/07/13/understanding-lawsuits- right,” threewayfight, November 23, 2015, No. 5 (2009), pp. 431-457. Waggener,” Counter-Currents, February 3,
against-new-title-ix-regulations. threewayfight.blogspot.com/2015/11/ 22. Hannah Gais, “Emails Reveal Identity of 2016, counter-currents.com/2016/02/greg-
81. Institute for Research on Male Suprema- jack-donovan-on-men-masculine-tribalism. Longtime White Nationalist Propagandist as johnson-interviews-paul-waggener-2.
cism, “Panel on Title IX, Betsy DeVos, and html; Alex DiBraco, “Mobilizing Misog- Onetime Conservative Insider,” The Southern 40. Paul Waggener, Werewolf Manifesto
Men’s Rights Activists,” May 18, 2020, https:// yny,” The Public Eye, March 8, 2017, po- Poverty Law Center, March 4, 2020, splcenter. (Lynchburg: Amazon CreatSpace, 2018).
www.YouTube.com/watch?v=I9eMQ27K-h8, liticalresearch.org/2017/03/08/mobilizing- org/hatewatch/2020/03/04/emails-reveal- 41. Paul Waggener, “Why Train?” Operation
12:55. misogyny#sthash.gDjqNORp.dpbs. identity-longtime-white-nationalist-propa- Werewolf, March 8, 2016, https://archive.vn/

34 • The Public Eye FALL 2020

 endnotes
endnotes

HsVMC. dent Publishing Platform, 2017), https://ar- wolf: Steroids,” YouTube, October 25, 2019, those groups have, nor are they talking about
42. “The Pale Riders - L’appel du vide,” chive.vn/IRrMm; Paul Waggener, Operation RT: 24:37, https://www.YouTube.com/ taking terrorist violence against the state.
metal-archives.com/albums/ Baise_Ma_ Werewolf: The Complete Transmissions Vol. 3 watch?v=jQkXCPJ3avw&t. They are instead trying to break down the ta-
Hache/The_Pale_Riders_-_L%27appel_du_ (Lynchburg: CreateSpace Independent Pub- 71. Instagram, “#OperationWerewolf,” boos around Manson, a strange but common
vide/839503. lishing Platform, 2019), https://archive.vn/ https://archive.is/BLQDc. process in these circles.
43. Paul Waggener Instagram Post, August VF6Y2; Paul Waggener, Operation Werewolf: 72. Despite his associations, Walsh has 89. Wolfchild A.D. Website, https://www.
27, 2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/ The Complete Zines (Lynchburg: CreateSpace secured very major partnerships with fit- wolfchildad.com/; Paul Waggener, “The
CEZvtDMHvGg/. Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), ness companies like Rogue Fitness, where Black Signal – Episode 1,” YouTube, Novem-
44. Or published. The Wolf’s Head Records https://archive.vn/8uMbI; Paul Waggener, they used to sell training maces based on ber 24, 2018, 29:00, https://www.YouTube.
website (previously here https://web.archive. Vakandibok: A Taufr of Awakening (Lynch- his designs. Rogue Fitness, “WOLF BRI- com/watch?v=RX73kJJUYME.
org/web/20180821205349/https://www. burg: Amazon CreateSpace Independent GADE MACE,” http://web.archive.org/ 90. “American Front Members Accused of
wolfsheadrecords.com/) redirects to the Op- Publishing Platform, 2016), https://archive. web/20170714064046/https://www.rogu- Violence, Planning for ‘Race War,’” Intel-
eration Werewolf website as of this writing. vn/9xrcp; Paul Waggener, No Surrender: A efitness.com/wolf-brigade-mace. ligence Report, August 25, 2012, splcenter.
45. Wolf’s Head Records Instagram page, Field Manual For Creating Work With Heart 73. Walsh declined to comment on any ques- org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/2012/
https://archive.is/z8qXm. (Lynchburg: CreateSpace Independent Pub- tions for this article but said that his gym is american-front-members-accused-violence-
46. Outside of the spiritual posts, few move lishing Platform, 2018), https://archive.vn/ “autonomous.” Greg Walsh, email to author, planning-‘race-war’.
past simple platitudes. Quotes from Evola, XLq0q; Paul Waggener, Werewolf Manifesto August 19, 2020. 91. “Oregon man who served prison time
Friedrich Nietzsche, Ernst Jünger, and oth- (Lynchburg: Amazon CreateSpace, 2018), 74. Wolfsheadrex, Instagram post, June 11, for desecrating synagogue arrested on suspi-
ers are used as examples of basic principles; https://archive.vn/LZqOr; Paul Waggener 2018, https://archive.is/a0df0. cion of assault,” The Oregonian, January 20,
recruits are encouraged to read popular psy- and Francisco Albanese, Liber IV (Lynchburg: 75. Quoted by Cari Wade Gervin, “Ven- 2018, oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-
chology and investing books; and most of the CreateSpace Independent Publishing Plat- geance Strength Kvlt Gym in East Nashville news/2018/01/man_who_desecrated_eu-
advice can be reduced to setting goals, avoid- form, 2018), https://archive.vn/bCLdN; Paul Has Links to Alt-Right,” Nashville Scene, July gene_syna.html.
ing procrastination, and being healthy and Waggener, It’s Not Enough (Lynchburg: Cre- 20, 2017, nashvillescene.com/news/pith-in- 92. “Spotlight on American Front: Where
intentional. ateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, the-wind/article/20868176/strength-cult- Violence, Nazism, and Familial Criminality
47. Paul Waggener, It’s Not Enough: Were- 2018), no longer publicly available online. gym-in-east-nashville-has-ties-to-altright. Code,” Pacific Northwest Antifascist Workers
wolf Elite Program Dispatch #001 (Lynchburg: Though it should be noted that paid subscrib- This led to protests in the area organized by Collective, September 21, 2017, ; Business
Amazon CreatSpace, 2018), 23. ers to the program do get some other paid the local chapter of Showing Up for Racial Registry, Business Name Search, Wolfclan
48. Paul Waggener, “October Elite Event,” products for free as a part of their package. Justice (SURJ). Armory, http://egov.sos.state.or.us/br/
Werewolf Elite Forum, September 16, 2020, 59. Paul Waggener, “Credibility and Original- 76. Email to author, June 30, 2016. pkg_web_name_srch_inq.show_detl?p_
o p e r a t i o nwe r e wo l f . c o m /f o r u m s /to p - ity,” YouTube, February 12, 2020, RT: 8:35, 77. Alexander Zaitchik, “How Klan Lawyer be_rsn=1822419&p_srce=BR_INQ&p_
ic/2020/09/16/october-elite-event/. “Elite YouTube.com/watch?v=oHBpj9sLBKU. Un- Sam Dickson Got Rich,” Intelligence Report, print=FALSE.
Program Final Enrollment For 2020,” Opera- listed video. October 19, 2006, splcenter.org/fighting- 93. “White Nationalist “Ravensblood Kin-
tion Werewolf Council Email, July 5, 2020. 60. Email from Paul Waggener on June 16, hate/intelligence-report/2006/how-klan- dred” Features Haralson County Jailer and
49. Ibid, 37. 2020. In that email Waggener says that, “my- lawyer-sam-dickson-got-rich. Active Duty National Guardsman,” Atlanta
50. Ibid, 27-36. These forum posts direct self and my partner did all the branding, col- 78. Shane Burley, “’Lords of Chaos’ Brings a Antifascists, April 9, 2019, atlantaantifa.
followers’ daily activities, with the idea that ors, logos, copy etc (sic).” White Nationalist’s Book to the Big Screen,” org/2019/04/09/white-nationalist-ravens-
someone who follows the program should be 61. Brand Builder’s Bible, https://archive. Truthout, March 19, 2019, truthout.org/ar- blood-kindred-features-haralson-county-
able to complete their set goals. The financial vn/ucwzB. ticles/lords-of-chaos-brings-a-white-nation- jailer-and-active-duty-national-guardsman/.
advice involves cryptocurrency, precious met- 62. Paul Waggener Instagram post, August alists-book-to-the-big-screen. 94. “White Nationalist “Ravensblood Kin-
als, and finding ways to avoid casual spend- 12, 2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/ 79. Paul Waggener, “One of the ‘Rare Ones,’” dred” Features Haralson County Jailer and
ing. Most of the program is comparable to CDynvs7ndtt/. foreword to Entering the Desert, by Craig Active Duty National Guardsman,” Atlanta
at-home financial hygiene programs, which 63. In an email from Brady Bell, CEO of Pure Williams (Montreal: Anathema Publishing, Antifascists, April 9, 2019, atlantaantifa.
is why the Elite program requires members Spectrum CBD, on August 21, 2020, Bell 2017). org/2019/04/09/white-nationalist-ravens-
to read books on saving money and eliminat- writes, “Paul Waggener has no partnership 80. “Pagan Community Notes: Canadian blood-kindred-features-haralson-county-
ing debt. Operative 413, “Temporal: Dispatch or relationship with Pure Spectrum CBD. A occult conference cancelled, FSA reorganiz- jailer-and-active-duty-national-guardsman/;
#10,” Werewolf Elite Forum, March 6, 2020, search of our affiliate program files shows he ing and revamping FSG, and more!,” Sep- Ravensblood Kindred, Facebook post, April
https://www.operationwerewolf.com/fo- participated in an open-enrollment affiliate tember 30, 2019, The Wild Hunt, wildhunt. 18, 2017, https://archive.vn/vUndO.
rums/topic/2020/03/06/dispatch-010-3/. offer we sent to our full customer database in org/2019/09/pagan-community-notes-cana- 95. Paul Waggener Interviews Cody Quin-
51. Operative 413, “Initiation and Great- December of 2019. During our first interview, dian-occult-conference-cancelled-fsa-reorga- lan, “Igniters: Cody Quinlan,” Paul Waggener:
ness,” Operation Werewolf War Journal, March Seth [Waggener, another brother of Paul’s] nizing-and-revamping-fsg-and-more.html. Author, musician, artist, entrepreneur, Au-
16, 2020, operationwerewolf.com/war-jour- made me and our executive team aware of his 81. “Matthias Waggener,” The Hex Factory, gust 28, 2018, https://www.paul-waggener.
nal/2020/03/16/initiation-and-greatness/. brother’s affiliations.” 2013, thehexfactory.com/matthiaswaggen- com/2018/08/igniters-cody-quinlan/.
Operative 413 is a Wolves of Vinland full 64. “CBD Isolate (1G),” Operation Were- er.htm. 96. Operative 413, “General Order #035
member and helps run the Elite program, wolf Store, operationwerewolf.com/ 82. Operative 413, “The Wolf God and the – The Final Call,” Werewolf Elite Forums,
writing most of its daily posts. store/2019/03/04/cbd-isolate/. Ecstatic Host,” Operation Werewolf War Jour- August 24, 2020, operationwerewolf.com/
52. Paul Waggener, “Total Life Reform,” Op- 65. There are a number of women associ- nal, November 1, 2019, operationwerewolf. forums/topic/2020/08/25/general-order-
eration Werewolf, March 22, 2018, https:// ated both with the Wolves of Vinland and com/war-journal/2019/11/01/the-wolf-god- 035-the-final-call/; An email from “Opera-
archive.vn/U8uOQ. By “alchemical process,” Operation Werewolf, though they don’t have and-the-ecstatic-host/. tion Werewolf” to John Jacobs, August 20,
Waggener is referring to the concept of forg- as high of a profile as the men. Women af- 83. George Hawley, Right-Wing Critics of 2020, explains that after the end of the year,
ing a better person through trials, but has a filiates have launched a number of artistic American Conservatism (Lawrence: University “Anyone claiming to be running any official
not-too-subtle, implicitly racial connotation. ventures, among them Waggener’s wife, Press of Kansas, 2016), 228. OPWW anything is doing so without my
53. Paul Waggener, It’s Not Enough: Were- Marla Rosa Waggener, who does some of the 84. Jack Donovan, “Violence is Golden,” knowledge or blessing.”
wolf Elite Program Dispatch #001 (Lynchburg: artwork for Waggener’s products. Waggener Jack-Donovan.com, September 11, 2010, 97. Paul Waggenerm, “Dignitas.” Operation
Amazon CreatSpace, 2018), 13. says that the first time in they met in Chey- https://archive.vn/13Rr1. Werewolf War Journal, June 24, 2020, https://
54. Paul Waggener Instagram Post, Decem- enne, Wyoming, they discussed “eugenics 85. Paul Waggener, “Your Relationship With archive.vn/zvMNZ.
ber 3, 2019, https://www.instagram.com/p/ and overpopulation.” Paul Waggener and Jus- Violence,” Operation Werewolf War Journal, 98. Paul Waggener Instagram Post, Au-
B5nCS1wHRqj/. tin Garcia, ““TPP 263: HOUR OF THE WOLF April 29, 2016, operationwerewolf.com/ gust 12, instagram.com/p/CDynvs7ndtt/;
55. “Deplatformed Yet Again – New In- - PAUL WAGGENER RETURNS,” YouTube, war-journal/2016/04/29/your-relation- “Virtuous Circle Artist Collective,” pri-
structions For Those Who Wish To Regis- May 30, 2019, RT: 1:12:34, YouTube.com/ ship-with-violence/; Paul Waggener, “Go vate Facebook group, facebook.com/
ter,” Werewolf Elite Forums, September 30, watch?v=Uzpl9jonJP0&feature=emb_title. Fight!,” Iron and Blood, Issue 2: 7-10; Paul groups/295023561605459. The Group de-
2020, operationwerewolf.com/forums/top- 66. Operative 413, “Testosterone,” Op- Waggener, “Operation Werewolf - Antifa, scribes itself as a “shadowy cabal of under-
ic/2020/09/30/deplatformed-yet-again-new- eration Werewolf War Journal, December 16, The Joker, and Ancestry,” YouTube, October ground creatives working together to remake
instructions-for-those-who-wish-to-register/. 2018, operationwerewolf.com/war-jour- 18, 2019, RT: 14:41, www.YouTube.com/ the world in their own image.”
56. Operation Werewolf Telegram post, Feb- nal/2018/12/16/testosterone/; Paul Waggen- watch?v=4ZJZp6C2pcY.
ruary 4, 2020, https://t.me/operationwere- er, “Operation Werewolf: Steroids,” YouTube, 86. Paul Waggener, “Equalizers - Utilizing
wolfofficial/18. October 25, 2019, RT: 24:36, https://www. Improvised Weapons,” Iron and Blood, Issue
57. “Operation Werewolf War Effort,” Indi- YouTube.com/watch?v=jQkXCPJ3avw&t. 1: 13-14.
egogo, https://archive.vn/z8MNl. 67. Paul Waggener, “Operation Werewolf: 87. Paul Waggener, “Might Over Rights,”
58. Paul Waggener, Master Log (Lynch- Steroids,” YouTube, October 25, 2019, Iron and Blood, Issue 2: 16.
burg: CreateSpace Independent Publishing RT: 24:37, https://www.YouTube.com/ 88. Paul Waggener, “The Black Signal
Platform), https://archive.vn/SfoSB; Paul watch?v=jQkXCPJ3avw&t. – Episode 1,” YouTube, November 24,
Waggener, The Inner Circle (Lynchburg: 68. Ibid. 2018, 29:00, https://www.YouTube.com/
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Plat- 69. Ibid. watch?v=RX73kJJUYME; Luke O’Brien and
form, 2018), https://archive.vn/ibsmj; Paul 70. Barbarian Brothers, “Barbarian Broth- Christopher Mathias, “The Maniac Neo-Nazis
Waggener, Operation Werewolf: The Com- ers - Prison Sex and Fried Chicken,” YouTube, Keeping Charles Manson’s Race War Alive,”
plete Transmissions (Lynchburg: CreateSpace November 29, 2019, 23:39, YouTube.com/ Huffington Post, November 21, 2017, https://
Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), watch?v=aoKNQGxN2zs; Paul Waggener www.huffpost.com/entry/alt-right-charles-
https://archive.vn/HOMLF; Paul Waggener, email to John Jacobs, May 23, 2020; Brian manson-atomwaffen_n_5a146921e4b03dec
Operation Werewolf: The Complete Transmis- Komleske email to John Jacobs, May 27, 824892e6. It should be noted that they do not
sions vol. 2 (Lynchburg: CreateSpace Indepen- 2020. Paul Waggener, “Operation Were- share the aggressive “race war” mentality that

FALL 2020 Political Research Associates • 35

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1310 BROADWAY, SUITE 201
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The Art of Activism:

An Interview with cover artist Shea Justice
2020 has been a turbulent and destabilizing year. Your work reflects
particularly salient themes for our current moment. How has this year
impacted your art?
2020 has validated many things reflected in my art over the years.
The drift towards fascism, the backlash against civil rights for women
and African Americans and LGBTQ rights and other targeted groups.
America was never created based on equal rights for all of its citizens
and the backlash has been a tradition almost as old as the country
itself.

As of November 2020, we’ve already seen the largest civil rights

movement in our country’s history occur over the past six months. What
are some of the images from this incredible movement that you want to
live on in our memories?
The death of George Floyd by the cop. There are so many others
in terms of protests, mask wearing, police assault on peaceful
protesters, that it’s hard to choose. All of it should live on in our
memories about the era and the president we are living under.
The overriding question being, “What country are we?” and “What
George Floyd (2020), Shea Justice country do we want to be?” Clearly, from this election, we are
divided on this question.

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