I had vaguely heard of the Oath Keepers or Elmer Steward Rhodes before the Jan6 insurrection. Same with Proud Boys, 3%ers, Boogaloo or other pseudo military militia groups. I knew we had pockets in Idaho and the south where there were anti government groups. I underestimated the Neo Nazi and White Supremacist followings. I looked online to see how many there are and Wikipedia listed 43. The common threat is they are anti government control.
Frankly they make me much more wary than our government. They are armed and unpredictable. They have some warped story running in their minds that they are here to save our country from a certain type of citizen not like them. They recruit and radicalize fringe members of society who are easily manipulated. They disguise their motive in flag waving and Bible thumping. And we have clear evidence of members of Congress and state government leadership who are on their side, support their cause, hold them up as Patriots. I am having trouble processing what these people want as the end result and who they are willing to destroy to get there.
I will celebrate the true patriots who gave their lives to defend our country and way of life even if they didn't always agree with our leadership or if they didn't agree with the cause they were sent to fight. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
May 29, 2023·edited May 29, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Thanks, Steve, for this thoughtful piece. I am playing my tiny violin for Rhodes and his ilk. When we shed the absurd deference for all things military many have come to embrace - another feature of authoritarianism - and focus on the true examples of sacrifice and service, we will have made progress.
We do have SCOTUS justices with wisdom and honesty, just not enough of them. It of course should be 9, but that it isn't even a majority is a travesty.
While I applaud this sentence, I and millions of other Americans STILL await the indictment and trial of the "Insurrectionist-in-Chief" who continues to walk free and even promises to grant Rhodes and other convicted traitors pardons if he is elected. When will this nightmare end?
I think it will end when justice is laid upon those that want to see our country in ashes. Only after these courtroom successes have been achieved will the rest of us breath a sigh of relief and begin the other slow, painful process of forgiveness and reconciliation.
I’m with Judge Mehta. I will hold my breath next election cycle. At least, I hope the Capitol will be protected - all seats of government should be protected this time and any inklings from the terrorists have to taken seriously.
While Mr. Rhodes may be behind bars, there are (horrifyingly enough), many thousands more like him who have yet to be jailed, including (as you noted) a certain Orange leader..........
May 29, 2023·edited May 29, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Sometimes after a Judge Mehta of this country hands down justice as he so correctly did..it is often in prison where that justice is really felt..Where Rhodes is going, there will likely be criminals of many stripes serving their sentences, including murder..Criminals perhaps but Americans nonetheless, not traitors to the republic..
It is my understanding that inside, rapists and abusers of women and children are not received well, as many there are husbands and parents..I’m curious to see how traitors are..
Here we are again Jack, continuing our conversations..I’m pleased to be back with you..and I’m grateful for your subscription to Photos And Other Things..if you looked at the about section you see that I put it out in fits and starts..America America it is not..
The Rhodes of the world are not operating “within the acceptable perimeters of humanness”. They can’t, because they are rotted from within with hate, anger, racism, fear and cowardice..they lack love, respect, compassion and forgiveness for themselves..Therefore are unable to generate any of it for others..
Your feeling shame for allowing such extreme thoughts of punishment for Rhodes to swirl about in your head one might say is your healthy sense of humanity at work..It is my belief that you needn’t feel shame..You and Rhodes are nothing alike..Your thoughts in that moment were a product of the compassion you have for the victims at the hands of Rhodes et al..The repugnant example of the dark underbelly of our society demonstrated in Rhodes is deserving of the same he would wish for you, me or anyone he opposes..I have gone to places in my mind I dare not share on this platform..and when I do, I speak only in metaphor, and that seems lacking..
For one to understand what justice is to someone who has personally been on the receiving end of one’s cruelty and horrific actions is impossible..We as observers can only empathize and be grateful we were spared..To bare witness from afar is one thing, to have evil laid upon us..not the same thing..
I responded to something on The Warning with Steve Schmidt a while back that seems apt to close my end of this juncture of our conversation with:
There came a point where Lincoln knew that the efforts deploying reason and civility were no longer going to work..He took the necessary action to protect the Republic..We are being systematically attacked from within..When will the necessary actions be taken to crush this?
Steven, I am grateful for your eloquent words of moral clarity on Memorial Day. These vicious seditionists dishonor and destroy what our true soldiers and true patriots fought and died to protect.
Quite appropriate words for this most meaningful holiday by you and the Judge.
A simple yet meaningful analogy was once told to me by a wise man, that suits Trump’s part in motivating the Oath Keepers action before, on and after January 6th namely, “The fish stinks from the head down“
Judge Mehta’s eloquent exigesis of the case against these subversives was and is what we’ve needed.
Thank you. The thoughtful writing here is brilliant and encouraging.
Thank you, Bob.
Ummm what about Gosar trump and the rest of the CONGRESSIONAL SEDITIONISTS?
I had vaguely heard of the Oath Keepers or Elmer Steward Rhodes before the Jan6 insurrection. Same with Proud Boys, 3%ers, Boogaloo or other pseudo military militia groups. I knew we had pockets in Idaho and the south where there were anti government groups. I underestimated the Neo Nazi and White Supremacist followings. I looked online to see how many there are and Wikipedia listed 43. The common threat is they are anti government control.
Frankly they make me much more wary than our government. They are armed and unpredictable. They have some warped story running in their minds that they are here to save our country from a certain type of citizen not like them. They recruit and radicalize fringe members of society who are easily manipulated. They disguise their motive in flag waving and Bible thumping. And we have clear evidence of members of Congress and state government leadership who are on their side, support their cause, hold them up as Patriots. I am having trouble processing what these people want as the end result and who they are willing to destroy to get there.
I will celebrate the true patriots who gave their lives to defend our country and way of life even if they didn't always agree with our leadership or if they didn't agree with the cause they were sent to fight. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Thanks, Steve, for this thoughtful piece. I am playing my tiny violin for Rhodes and his ilk. When we shed the absurd deference for all things military many have come to embrace - another feature of authoritarianism - and focus on the true examples of sacrifice and service, we will have made progress.
If only we had judges with wisdom and honesty like Judge Mehta on our Supreme Court.
Mr. Smith goes to Washington to put together the facts of "sir's" complicity in the January 6th duplicity. Well, Mr. Smith. Tick tock, tick tock.
We do have SCOTUS justices with wisdom and honesty, just not enough of them. It of course should be 9, but that it isn't even a majority is a travesty.
I simply cannot wrap my mind around these persons’ mindsets! Dangerous and deluded!
While I applaud this sentence, I and millions of other Americans STILL await the indictment and trial of the "Insurrectionist-in-Chief" who continues to walk free and even promises to grant Rhodes and other convicted traitors pardons if he is elected. When will this nightmare end?
I think it will end when justice is laid upon those that want to see our country in ashes. Only after these courtroom successes have been achieved will the rest of us breath a sigh of relief and begin the other slow, painful process of forgiveness and reconciliation.
The wheels of justice grind slow, and let them roll on. Looking at you, djt
And DeSantis promises to pardon many of these J6 thugs on Day 1 if he becomes President. A horrifying thought on many levels.
I’m with Judge Mehta. I will hold my breath next election cycle. At least, I hope the Capitol will be protected - all seats of government should be protected this time and any inklings from the terrorists have to taken seriously.
While Mr. Rhodes may be behind bars, there are (horrifyingly enough), many thousands more like him who have yet to be jailed, including (as you noted) a certain Orange leader..........
Sometimes after a Judge Mehta of this country hands down justice as he so correctly did..it is often in prison where that justice is really felt..Where Rhodes is going, there will likely be criminals of many stripes serving their sentences, including murder..Criminals perhaps but Americans nonetheless, not traitors to the republic..
It is my understanding that inside, rapists and abusers of women and children are not received well, as many there are husbands and parents..I’m curious to see how traitors are..
Here we are again Jack, continuing our conversations..I’m pleased to be back with you..and I’m grateful for your subscription to Photos And Other Things..if you looked at the about section you see that I put it out in fits and starts..America America it is not..
The Rhodes of the world are not operating “within the acceptable perimeters of humanness”. They can’t, because they are rotted from within with hate, anger, racism, fear and cowardice..they lack love, respect, compassion and forgiveness for themselves..Therefore are unable to generate any of it for others..
Your feeling shame for allowing such extreme thoughts of punishment for Rhodes to swirl about in your head one might say is your healthy sense of humanity at work..It is my belief that you needn’t feel shame..You and Rhodes are nothing alike..Your thoughts in that moment were a product of the compassion you have for the victims at the hands of Rhodes et al..The repugnant example of the dark underbelly of our society demonstrated in Rhodes is deserving of the same he would wish for you, me or anyone he opposes..I have gone to places in my mind I dare not share on this platform..and when I do, I speak only in metaphor, and that seems lacking..
For one to understand what justice is to someone who has personally been on the receiving end of one’s cruelty and horrific actions is impossible..We as observers can only empathize and be grateful we were spared..To bare witness from afar is one thing, to have evil laid upon us..not the same thing..
I responded to something on The Warning with Steve Schmidt a while back that seems apt to close my end of this juncture of our conversation with:
There came a point where Lincoln knew that the efforts deploying reason and civility were no longer going to work..He took the necessary action to protect the Republic..We are being systematically attacked from within..When will the necessary actions be taken to crush this?
Thanks, Jack..I appreciate you..
Steven, I am grateful for your eloquent words of moral clarity on Memorial Day. These vicious seditionists dishonor and destroy what our true soldiers and true patriots fought and died to protect.
Thank you, Deborah.
Quite appropriate words for this most meaningful holiday by you and the Judge.
A simple yet meaningful analogy was once told to me by a wise man, that suits Trump’s part in motivating the Oath Keepers action before, on and after January 6th namely, “The fish stinks from the head down“
Well said and well written. Thank you.🐼❤️
Thank you, Billie.