Customer Reviews

Militia Movement in America

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This book tries to be a good introduction for young people to the anti-government militia groups. It would be if it weren't for some large flaws in it. One MAJOR drawback is when it inexcusably ties legitimate dissent with the government to virulent, violent anti-government groups. It is still an American right to not like government policies and for the book to link this with those who were responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing is irresponsible at best and subversive to the U.S. Constitution at worst (I believe the Constitution mentions something about citizens being able to petition the government about grievances). Also the book tries to "chill" free speech by quoting out of context talk radio icons Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy (neither one of them were advocating violent rebellion if the author took the time to read the COMPLETE transcripts of their shows that is quoted). The book attacks the NRA for daring to support 2nd Amendment rights and being critical of Federal agents who overstep their bounds. The tome doesn't stop there, though. The book goes on to imply that the GOP in Congress shares blame for the Oklahoma City bombing because of their anti-bureacracy rhetoric. According to the book, dissent IN THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF BY MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT is tied to violent militia groups and gives these groups encouragement. An impressionable young person reading this will come away with the idea that all dissent by citizens, all protesting government policy, and all political debate on the size of government are all evil because it leads people (ie militia types) to commit violence. I only hope that the young people this book is aimed at does more reading on their own so they will realize that they too can disagree with the government and agitate for change without being lumped together with violent groups. Agitation and disagreement with the government is a FUNDAMENTAL American freedom and it shouldn't be thrown away.

This is an excellent brief history of the events leading up to and just after Oklahoma City. The negative reviews citing lack of balance seem to be pretty one-sided. She doesn't equate speech with violence, but rather points out where calls for violence have been made. As to balance, I noted that the facts of the case against Randy Weaver are straightforward and his eventual acquittal is there, along with his ties to Christian Identity and Aryan Nation groups.

McVeigh's interest in the Turner Diaries is mentioned as is the media followup. The reaction of militia groups is said to largely be one of condemnation, but she does point out those, who like fellow reviewers here, blame the government for the bombing. Somehow the slaughter was regrettable, but inevitable to them.

A kid today, trying to understand the more outrageous of the Tea Party types, with their AK-47s and racist signs, would find plenty here to put that in context. They would also be able to see a clear line between which messages fed McVeigh's destructive instincts.

When you consider this might be the ONLY book in their school library to counter the distorted and hate-filled propaganda they may encounter on the web, it makes this book all the more important.

All that said, it is dense reading for 5th and 6th grade. At that level, it is a serious nonfiction slog for a kid expecting a simplistic message.

This book is clearly bias toward the far left. The author has grouped normal patriotic people and organizations with violent racists and extremists. This is the process of linkage which is used for people's (in this case, the author's) political agenda. The author seems to believe that anyone who owns firearms, opposes liberals, opposes government wrongdoing, and wants smaller government is somehow to blame for the actions of a few exremists. By the time I was done with this book, I was enraged to say the least. It is really a shame that our youth has to be subjected to this...

The OKC BOMBING was the result of extreme hatred created by a series of events. The murder of Randy Weaver's wife and son, WACO, and most important, the destruction of Iraqi by American smart bombs. Nichols and Mcveigh acquired the materials taking almost six months. John Doe 2 an Iraqi, built the bomb in an old white truck (later transferred to a Ryder) with the help of an Islamic Jihad terrorists cell from the Middle East and concealed by local jihad in OKC. Killing children was the plan for John Doe 2. His hatred was uncontrolable. I was a witness to the events surrounding the bombing. There were Americans that hated the Federal Government that wanted to destroy the Murrah Building. The Iraqi's actually did the job with a truck driven by Tim Mcveigh.