Top Oath Keeper Says Active-Duty Cops Are Training Militia Members for Civil War

[UpInArms]

The far-right paramilitary the Oath Keepers is home to active-duty law-enforcement officers who are training up other members to prepare for civil war, according to one of the group’s top figures. CBS News’ 60 Minutes profiled the the increasingly notorious militia on Sunday night, and one of its leaders from Arizona, Jim Arroyo, spoke openly about the close involvement of police officers. “Our guys are very experienced,” said Arroyo. “We have active-duty law enforcement in our organization that are helping to train us. We can blend in with our law enforcement and in fact, in a lot of cases, our training is much more advanced because of our military backgrounds.” Arroyo’s statement was backed up by Javed Ali, an ex-National Security Council senior director and FBI counterterrorism official, who said the Oath Keepers are a “unique and challenging” threat to the U.S. because a “large percentage have tactical training and operational experience in either the military or law enforcement. That at least gives them a capability that a lot of other people in this far-right space don't have.” Dozens of members have been implicated in the storming of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/oath-keeper-jim-arroyo-says-active-duty-cops-are-training-militia-members-for-civil-war

[NCDem47]

1. My takeaway:

On Oath Keepers in general:

They're only intrested in upholding the second amendment to the constitution and not much else.

The constitution to these guys is like the bible. They only support THEIR interpretation of it!

About cops and military infiltartion:

racists Toxic masculinity. We all know that type. Yuck.

[samplegirl]

8. That guy should be

Indicted. Wouldnt interview either with 60 min.

[StarfishSaver]

10. IT goes FAR beyond the Second Amendment

For them, the Second Amendment is the primary tool for maintaining white supremacy.

[HUAJIAO]

17. Wasn't that part of the reason for the 2nd A anyway?

[Claire Oh Nette]

38. Yep.

in the 1700s, the Colonies turned states occupied land from the coast to the peak of the Appalachians.

A well regulated militia being necessary for a free state, the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.

OK, let's look. The colonial leaders needed armed patrol to fight off the Indians. Militias were paid to fight Indians at the edge of the frontier to keep colonists safe. THey wer border patrol for those whose land we stole.

To gain southern support for the Constitution, the authors allowed Fugitive Slave Patrols to cross state lines to retrieve runaway "property." They called these groups militias.

The 2nd amendment says fuck all about self defense, about protecting one's family, about standing your ground. The Founders knew the dangers of a standing army, and did not want one. Regulated Militia meant well-disciplined, drilled, trained. We've got real militia, and we've got a standing army. If you want firearms outside of hunting rifles and shot guns, enlist.

The idea that all males 18-45 make up an unorganized militia, per a ruling at the turn of the last century, seems to line up with all men being eligible for the draft, to serve in the military. We no longer have a draft, so I'd revisit that law. I think, too calling the Proud Boys and others like them Militias gives them more credence than they deserve. They report to no one. They have no civilian leadership, like the Guard. They are not Militias, but armed white gangs. They are actively trying to overthrow the government and terrorize civilians.

Frankly, Black people need to buy up ARs and march peacefully with them, like they did in the 60s when Reagan was governor of California. Watch how fast gun laws get changed.

It's irrational, the attachment to the 2nd Amendment. It's irrational, the fear of a Black planet. It's irrational to criminalize the symptoms of poverty then do nothing to alleviate poverty, and the despair and desperation that comes with it. Toxic white superiority combined with toxic masculinity, brought to you by clearly inferior people insecure in their own masculinity.

[wnylib]

23. They uphold the 2nd amendment in order to

keep their paramilitary units armed for insurrection and civil war. That's what is behind the no permit law in Texas and the strong RW opposition to any kind of gun regulation.

[gab13by13]

2. My takeaway,

a lot of cops are racist Nazis; a lot.

[mucifer]

4. Yup. It's always been that way. Now there are cell phone videos and police body camera videos

to prove they lie A LOT.

[Tommymac]

55. It's a feature not a bug. nt

[NullTuples]

59. Oath Keepers has alliances with the Constitutional Sheriffs And Peace Officers Association

Who, in turn believe they are the only legitimate source of law in America.

You can easily identify them by their refusal to enforce COVID restrictions.

They also have connections to the Proud Boys.

[Qutzupalotl]

60. The occupation attracts authoritarian types

and these tend to have affinity for Nazis.

[TwilightZone]

3. Delusions of grandeur.

There are few groups of people more detached from reality than the "my gunz are gonna protect me from the US military" crew.

I think they're up there with the Q-Anon followers, and I'm not convinced that a significant chunk of the latter aren't just playing along to "own the libs".

[Best_man23]

5. They need to start routine and regular background investigations on cops

To the same level they do with anyone serving in military and government where the handling of classified data is required.

I know the primary focus of Biden's administration has been the Covid response, but they need to start getting on top of this now.

[CrispyQ]

19. Every officer in every police department needs to be re-vetted.

And we need better vetting & training in the future. And yes, we need to start now.



This is shameful. A hair stylist gets more training than a police officer. WTF?

[CanonRay]

21. The one thing they train on all the time is firearms

What does that choice tell you?

[Straw Man]

39. Cops? Not even close.

Police firearms training is minimal at best and non-existent at worst.

[CanonRay]

40. They have to qualify once a quarter

and most of them that I have known enjoy the range

[Straw Man]

41. Maybe where you live.

Many departments require qualification only once or twice a year. And qualification is not the same thing as training. Most cops can pass their qualifications with little or no practice, much less additional training.

[ProfessorGAC]

56. Twice A Year, Here

Municipal, county & state.
And, in some small communities, qualification is sometimes a test, not range qualifying.
Now, it's likely the go practice at the range much more often, but that's not qualifying.

[SergeStorms]

20. Hard psychiatric screening is needed.

There are many LEOs who want to be in law enforcement so they can rough up and possibly kill someone. That's it. That's the ONLY reason they want the job. Those people need to be removed from the ranks of LEOs.

[wnylib]

24. Totally agree. The insurrectionist threat

did not end on Jan 6.

[Miguelito Loveless]

6. The body law enforcement

is riddled with a fascist cancer that must be excised if the body democracy is to survive.

[dalton99a]

7. Cops who help overthrow the government that pays them should be summarily terminated.

[StarfishSaver]

9. But let's keep insisting on giving cops who shoot Black and Brown people the benefit of the doubt

[SharonClark]

13. And pass legislation giving them immunity when they break the law,

as had been done in several GQP states.

[SergeStorms]

42. A blanket statement...

that's the same as right-wingers saying any kid out on the streets after 12:00 am on a school night is a criminal. Come on, we can do better than that.

Each case is different and should be judged as such. Are there too many shootings of Black and Brown people for no reason? Absolutely, but not all cases are as open and shut as you seem to think. I don't know of anyone here on DU that espouses all Cops be given the benefit of the doubt in all cases. If there are any I'd be pleased as punch if you pointed them out, then I'll join you in berating them, OK?

[StarfishSaver]

44. Which case is separate but cannot be viewed in a vacuum

A common tactic of right wingers and racists is to try to draw attention from the big picture so that no one recognizes the pattern and they can try to explain away each instance with specific and often contradictory justifications.

"Sure - I know that racism exists but not in this individual case. If he'd only complied he wouldn't have gotten shot."

" Sure - I know that racism exists but I don't see it in THIS specific case. If he had complied more quickly, he wouldn't have gotten shot."

"Sure - I know that racism exists but I don't see it in THIS specific case. If he hadn't put up his hands so fast, he wouldn't have gotten shot."

"Sure - I know that racism exists, but I don't see it in THIS specific case. If he hadn't been out at 2:00 in the morning, he wouldn't have gotten shot."

"Sure - I know that racism exists, but I don't see it in THIS specific case. If she hadn't previously dated a drug dealer, she wouldn't have been shot in her bed at 2:00 in the morning."

"Sure - I know that racism exists, but I don't see it in THIS specific case. If he hadn't tried to pass a counterfeit bill in the middle of the afternoon, he wouldn't have gotten crushed to death."

It's unfortunate to see so many Democrats fall into that trap and engage in exactly the same tactic.

[SergeStorms]

46. You've changed the subject.

Now you're talking about racism. It seems to me you're the one adopting the traits of right-wingers. Blanket statements have no place on the right or the left. There are exceptions to every "rule". This is why no one can come together on any subject anymore. Not every Cop is a murderer. Not every Democrat is liberal. Not every Republican is a fascist.
I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to reach you on this, or any other point. So you go your way, I'll go mine, and we probably won't bump into each other again. Good luck with your intransigence.

[StarfishSaver]

47. Lol

What a crazy idea to bring up racism playing a role in the disproportionate number of killings of minorities by police officers in a thread about cops who are members of a racist militia organization

[uponit7771]

52. They have blanket immunity, remove that and your position is closer to correct

[uponit7771]

51. +1,

[Captain Zero]

11. Line them up.

They are traitors.

[RKP5637]

12. Does anyone seriously really trust cops. FFS, my sister was dating one years ago, she was

in the kitchen and overheard them in the living room discussing how they could/might rob a bank and what to do. Needless to say that relationship ended. There are good ones too, but the bad ones overshadow the others.

[CrispyQ]

22. If the good ones don't speak out how do we know that they're good?

When I was young & single I had one rule: never date a cop.

[TxGuitar]

36. Are there good ones?

[SergeStorms]

43. Yes, there are.

They just don't get the ink like the bad ones do.

[SunImp]

50. Most cops seem to be scum, but there are a few decent ones

1. Stephen Mader — The Cop Who Wouldn’t Kill A Suicidal Man In Distress
2. Cariol Horne Tried To Stop A Fellow Officer Who Placed A Chokehold on a Handcuffed Suspect
3. Justin Hanners Fired For Speaking Out Against Illegal Quotas

https://mfranciswrites.medium.com/5-good-cops-that-got-fired-for-being-good-7637c4b61a84

Acabs though

[uponit7771]

53. Yes, my understanding there is NO REAL SYSTEM to speak out when things go south

[RKP5637]

57. A very wise rule!!! n/t

[TxVietVet]

14. These reich wing nut jobs

Belong to groups whose ideology and identity is usually fascist, kkklucker, like militias.

They believe in a sick version of the Constitution.

The protections in their “constitution” only protect them.

They are conservanazi scum.

[roamer65]

15. There are a lot of FBI informants in that group.

A lot.

[Trust_Reality]

34. Oh that's good news!

[Butterflylady]

16. No matter how much training the receive

Coming up against the US military, they would be squashed like bugs. They are little boys trying to play soldiers.

[hadEnuf]

25. The US military is riddled with these Oath Keepers.

Oath Keepers are known for recruiting at the gates of military bases.

[Johnny2X2X]

18. This domestic terrorist group needs to be dissolved

Label them what they are, a terrorist organization, and deal with them the same as if you found a huge ISIS cell in the US. In many ways, they're more dangerous than ISIS.

[Ford_Prefect]

29. You'll need to interrupt the link between Koch industries and the Oath Keepers.

The one has financed and helped organize the expansion of the other along with forging links to fraternal police organizations nation-wide. The militarization was formalized under Bush-Cheney when "surplus" military hardware was sold at generous discounts to local law enforcement. There were also training workshops on crowd management and anti-terror tactics to use against those who resist government authority. Surely you recall the display of equipment, tactical gear, and firepower during the hunt for the Boston Marathon bomber?

The plan to radicalize local and regional police has been underway since Reagan-Bush. It is one arm of a carefully crafted plan to subvert civilian authority to the greater good of the RW oligarchy.

[jalan48]

31. +1

The Oath Keepers appeared at oil pipeline demonstrations in North Dakota a few years ago in support of the fossil fuel industry. They are a par-military organization being utilized by giant corporations if needed, to protect the corporation's interests. They are about much more than white supremacy.

[uponit7771]

54. +1,

[hadEnuf]

26. These Oath Keepers and others like them need to be rooted out of civilian police and

Federal / Military organizations. They are like organized crime and have their tentacles in many, many places.

We need to take an approach like what was done in the 1920's and 30's with the gangsters. We need people known to be loyal to the US government and give them the tools and resources to back them up to eradicate these treasonous bastards and their insurrectionist organizations.

[bringthePaine]

27. these are enemies of the US, and must be treated as such, PROSECUTE as ANTI-TERROR

[Trust_Reality]

35. Prosecute. Yes.

[McKim]

28. Grateful for this Very Important Post

I am grateful for this very important post at DU today. It is important that we all understand how our police have been infiltrated by far right interests. Unfortunately we trained many of these in our Forever Wars. As we used to say in the 1970s this is "Bringing the War Home". These are the unintended consequences of having a massive military industrial complex. Again, so grateful for this post. I am not a cop hater but we need a realistic look at what some police are like.

[bucolic_frolic]

30. Bolsheviks succeeded when parts of the military sided with them

leaving only officers and inherited officers loyal to the former government and moderates.

We should be very concerned about this. Congress must find out where and how top military will handle this.

[2naSalit]

32. +1

They will need to deal with brass who support this menace early on.

[BobTheSubgenius]

33. What the hell kind of insane fantasy is this?

Do they have hundreds of thousands of fully-committed, well-armed "soldiers," or a bunch of cosplayers getting out of the basement between marathon sessions of Call Of Duty? If it actually became a shooting war, how many of their "comrades" being shot literally to pieces right next to them is going to make them break and run?

They don't seem to grasp that the government has armoured vehicles that shoot real bullets and real cannons, and helicopter gunships that can handle a whole convoy of these idiots by themselves?

They may have members scattered here and there in police forces and in the military, but I'd be willing to wager than the vast majority of police and military are committed to the idea of America, the rule of law and the oaths they took to defend them. The big advantage the OK have had to date is that the authorities are handling these situations with gloves on, and are trying to minimize confrontation and damage. In an actual, all-out firefight, I'd give these "militias" a life expectancy of under half an hour.

"Arroyo" means "dry gulch," more or less, and that seems like a pretty apt handle for the OK's leader/loon in chief.

[Mr.Bill]

48. Any cop with two brain cells to rub together

knows damn well that in an all-out war with the citizens, the cops lose big time. We outnumber them thousands to one.

[marieo1]

37. Just a lot of BULLIES

My opinion: Proud Boys and their associates. This group has appealed to all the bullies in the USA. They no more follow the constitution than my dog does.......All theY do is throw their weight around and run everyone else's life. They all should be rounded up and sent to prison. They are a bunch of very dangerous bullies. All my life I've known bullies and these are just like them. These so called 'proud boys' have done nothing to be proud of, they are control freaks and now they have attracted all the bullies from all over our country. I have known people that want to get into law enforcement, and most of them, (not all) are class act bullies. They don't do it because they want to protect all of us and make our country safer, they do it so they can prove how tough and strong they are, they are NOT nice, they don't give a hoot about our opinions or welfare, they just want all of us to bow down and obey them. And, of course, they are ALL right wingers and gun toters.

[Harker]

45. They thought they took an oath to 'suspend' the Constitution.

Probably heard it wrong.

[rockfordfile]

49. Then they should be arrested

[Progressive Jones]

58. This dude just painted targets on his entire monkey militia. LMAO! nt