Star Member UpInArms (49,444 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215351280
Top Oath Keeper Says Active-Duty Cops Are Training Militia Members for Civil War
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
The Oath Keepers and Arroyo don't have a very good reputation with real military and LEOs...
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=112769Last night – Sunday 18 April 2021 – the show “60 Minutes” had as their lead story a segment on Oath Keepers.
They stated how prominently that the Oath Keepers were involved in the Capitol riots on January 6th and how people may not know that much about them. They promoted the group as a well-organized, well-trained paramilitary militia made up of ex-military and ex-law enforcement.
They mentioned Jessica Watkins but failed to mention she served as a man. We wrote about her here.
They also featured and interviewed James Arroyo, who we wrote about here.James Arroyo – Another embellishing Oath Keeper.
Dave Hardin | December 28, 2018
Jim repeatedly says that he was a US Army Ranger.
Then, several articles appearing in print highlight Jim’s involvement with the Iran Hostage Rescue team – Operation Eagle Claw.
The problem is that Jim wrote to the Special Forces Association (SFA) and all but admitted he wasn’t a Ranger because he did not finish the school due to an injury. He also talks about the Iran Rescue Mission but in the SFA’s response, they state that parts of the support mission were not executed. (NOTE: The DD-214 was supplied by Jim Arroyo, so we cannot speak to its accuracy.)
[notice, there is no Ranger School accredited to Arroyo] There were no real surprises with the NPRC response when they supplied his military records…
I guess these kinds of embellishments play well to civilians and the dull-witted. I have lost count of how many Oath Keepers we have posted for this kind of nonsense. I have also lost count of how many times I have had to explain to some civilian the difference between actually being a tabbed Ranger and simply someone that was assigned to a Ranger Battalion.
If little Jimmy here was injured during his training to become a Ranger he should not be giving people the impression that he actually was one. He served during a time when most people wouldn’t, he made it through jump school and was assigned to a Ranger Battalion. For a kid that only served a little over a year on active duty that is more than enough to be proud of.
Insofar as his super secret Iran hostage missions…um…nah it didn’t happen and even if it did he would have been a Private in a support role. It seems he has become a legend in his own mind but to those of us who served more than a year or so, being back up in a support role does not make us Rangers. I understand those few weeks of his life are special to him and they should be, he just needs to relax and have a Snickers.
There used to be a guy around here that called this kind of clown a “Five Jump Chump”. Private Arroyo might want to stop telling people he was a Ranger. All he gets from actual Rangers is a yawn and an eye roll when he does that nonsense. He could try something like, “I was injured and medically retired while training to become an Army Ranger.”His career starts like mine did- Basic and AIT, Jump School then off to Hunter Army Airfield with A/1/75, waiting for a school slot. Except, I got one- went, and graduated from it. Arroyo was injured and medical'd out. Hey shit happens.
Star Member samplegirl (8,183 posts)
8. That guy should be
Indicted. Wouldnt interview either with 60 min.
Star Member StarfishSaver (14,434 posts)
10. IT goes FAR beyond the Second Amendment
For them, the Second Amendment is the primary tool for maintaining white supremacy.
uh... Arroyo is hispanic...
Claire Oh Nette (1,314 posts)
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 **** 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.
Star Member gab13by13 (3,103 posts)
2. My takeaway,
a lot of cops are racist Nazis; a lot.
Star Member CanonRay (11,690 posts)
21. The one thing they train on all the time is firearms
What does that choice tell you?
Star Member Straw Man (5,541 posts)
39. Cops? Not even close.
Police firearms training is minimal at best and non-existent at worst.
At the Academy, weapons qualification was two full weeks, 9 hours each day on the ranges. We shot 1000 rounds of pistol, 500 Patrol Rifle and 200 shotgun rounds... just to move to qualify. Then add several more weeks of firearm drills and situational drill...
Plus, once out with the Department we did once a month shooing refreshers, requalified every six months. Short of weapons training we were not.
Another leftist dumb**** who thinks they know shit.
Star Member Straw Man (5,541 posts)
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.
Star Member Miguelito Loveless (3,318 posts)
6. The body law enforcement
is riddled with a fascist cancer that must be excised if the body democracy is to survive.
Star Member dalton99a (60,713 posts)
7. Cops who help overthrow the government that pays them should be summarily terminated.
Star Member StarfishSaver (14,434 posts)
9. But let's keep insisting on giving cops who shoot Black and Brown people the benefit of the doubt
Star Member SergeStorms (10,782 posts)
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?
Star Member StarfishSaver (14,434 posts)
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.
Captain Zero (3,059 posts)
11. Line them up.
They are traitors.
Star Member RKP5637 (60,847 posts)
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.
Star Member TxGuitar (3,231 posts)
36. Are there good ones?
Star Member TxVietVet (1,854 posts)
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.
Star Member Butterflylady (2,309 posts)
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 so.ldiers
hadEnuf (720 posts)
25. The US military is riddled with these Oath Keepers.
Oath Keepers are known for recruiting at the gates of military bases.
Johnny2X2X (10,482 posts)
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.
Kinda like BLM?
hadEnuf (720 posts)
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.
bucolic_frolic (23,981 posts)
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.
BobTheSubgenius (8,546 posts)
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.
rockfordfile (6,505 posts)
49. Then they should be arrested
