Controversial former militia leader responds to Hutaree arrests

Mike Vanderboegh, a 57 year old Alabama man raised in Michigan and described by the Washington Post as a “former militiaman,” has been at the center of controversy lately after calling on Americans to smash out the windows of Democratic offices with bricks in retaliation for the passage of the health care reform bill — a call answered by many around the country.

On his blog last night, Vanderboegh responded to the FBI raids on the Christian Hutaree militia in southeast Michigan in a series of posts. In one post, he said that militia leaders had sent out “muster alerts” to “units all over the country, and people are getting ready and awaiting further word.”

Vanderboegh, who has close connections with the militia movement in Michigan and all over the country, was critical of the Hutaree, saying that they “have indicated in the past that, much like John Brown, they WANTED to start a civil war, which is why no responsible militia group in Michigan was willing to ally with them.”

But he also warned the government that this action could spark a full-scale civil war with the entire militia movement:

“But here’s the deal, Feds. If you kill anyone or burn somebody’s house or church down with them inside, you will have started a civil war, no matter how despicable the Hutaree are, or how crazy, or how provocative. If that happens, there will be NOTHING responsible leaders of the constitutional militia movement will be able to do from our side to stop it. You will have crossed the Rubicon.”

In a later post, after he had received more information, he said, “The Hutaree, who by their previous nuttery over the past two years set themselves up as low-hanging fruits — wannabe John Browns with a persecution complex — made a perfect target.” He reiterated that the feds were “lucky” that no shots were fired because that would have sparked a full-scale war with other militias.

Vanderboegh also pointed out, as have several media outlets, that other militia groups in the area refused to help the Hutaree after calls were sent out to mobilize because, even in the militia movement, this particular group is viewed as radical and reckless. But he also criticized other Michigan militia groups for cooperating with the FBI in the raid. To what extent they actually cooperated is not clear.

In that later post, he also said that the initial call to other militias quickly fizzled as the facts became clear: “Some units mobilized at the first reports, but gradually stood down as the facts became clear,” he wrote.

In conclusion, Vanderboegh said that while a full scale war was averted this time, such a conflagration is inevitable — and gloated at the presumed outcome:

This could have been one hell of a lot worse than it was. Today we avoided the beginning of a civil war. I do not know how long we will be able to do that in the future, given Fed cowboy clumsiness, but the fact that we were the ones who did not take counsel of our fears — and who “put away childish things” and did not overreact — bodes well at least for ensuring that we don’t lose the moral high ground when the Feds, finally, in frustration at our refusal to submit to their diktats, open fire on us.

After that, it will be an open source insurgency using Fourth Generation Warfare.

And we WILL win.

It is clear from these comments that while the Hutaree may not have good relations with other militias and may be viewed askance by them, they are only one small part of a radical, paranoid, anti-government subculture in this country that is actively preparing, even hoping, for a civil war that they believe is inevitable.

Michigan, which in the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing became known as a hotbed of the militia movement, could well be ground zero in such a battle. All the more reason, then, for the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to keep a close eye on such organizations.