http://www.fbi.gov/pressrm/pressrel/militias.htm

"The FBI today issued the following statement to clarify the "USA Today" story titled "FBI: Militias a threat at millennium:"

For several years, the FBI has had a program of reaching out to militias and their members to explain the FBI's role in investigating violations of law and to stress open lines of communication with militia groups. This was done also to ensure the militias that there was no intent to deny anyone their constitutional rights nor was there a targeting of any militia groups who were otherwise engaged in legitimate, protected activity. The FBI realizes that the majority of militia members engage in and support law abiding activities. However, the FBI will investigate illegal activities coming within the purview of its investigative responsibilities. In fact, the FBI is fully cognizant of the fact that some militias have taken positive steps towards ridding themselves of violent extremist elements. It is these violent extremist elements that could be violating laws which could subject them to investigations by the FBI. Often, these extreme members will splinter from more established groups and engage in violence autonomously. These elements are often very small cells or lone actors. The contact with militia members has proven effective, in that the more mainstream militia groups have been helpful in identifying the more extremist elements of the militia who may resort to acts of violence.

"Project Megiddo" is the culmination of an FBI research initiative which analyzed the potential for extremist criminal activity in the U.S. by individuals or domestic groups who attach special significance to the year 2000. In an effort to educate investigators and officials in the law enforcement community about potential violence associated with or motivated by the arrival of the year 2000, the FBI conducted extensive research into the various ideologies and concepts which serve to motivate groups or individuals with violent agendas. Many extremists place significance on the next millennium, and may present challenges to law enforcement authorities. The significance is based primarily upon apocalyptic religious beliefs or political beliefs concerning the New World Order conspiracy theory. The report is intended to provide a clear, measured, and responsible picture of potential extremism motivated by the next millennium, and to increase awareness among law enforcement officials of the unique challenges that may be presented by extremists motivated by millennial agendas.

The study is being distributed to appropriate law enforcement personnel from around the country and provides an overview of various extremist ideologies, specifically those which advocate or call for violent action beginning in the year 2000. Such ideologies motivate violent white supremacists who seek to initiate a race war; apocalyptic cults which anticipate a violent Armageddon; radical elements of private citizen militias who fear that the United Nations will initiate an armed takeover of the United States and subsequently establish a One World Government; and other groups or individuals which promote violent millennial agendas. The report also discusses how extremists interpret biblical and/or other religious scriptures to justify their agendas, and how certain extremist elements point to the so-called Y2K computer crisis as an indicator of imminent social chaos and unrest.

In addition to addressing key millennial concepts and the ideological or religious motivations behind millennial extremism, Project Megiddo outlines a number of issues of which law enforcement officers should be cognizant, including indicators of potential violence, possible preparations for violence, and a general discussion of possible targets of millennial extremists. Law enforcement officials are encouraged to further educate themselves on the various issues discussed in the project."

-- (pshannon@inch.com), October 21, 1999

Answers

More millennial extremists: U.S. Senate Hearing on International Preparedness: What in the World Will Happen?
http:// www.senate.gov/~y2k/hearings/991013/

-- (lurker@looking4.links), October 21, 1999.

Welll - lookee here, all the key words and tricky phrases alright. Jus twainting to be re-released in press release from your ferderal government.

No evidence of ANY y2k-induced terror activity is planned, or has EVER been found(as admitted by Blitzer, head of the FBI's domestic terrorist group), but they continue in the propaganda campaign....almost as if he is scared of something NOT happening.

Because maybe then he would loose funding for his task force? Lose all the power invoked by "coordinating" other police agencies as ""head honcho" of the terrorist group?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 21, 1999.

Har-Magedon (or Armageddon). Lit., Mount of Megiddo, near the city of Megiddo at the head of the plain of Esdraelon.

Naming this outreach 'Project Meggido', seems like it would be inflammatory to these very same 'apocalyptic' groups. Weird choice of a name, imo.

-- Prophetess (infowars@yahoo.com), October 21, 1999.

Well. That is acceptable. The only problem is, now they have to get it to appear as promently as the USA Today article to do any good. Otherwise, the only thing that happened is the blame for the act of disinformation is shifted to the paper.

Keep your...

-- eyes_open (best@wishes.not), October 21, 1999.

Oh, BTW - the USA Today article that this refers to, for those who may have missed it, can be found here:

FBI: Militias a Threat at Millennium

-- (pshannon@inch.com), October 21, 1999.

This clarification from the FBI appears sensible to me. I'm a fan of Liberty and agree with most of what he says. I'm not a fan of Timothy McVeigh, nor of comet worshipping suicidal cult types that might pop up again for 2000. "Violent extremists" are simply loner psychopaths, but the FBI can't very well call them that in a formal press release.

Robert, I'm surprised at your reaction, you've always seemed sensible to me.

-- (not@now.com), October 21, 1999.

"...radical elements of private citizen militias who fear that the United Nations will initiate an armed takeover of the United States and subsequently establish a One World Government."

If you remove the word "militias" from the above, I think this would apply to several regulars on this forum, including Liberty. Does having such fears warrant surveillance? Are some of our regulars committing "thought crimes"?

..."and how certain extremist elements point to the so-called Y2K computer crisis as an indicator of imminent social chaos and unrest."

If you have ever considered that Y2K (the so-called computer crisis)could cause social unrest, the FBI is advising law enforcement that you are a potentially violent extremist who must be watched. How many posters on this forum fit that profile? Perhaps this is what some might find objectionable. Y2K, if more than a BITR, has the potential to cause social unrest. Just by saying that, I could be placed on a list of "millennial extremists" according to the FBI statement. Something is very wrong with this picture...

-- (RUOK@yesiam.com), October 21, 1999.

Oh, but kind sir, you ar eonly reading here what the FBI has summarized for your reading pleasure so eloquently for USA Today (and others.)

For months now (since one of his first interviews last Sept in the LA papers) Blitzer (and the FBI spokemen, and Koskinen, and Clinton, and Reno, and numerous other administration mouthpieces) has been the threat of terrorism. They uniform "pooh-pooh" actual breakdown, but leap on terrorism and hackers and (in particular) biological warfare as a significant, major, viable world-ending threat, particular from well-armed, fanatic .... (you know the familiar litany) terrorists.

The hundreds of armed forces exercises in the cities and states - all between the military and the real police/swat teams, and FBI/ATF/Forest Patrol/INS, etc. have ALL been justified on "fighting terrorism." The extreme violations of civil liberties invoked regularly by the Clinotns' administration (from Know Your Custoemr program, to the S&L investigations, to espionage in email, the internet, wiretaps, etc. are ALL jusrtified on "figthing terrorism" and on "fighting drug trafficers."

Never mind the results - the espionage itself, the procedural protocals, and the technical groundwork has already been done, been justifeid, been funded. Infact, domestic terrorism is ONLY part of the defense budget that has has seen funding increases the past five years. Everything else has been cut.

So - if you justread this story - sure, the FBI seems realistic and concerned. Now re-read Blitzer's actual interview with the VERy liberal, very supportive SPLC:

He admits that they have found ALMOST NOTHING, that NOBODY has been arrested in conjuction with y2k-induced terroism conspiracies, that there is NO EVIDENCE OF ANY SUCHCONSPIRACIES. Between the lines, in short, he admits the whole thing is a fraud - further, Blitzer admits in this interview that the guidaince came directly from the "Attorney General and higher" (Which is only the White House). He admits to getting new agents, more exercies, and more funding (all for his own anti-terrorist group in the FBI).

BUT - unsaid - after months of careful propaganda - as evidenced your won reaction, the government, if it is planning a combined "martial law/gun confiscation" effort "to prevent domestic terrrorism" - well, see yourself, they have already convinced you it "will be done for the kids..."

Just as one example, the network TV's have presented several repeats already of the Biological Warfare roundtable discussion - and every scenario presented begins with "Get word to disaster control, to FEMA, to "get help", get federal assistance, get the armed forces involved.....

As a second, there are several Waco threads still active: the whole attiude of ploice and SWAT teams changes from "public protection" and "law and order" once "terrorists" are involved. As soon as that "code ward" is issued by the news media - evreybody says "Attack" - "Shoot first" ..... "Kill."

The constitutional limits on the "Law" are immediately thrown away....aren't they?

----

< Link

Fighting Terrorism:

Leading FBI Official Discusses Domestic Terrorism

Robert Blitzer is the FBIs point man on handling the threat posed by domestic extremist movements. As the chief of domestic terrorism and counterterrorism planning, he oversees FBI units dealing with analysis of the terrorist threat, criminal and intelligence investigations, weapons of mass destruction, domestic preparedness and other matters. In an interview with the Intelligence Report, Blitzer discussed extremist views of the year 2000 and the Y2K computer bug, weapons of mass destruction, and the state of the antigovernment and white supremacist movements.

INTELLIGENCE REPORT: Weve seen a great deal of talk in American extremist movements, parts of which are deeply affected by millennial beliefs, about the coming of the year 2000. Is the FBI noticing the same thing?

BLITZER: My analytical people are seeing snippets of this out there, both on the Net and to a lesser degree in our investigative activity. Many of these groups have apocalyptic visions. Sometimes thats connected to the millennium and sometimes its not. The millennium is certainly an event that a lot of extremists are focusing on. There probably is some sense that something will happen. Were not seeing anything in the cases that weve been working pointing to any particular planned violent action around that time. But a lot of the groups are very security- conscious and operate in a clandestine fashion, so we wont always know when something is about to happen.

IR: How would you assess the potential threat?

BLITZER: I think its going to continue the way it has over the last couple of years, with little eruptions happening here and there around the nation. Weve had cases, for instance, like the Klan case outside Fort Worth, Texas, where they were going to blow up a [gas] tank farm. There was the group in Illinois connected to the Aryan Nations that was planning some terrorist operations. We had the Phineas Priests up in the Pacific Northwest, robbing money from banks and blowing up facilities as diversions. Thats the kind of pattern that Ive seen over the last three years, and I dont see that changing.

IR: Theres also been a lot of talk in the movement about the so-called "Y2K" computer problem. How does that fit into the picture?

BLITZER: I think its just another manifestation of their paranoia. Its like everything else that weve seen in the past -- black helicopters, those kinds of things. Its another element of that paranoia about the government taking over and becoming totalitarian. This is just a newer thing for them to pound on.

IR: You recently discussed conducting a national assessment of dangers surrounding the year 2000. What are you planning?

BLITZER: I was speaking not so much of a formal assessment as an informal polling of all FBI field officers prior to the year 2000. We want to see what theyre hearing through their contacts just to get a sense, a national sense, of whats going on.

IR: You recently told Congress that the number of investigations into the use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials had risen to 86 this year over 68 in 1997. How serious is that threat?

BLITZER: My sense is that the threat is low in the arena of weapons of mass destruction. Were seeing lone individuals engaging in either hoaxes or actual cases. These are the people Im most afraid of, the people capable of doing something like another Oklahoma City bomb. It doesnt take but one or two people to put a major bomb like that together. The ability of law enforcement to discover and prevent that kind of an act, absent help from someone who knows what theyre up to, is very slim.

Weve had guys playing with [the deadly toxin] ricin and weve had some anthrax threat cases. Theres also concern that some state sponsor who has the scientific know-how could decide to hurt a lot of people using some kind of biological or chemical device. I think everyone feels thats out in the future. Theres no indication that this is going to happen anytime soon, but that being said, the intelligence game is not perfect.

The biological and chemical know-how to make these things is out there, but the technical capability to execute an attack is a different thing. If youre handling that stuff you really have to have training. If youre doing biologicals, in particular, it can be very scary -- you better really know what youre doing. A chemical [attack], on the other hand, is not as hard. But it still is not that easy, technically, to disperse the stuff.

IR: Some politicians have complained that the country isnt preparing quickly enough for such a threat. How well prepared are we?

BLITZER: Were making progress, but I think theres still a long way to go. I think the attorney general and others at senior levels are committed to trying to improve things.

IR: There seems to have been a remarkable rise in the number of domestic terrorism conspiracies in the three-and-a-half years since the Oklahoma City bombing. How many such cases is the FBI working presently?

BLITZER: It seems to hover right around 1,000 [compared to fewer than 100 before the Oklahoma City attack]. There are a lot of bombing cases around the United States that come under the domestic terrorism mantle. Im always running a half a dozen to a dozen domestic terrorism intelligence cases -- a very small number. The vast majority of my cases are investigating crimes that have already occurred and that have been linked in one way or another to a domestic terrorism group.

There are really two things going on here. Because weve had additional resources [with the hiring of several hundred new agents], weve been able to do a better job in preventing or at least identifying criminal activity. When youve got people out there working it, youre developing additional investigations that may have gone unnoticed in past years.

IR: Almost all the major terrorist conspiracies have been stopped by law enforcement before people were killed or buildings blown up. To what do you attribute these successes?

BLITZER: Frankly, I think the reason is that weve had such good interaction in our task forces between state and local police, the bureau and other federal law enforcement agencies such as Secret Service and ATF. That synergy has been there. Weve done a lot of training with the states and locals through a couple of programs weve had.

Also, everyone in this nation, including the law enforcement family, was very deeply touched by Oklahoma City, and so police nowadays are much more vigilant when they see things happen. A lot of these cases have come to us through other law enforcement agencies and through people [inside the movement] who just dont want to be involved in something like that. In the Fort Worth case, one of the guys just couldnt do it -- he didnt want to kill a lot of people. In another Texas case, there were two guys who were going to go down to Fort Hood [a large Army base in Killeen] and do some assassinations. That came to us from an undercover operation being run by state police.

So Im knocking on wood here, but weve had a good run. Still, you just dont know what else is out there. You cant be everywhere. Its a big country with a lot of people.

IR: Weve noticed that the so-called "Patriot" movement seems to have shrunk in size but at the same time become more hard-line. Would you agree?

BLITZER: I think it has really flattened out. There was a big surge [in numbers] after the Persian Gulf conflict and even prior to the Oklahoma City bombing. After Oklahoma, a lot of people seemed to sit back and say, "Is this really what we want?" Its one thing to defend your country -- and a lot of these militia groups believe they are defending their country -- but its another to be tainted by the murder of your own citizens.

So there is a smaller number of groups. But I do think that what is left is more serious people, more serious than those who we saw in the early 90s out there training in the woods. They are much more concerned about security and being penetrated by law enforcement. Theyre just more careful.

IR: How would you categorize the kinds of threats the FBI is seeing now on the domestic terrorism front?

BLITZER: They really cut across a lot of different areas. You have people who have personal beefs with other people. Ive seen them go off on divorce matters. There are people who are mentally unstable. You have people who have a grudge against the government for many reasons -- and it doesnt have to be the federal government. We also get a lot of hoaxes. But you have to treat each one seriously. The one you dont focus on could be the one to get you.>>

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 21, 1999.

RUOK, good catch, I missed how they cleverly inserted and mixed those statements with some I found more sensible. The Spin Machine gets to me too at times, scary thought.

-- (not@now.com), October 21, 1999.

Tail between my legs, I apologize good Sir Robert.

-- (not@now.com), October 21, 1999.