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article from Montana Human Rights Network News, May 2001

From Neo-Confederates to White Supremacists:

Former Montana Hate Activist Resurfaces

A former Montana resident and self-proclaimed Nazi is again making news in the national "patriot" movement. During the early 1990s, Chris Temple, living in Montana at the time, founded the United Citizens for Justice (UCJ) in response to Ruby Ridge. His co-founders included Texas Klansman Louis Beam, as well as John Trochmann who would use many of UCJ's contacts to start the Militia of Montana. Temple frequently attended Aryan Nations events, occasionally as a keynote speaker. In 1998, Temple left the Flathead Valley, and information concerning his activities became a little more scarce.

Recently, however, he resurfaced. Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported that Temple was receiving money from the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) to update the group's publications. CCC continues the legacy of the White Citizens Councils of the 1950s and 1960s, which opposed the civil rights movement. CCC is a major part of the neo-Confederate movement.

In January 2001, the Militia of Montana sent out a notice for an upcoming conference in North Carolina. The purpose of the event was to find "effective methods and procedures for regaining Freedom" and to keep abreast of the latest tactics to "beat the hated tax collectors." This was the first of many notices concerning this conference that listed Temple as a featured speaker.

Temple's name has also returned to the pages of The Jubilee, a Christian Identity newspaper. Identity is a racist theology that teaches Jews are the literal children of Satan, and people of color are subhuman mud people. Throughout the early 1990s, Temple was a frequent contributor to the publication. His name returned in the January 2001 edition. In an article recapping the convention of the American Media Association (AMA), Temple is listed as the group's co-founder. The association is the project of The Jubilee's editor, Paul Hall. Hall envisions the AMA becoming a radical right-wing version of the Associated Press for "patriot" publications. The article says Temple addressed the convention about the importance of AMA members reaching the mainstream press.

A member of the AMA, Media Bypass, has recently published articles by Temple. Media Bypass dedicates considerable space to "patriot" financial concerns, such as not paying taxes and the evils of the Federal Reserve system. One of Temple's articles concerned the fate of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple (IBT). IBT refused to withhold taxes from its employees. A district court ruled IBT's possessions could be seized and auctioned to satisfy $6 million in back taxes. Militia activists from across the country, including militia icon Bo Gritz, journeyed to Indianapolis to "protect" the IBT. Federal Marshals seized the church in February. Temple's article concludes that the church's fate is proof that the IRS is targeting Christians.