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FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM

Montana "Patriots" in the Political Arena

Rep. Aubyn Curtiss accused us of "hate-mongering and character assassination." Sen. Larry Baer declared, "I am not an extremist of any kind. " 

Rep. Scott Orr did not take the criticism as personally, noting that the Network is "fighting a political fight as they see fit." He went on to say, "those who hold socialist beliefs have controlled our country. That is both Democrats and Republicans." He said he is not "mainstream" Republican, but Libertarian. Orr claims he did not start the group Citizens Against Government Encroachment (CAGE) and did not wave a copy of Trade N' Save at one of their meetings. He said the Network should not have relied on a mainstream news report for its information. Libby's Western News reporter, Brent Shrum, stands by his story that Orr is one of the leaders in the group and did wave a copy of Trade N' Save at CAGE's meeting on August 19, 1997.

Rep. Matt Brainard claims he is upset because the Network says he's a racist. The report doesn't say that. He also claims he tried to achieve balance at his Freedom Rendezvous by inviting Network Program Director, Ken Toole. Toole, however, was never contacted. Brainard claimed he was not a founding board member of Citizens to Preserve the Second Amendment.  However, Brainard's name appears as a board member on corporation documents filed with the Secretary of State in January 1995, the first year such documents were filed, four months after the group was incorporated.

Rep. Rick Jore acknowledged in a letter to the editor that he considers Howard Phillips of the far-right U.S. Taxpayers Party a good friend. He agrees with the Network's assessment of him as a constitutional fundamentalist. "[T]he U.S. Constitution is not an evolving concept, but a historical document that must be adhered to," he stated to the Missoulian. He argues that nothing in the Constitution allows the government to be involved in education or to "promote homosexuality as a lifestyle."

Far-right figures such as Duke, Bo Gritz, and Montana's Red Beckman ran for various political offices. They were not so much concerned about winning the election (although Duke did) as bringing their ideas into the political debate and building a base of supporters around their platform of marginal proposals.
Their success can be seen in the last two Montana legislatures. The so-called patriot movement carries many of its extreme, formerly marginal ideas into the Montana legislature through a handful, or maybe two handfuls, of elected officials.

These legislators make statements and carry bills that clearly support themes and ideas of Montana's well-known so-called patriot activists among the militia and freemen. They claim that government, particularly federal government, is the enemy of the citizens. Government regulations are by definition intrusive and unnecessary, and often evil and unconstitutional.

These legislators also promote constitutional fundamentalism. In this view, the Constitution is an unchanging, infallible, divinely-inspired document without room for flexibility and interpretation. If one can figure out what the founding "fathers" believed in, one can know the truth of the Constitution. And if they didn't put it in the Constitution, they didn't intend for laws to be made about it. (Those founders, of course, were slave owners, didn't license their cars, and didn't anticipate pollution.)

Rep. Aubyn Curtiss

During the freemen standoff in the spring of 1996, John Trochmann of the Militia of Montana insisted that the patriot movement had legislative support in Montana. As proof, he produced a petition circulated by Aubyn Curtiss (R–Fortine) which had been signed by 42 Republican legislators a year earlier during the 1995 legislative session. The petition called on Governor Racicot to grant amnesty to patriots to travel to an official forum where they could air their grievances against government.  A year later, the freemen were making identical demands in their negotiations with the FBI and state law enforcement. 

Kamala Webb, a militia spokesperson from Bozeman, placed an anti-Semitic pamphlet, written by racist pastor Pete Peters, on the desks of several legislators during the 1995 session. Webb said she was giving a gift to a few of her "friends." The pamphlet, Strength of a Hero, complained that the "Jewish controlled Hollywood" has replaced godly heros with "some Jewish queer looking sissy," and that the "race that settled America and once were its only citizens is being destroyed thru (sic) integration, interracial marriage, affirmative action, abortion, etc." Curtiss was one of the "friends" who received the anti-Semitic pamphlet from Webb. 

Curtiss was praised by the national anti-Semitic paper, Spotlight, for carrying the patriot agenda in the Montana legislature, particularly for her bill requiring the arrest of federal agents for kidnap or theft if they took action in a county without getting permission from the sheriff. In 1995 anti-Semite Red Beckman testified in favor of the bill. It passed both houses and was vetoed by the governor. In 1997 the same bill failed in committee.

The Spotlight is the weekly tabloid of the Liberty Lobby and is published by well-known anti-Semite Willis Carto who denies the holocaust ever happened. Not only was Curtiss praised in its pages, she used the tabloid as a credible source during her testimony on another bill in 1997.

Curtiss joined the militia in their concern about mysterious black helicopters. She asked the governor to place distinguishing markings on legitimate helicopters, presumably so they would not be mistaken for the sinister ones. Militia members have woven intricate conspiracy theories involving black helicopters shuttling foreign troops under U.N. command which are coming to confiscate private weapons and usher in the New World Order.

During the freemen standoff, Curtiss was in touch with Colorado Senator Charles Duke discussing legislative options for creating a neutral tribunal for the antigovernment activists. Duke has sworn an oath to the common law court, and has stated that he does not believe the 13th amendment, which freed the slaves, is valid.

Rep. Matt Brainard

Brainard (R–Missoula) is the president and a founding board member of the patriot-style group, Citizens to Preserve the Second Amendment. The group's meetings are announced on the Militia of Montana bulletin board and in the racist Jubilee tabloid. John Trochmann, co-founder of the Militia of Montana, has spoken in front of the group.

Brainard organized the Freedom Rendevous, a gathering of nationally-known patriot figures including Larry Pratt and Jack McLamb. Pratt was a high official in Pat Buchanan's presidential campaign until he was forced out because of his close ties to racists. McLamb is a former police officer whose Operation Vampire Killer 2000 is a manual for recruiting police officers and military personnel into the patriot movement.

Brainard sponsored a militia bill in 1995 calling for all citizens to own guns and ammunition for service in the militia. He sponsored bills in 1997 defining the duties of the home guard (militia), providing for a constitutional amendment allowing citizens to call a grand jury, and stating opposition to biosphere reserves. These are all so-called patriot themes.

In September 1996, Brainard was a speaker at a meeting of We The People, the militia group supporting convicted patriot Cal Greenup, who once called the militia to his land to shoot down a black helicopter.

Brainard signed the patriot petition circulated by Curtiss and was one of the "friends" who received the anti-Semitic tract from militia organizer, Kamala Webb.

Rep. Wes Prouse 

Prouse (R–Shepherd) has nearly two dozen minor traffic violations, including a recent conviction for driving without a license. Prouse says that despite his oath of office, he does not need to comply with the Montana Constitution. In fact, he refuses to follow laws he does not like, declaring them unconstitutional. After all, the founding fathers didn't say anything about drivers licenses. According to Prouse, "The laws of the state of Montana–I did not have to take an oath to that–because some of the laws of Montana are unconstitutional." Prouse carried an unsuccessful bill to allow all Montanans to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

In 1994, Prouse attended a meeting called to support anti-Semite Red Beckman, called "No More Wacos." The meeting attracted numerous well-known white supremacists, including Pete Peters, Rudy Stanko, Bo Gritz, and John Abarr. Peters is a Christian Identity minister; Stanko is the author of the White Man's Bible and is the disputed Pontifex Maximus in the racist Church of the Creator; Gritz is a far-right leader who gives Nazi salutes; and Abarr is a self-avowed Ku Klux Klan organizer.

Sen. Casey Emerson

Emerson (R–Bozeman) provides a meeting space for the militia at his business, King Tool, where they have entertained such speakers as Militia of Montana co-founder John Trochmann and notorious anti-Semite Red Beckman. He has acknowledged that he has made phone calls in his official capacity for militia members and has attended several of their meetings.

In August of 1995, Emerson sent a list of legislative proposals to his "fellow conservatives" in an effort to forge a conservative platform prior to the 1997 legislature. Among the proposals was an effort to "install the original 13th amendment" to the U.S. Constitution. This idea has circulated among patriots who apparently believe there was a conspiracy to cover up the ratification of an amendment which, according to Emerson, would have "restricted lawyers and the law profession in some ways, and would have helped all these many passed (sic) years." No explanation is offered about what would happen to the current 13th amendment (which freed the slaves). Another proposal suggests that we "go back to the original constitution," and throw out court decisions, because we "depend too much on precedent."

When Emerson received the anti-Semitic pamphlet from militia organizer, Kamala Webb, he said it "was no worse than the hate spewed forth by ultra-feminists, the Democratic Party," and the Human Rights Network. 

Emerson apparently knew exactly what he was signing when he signed Curtiss' patriot petition. He later supported the freemen's negotiating request for an official government forum to air their grievances. Emerson discussed the freemen situation with Colorado Senator Charles Duke, who has sworn an oath to the common law court and questions the validity of the 13th amendment.

Emerson also sponsored a bill in the 1997 legislature to create the office of the inspector general to investigate government abuses of citizens. The testimony was peppered with conspiracy theories implicating government officials, police, and judges in fraud, bribery, drug dealings and even murder.

Rep. Scott Orr

Orr (R–Libby) has decided the EPA's efforts to enforce the Safe Drinking Water Act are "fundamentally unconstitutional," and has refused to cooperate. Orr owns a waste hauling and recycling business and uses a floor drain to dispose of waste water. The EPA, as part of a successful nationwide program to keep drinking water clean, wants to know what else might be going down the drain. Orr, tired of what he calls "relentless government regulations," won't tell them.

In addition, Orr has started a new organization, Citizens Against Government Encroachment (CAGE), to "intimidate the EPA." He is joined by fellow Republicans Rep. Aubyn Curtiss and Rep. Rick Jore. At its first meeting in August, Orr waved a copy of the Trade N' Save, the right-wing tabloid of choice for the patriot community, as he gave credence to a report on the Federal Emergency Management Agency's "stormtroopers" raid in Idaho.

In a later edition of the Trade N' Save, Orr was praised for "leading a citizen revolt … against federal environmental regulators." He's quoted as saying, "We resist the implementation of a social plan, and that's what a lot of these environmental laws are … every time they enforce a regulation someone loses a freedom." The article claims that Orr has "formed a phone tree to alert townspeople if federal marshals take any action."
Orr also signed Curtiss' patriot petition.

Sen. Larry Baer

When Baer (R–Bigfork) received a copy of the militia's anti-Semitic flyer, he denounced it and revealed that he is Jewish and proud of it. 

Baer seems to be unaware of the underlying anti-Semitism of the patriot movement. He signed the patriot petition. Baer also spoke at the We The People patriot gathering in Hamilton, promising that if elected attorney general he would "objectively defend the people from the out-of-control bureaucrats." 

Baer was an outspoken attorney for the Flathead Citizens for Preservation of Property Rights. In a dispute over building codes, Baer said, "We just feel that government is out of control. We feel [they] have displayed omnipotent arrogance, and they're going to have to change their ways." The organization's former leader, Jess Quinn, was closely aligned with the militia and predicted the ensuing confrontation would not be peaceful. "When the hour strikes, there will be public officials dead in the streets," said Quinn.

Of the militia, Baer says, "I understand them and I feel for them, but I don't belong to the organization, and I've never attended any of their meetings. I know a lot of them. They're my friends."

Baer is known for his staunch defense of the 2nd and 10th amendments, the right to bear arms and states' rights. He sponsored a bill for a constitutional amendment allowing the state to reject federal laws which do not derive from the Constitution. Baer refers to such laws as "unconstitutional."

Rep. Rick Jore

In addition to his support for home schooling and his effort to end public education, Jore (R–Ronan) is often aligned with patriot causes. In his support of Scott Orr's crusade against the EPA, Jore said of federal employees, "The petty tyrants have just added up on top of each other." Jore has consistently supported anti-Indian activists on the Flathead Reservation in their defiance of tribal hunting laws. At a rally in Polson in April 1995, Jore said that tribes were not the real problem.  "The real problem is a much bigger problem," he said, one of "faceless bureaucrats" who make policy decisions that non-Indians don't like. 

Jore accepted a $200 campaign contribution from Howard Phillips, presidential candidate for the U.S. Taxpayers Party (USTP). The USTP has fused elements of the racist right within the Populist Party of David Duke and Bo Gritz with far-right Christian Reconstructionists, who want the government to run under Old Testiment laws. Militia advocates Larry Pratt and Randall Terry were featured at USTP's annual conference last October. While a member of the USTP National Committee, anti-abortion activist Matt Trewhella advocated church-based militias at a USTP meeting in Wisconsin in 1994. Trewhella said, "This Christmas I want you to do the most loving thing. I want you to buy each of your children an SKS rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition."
Jore also signed Curtiss' patriot petition and co-sponsored militia-favored bills by Curtiss and Brainard.

Rep. Jack Wells

Wells (R–Bozeman) attended at least one militia meeting in Bozeman, noting that he needed to be in touch with his constituents and "supporters." He supported the holed-up freemen's request for an official forum to air their grievances against government a year after he signed Aubyn Curtiss' patriot petition offering the same solution. Wells received the Pete Peters tract given by Kamala Webb, Militia of Montana organizer, to her "friends."

Wells sponsored the fully informed jury bill in the 1995 session. The concept of informing juries of their right to disregard the law in determining guilt or innocence is promoted by Red Beckman, a patriot leader and nationally-known anti-Semitic writer. Wells was a co-sponsor of Brainard's resolution urging Montanans to arm themselves for service in the militia.

It is not alarming that the preceding legislators run for office: that's what democracy is about. It is alarming that they have been elected, in some cases more than once, when their views are well-known.