No One is Fooled
When a loose collection of neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, and assorted other alt-right dumbasses amassed in Charlottesville, Virginia last week to scream about everyone they hate including Jews, African Americans, and Muslims, they were “protected” from non-existent oppression by another loose collection of weirdos. This particular group was 
made up of camo-clad goofballs armed more heavily than local and state police complete with body armor, semi-auto rifles and side arms, and with enough other tactical gadgets to give any gun nut a hard-on. One of those groups, the Pennsylvania Light Foot “Militia”, was there, playing dress up and parading around like they were some kind of actual military or law enforcement group, which they most certainly are not.
This “militia”, which is really just a group of paranoid white guys who like to run around in the Pennsylvania woods playing war, is lead by Christian Yingling, who names among influencers in his life cynical carnival barker and
conspiracy peddler Alex Jones. Recall that Alex Jones still claims that the US government killed 20 kids and 6 staff in Newtown Connecticut as a “false flag” operation to start confiscating guns even after being discredited on national television. Yingling’s various Facebook pages promote the normal fringe rightwing bullshit, and in his media interviews he talks about how his followers “feel” that their First and Second Amendment rights are being infringed when, in fact, the opposite is true. He fans the flames of ignorant paranoia, magnifying that paranoia through his motley crew of gun toting weirdos. He makes anti-Muslim claims of violence while ignoring the fact that far more attacks with almost as many victims in the US are caused by white supremacists and anti-government radicals who believe the same nonsense that he peddles on a regular basis.
After literally being run out of Charlottesville last Saturday by local police, Yinling is desperately trying to recast himself and his group as a neutral “peacekeepers” and has now even offered “protection” to Black Lives Matter, even though he has zero record we can find of ever doing anything but promote racist, anti-government and extreme right wing fervor. His group’s appearance in Charlottesville last Saturday to protect the racists and violent neo-Nazis is enough information that normal people need to make a reasoned judgement about their radical ideology. His new revisionist “neutrality” reminds us of CJ Grisham and his merry band of gun nuts of Open Carry Texas who, several years ago threatened women’s lives, harassed anyone who dared to disagree with them, and paraded around with long rifles pushing their radical guns-everywhere ideology. When the threats backfired, Grisham desperately tried to rebrand his group as dewy-eyed good guys collecting school supplies and canned goods for the disadvantaged. No one was fooled then, and no one is fooled now over Yingling’s attempt at rebranding.
Let’s not beat around the bush. These “state militias” are not militias at all. They have no authority from any governmental entity to be “peacekeepers”. They are not sanctioned by any authority other than their own fantasies. Their entire existence is ad hoc and they have no authorized standards of conduct or training. The states don’t want them, and local law enforcement don’t want them. The catastrophe in Charlottesville last week was the textbook example of how these vigilante groups don’t do anything but confuse a volatile situation, delay police response, and INCREASE risk rather than mitigate it. Their mere presence is a threat.
It’s long understood, as intended in the Founding documents, including the Constitution and Bill of Rights, that militias were the new US goverment’s first line of defense against threats to that government. They were organized to PROTECT the government, not threaten it. The militias came under local and state authority except in time of war when they were federalized. Today, the actual state militias are not these self-proclaimed and self-aggrandized collections of screwballs, the state militias are part of the national defense under the National Guard, managed by the states except when activated by the federal government.
Groups like Yingling’s Light Foot (and Small Brained) “militia” need to stay home and just run around in their own woods playing army. They don’t have any goddam business inflaming an already engulfed movement of racists and neo-Nazis that they, and the current administration in the White House, are enabling.
Go home. Stay home. Stop “helping”.
Originally posted on Gun Owners for Reform on Facebook.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. And I still intend on retiring to Charlottesville.
1Well said, sir. There are far too many bands of gun nuts running around on nobody’s say-so but their own. Roving bands of gun nuts seem like a really bad idea. Is there no way to control these guys?
2Other jean: Maybe a circular firing squad?
3These people appear to be lunatics to me.
I pick up San Antonio and Corpus OTA (over the air, old-fashioned digital tv) tv channels and sometimes watch the local news. Did so a couple days ago.
San Antonio city council has been debating what to do with a Confederate Veterans monument (an obelisk, more or less) in the downtown Travis Park/Square for some time (predating C’ville).
There was a public comment session being held, and the tv news shows a pack of these heavily armed RWNJ dumbazz’s strutting around in front of what I guess was City Hall. Frikkin camo, boots, body armor, weapons and ammo out the kazoo, plus the usual logoed hats, patches, and beer bellies.
Reporter interviews a few, like why are you here dressed up like this?
Answer is they were “protecting” some of their fellow traveler spokespeople who were inside, waiting to have their alloted freedumb speech time slot advocating for not touching the monument, ’cause ‘sacred heritage’ yaddayadda…
WTF? Oh, ‘we’ve had a bunch of death threats, etc., from terrist leftist libruls blahblah…’. (‘and we’re soooo skeered of those meanie soshlists’)
“Protecting”? What about all the San Antonio LEO’s crawling all over the area? If somebody were to open fire around there, it would look like Beirut or Homs or whatever.
Gawd I’ll be glad to GTF outta here.
4.
I WOULD say that they all need to get jobs and get out of their mom’s basement, but I’m pretty sure their moms have already disowned them.
Also, who’d hire these bozo’s? Cracker Barrel and Chick Fil A already have full rosters.
5All good enough reason for me not have a political affiliation sticker on my car bumper or wear a t-shirt with the same…
6Just once, just one time, I’d like to see one of these groups show up at a gathering, prancing around, and then a contingent of real National Guard employees march in and stand across from them at the ready.
I figger puddles and poo-poo would appear around the play-like militia’s feet.
7The turnout at the “big” NaziKKK rally in Boston today was so pitiful, a couple hundred maybe, they left early. I’m sure the 20,000+ there to oppose the haters had *nothing* to do with that.
God I love how Love overwhelms hate at these things! BTW, those scumbags at Charlottesville who are ‘so proud of their race and their movement’ are crying and whining and carrying on be caused they’re being ID’ed and outed across the country. “It’s Not Fair!” (Can you see the pouty lips and tear streaked cheeks?) Oh they are so morally, intellectually and spiritually bankrupt.
8These pretend G.I. Joes have never served in the real armed forces or they wouldn’t feel the need to play dress-ups.
9And thousands of counter protesters outnumber the alt right bunch. Good to hear. However, it isn’t sunset yet. I have my fingers crossed for peace after dark.
10One day when these faux soldiers are playing dress up, if they pay close attention and look around at themselves they’ll realize, hey, “we have met the enemy, and he is us.”
11Yes, here’s how George Washington interpreted the Second Amendment: when some corn-growing farmers who turned their crop surpluses into corn squeezin’s and refused to pay a liquor tax, driving off the revenuers with guns, he formed a well-ordered militia and led them out to put down the rebellion.
12What a sorry bunch of losers! They’re nothing but cowardly wannabe soldiers. Sadly, as they can’t be the real thing they have to posture. Please just stay home where you can’t get hurt nor hurt any one else.
13I always wonder how many hours they spend dressed up and posing in front of a mirror, in various “action” poses. Or just looking “tough.”
14Like I always say – everybody needs a hobby.
15An army of Barney Fifes.
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&hs=gsp&q=funny+pictures+of+barney+fife&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJ3NPDlubVAhVHLmMKHQ0FBAoQ1QIIcCgA&biw=1454&bih=707
16While I realize it is not happening at this point, a ban on open carry and assault style weapons along with mandatory training with background checks are desperately needed.
17Christian Yingling looks like he my be the sort of person who masturbates while looking at himself in the mirror, all the while spouting, “Are you lookin’ at me? You looking at me?”
The dumbass is strong in this one…
18Here’s a solution, have these hardy patriotic boys hire on to Betsy DeVos’ brother’s fantasy army. They already have their uniforms and guns.
19