[Vision2020] Another hate group

Joe Campbell philosopher.joe at gmail.com
Wed Jan 16 11:26:56 PST 2013


I guess hating liberals doesn't count when considering whether something is
a hate group.

On Wed, Jan 16, 2013 at 8:47 AM, Carl Westberg <idahovandal1 at live.com>wrote:

> Some quotes gleaned from Mr. Kerodin's blog (this whole Citadel thing
> sounds like a M. Night Shyamalan movie)....... Among his
> ruminations.."Every patriotic business owner should immediately fire every
> Liberal on staff and hire an employee who respects the nation and our
> Constitution. Why should any business owner suffer an employee who will
> simply vote for politicians who further ruin the company?!"
>
> "The Liberals in your community must be ostracized and denied entry into
> your social circle. These stupid people are responsible for the insanity
> that affects everything from your property taxes to the curriculum taught
> to your children. Why would you break bread with them, when they are the
> reason your bread costs too much? Why would any parent permit them access
> to their children, when they are responsible for ruining your child's
> future?".  He goes on....and on....and on......
>
> ------------------------------
> From: v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm
> To: sunilramalingam at hotmail.com; keim153 at gmail.com
> Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2013 02:52:42 -0800
>
> CC: vision2020 at moscow.com; rhayes at frontier.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Another hate group
>
> At the risk of Paul again confusing discussion with hate . . .
>
>
>
> Roger (Falen) wrote:
>
> “I do not know anything about this group, but how does anyone know that
> they are a hate group?  A little bit wako probably, but not necessarily a
> hate group.”
>
>
>
> I think the question is a good one, and I don’t think we know the answer
> to it.  After all, hate groups rarely (if ever) consider themselves to be
> hate groups, you know J  And, what they say for public consumption is
> often quite different than what they say amongst the inner circle.
>
>
>
> To back up a bit, I can’t find anything where the SPLC has looked at the
> Citadel and its separate but integral III Arms – Roger (Hayes), can you
> provide a link?  The group clearly considers itself to be part of the
> “Patriot” movement & reveres John Wesley, Rawls (yawn, one of those highly
> paid anti-government doomsday/prepper/survivalist types) and his “American
> Redoubt.”  Rawls, however, has recently disavowed any connection to III
> Citadel, which I found hilarious, while failing to distance himself from
> the weapons manufacture of III Arms Company, which is how this group
> expects to fund the III Citadel.  They’ve supposedly purchased 20 acres (so
> far) in the St. Maries area & plan on starting to build the III Arms
> factory (the first phase) there in early-to-mid year.  At this point, I
> think their weapons are still being custom-manufactured in WV . . . if they
> are actually being made at all.
>
>
>
> And, in my book, the interesting thing about the III Citadel is the III
> Arms Company – lots of right-wing extremists have attempted to establish
> insular communities, but they typically fail, is seems to me, because of
> the finances (as well as in-fighting, not to mention not being able to play
> well with others, something the III Citadel/III Arms Company hasn’t
> avoided).  III Arms Company is an attempt (or perhaps a scam) to provide
> funding to make the III Citadel a reality (or a more profitable scam).
>
>
>
> The whole thing makes me think of a bunch of silly role-playing teenagers
> enamored with their interpretation of the Second Amendment trying to form a
> doomsday utopia as an excuse for their hoarding tendencies & expensive
> deadly toys.
>
>
>
> However, I find the psychology very interesting!  In tough economic times,
> it’s fascinating to me that anyone would turn over $208 to “apply” to *
> lease* a “home” in a walled community that probably won’t exist anytime
> soon.  They estimate that the cost of that silly wall alone will cost in
> the neighborhood of *$25 million*.  An examination of the stated goals of
> the III Citadel community and associated costs aren’t realistic,
> financially or otherwise.  Reading the blogs of those involved shows –at
> best – a stunning ignorance of basics like sustainability, economics, legal
> principles, weather in Benewah County, growing seasons, roads,
> accessibility, etc.
>
>
>
> But . . . it gets even better  J  III Arms claims that it’s a
> non-profit!  I kid you not  J
>
> http://iiiarms.blogspot.com/2012/11/black-rifle-friday.html
>
> “And remember, III Arms is not a for-profit company. All proceeds go to
> the Citadel Project, to help build a bastion of Liberty for us all.”
>
>
>
> ROTFLOF!!!
>
>
>
> But, wait:  it gets *even better*  J
>
>
>
> Has anyone besides me wondered why the III Citadel is collecting money but
> doesn’t have a spokesperson?  Curious, don’t you think?
>
>
>
> Well, perhaps it’s because the person behind the “firearms arms required”
> III Citadel and initially behind III Arms Co. is a *federally convicted
> felon* who apparently isn’t even able to legally own a firearm  J  I kid
> you not!
>
>
>
> I’ve been trying to track down rumors & facts for a couple of weeks now
> since Tom first posted, and the earliest references I’ve been able to find
> originated with a man apparently named Christian or Chris Kerodin, which
> may or may not be his real name since he’s a dude with a *lot* of
> apparent aliases, scams, and blogs.  But, in reading his blogs, he
> definitely seems to be this guy:
>
>
> http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/mar/26/20040326-124129-2670r/print/
>
> An Alexandria, Va., man was sentenced yesterday in federal court to 30
> months in prison and fined $6,000 after he pleaded guilty in January to
> charges of extortion and possessing an unregistered short-barreled rifle.
>
> U.S. Attorney Paul J. McNulty in Alexandria said Christian Kerodin, 36,
> was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee, who also ordered
> that the prison term be followed by three years of supervised release.
>
> Mr. McNulty said Kerodin published a report on the Internet in May titled
> "Terrorist Target List: American Retailers & Restaurants," which said
> shopping venues were likely to be prime targets for terrorist attacks and
> billed himself as a security expert.
>
> A month later, he said, Kerodin contacted officials at the Fashion Centre
> at Pentagon City, Landmark Mall and Tysons Galleria, saying that a new
> edition of his Internet report was due shortly and that if they contracted
> with him for security assessments, he would not include their names in the
> new report as needing security upgrades.
>
> The Fashion Centre is owned by the Simon Property Group, and Landmark and
> Tysons Galleria are owned by General Growth Properties Inc.
>
> Mr. McNulty said mall officials asked Kerodin to provide the names of
> other clients for references or to supply credentials for persons who
> worked for his company. He refused, saying he did not need experience to be
> an expert in counterterrorism. None of the malls hired him.
>
> In July, Kerodin published the report, which criticized several area
> shopping malls for being vulnerable to terrorist attacks, specifically
> criticizing the Fashion Centre, Landmark Mall and Tysons Galleria. Mr.
> McNulty said Kerodin recontacted officials at Simon and General Growth by
> letter and threatened to release similarly negative reports on 14 other
> properties that the companies owned.
>
> An agent from the Department of Homeland Security posing as a mall
> executive then contacted Kerodin, telling him the malls had hired another
> security company and asking that they not be included in additional
> reports. The agent also offered Kerodin $40,000 to be left out of any new
> reports.
>
> Mr. McNulty said Kerodin rejected the offer and demanded $122,500. He then
> was arrested.
>
> "This defendant took advantage of the heightened concern we all have to
> protect ourselves from terrorism. It is reprehensible that someone would
> exploit that concern for personal gain," Mr. McNulty said.
>
> Huh.  I guess their definition of “law-abiding” is quite a bit different
> than is mine.  And, I feel soooo much better (*not!*) that it’s his wife
> Holly, rather than convicted felon Christian Kerodin himself, who is listed
> with the Idaho Secretary of State as a “member or manager” of III Arms
> Company, LLC:
>
> http://www.accessidaho.org/public/sos/corp/W116214.html
>
>
>
> I highly recommend checking out (one of) Kerodin’s blogs.  Here’s a sample:
>
>
> http://iiipercent.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-absence-of-orders-go-find-something.html
>
>
>
> In the absence of orders, go find something evil and kill it.
>
> I borrowed the title from WRSA<http://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/>
> .
>
> I think you will see this phrase again on this blog.
>
> If we are Citizen Soldiers, a Leaderless entity, or small groups of
> Patriots who have installed a command structure among themselves, but
> otherwise answer to no central command, then it is incumbant upon each of
> us to shoulder our portion of the burden and act independantly.
>
> *In the absence of orders, go find something evil and kill it.*
>
> You'll know when. You already know who. You should know where they are in
> your AO.
>
> You know what is Evil.
>
> You know what it is going to take to backfist the Tyrants out of our lives
> for the next few generations. Fight to the knife, and knife to the hilt...
>
> Standing Orders: *In the absence of orders, go find something evil and
> kill it*.
>
> Kerodin
> III
>
>
>
> Wow – that’s just the kind of dude I want as an Idahoan!!!  Is that, and a
> lot of other vitriol he’s written, “hate”?
>
>
>
> Rather than recount a lot of details, an article providing lots of
> interesting background was just published:
>
>
> http://politicker.com/2013/01/meet-the-men-who-want-to-build-an-armed-castle-commune-for-patriots/
>
> James L. Miller is many things, a motorcycle enthusiast, accused online
> scammer, doomsday prepper, gunmaker and cat lover. Christian Kerodin also
> wears a number of hats; he is an air conditioning repairman, blogger,
> author<http://www.amazon.com/III-Liberty-Fight-Restore-Constitution/dp/0984177795/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302725343&sr=8-2>,
> self-styled security consultant and convicted extortionist. Both men also
> seem to be the masterminds behind a plan to build a massive, armed
> survivalist compound in Idaho that has been making national<http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/12/21/178147/survivalist-group-the-citidal.html>
> headlines<http://cnsnews.com/blog/gregory-gwyn-williams-jr/patriotic-group-build-armed-defensible-neighborhood-fortress>.
>
>
> According to the website of the Citadel<http://www.iiicitadel.com/about.html>,
> it will be a “community of 3,500 – 7,000 families of patriotic Americans
> who voluntarily choose to live together in accordance with Thomas
> Jefferson’s ideal of Rightful Liberty”* *and is being planned for
> Northern Idaho.* *Among other things, the designs for the Citadel include
> a “perimeter defense” with castle-style fortified walls and towers, an
> on-site gun factory, hotels, schools, a “firearms museum,” a “town
> militia,” jail and farmer’s market. As of now, the community is planned for Benewah
> County in Northern Idaho <http://www.iiicitadel.com/location.html>.
> Prospective residents of the Citadel are asked to submit to an application
> process <http://www.iiicitadel.com/apply.html> that includes agreeing to
> participate in the militia and pass periodic proficiency tests with
> multiple types of firearms.
>
> “Marxists, Socialists, Liberals and Establishment Republicans will likely
> find that life in our community is incompatible with their existing
> ideology and preferred lifestyles,” the website says.
>
> Though the Citadel website claims the group has no “leader”<http://www.iiicitadel.com/faq.html#leader>and is the work of “scores of Liberty-loving individuals,” it appears Mr.
> Miller and Mr. Kerodin are two of the main forces behind the project. The
> roman numeral in the community’s name seems to be derived from “III
> Percent Patriots <http://iiipercent.blogspot.com/>,” a blog operated by
> Mr. Kerodin where the early discussions were held<http://iiipercent.blogspot.com/p/iii-pioneer-project_17.html>planning the Citadel’s design and potential locations. An entry
> on Mr. Kerodin’s personal website <http://kerodin.com/> describes the
> meaning of the term “III Percent Patriots.”
>
> “Historians consider that about 3 percent of Americans took arms and
> challenged the King during the Revolution. 3 percent. III Percent.
> Threepers. Patriots. We exist today,” Mr. Kerodin wrote. “We are that
> percentage of Americans who have the tools and mettle of the Militiaman who
> stand and have drawn a hard line for the Hard Right of the political
> spectrum.”
>
> Along with his political activities, Mr. Kerodin has also worked as a
> repairman <http://www.kerodin-lawsuit-against-bad-faith-businesses.com/>for heating and air conditioning systems. In 2002, Mr. Kerodin started
> a security consultancy<http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/unitedstatesaction/message/5657>.
> The following year, he printed an eight-page analysis<http://securitysolutions.com/mag/security_helpfulness_becomes_extortion/>of terrorism weaknesses at shopping malls in the Washington D.C. area.
> According to reports from the time, he subsequently contacted mall
> operators in the area and told them they would be included in other similar
> analyses if they did not hire him to conduct security assessments. A
> concerned company contacted the Secret Service who had an undercover agent
> contact Mr. Kerodin who allegedly agreed to keep the business out of his
> reports after accepting a $120,000 check. He was arrested and indicted for
> an extortion charge to which he plead guilty<http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/unitedstatesaction/message/5657>.
> Mr. Kerodin was sentenced to 30 months in prison<http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/mar/26/20040326-124129-2670r/print/http:/www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/mar/26/20040326-124129-2670r/print/>for the crime and an associated firearms charge. As a federal felon, Mr.
> Kerodin cannot own a weapon, but on his website<http://www.kerodin.com/landmines.htm>,
> he says he is “exploring” legal avenues to “recover” his “firearms rights.”
>
> In one of the Citadel planning posts<http://iiipercent.blogspot.com/p/iii-pioneer-project_17.html>on Mr. Kerodin’s blogs, a commenter using an online alias linked to Mr.
> Miller, “Millerized,” offers to bring his “firearm smithing” skills to the
> community. ”Millerized,” is also one of the authors of the Citadel blog<http://www.blogger.com/profile/14995088279331568405>.
> In addition to being his online alias, “Millerized” was also the name of a
> company previously by Mr. Miller that originally made motorcycle parts<http://web.archive.org/web/20041222080908/http:/home.earthlink.net/%7Emillerized/pdnerf.htm>.
> Last October, Millerized began doing business as<http://apps.sos.wv.gov/business/corporations/organization.aspx?org=311567>“III Arms.” The III
> Arms website <http://www.iiiarmscompany.com/about.html> describes it as a
> firearms company “dedicated to building first-class fighting arms for the
> defense of Jefferson’s Rightful Liberty.” III Arms will have a factory
> inside the Citadel’s walls that is planned to be the prime source of
> revenue and employment <http://www.iiicitadel.com/revenue.html> for the
> project’s early residents. Mr. Miller is identified on LinkedIn<http://www.linkedin.com/pub/james-miller/55/860/269>as the “president” of III Arms.
>
> In addition to Mr. Miller’s business activities, he has an extensive
> digital trail that includes “Millerized’s” participation in sites for
> self-described doomsday “preppers<http://pennsylvania.preppersnetwork.com/2009/04/theyre-watching.html>”
> and survivalists. On one of these forums, Millerized describes work done in
> his house where he has multiple cats<http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=2901.0>.
> A web page tied to Mr. Miller’s name and address is also identified as
> having participated in so-called “phishing” scams<http://www.phishtank.com/phish_detail.php?phish_id=1219010&frame=details>on a site dedicated to identifying these fraudulent attempts to obtain
> personal information.
>
> As of this writing, neither Mr. Miller or Mr. Kerodin have responded to
> multiple requests for comment on this story. However, Mr. Miller seems to
> be enjoying the attention the Citadel has recently received. A Facebook
> page that seems to belong to Mr. Miller features pictures of customized
> military fatigues<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4193446990199&set=pb.1105400787.-2207520000.1358228151&type=3&theater>with the III Arms logo and the words “Millerized” and “Patriot.” It also
> includes a picture<https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4238353312829&set=a.4208978658481.2154812.1105400787&type=3&theater>of one of the Citadel’s more prominent media mentions, a headline about the
> community on the Drudge Report<http://ncrenegade.com/editorial/iii-percent-citadel-makes-top-of-drudge/>accompanied by the following caption from Mr. Miller:
>
> “We are now huge.”
>
> For those interested in learning more, remember Google is your friend, but
> be prepared to shower frequently.
>
>
>
> What’s that saying?  Oh, yeah, “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
>
>
>
> Personally, I prefer to take the “scam” perspective because the
> alternative is enough to chill the bones of any person with connected brain
> cells.
>
>
>
>
>
> Saundra Lund
>
> Moscow, ID
>
>
>
> To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.
>
> ~ Abraham Lincoln
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:
> vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] *On Behalf Of *Sunil Ramalingam
> *Sent:* Sunday, January 13, 2013 9:50 PM
> *To:* keim153 at gmail.com
> *Cc:* vision 2020; rhayes at frontier.com
> *Subject:* Re: [Vision2020] Another hate group
>
>
>
> Darrell,
>
> I agree, though I have to add that someone posted about them last month; I
> think it was Tom.
>
> Sunil
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2013 21:28:26 -0800
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Another hate group
> From: keim153 at gmail.com
> To: sunilramalingam at hotmail.com
> CC: vision2020 at moscow.com; rhayes at frontier.com
>
>
> I am the original poster of this topic.  I never called it a hate group.
> I called them survivalists.  I think Roger Hayes changed the subject to a
> hate tagline.  What say you, Roger?
>
> On Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 9:22 PM, Sunil Ramalingam <
> sunilramalingam at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> I'm with Roger on this. Maybe they're complete nut jobs, but I don't know
> that they're a hate group.
>
> What is the evidence behind that claim?
>
> Sunil
> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 02:36:50 +0100
> To: thansen at moscow.com; keim153 at gmail.com
> From: lfalen at turbonet.com
> CC: vision2020 at moscow.com; rhayes at frontier.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Another hate group
>
> I do not know anything about this group, but how does anyone know that
> they are a hate group?
>
> A little bit wako probably, but not necessarily a hate group.
>
> Roger
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Another hate group
> From: "Tom Hansen"
> To: "Darrell Keim"
> Date: 01/13/13 23:12:16
>
> How's this for "freedom""
>
>
>
> [image: aerialConcept_lg.jpg]
>
>
>
> My father was a POW in Stalag Luft IIIA during the last year and a half of
> WW2.  I am convinced that he experienced less isolation than the
> freedom-loving residents of the Citadel.
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
>
>
> "Moscow Cares"
>
> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>
>
>
> Tom Hansen
>
> Moscow, Idaho
>
>
>
> "There's room at the top they are telling you still
>
> But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
> If you want to be like the folks on the hill."
>
>
>
> - John Lennon
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Jan 13, 2013, at 1:43 PM, Darrell Keim <keim153 at gmail.com<http://index.html?_n%5bp%5d%5bmain%5d=win.main.tree&_n%5bp%5d%5bcontent%5d=mail.compose&to=keim153%40gmail.com>>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Goodie.  So it will be like Bo Gritz "Almost Heaven" near Kamiah.
> Wonderful.
>
> On Sun, Jan 13, 2013 at 1:37 PM, rhayes at frontier.com<http://index.html?_n%5bp%5d%5bmain%5d=win.main.tree&_n%5bp%5d%5bcontent%5d=mail.compose&to=rhayes%40frontier.com><
> rhayes at frontier.com<http://index.html?_n%5bp%5d%5bmain%5d=win.main.tree&_n%5bp%5d%5bcontent%5d=mail.compose&to=rhayes%40frontier.com>>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> The Southern Poverty Law Center has dismissed this "group" as a couple of
> guys with a computer who are trying to drum up a following and bilk those
> who take the bait of cash.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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