AFP PODCAST
On March 27, United States District Judge Victoria Roberts dismissed almost all charges against seven members of the so-called Hutaree militia, stating that angry “diatribes” and “hatred of law enforcement” did not add up to a seditious conspiracy to incite armed rebellion against the U.S. government.
AFP PODCAST interviews (7:24) Hutaree spokeswoman Wendy Lineweaver on the trial and the federal government’s ignominious defeat.
AFP PODCAST: The Truth About Hutaree – Part 1
AFP PODCAST: The Truth About Hutaree – Part 2
AFP PODCAST: The Truth About Hutaree – Parts 1-3
Dave Gahary, a former submariner in the U.S. Navy, is the host of AFP’s ‘Underground Interview’ series.
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Hutaree Militia Case Highlights Perils of Aggressive, Baseless Government Prosecution
•Lifetime member details wholesome and patriotic workings of group
By Dave Gahary
As reported last week on the front page of AMERICAN FREE PRESS, on March 27, a federal judge threw out nearly all charges against the Michigan-based militia group, Hutaree, verbally scolding the government for failing to produce any evidence of a seditious conspiracy to incite armed rebellion against the United States government.
In fact, as revealed to AFP by a lifelong member of the group who was not named in the charges but attended the entire two-month-long trial, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts’ patience with the government’s allegations had worn so thin, that she issued a ruling from the bench, dismissing the most serious charges even before the jury had a chance to have their say.
In order to get a thorough understanding of this matter, on March 30, AFP conducted an exclusive two-hour interview with Wendy Lineweaver, a lifelong member of Hutaree and the spokesperson of the group, and a certified nurse’s assistant for over 20 years. Her description of the group’s beginnings, workings and targeting by the Department of Justice (DoJ) reveal the clear and present dangers of an out-of-control central government bent on securing convictions based on the flimsiest of evidence.
The DoJ, with the help of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a so-called civil-rights organization founded by Morris Seligman Dees, Jr., attempted to portray the group as something out of a cheap horror flick, as illustrated by the recent cover image of a SPLC report detailing the ostensible rise of militia groups in the U.S. The character used to symbolize a typical militiaman closely resembled the bad guy from the movie Halloween, Michael Myers, complete with his signature white mask. The SPLC “trains” nearly 10,000 law enforcement personnel every year on dealing with so-called “hate” groups.
Ms. Lineweaver made clear through repeated questioning during the interview the purpose and the activities of the group, which in previous days when America more closely resembled the republic she was set up as, would have been greeted with respect and awe, as preparation for countering unwarranted federal government power was not only the main factor that created this nation, but a vital characteristic of all patriotic Americans who wish to ensure their freedoms.
Although Ms. Lineweaver did not participate in the militia drilling dressed in camouflage and armed with weapons, she filmed the group’s activities and took part in all other activities, including search operations with the local sheriff’s office looking for a missing woman. As she recounted, the name Hutaree was a created word made up by the founder’s son when he was a baby, and the bulk of the group’s activities was cooking hot dogs and hamburgers while unwinding after their training.
The bonds formed, explained Ms. Lineweaver will never be broken, despite the disruption caused by the DoJ’s clearly illegal actions. Unfortunately, as Ms. Lineweaver stated, the time various members spent behind bars, the years lost, cannot be returned to them.
