Terrorism, U.S.A.: Eric Rudolph‘s Capture Sheds Light on the Domestic Terror Tactics of the Army of God

June 11, 2003

What do Christianity, Islam, and other world religions all have in common? An inescapable capability of attracting extremists of the most lethal kind -- terrorists. The capture of Eric Robert Rudolph is just one more reminder.
Rudolph, charged with several Atlanta bombings, including the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park; an office building that was home to an abortion clinic; and a gay and lesbian nightclub, proves that fundamentalist Muslim terrorists from abroad are not our only enemy, and that, in fact, religious extremism by American Christian fundamentalists is every bit as real.
Rudolph, reportedly, had contact with the racist Aryan Nation, also known as Church of Jesus Christ Christian, and was a Christian Identity follower. Some of his bombs even included messages from the Army of God.
An illustration of support for Rudolph‘s violence is found on the Army of God‘s web site, where, following links to news reports on Rudolph and other antiabortion violence, the terrorists offer, “Babies deserved to be protected from babykilling abortionists and from pro-choice babykillers.“
The Army of God further advocates, “99 Covert Ways to Stop Abortion,“ a list loaded with vicious, malicious, and criminal recommendations for terrorizing abortion clinic doctors, employees, and women seeking abortion.

STAGING AN ‘ACCIDENT‘
“For example,“ the Army advances, “an innocent driver in going-home or going-to-work traffic who just happens to be in front of the abortionist in his car might need to stop quickly to avoid hitting a child who darted into the street, or some other unforeseen traffic hazard. if the abortionist were to fail to stop in time, he would cause an accident that would require the police to cite him for following too closely. it would cost him time and money, make him late for ‘work‘ and make him liable to a lawsuit. it might even cost him his insurance coverage, depending on his previous record !?!“
What else might antiabortionists try? They can squeeze crazy glue into entry key holes; “accidentally“ bulldoze buildings; or shoot out clinic windows, preferably with a “semi-automatic.“ Never mind that someone might be on the other side of the glass.
But far from exhaustive, the site claims that, “rescuers,“ as they call themselves, may be likely to get “felony convictions“ regardless of whether they act violently. Therefore, the Army justifies, “the powers that be have guaranteed that the bombs and fires are not going to be just here and there every now and again, but here, there, and every- where, now and again and again and again.“
The extremists admit that certain details from their manual have even been omitted from their web site because of “the hysteria of the Federal Government.“ One can only imagine the magnitude of what isn‘t included.

BOMBINGS & ANTHRAX THREATS
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who bombed the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, causing 168 deaths, are but two more examples of such terrorism. They were influenced by the Christian Identity movement, and their bombing was in retaliation of what they perceived as government wrongs against a Ruby Ridge white supremacist family and the Waco Branch Davidians.
Equally disturbing, according to the National Abortion Federation, there have been 7 murders, 17 attempted murders, 41 bombings, 166 arson attacks, 82 attempted bombings/arson, 355 death threats, 125 assault and batteries, 654 anthrax threats, and 1,042 vandalizations by antiabortionists.
But abortion providers aren‘t the only target of domestic terrorists. Blacks, Jews, and gays and lesbians have been longtime victims of these extremists.
During the 30-year period of 1889 to 1918, it is estimated between 3,200 and 5,000 men, women, and children (mostly black) were victims of lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan. In 1999, there were 1,487 recorded offenses against homosexuals, three resulting in death. There were 1,606 reported anti-Semitic incidents in 2000, including several bomb threats to Jewish centers and temples.
Most telling, during the decade of 1991 to 2000, approximately 74,000 hate crimes were reported, according the FBI.
Given the magnitude of fundamentalist violence in the U.S., it‘s bewildering why so much emphasis has been placed on Islamic terrorism while domestic terrorism has received little acknowledgement or energy from mainstream society and our government. Certainly the tragic events of September 11, shouldn‘t be overlooked or neglected -- but neither should the widespread terrorism within our own nation.

Kimberly Blaker is editor and coauthor of The Fundamentals of Extremism: the Christian Right in America. Visit http://www.NewBostonBooks.com for details. Send your comments to Kimberly Blaker C/O [enter your newspaper here], or to: kblaker@TheWall-OnChurchAndState.com © 2003, Kimberly Blaker

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Christian Identity and the Army of God

Christian Identity is a religious movement which claims that whites from northern Europe are descendents of the lost tribes of Israel, and hence are God‘s chosen people (or “YHVH“ as they call the deity, referring to the Yahweh of the Old Testament). Elements of the movement, such as Aryan Nations, are virulently racist, making the claim that other races are either soulless sub-humans or subservient in a divine plan. In Christian Identity, only white persons have God‘s favor.
The movement is also highly anti-Semitic. Members of Christian Identity claim to be the original Israelites and believe that Jews are imposters if not literal descendents of Satan.
Then there‘s a movement called Christian Reconstructionism, which is dedicated to “reconstructing“ society with a theocracy based on biblical Old Testament law. Another offshoot is apocalyptic Catholicism, an extremist doctrine which has been denounced by the Vatican.
It is unknown as to how many Christian Identity believers there are in the country: estimates range from 2,000 to 100,000. The underground movement is loosely structured, partly in reaction to fears of the federal government and conspiracy theories of the so-called New World Order.
The Army of God is a paramilitary arm of Christian Identity, focused on anti-gay, anti-abortion and race war themes. Other organizations which offer assistance from tacit approval to outright aid to domestic terrorists include Operation Rescue, the U.S. Taxpayers Party, American Coalition of Life Activists, Aryan Nations, Missionaries to the Preborn, and the Posse Comitatus to name a few.

Sources: The Washington Post, Southern Poverty Law Center.

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