Militia of Montana
Militia of Montana MOM | |
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Other militia organizations | |
Opponents | Government of the United States |
The Militia of Montana (MOM) is a paramilitary organization founded by David and John Trochmann of Noxon, Montana, United States.[1] The organization formed from the remnants of the United Citizens for Justice in late 1992 in response to the standoff during the siege in Ruby Ridge, Idaho. The Militia of Montana reached their member high point in 1999 and largely disbanded after the Y2K threat turned out to be minor.
The militia has become a foundational model for many of the paramilitary organizations operating throughout the United States.[2]
History
Formed by John Trochmann and his brother David in January 1994, MOM received significant assistance from self-styled analyst Robert Fletcher.[
MOM grew in membership and notoriety which culminated in a gathering in
On March 3, 1995, Trochman and three armed men were arrested when they entered the Musselshell County Courthouse and tried to file papers protesting the seizure of Rodney Skurdal's house by the Internal Revenue Service. Three other men, waiting in cars outside the Musselshell Courthouse, were also arrested. They had semiautomatic handguns, six assault rifles, video gear, and $80,000 in cash, gold, and silver in their cars. They styled themselves the Garfield County Freemen. Before the courthouse incident, Mr. Trochmann and others attended a terrorism seminar at Skurdal's home. They planned to kidnap, try, and hang a judge, and videotape the proceedings, according to Musselshell County Attorney John Bohlman.[8]
In March 1995, MOM's newsletter, Taking Aim, reprinted a lengthy letter from
MOM organized against the
Ideology
Robert Fletcher on anti-Semitic rhetoric:
If the bulk of the banking elite are Jewish, is that anti-Semitic? The people who are doing this are the international banking elite, and if they are all Jews, so be it, but that's not the case. I don't care if they're Arabs or monkeys.[12]
References
- ^ Kelly, Michael (June 19, 1995). "THE ROAD TO PARANOIA". The New Yorker.
- S2CID 134492071.
- ^ Chaloupka, William (1996). "Publius: The Journal of Federalism 26:3": 165. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 5, 2021.
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(help) - ^ Kushner, Harvey (December 4, 2002). Encyclopedia of terrorism. p. 290.
- ^ "Militia of Montana (MOM)". TRAC Terrorism. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
- ^ Southern Poverty Law Center, Timeline.
- ^ Hoffman, Bruce (April 15, 1999). Inside terrorism. p. 104.
- ^ Wynn Miller, "Right-Wing Militants Mix Political Fantasy, Violence," April 26, 1995, Christian Science Monitor.(Archive)
- ISBN 0-8078-2328-7.
- ^ a b Anti-Defamation League Archived 2011-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ America's Militia Threat
- ^ Montana Mean Time(Archive)