A Long Train of Abuses- The Montana Freemen Chapter

Long Train of Abuses

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The Montana Freemen Chapter

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Published by Humble O’Pinion at Smashwords.com

Copyright 2013 Humble O’Pinion

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away. This ebook is reasonably priced at Smashwords.com Thank you.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Gordon Kahl

Chapter 2. Randy Weaver

Chapter 3. Waco Texas

Chapter 4. Cal Greenup

Chapter 5. Militia Movement

Chapter 6. Roundup Seven

Chapter 7. Rod Skurdal

Chapter 8. Oklahoma City

Chapter 9. LeRoy Schweitzer

Chapter 10. The Clarks of Justus

Chapter 11. March 25, 1996 Arrest

Chapter 12. The Standoff

Chapter 13. The Arraignment

Chapter 14. The Trials

Chapter 15. The Timeline

Chapter 16. The Research

Preface

In March of 1996 the FBI arrested three ‘freemen’ on a desolate ranch in Garfield county, Montana. The FBI wanted to arrest another two dozen Freemen still remaining on that ranch, sparking an 81-day confrontation known as the ‘Freemen Standoff’. This is the story of the events that led up to the Standoff and the story of those men and women and others with similar views. The common thread between these people was their belief that they had been ‘wronged’ by the Government, individually and as a whole. The individual freemen became sensitive to their own issues and so began ‘fact finding’ missions to understand why the government would do such things. Their research into matters of history, law and religion uncovered what they believed to be massive fraud on the part of government at all levels. When men such as this come together as a group, they pose a peculiar problem to the offending government, but no problem at all to a lawful, open government. This is the story of the events that led up to the Freemen saga, the 81-day Standoff and the aftermath. This story also contains the Freemen historical timeline and a summary of the research that bolstered the Freemen’s distrust of the Government.

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Chapter one. Gordon Kahl

Gordon Kahl owned a family farm in Heaton, Wells county, North Dakota. After his service in World War II, Kahl returned to North Dakota to farm. He discovered some things just weren’t right at home and became a self-imposed student of law and history. He was especially interested in the government tax laws. He believed the tax laws were fraudulent and that no law forced any normal person to pay an income tax. Kahl was one of those rugged Americans who would not be controlled by others. And he was ready to prove it.

In 1968 Gordon Kahl wrote a letter to the IRS stating that he would no longer pay income taxes. He believed that the IRS could not tax his earnings. He was so sure of the validity of his information that he challenged the IRS directly. The IRS classified Gordon Kahl as a tax protestor.

In the 1970s Kahl spread his information on radio and television shows from Texas- his part-time home. In 1975 Gordon Kahl joined the Texas ‘Posse Comitatus’ movement (‘power of the county’- the county is the highest form of government).

In 1976 Kahl was convicted of ‘failure to file’ income tax forms. He spent 9 months in jail in Leavenworth, Kansas and was paroled in 1977.

When he returned to the farm, Kahl found others who believed they had been ‘wronged’ by the government. The banking system was foreclosing on many farmers in the 1980s, and some believed that government farm loans and tax policies, in the long run, punished the farmers they intended to help. The IRS had ruined many people and even more believed they had been wronged by the court system. Out of control banks, over-taxation and corrupt courts will cause some men to resist, eventually. Gordon Kahl did resist this system and it cost him his life.

In 1983 six Federal marshals attempted to arrest Gordon Kahl on an alleged parole violation. The marshals set up a roadblock to capture Kahl after a county ‘township’ meeting in Medina, North Dakota. Marshals aimed weapons at the Kahl vehicles and when Gordon Kahl exited his vehicle, a gunfight ensued. Six people were shot and two marshals were killed; Kahl’s son Yorie was shot in the stomach and Gordon Kahl somehow escaped.

One hundred law enforcement officials surrounded Kahl’s home in Heaton, North Dakota and riddled it with bullets. They filled it with teargas but did not find Gordon Kahl.

Everyone in Kahl’s party was arrested. Yorie Kahl and Scott Faul were jailed for the shootings (both denied the charge) and were sent to prison for life, where they remain. David Broer received 10 years for conspiracy and Vernon Wegner traded testimony for immunity. Joan Kahl was acquitted of all charges.

Gordon Kahl had previously wintered in Texas and Arkansas, where he may have had friends from the Posse Comitatus group. He hid out for months before authorities found him near Smithville, Lawrence county, Arkansas.

On June 3, 1983, Gordon Kahl was captured alive, dismembered, shot to death and then burned. Both Kahl and local sheriff Gene Matthews were shot from behind, sparking a controversy that remains unsolved to this day.

Gordon Kahl was buried in North Dakota with full military honors, according to his family. for whatever that’s worth. Dead men tell no tales.

A video movie was made the Gordon Kahl story in 1993, entitled Death and Taxes’. This video was shown around the country in militia meetings. I saw the movie in Bozeman, Montana, not long after the Waco tragedy, at one of my first militia meetings. This film is moving, to say the least.

Montana Human Rights Network (May ‘94). ‘Posse Comitatus’, Latin for power of the county, is a legal doctrine which advances the idea that the county is the ultimate legal authority within it’s geographic borders. Drawing from that doctrine, Henry Beach and William Potter Gale formed the Posse Comitatus a Christian Identity hate group. Members of the Posse Comitatus distrust government, believing it is controlled by enemies who cannot be trusted to preserve the law of the land or the purity of the white race."

From Citizens Against Hate. a virulently anti-Semitic, right-wing organization, the Posse Comitatus, was becoming active and would address the farm crisis that had largely been caused by the governments’ agricultural policies. The Posse Comitatus had been formed in 1969, by Henry L. Beach and was quickly taken over by the infamous William Potter Gale [1917-1988]. A group of Christian Identity followers, the Posse Comitatus, is dedicated to survivalism, vigilantism and anti-government actions. They believe that the government is controlled by the enemy - Jews. They resist paying taxes and abiding by laws they believe cannot be enforced by the enemy. Some refuse to obtain driver’s licenses and to comply with registrations, etc. As a response to the farm crisis, the Posse issued the following message to ailing farmers.

Farmers are victims of a Jewish-controlled government and banking system, federal taxes are illegal and loans need not be repaid.

Of course, farmers relished the message and William Potter Gale began recruiting in Michigan.

In nearby Wisconsin, the counterinsurgency director of the Posse, James Wickstrom, was arrested. Wickstrom started the Tigerton Dells Township - of course he did so illegally.

Gordon Kahl and the ‘Posse Comitatus’ movement of North Dakota and Texas were known in Montana and influenced some of the early Montana Freemen researchers and others around the country. TOP

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Chapter two. Randy Weaver

Randy Weaver and his family moved to rural northern Idaho to live a simple life of self-reliance. Weaver was what some people call a ‘survivalist’. He was also a strong adherent to Christianity.

In 1985, the Secret Service investigated Randy Weaver for ties to the Aryan Nations and threats to President Reagan and others. Weaver denies these allegations, which originated from his neighbor near Ruby Creek, Idaho.

In January of 1987 BATF agent/ informant Fadeley was introduced to Weaver at the Aryan World Congress. They met again in July of 1987 and July of 1989 at Weavers home on Ruby Creek. Weaver expressed a desire to fight against the ‘Zionist Organized Government’ which he felt was oppressive. Weaver and agent Fadeley met in Sandpoint, Idaho to work a deal for ‘sawed-off’ shot guns (any shotgun barrel shorter than 18.5 inches is illegal). Weaver figured out that Fadeley was an agent trying to entrap him and broke off contact in December of 1989. On May 21, 1990 BATF agent Herbert Bylerly recommended that Weaver be prosecuted for selling sawed off shotguns. Randy Weaver denied that he made any such sale.

On June 12 th, 1990 BATF agents Bylerly and Steve Gunderson approached Weaver in Sandpoint, asking him to become a ‘snitch’ on the Aryan Nations. Weaver refused.

A federal grand jury in the District of Idaho indicted Weaver for manufacturing and possessing unregistered firearms in violation of 26 USC 5861(d), (f).

On January 17, 1991 BATF agents, posing as stranded motorists, arrested Weaver on the weapons charge. Weaver told the arresting agents, nice trick; you’ll never do that again. On January 18, Randy Weaver was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen M. Ayers in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He was released on bond.

US probation officer Richins sent mail to Weaver containing the wrong court date. Weaver missed all dates and a warrant was issued for his arrest in March. Weaver believed that the Government would attack his home and family and kill him. Weaver said he will not cooperate with a lawless government.

A team of US marshals from Louisiana developed a plan for the safe arrest of Weaver on his property and away from his wife and children. The plan describes Weaver as extremely dangerous and suicidal.

On September 28, 1991 a US marshal ‘SOG’ team was dispatched to Idaho to arrest Weaver. The marshals scrapped this plan because certain information was not accurate. Attempts were then made to negotiate with Weaver, through his court appointed counsel. Once again, these negotiations fell short.

On March 4, 1992 U.S. Marshals Cluff and Evans approached Weaver in an unmarked car. Weaver ran them off with a rifle at his side, saying that the Marshals were trespassing.

In the next plan, the marshals set up a surveillance team to spy on the Weaver family. On April 18 th, the marshals were told that a television crew from Geraldo Rivera’s helicopter have been shot at while flying over the Weaver property. Geraldo was trying to get a story on this white supremacist. Others would later claim that Geraldo was a provocateur.

On August 21, 1992 a US Marshal Recon team went onto the Weaver property, 250 yards from Weaver’s plywood cabin. Weaver’s friend Kevin Harris, 16 year-old Sammy Weaver and their dog ‘Striker’ discover the Recon team and shots rang out. The dog ‘Striker’ was killed first, then Marshal Deagen and Sammy Weaver were shot, according to the Recon team.

August 22, 1992. Police from several agencies set up a command post near the Weaver place and prepare to do something, most are unsure what to do. Many attempts were made to negotiate a surrender of the Harris/Weaver family, none to any avail. A federal Hostage Rescue Team showed up on August 22. At about 6pm on that day, Special Sniper Horiuchi shoots Randy Weaver with a high powered rifle. A second shot kills Weaver’s wife Vicki, who is standing on the porch of the cabin with her baby in her arms. The bullet went through Vicki’s head and into Kevin Harris, wounding him. Nine days later on August 31, Kevin Harris, Randy Weaver and his children surrender. Vicki and Sammy Weaver are dead, Kevin and Randy have bullet wounds. Marshal Deagen is dead.

On September 16, 1992 Harris and Weaver were indicted for murder.

There were many neighbors and ‘patriots’ present during the nine-day standoff. Bo Gritz was there as a negotiator. News crews flocked to the scene. The military was present. From the viewpoint of the TV audience, this appeared to be a war zone.

Paul Harvey aired the story on his national radio show. We had the truck radio turned on that day. My wife called me to the truck. She was in tears.

What’s wrong?

The cops shot and killed a woman holding a baby!

My jaw dropped.

We later learned that FBI sniper Horiuchi made the fatal shot. Horiuchi also shot Sammy Weaver and wounded Kevin Harris. He was an expert marksman. They say he could hit a quarter at 400 yards. Vicki Weaver was shot right between the eyes. Horiuchi is to have said it was a ‘bad shot’, that he was really aiming for Kevin Harris. Officials in the FBI/BATF would later say that the ‘rules of engagement’ were suspended for Weaver, meaning that civilians not under indictment could be shot.

There are several movies about this siege. Even the movie made from the government’s perspective is a shocking indictment of our government’s actions. The FBI shot a dog, a boy, two men and a woman holding a baby.

My wife asked me. Why would they shoot a woman holding a baby?

Weaver sued the feds and won a judgement of $3.1 million for the death of his wife and son. Idaho State court charged Horiuchi with the crime but the federal court took the case and tossed it out, saying Horiuchi was within his job parameters, therefore immune from prosecution. Horiuchi showed up a few months later as a sniper at the Waco, Texas Massacre and is rumored to have been at the Freemen Standoff three years later. The federal government failed to punish Lon Horiuchi. Instead, they seem to have promoted him.

The story had a profound effect on me. Other people had similar concerns. What kind of government would do such a thing? Since when can the government shoot innocent people? TOP

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Chapter three. Waco, Texas

On Feb. 28, 1993, four agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and six members of the Branch Davidian religious sect died in a shootout at Mount Carmel, near Waco, Texas.

A 51-day standoff ended on April 19, 1993. Fire roared through the Davidian’s ‘compound’ after the FBI introduced tear gas into the structure. As the military tanks drove forward into the compound, a loud speaker declared this is not an assault. The bodies of about 76 sect members, including women and children, were found in the remains of the fire. The body of cult leader David Koresh was also found in the charred debris.

A Congressional hearing in 1995 determined that the Branch Davidians had caused the fire. Some people remained suspicious about the government’s role in the tragedy. Those concerns were captured in Dan Gifford’s 1997 film. ‘Waco- Rules of Engagement’. In 1998, the film that was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary. The film won an Emmy in 1999 for investigative journalism.

The Waco massacre occurred under the watch of President Bill Clinton. His Attorney General- Janet ‘Butch’ Reno took responsibility for the entire event.

The reason given by the government to arrest ‘cult ‘ leader David Koresh was that he had many unregistered weapons, possibly illegal. Observers say that there were other reasons for the attack, that the Davidians were thumbing their nose at the BATF and that an easy arrest got out of hand. Observers say that Koresh could have been arrested during his daily jog in this rural area, but instead, the FBI/BATF chose to rush the compound with guns drawn. No one knows who fired the first shot (as with the events in Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19 th, 1775 and the events in Baltimore, Maryland on April 19 th, 1861).

Both sides agree that the first shots hit the doors of the Davidian compound. Disagreement occurs over where the shots came from. The door itself has since disappeared.

When the story broke on the TV networks, viewers were shown dead agents being carried away from the area- over and over again. This footage prompted calls for action. Surround the compound and starve them out. Helicopters swarmed the skies. Delta force was reported to be present. TV viewers were treated to a nightly report on the Waco Standoff. Later videos showed that loudspeakers were playing sounds of dying rabbits and bad music. At night, spotlights were being projected onto the compound from several directions. Sirens were sounded. All this- says Attorney General Reno- was to encourage the Davidians to give up, hand themselves over to this government, the same government that was torturing them.

The electricity was cut off and no food was allowed in unless negotiations were made. Finally, some children and a few Davidians came out, as a gesture by both sides that a massacre was looming. But not all the children came out. Apparently there was some free choice going on within the compound. Yet the media said that David Koresh was a cult leader in total control; that he made all decisions and forced himself on the female members of the church. The media said that Koresh was a religious zealot who thought he was god and was planning a massacre of his people, a suicide cult. The source of all this information was the media and the FBI.

On April 19 th, 1993 the tanks went in. They poked their tank barrels through the walls of the compound and soon after- a fire broke out. The compound burned to the ground on national TV. Thick black smoke poured from the structure as it collapsed. I was sick to my stomach. Goose bumps run up my spine and do to this day, at this moment. I was in tears for the first time in 20 years. When I consider this tragedy I wondered:

Could the government think of a