Glossary of terms near and dear to right-wing extremists
ATF: The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, considered to be government storm troopers by militiamen, due to their role in the Waco, Texas, massacre.AK: Slang for AK-47, the popular small-caliber assault rifle.
Alternative media: Short-wave band radio, pamphlets distributed at gun shows, extremist magazines and Internet bulletin boards which provide the information web of far-right extremists. This underground information network is rarely encountered by the general public or mainstream journalists.
Angry White Man: Candidate for membership in extremist groups. Often an unskilled worker, fearful of uncertain future and overseas job flight.
Aryan Nations: White supremacists based out of the Pacific Northwest who seek to establish a white homeland.
Assault weapons: Class of 17 semiautomatic weapons banned under Clinton's Crime Bill. The ban boosted weapon sales and militia sign-ups nationwide.
Bill Clinton: Considered a traitor by the Patriot Movement for attempting to disarm the American people and sell them out to the One World Government and socialists on the far left. Also sleeps with Hillary, enemy of Angry White Men.
Black helicopters: Mysterious surveillance craft spotted circling early meetings of militia members.
Branch Davidians: Considered martyrs by those who support Second Amendment rights.
Butcher of Waco: Attorney General Janet Reno.
Concentration camp: Place where Patriots expect to be cremated by foreign troops on behalf of the One World Government.
Constitutionalist: One who adheres to an extremely narrow and literal view of the U.S. Constitution.
Cyanide: Gas which extremists believe was used on the Branch Davidians at Waco.
Demonize: Attempt of the liberal media to paint patriotic militia members as domestic enemies of freedom.
Domestic enemies: Liberals, environmentalists, outcome-based educators, etc.
Founding Fathers: Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry and the original framers of the U.S. Constitution, often cited as inspirational examples for militia members.
Gun control: Used by Adolf Hitler to disarm citizens, especially minorities, in the mid-1930s. Currently being sought by liberal "traitors" to the Second Amendment.
Libertarianism: Political creed of many militia members, advocating the absolute minimum of government regulation along with a society ruled by a laissez-faire free market.
Martial law: Military law invoked in times of war, where basic civil liberties are suspended and citizens are subject to summary judgment. In effect, this may involve actions as benign as curfews or as final as firing squads.
Militia: "Private, unpaid local citizens, both armed and unarmed, to serve in the time of natural disaster or civil defense."--description supplied by the Michigan Militia. Traditionally, an armed citizen's self-defense group.
NRA: The National Rifle Association, fountainhead of extremist Second Amendment rights theory, reprinted and widely read in magazines such as "Guns and Ammo."
New World Order: The international conspiracy to establish the One World Government.
One World Government: Global conspiracy theory in which the member governments of the United Nations are working to suppress human rights and enslave the citizens of the world under a monolithic world government.
Patriot: Literally, the Founding Fathers, such as Patrick Henry, but in the current sense, used as the term encompassing the militia culture. The Patriot Movement was reportedly launched several years ago by white supremacists in an attempt to clean up their image.
Protocols of Zion: Bogus book written at the turn of the century which outlines a Jewish conspiracy to control the world.
Randy Weaver: White separatist ambushed by FBI and ATF at his cabin in Idaho. Feds killed Weaver's wife, 14-year-old son and dog, sparking national outrage among gun-rights advocates.
Second Amendment: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Supporters frequently cite the Second Amendment as the enforcer of our First Amendment right to free speech.
Tax rebel: One who does not claim citizenship to the United States, and thus, does not have to pay federal taxes.
United Nations: Tool of the New World Order/One World Government.
ZOG: Zionist Occupation Government, a puppet government established by Zionist/One World Government. May be used as a euphemism for the Clinton administration.
Compiled by Robert Downes (Downes is editor of the Northern Express, an alternative newsweekly in Traverse City which tipped Metro Times to the existence of the Northern Michigan Militia.)