John Foley for BuzzFlash: An Open Letter to Political Candidates to Denounce Right-Wing Neo-Nazi Militia Groups, Such as the Three Percenters
October 26, 2020
Opposition to Black Lives Matter is a core belief among Three Percenters (Miki Jourdan)
By John Foley LTC (Retired), U.S. Army
I am writing this letter to Republican voters. I’m a 27-year career Army veteran, a democratic centrist and an American patriot who believes in mainstream values, shared by both Democrats and Republicans. I am running for Colorado State Legislature. I believe in the good and decent people of Colorado and America, so I appeal directly to them. So many Republicans have radically deviated from true Republican values. Alex Skarlatos (OR), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), and our own Lauren Boebert of Colorado plus many others have abandoned republicanism and joined extreme right-wing groups such as the Three Percenters. They have embraced anti-vaccine and anti-mask groups, people who can fairly be labelled as “the lunatic fringe”.
The extremists they joined are part of what many in law enforcement call “Racially and Ethnically Motivated Extremism, or “R.E.M.E” groups. Police consider these REME groups, the Proud Boys, the Oathkeepers, the Three Percenters, and the United American Defense Force (UADF) to be the American version of the Nazi Party. Among this gallery of right-wing extremists, it is the Three Percenters who are especially dangerous. This is because they have wormed their way into the U.S. military. Any politician who stands with the Three Percenters, a REME group, we must disown. The Three Percenters are extremists, advocating for armed insurrection. They have infiltrated many military installations, where soldiers have become familiar with the Three Percenter logo, a Roman numeral III inside a circle of 13 stars.
Unfortunately, many don’t know what the group represents. My intent is to expose these people for the violent anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-Republican group they are. Three Percenters view themselves as modern-day rebels, fighting against what they claim is a tyrannical U.S. government. In fact, they are a Neo-Nazi, Neo-Confederate extremist group, motivated by fear of racial minorities and ethnic diversity. A Three Percenter is typically (but not always) a white male who owns an assault rifle and who adheres to the “Don’t Tread on Me” ideology. They are motivated by a perceived Federal government encroachment on their Second Amendment rights.
Three Percenters claim to defend the Second Amendment against what they see as tyrannical government overreach but in reality is a feeble attempt to control the vast proliferation of weapons of war. They believe in the myth of government gun confiscation. Ironically, they support to the point of worshiping the same law enforcement agencies they claim will someday do the gun confiscation. This is ridiculous and totally false. There will never be any kind of gun confiscation, and I am a proud gun owner who is opposed to it.
Three Percenters proudly display Blue Lives Matter flags. They are self-appointed defenders of the police against people of color, especially the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Opposition to Black Lives Matter is a core belief among Three Percenters. They call BLM a terrorist group, which interestingly originated from the Russian disinformation campaign. Three Percenters preferred Putin over Obama so much so that they were some of the first purveyors of Russian disinformation. Three Percenters display the Blue Lives Matter flags, more as a “middle finger” to the communities of color, than as support of law enforcement. We can examine their origin story to understand their racist Neo-Confederate agenda. They began in 2008, as an immediate response to Barack Obama becoming the first African American president. A simple examination of their social media posts quickly reveals content full of racially insulting language and derogatory comments. If you engage them in discussion they espouse a return to the “original” US Constitution without the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. Because they are un-American, the Three Percenters oppose all constitutionally protected free speech by communities of color.
Additionally, Three Percenters are anti-Muslim. Three Percenters often display “infidel” or “kafir” patches and stickers, another “middle finger”, this time pointed at the Muslim community. Some evangelical Three Percenters even call themselves “Crusader Three Percenters”. These radical evangelicals take as their symbol the Three Percenter logo on a cross surrounded by a shield. They believe they must be ready to fight the holy war against Islamic immigrants and refugees. Many of these Three Percenters are military veterans. Dangerously, some are active duty military personnel. All are woefully immature and dangerous in their thinking. Their xenophobic ignorance is funny if it wasn’t tragic. “Kafir” is a term used by Muslims for pagans or atheists, but of course the Three Percenters claim to be God-fearing Christians, definitely not pagans or atheists.
The Three Percenters are anti-government extremists, so why do these GOP candidates associate with them? We can provide some reasons. First, many in the conservative community are ignorant about these groups. Obviously, many GOP members think they can get away with it. Secondly, it is the unfortunate truth that Trump actively encourages extremist groups such as the Three Percenters. The Skarlato’s, Greene’s, Boebert’s and others believe they can ride a wave of right-wing extremism and Trump’s coattails, to victory. But I’m here to say that racism and Neo-Nazism do not rule in America and that the majority of the decent people, Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will reject their extremist views.
Foley is an Iraq war veteran who lives in Colorado Springs, CO. He is running as a Democrat for the 14th District in the Colorado legislature.
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