David Olney with Sergio Webb & Jack Irwin
Remember that when you write your book
This is the road that General Lee took
Headed for God knows where
Headed for God knows where
And we're headed down Lee's highway
David Olney with Sergio Webb & Jack Irwin
Remember that when you write your book
This is the road that General Lee took
Headed for God knows where
Headed for God knows where
And we're headed down Lee's highway
Federal agents conducted raids over the weekend in Lenawee and Wastenaw counties that reports say may be related to some members of Hutaree, a Christian-militia group in Michigan.
"We can confirm that there were law enforcement activities in the Lenawee/Washtenaw County area," said Detroit FBI Special Agent
Sandra Berchtold. But she added that "the federal warrants are sealed and we can not comment at this time." {more}
Bridgewater Township official turns to militia for help; watchdog groups question decision
Bridgewater Township Supervisor Jolea Mull has twice sought help from militia members this year to search for missing township residents.
The move is drawing criticism from militia watchdog groups, who say Mull is legitimizing an extreme right-wing movement that has a history of being associated with criminal activity.
And the partnership comes as the militia movement is exploding across the country, driven by fears of economic collapse and the potential for a crackdown on gun rights under the Obama administration, watchdog groups say.
About 50 militia members from five units live in Washtenaw County, militia leaders say. They are survivalists, who favor larger local government and a smaller federal government. Members are fiercely protective of their free speech and gun rights.
When Mull learned from Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies that a township woman was missing Jan. 13, she contacted local militia leader Jimmy Schiel.
“She said, ‘Hey, we need help to do a ground search for Anna-Maria Wheeker,” Schiel recalls of their phone conversation that morning. “I said, ‘So you want the militia?' And she said, ‘Yes.”
Mull, who said she was pleased with the militia’s response, contacted Schiel again Feb. 17 when deputies told her 56-year-old Robert Melvin Wise was missing.Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremist groups, questioned why an elected official would reach out to the militia.The militia movement has been involved in an “enormous amount of criminal violence” and “huge number of domestic terror plots,” Potok said.Mull, a Republican, turned to the militia because of their training in search and rescue techniques, familiarity with the local community and willingness to help, she said in a prepared statement. About 1,700 people live in Bridgewater Township in southwestern Washtenaw County.
“It certainly seems poorly advised to be kind, to ask people who believe in completely false conspiracy theories and see the government largely as an enemy to help in law enforcement matters,” Potok said. “I don’t see how that could work out well.”
“Unfortunately, in both cases, the searches ended tragically, but there’s an old cliché that says, ‘You are either part of the problem or part of the solution," she said. "It is clear to me from these experiences that our local militia is part of the solution."
“Based on what I have observed of our local militia’s efforts, I highly recommend that other municipalities coordinate with and get to know their local militia members."
The sheriff’s department was grateful for the help, said Derrick Jackson, the department’s director of community engagement.
“The volunteers were helpful whether they were militia, whether they were residents of that community or friends of elected officials,” Jackson said. “They did exactly what we asked of them.”An elected official seeking help from the militia is “extraordinarily rare,” said Mark Pitcavage, director of investigative research for the Anti-Defamation League.
“Most people would stay away from these groups like the plague for very understandable reasons,” he said.Mull’s decision to reach out to the militia comes as the militia movement is experiencing an “incredible resurgence” across the country, Pitcavage said. The movement gained steam after the government's siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993 and later tapered off.
But in the past 18 months, the number of militia groups has quadrupled to 200, Pitcavage said. “They wanna change the world,” “they are not satisfied with the status quo.”
“Certainly, the militia movement has generated a number of violent or otherwise dangerous individuals,” Pitcavage said.read the entire article with videos at annarbor.com
Federal agents conducted raids over the weekend in Lenawee and Wastenaw counties that reports say may be related to some members of Hutaree, a Christian-militia group in Michigan.
"We can confirm that there were law enforcement activities in the Lenawee/Washtenaw County area," said Detroit FBI Special Agent
Sandra Berchtold. But she added that "the federal warrants are sealed and we can not comment at this time." {more}
Bridgewater Township official turns to militia for help; watchdog groups question decision
Bridgewater Township Supervisor Jolea Mull has twice sought help from militia members this year to search for missing township residents.
The move is drawing criticism from militia watchdog groups, who say Mull is legitimizing an extreme right-wing movement that has a history of being associated with criminal activity.
And the partnership comes as the militia movement is exploding across the country, driven by fears of economic collapse and the potential for a crackdown on gun rights under the Obama administration, watchdog groups say.
About 50 militia members from five units live in Washtenaw County, militia leaders say. They are survivalists, who favor larger local government and a smaller federal government. Members are fiercely protective of their free speech and gun rights.
When Mull learned from Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies that a township woman was missing Jan. 13, she contacted local militia leader Jimmy Schiel.
“She said, ‘Hey, we need help to do a ground search for Anna-Maria Wheeker,” Schiel recalls of their phone conversation that morning. “I said, ‘So you want the militia?' And she said, ‘Yes.”
Mull, who said she was pleased with the militia’s response, contacted Schiel again Feb. 17 when deputies told her 56-year-old Robert Melvin Wise was missing.Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremist groups, questioned why an elected official would reach out to the militia.The militia movement has been involved in an “enormous amount of criminal violence” and “huge number of domestic terror plots,” Potok said.Mull, a Republican, turned to the militia because of their training in search and rescue techniques, familiarity with the local community and willingness to help, she said in a prepared statement. About 1,700 people live in Bridgewater Township in southwestern Washtenaw County.
“It certainly seems poorly advised to be kind, to ask people who believe in completely false conspiracy theories and see the government largely as an enemy to help in law enforcement matters,” Potok said. “I don’t see how that could work out well.”
“Unfortunately, in both cases, the searches ended tragically, but there’s an old cliché that says, ‘You are either part of the problem or part of the solution," she said. "It is clear to me from these experiences that our local militia is part of the solution."
“Based on what I have observed of our local militia’s efforts, I highly recommend that other municipalities coordinate with and get to know their local militia members."
The sheriff’s department was grateful for the help, said Derrick Jackson, the department’s director of community engagement.
“The volunteers were helpful whether they were militia, whether they were residents of that community or friends of elected officials,” Jackson said. “They did exactly what we asked of them.”An elected official seeking help from the militia is “extraordinarily rare,” said Mark Pitcavage, director of investigative research for the Anti-Defamation League.
“Most people would stay away from these groups like the plague for very understandable reasons,” he said.Mull’s decision to reach out to the militia comes as the militia movement is experiencing an “incredible resurgence” across the country, Pitcavage said. The movement gained steam after the government's siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993 and later tapered off.
But in the past 18 months, the number of militia groups has quadrupled to 200, Pitcavage said. “They wanna change the world,” “they are not satisfied with the status quo.”
“Certainly, the militia movement has generated a number of violent or otherwise dangerous individuals,” Pitcavage said.read the entire article with videos at annarbor.com
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. “This horse is not a horse to me,” he would tell them. “It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?” The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. “You old fool,” they scoffed, “we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”The old man responded, “Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?”The people contested, “Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact that your horse is gone is a curse.”The old man spoke again. “All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?”The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. He lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. 
Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. “Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.”The man responded, “Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?“Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t.”“Maybe the old man is right,” they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs.
Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.“You were right,” they said. “You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever.”The old man spoke again. “You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments.”It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.“You were right, old man,” they wept. “God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever.”The old man spoke again. “It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows.”The old man was right. We only have a fragment. Life’s mishaps and horrors are only a page out of a grand book. We must be slow about drawing conclusions. We must reserve judgment on life’s storms until we know the whole story.I don’t know where the woodcutter learned his patience. Perhaps from another woodcutter in Galilee. For it was the Carpenter who said it best: Don 't worry a bout tomorrow, for tomorrowDo not will worry about itself.” (Mt. 6:34)He should know. He is the Author of our story. And he has already writtn the final chapter
Max Lucado
I want to really Live Matthew 6;34 in my life daily.
