This article was written by The Bard of the American Redoubt and originally posted at the Charles Carroll Society.

The Spokesman-Review chooses to publish an article by Shawn Vestal that is full of innuendo and false analogies about the American Redoubt, Eric Parker, and the III% of Idaho.  I reached out to Shawn Vestal directly and explained to him how much of his article “The American Redoubt is alive and well in the Idaho Capitol as ‘Bundy sniper’ receives hero’s welcome” was wrong.  Shawn Vestal response was basically, so what. I then sent a shorter version of the following article to their Spokesman-Review Editorial department to set the record straight.  We will see if they publish it.

Shawn Vestal attempt to associate the American Redoubt to White Supremacist is #fakenews and ludicrous.  Shawn said “The Redoubt is more idea than place – a dream of a Western haven for far-right revolutionaries that is not all that different from Richard Butler’s view of the region” Richard Butler was a neo-NAZI and white supremacist from California who came to Idaho to try and start a white only homeland.  Local Idaho people eventually ran him out of town.  Even other progressives from national and local publication admit that I, the American Redoubt and other patriots are not some new version white supremacy. [Bard Note:  Stop laughing it is not funny!]

The American Redoubt movement is a political migration movement started by Army veteran, self-sufficiency author, and blogger James Rawles. It is focused on encouraging libertarian-leaning conservative Christians and Jews to consider moving too deeply conservative states to strengthen those states.  The American Redoubt focuses on political migration primarily to Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.

The III% is nation-wide American paramilitary patriot movement which pledges armed defense of the US constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.  III% movement was co-founded by Mike Vanderboegh who allegedly was formally a member of far-left socialist groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society and the Socialist Workers Party before becoming a right-wing activist, Christian Libertarian and anti-federalist.  Michael Brian Vanderboegh died in 2016 after a long battle with cancer. Eric Parker from Hailey, Idaho was the Vice President of the Idaho chapter of the III%.

To the best of my knowledge Eric Parker has never claimed to represent the American Redoubt movement.  The Idaho Statesman in an article titled Members of 3% militia group say leader took money meant for arrested Idahoans dated 28SEP2016 reports that Eric Parker left the III% of Idaho when financial improprieties were discovered that involved the President of the III% of Idaho chapter Brandon Curtiss.

Shawn Vestal plainly says the American Redoubt and the III% are the same movements. I know for white liberal progressives in the lying liberal legacy media think we all look the same. I can assure you we are not.  An analogy is that although people can be members of the Hispanic organization The Race (La Raza) or Black Lives Matters (BLM) and both organizations may cooperate on leftist issues; they are not the same organization.  Members of one organization are not automatically members of the other. The III% and the American Redoubt are two separate movements with separate purposes.

Shawn Vestal says the American Redoubt supported the Malheur Occupation.  This is more #fakenews. Even while many people worked to deescalate the Bunkerville incident, nearly all of the “thought leaders” of the American Redoubt voiced support for the defensive actions of American citizens in the Bunkerville, Nevada Standoff. Most of these same Redoubts thought leaders were publicly vocal in their opposition to the events of the Malheur Oregon Occupation.

I said of the Malheur events on this blog in the post Discernment Oregon militia situation on 03JAN2016  “I encourage patriots to remain as far away as possible.”  In the post Statement on the Occupy Oregon Malheur Wildlife Refuge Situation on 27JAN2016 I said “As we suggested in our only post on this issue, the tactics that Ammon Bundy employed did not seem to end in the advancement of liberty.”

Hugh Latimer Senior Editor of SurvivalBlog said of the Malheur Occupation in the post titled News From The American Redoubt on 05JAN2016 “SurvivalBlog has many concerns over this fiasco that is formulating right now…We encourage fellow Patriots not to flock to Oregon, where you would be considered outsiders and not entirely welcome by the local population, but instead, prepare in your local area where your strengths are. The fight may be coming to you. Continue to pray that the Federal government does not end this in a Waco-style assault.” James Rawles followed up The Latest Wave of The Sagebrush Rebellion on 19JAN2017 “I must mention that I disagree with the tactics chosen by Ammon Bundy and his compatriots.”

John Jacob Schmidt said on his blog RadioFreeRedoubt in the post Oregon Wildlife Refuge Patriot Standoff on 03JAN2016 “For the record: Radio Free Redoubt and AmRRON do not condone the occupation of the Federal Wildlife Refuge Headquarters by patriots.”


Pastor Baldwin said on the post Malheur Occupation, Is Not Bundy Ranch on 07JAN2016 “Citizens coming together to peacefully protest a perceived injustice is as American as mom and apple pie. But a group of citizens acting as a mob and, with a show of force, taking over a public (or private) facility when there is no threat to life is just plain wrong–anger with BLM notwithstanding.”

The American Redoubt was united in our opposition to the Malheur Occupation.  We felt the Bunkerville Standoff was a different matter.

Shawn Vestal statement that reasonable people would not see Bunkerville as defense of an American rancher is false. The Bunkerville Standoff had little to do with grazing rights and primarily to do with the federal government’s military-like response to a few cows grazing on desert lands that has led to law enforcement terror in the past.  The Bunkerville Standoff become “a thing” when Clive Bundy said on alternative-media that federal “snipers” had taken up position around his ranch and placed “strange devices” all around his home. He feared for his and his family’s life.

This caused the most significant outpouring of support by modern day anti-federalist in recent memory.  As Shawn Vestal says Eric Parker and hundreds of others drove hundreds of miles to stand with a family they did not know being surrounded by federal agents.   The modern day anti-federalists often called “patriots” decided that this family would not stand alone before the might of the federal terror.  For years the FBI, BLM and State’s Attorney said claims of snipers and devices were false and ludicrous. U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro an Obama appointed judge confirmed that the FBI, BLM and the Nevada State’s Attorney’s office lied in court and to the public.  Not a surprise to those paying attention.   The “strange devices” where rugged wireless cameras and there were snipers surrounding his home.  This is part of the reason Judge Navarro dismissed all charges with prejudice meaning these men cannot be retried on the same charges.

A report by BLM whistleblower Larry Wooten, which was exclusively provided to Shari Dovale of Redoubt News in the article EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Matt Shea Exposes BLM Atrocities said “the investigation revealed a widespread pattern of bad judgment, lack of discipline, incredible bias, unprofessionalism and misconduct, as well as likely policy, ethical, and legal violations among senior and supervisory staff at the BLM’s Office of Law Enforcement and Security.” He also stated that the BLM used the most aggressive and military approach possible.

From the FBI making the firebombs that were used against the black nationalist members of the MOVE in West Philadelphia in 1978 where 6 adults and 5 children were shot or burned alive. The Philadelphia Inquirer did an update on the MOVE atrocity on 09MAY2010. To the FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi shooting Vicki Weaver in her home in Naples, Idaho in 1992, to the FBI using incendiary devices that directly led to burning of 76 women and children alive in Waco, Texas the FBI and law enforcement agencies have a sordid history of overly violent military responses. This is seen even today in the continuing lethal interactions between law enforcement and primarily inner-city minorities as well as military tactics used against ranchers in the West.

The events of Bunkerville are in a long line of flare-ups between Western States and the federal government many people call the Sagebrush Rebellion. The motivating issue of the Sagebrush Rebellion and Bunkerville is the Western States controlling more of their own natural resources. Those, like Eric Parker who risk their lives and freedom to stand up to what many see as law enforcement terror are seen in a positive light by many modern day anti-federalist. It is a continuation of the 30 year old Sagebrush Rebellion. This is a real issue, and if it is not resolved to the satisfaction of both sides, I fear more potentially violent flare-ups.

Like Ronald Regan before them, we humbly thank Idaho State Representative Dorothy Moon a Republican from Stanley, Idaho and other Republican Idaho legislators for working for peace and giving voice to the Western Ranchers, miners, patriots and other “fly over” Americans and the Sagebrush Rebellion. I covered that in an article titled Idaho Republicans stand up for the Bunkerville anti-federalists.


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