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Three Percenters

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 173.167.105.161 (talk) at 19:46, 5 September 2017 (→‎Activities and reception: Text is verbatim from a Kansas City Star article's summary of a Vanderboegh quote referring specifically to the Oregon standoff. If nothing else, the statement should be directly tied to that section of this entry.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The "Nyberg Three Percent Flag"

The Three Percenters (also styled "3%ers") is an American "patriot movement"[1] which pledges resistance against the United States government regarding what it believes to be infringement of the United States Constitution.[1] The group's stated primary purpose is to protect constitutional rights[2] and has been characterized as being ideologically similar to the Oath Keepers.[1]

The group's name is derived from the claim that only three percent of the population of the thirteen British colonies of North America fought the British in the American Revolution. (Current scholarship holds that at least 15% of the overall population are estimated to have served in either the Continental Army or state militias,[3] about 375,000 people served a nation of 2.5 million -- a participation rate higher than in most other US-American military conflicts.)

Foundation and aims

The movement was started on December 17, 2008. The movement was co-founded by Mike Vanderboegh[4] from Alabama, a member of the Oath Keepers, a group with whom the 3 Percenters remain loosely allied.[5] Vanderboegh claims to have formerly been a member of Students for a Democratic Society and the Socialist Workers Party, but abandoned left-wing politics and politics in general in 1977 after being introduced to libertarianism.[6] Beginning in November 2008, Vanderboegh began promoting the movement on his blog "Sipsey Street Irregulars."[7] The "Three Percenters Club" website was established in 2011 by Michael Graham.[8]

The "Nyberg Three Percent Flag," designed by Gayle Nyberg in 2008, is based on the Betsy Ross flag with the Roman numeral III inscribed in the circle of thirteen stars.

Activities and reception

Vanderboegh self-published a serial novel online, Absolved, in 2008, described as "a cautionary tale for the out-of-control gun cops of the ATF."[9]

Vanderboegh and his novel Absolved first received wider media attention in 2011, when four suspected militia members in Georgia were arrested for an alleged plan for a biological attack that had supposedly been inspired by the novel.[10][11] Vanderboegh distanced himself from the alleged plot.[12]

In 2013, Christian Allen Kerodin and associates were working on construction of a walled compound in Benewah County, Idaho "for three percenters," designed to house 7,000 persons following a major disaster, an initiative which local law enforcement has described as a "scam."[13]

In April 2013, a group of Jersey City police officers were disciplined for wearing patches reading "ONE OF THE 3%."[14][15]

Following the 2015 Chattanooga shootings at a strip mall military recruitment center and a Navy Operational Support Center in Tennessee, 3 Percenters, Oath Keepers, and other militia groups began organizing armed gatherings outside of recruiting centers in several states, with the stated objective of providing protection to service members, who were barred from carrying weapons while on duty in civilian recruitment centers.[16] In response, the Army Command Operations Center Security Division issued a letter ordering soldiers not to interact with or acknowledge armed civilians outside of recruitment centers, and that "If questioned by these alleged concerned citizens, be polite, professional and terminate the conversation immediately and report the incident to local law enforcement," noting that while the issuing officer is "sure the citizens mean well, but we cannot assume this in every case and we do not want to advocate this behavior".[16]

On January 8, 2016, the "3 Percenters of Idaho" group announced it was sending some of its members in support of the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, allegedly in order to "secure the perimeter" and to prevent a "Waco-style situation."[17] They left several hours later after being told their assistance was not needed.[18] Two days previously, Vanderboegh had described the occupiers as "a collection of fruits and nuts."[19] "What Bundy and this collection of fruits and nuts has done is give the feds the perfect opportunity to advance their agenda to discredit us," he said.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sunshine, Spencer (January 5, 2016). "Profiles on the Right: Three Percenters". Political Research Associates. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  2. ^ "Patriot Groups Have Presence in Idaho". NBC KPVI News 6. Archived from the original on August 16, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  3. ^ Allison, Robert (2011). The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. p. 79.
  4. ^ "Longtime militia and 'Patriot' leader Mike Vanderboegh dies at 64". August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  5. ^ Avlon, John (March 31, 2010). "Anti-government hate militias on the rise". CNN. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Mencimer, Stephanie (December 14, 2011). "Meet the Former Militiaman Behind the Fast and Furious Scandal". Mother Jones. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "All about the Sipsey Street Irregulars & Absolved". sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com. Sipsey Street Irregulars. November 15, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2016. Welcome to the website for the Sipsey Street Irregulars, a merry band of Three Percenters who are fans of the upcoming novel by Mike Vanderboegh, Absolved.
  8. ^ "About Us". threepercentersclub.org. Three Percenters Club. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  9. ^ Bill Morlin (May 16, 2013). "Michael Brian Vanderboegh". splcenter.org. Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  10. ^ Bluestein, Greg (February 11, 2011). "Georgia Militia Plot: Feds Arrest Four Suspected Group Members For Alleged Biological Attack Plan". The Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  11. ^ Kellogg, Carolyn (November 3, 2011). "'Online novel' allegedly inspired Georgia terrorism suspects". Los Angeles Times. Jacket Copy blog. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  12. ^ Gertz, Matt (November 2, 2011). "Fox "Authority" Vanderboegh On His Book Allegedly Inspiring Terrorism: "Did I Mention It Is Fiction?"". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2016. Absolved is fiction. I hope it is a 'useful dire warning.' However, I am as much to blame for the Georgia Geriatric Terrorist Gang as Tom Clancy is for Nine Eleven.
  13. ^ Morlin, Bill (May 16, 2013). "Behind the Walls". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved January 14, 2016. But there's no sign that the latest fantastic plans from antigovernment extremists will ever come to much. Dave Resser, the sheriff of sparsely populated Benewah County, calls the whole thing a 'scam.'
  14. ^ Conte, Michaelangelo (April 29, 2013). "Jersey City police brass identify a pro-militia clique in the department and say they've been stopped". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  15. ^ Zeitlinger, Ron (April 29, 2013). "'Three Percenters' founder: Wrong to discipline Jersey City police officers". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Tritten, Travis (July 22, 2015). "Army to recruiters: Treat armed citizens as security threat". Stars & Stripes. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  17. ^ Hammill, Luke (January 8, 2016). "Oregon standoff: Idaho group arrives to 'secure perimeter, prevent Waco-style situation'". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  18. ^ "More armed men visit site of Oregon wildlife refuge standoff". San Francisco Chronicle. Associated Press. January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Judy Thomas (January 6, 2016). "Experts: Oregon standoff may be small, but it's tip of militia iceberg". McClatchy News Service. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
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