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On February 2, 2009 the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) released its now infamous report entitled “The Modern Militia Movement.” This report, commonly referred to as “The MIAC Report”, attempted to demonize a wide range of ordinary Americans as being potential “terrorist threats”.
Suddenly, the word terrorist was being redefined right before our eyes. Under the new definitions, law enforcement was supposed to be on the lookout for “conspiracy theorists”, “right wing extremists”, “militias”, gun owners, “constitutionalists”, people who fear economic collapse, Christians, “anti-abortionists”, “tax resisters”, “Libertarians”, supporters of third party candidates, or even people who cite the Constitution.
As the police began learning the new “warning signs”, the mainstream media began educating the public that the real threat in America was gun owners, returning veterans, and people who question the government. The term “radical Islam” was completely replaced in the mainstream media by the term “right wing extremist” seemingly overnight. It was a constant drum beat of fear and misinformation—propaganda at its finest.
And the propaganda hasn’t stopped. Since that time we’ve been virtually bombarded with an endless stream of similar publications. Now the TSA is molesting our children, Janet Napolitano is trying to convince us all to spy and tattle on each other, and it’s even considered “suspicious” if you pay for something in cash, try to use your cell phone privately, or wear blue jeans. (Source)
But why?
I learned the answer to that question in 2010. After using the scary word “revolution” on Facebook (in context of a revolution of political thought toward Libertarianism), and having two “anti-government” bumper stickers on his car (an anarchy symbol and a Ron Paul sticker), a friend of mine was essentially fired from a civil service job based on nothing but “concern” over his mental status.
He was lucky, though. The NDAA hadn’t been written into law yet and he was able to take his case to arbitration. After a long court battle (which lasted well over a year) he was reinstated to his job only after it was revealed through testimony that his employer paid a psychologist to write a fraudulent report, the psychologist failed to test positive for any mental illnesses (and still deemed him unable to work), and the psychologist testified that the sole basis for releasing him was his “political beliefs.”
Brandon Raub hasn’t been so lucky. Just in case you haven’t heard of Brandon Raub, let me give you a quick rundown of his situation. Last Thursday, police accompanied by the FBI and secret service showed up at Raub’s house and took him into custody against his will—not because he broke any laws, but because he posted some controversial opinions on Facebook. Raub, a former marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was not lawfully arrested and taken to jail. Instead, he was unlawfully kidnapped and placed in a mental institution where he remains today.
Many people respond to news like this with the same reaction. They immediately and instinctively ask, “well, what did Brandon Raub’s Facebook posts say?” Although I will answer this question, and do recognize that Raub’s Facebook posts are relevant, I want to point something out to you. If your very first instinct was to question the content of Raub’s posts instead of questioning the government’s actions, what does that say about you? How effective has MIAC-style propaganda been in shaping your perception? To instantaneously question what Raub said is to instantaneously question his right to say it—an unconscious declaration that you blindly and instinctively trust the government and that their actions must be justified. A far better reaction would be “why was the government reading Raub’s Facebook posts in the first place?”
Wouldn’t it stand to reason that if Raub was really having a meltdown or there was really reason to be concerned about Raub’s mental health, his family and friends would have tried to intervene, tried to get him help, and perhaps contacted the authorities as a last resort?
From all available information on this case, Raub’s family and friends have no concern whatsoever about his mental status.
It appears that the government simply took it upon themselves to spy on his Facebook posts, pretend that his Facebook posts are evidence of mental illness (based on their own propaganda), and kidnap him.
Many people respond to news like this with the same reaction. They immediately and instinctively ask, “well, what did Brandon Raub’s Facebook posts say?” Although I will answer this question, and do recognize that Raub’s Facebook posts are relevant, I want to point something out to you. If your very first instinct was to question the content of Raub’s posts instead of questioning the government’s actions, what does that say about you? How effective has MIAC-style propaganda been in shaping your perception? To instantaneously question what Raub said is to instantaneously question his right to say it—an unconscious declaration that you blindly and instinctively trust the government and that their actions must be justified. A far better reaction would be “why was the government reading Raub’s Facebook posts in the first place?”
From all available information on this case, Raub’s family and friends have no concern whatsoever about his mental status.
It appears that the government simply took it upon themselves to spy on his Facebook posts, pretend that his Facebook posts are evidence of mental illness (based on their own propaganda), and kidnap him.
If the people who knew him best, and interacted with him daily, weren’t concerned about his mental health, how can the government be justified in taking these actions based on a handful of Facebook posts? He must have made some very serious threats to cause all kinds of harm…right? Let’s look at a few of those posts and see what makes Raub so scary. (Note: I’m going to select a few posts that seem to be the most likely candidates to cause “concern”)
August 13, 2012
Sharpen up my axe; I’m here to sever heads.
Not to make excuses for the guy, but these are song lyrics from the song “Bring Me Down” by Swollen Member. It’s very common for people to quote song lyrics on Facebook. Trust me, if I quote L.L. Cool J this does not mean that I actually want to “bomb a town…get down”. There are numerous song lyrics out there with violent content and some of them are quite quotable.
August 12, 2012
Do you know why the American people will win the civil war that is coming? Because we are Americans.
Apparently, this post is scary because Raub thinks there is a civil war of some sort looming in the future—which will pit the citizens against the government. But wait. Isn’t Janet Napolitano’s DHS buying millions of rounds of small arms ammo, training the military for domestic operations, purchasing all kinds of riot gear, training the military to operate “re-education centers”, putting drones in the skies, lining our streets with video cameras, encouraging citizens to spy on each other, and snooping on Facebook pages (like Raub’s) to be prepared for civil unrest? How is Raub’s concern that the government may fight the people in a “civil war” any different from Janet Napolitano’s concern that the government may fight the people because of “civil unrest”? I wonder if they will be knocking on the door of Big Sis anytime soon….
August 10, 2012
I’m starting the revolution. I’m done waiting.
The word “revolution” terrifies these people in government. My friend used it before they went after him and Raub used it too. In fact, there is a whole list of words that DHS scans Facebook for, and I’m guessing “revolution” is right near the top. The implication is that Raub is going to do something violent, but he never says he’s going to be violent. Our nation was founded by a revolution; the Beatles sang about revolution; we’ve affectionately labeled positive eras in history as “revolutions” (such as the industrial revolution); and Ron Paul’s peaceful Campaign for Liberty is often called the “Ron Paul Revolution”. Sure, saying you want to start the revolution may be a bit controversial, but the first amendment wasn’t written to protect tame or mundane speech.
August 9, 2012
This is the part where I tell the Federal Government to go f*** itself. This is the part where I tell Generals, training our young men to fight Americans, I am coming for you. The Veterans will be with me.
As a former marine, he probably has some insight as to the training they receive. If our military is being trained to fight us—instead of defend our constitutional rights—he has every right to be angry. Raub is not a threat because he wants the military to play the proper constitutional role.
August 5, 2012
If you are unaware of the great amount of evil perpetrated by the American Government I suggest you take your head out of the sand. The day of reckoning is almost at hand.
So, Raub thinks our government is evil. Is that not his right? I personally think all governments are evil. Governments exist for the sole purpose of controlling, restricting, and manipulating people. It’s not “crazy”. It’s a valid opinion.
July 28, 2012
If you are my friend, you deserve to know the truth. This world is secretly run by a shadow organization of people who among other things enjoy raping children. Some of leaders were involved with the bombing of the twin towers. It was a sacrifice and a complete inside job. Also the Bush's are very sick twisted problems. I believe they have a secret Castle in Colorado where they have been raping and sacrificing children for many years. Think I'm crazy? Think again.
This is by far the “kookiest” of Raub’s posts, but is it threatening? Is it cause for concern about his mental health? Is it cause to lock him up against his will? This post is nothing but an expression of Raub’s own beliefs. He’s entitled to his beliefs, and simply because they may sound a bit kooky to you doesn’t mean he has no right to hold them. Let’s be honest. Christians find the beliefs of Muslims to be “kooky”, Republicans find the beliefs of Democrats to be “kooky”, and the people who drink Bud Light because it “tastes great” think the people who drink Bud Light because it is “less filling” are a bit kooky. It’s not illegal to have kooky beliefs. My kids believe that a fat man lives at the North Pole with toy-making elves, flies all around the world stopping at every single house in one night, makes this journey in a magic sleigh pulled by magical flying reindeer, enters and exits everyone’s houses through the chimney, and gives them toys for simply being good—which he knows because he can see them at all times. This is far kookier than believing the Bushes own a secret castle and rape children, but I’m not quite ready for the FBI to round up my children and send them to the loony bin.
So there you have it: no direct threats, no suicidal talk, no loss of function, no inability to perform his daily routine, none of that pesky criteria that traditionally indicates mental illness. It would seem that the government is less concerned about real evidence of mental illness and more concerned with anti-government sentiment (which they consider to be one in the same). It’s important to pay attention to cases like this because it shows exactly what the government is trying to do, and how they plan to do it—and it all goes back to the MIAC Report.
The truth is that our government has wanted to erode our free speech for a long time. In particular, they absolutely do not want us questioning or speaking out against them. But this was a tricky situation because the people would never give up their first amendment rights. They were faced with a dilemma: how to punish speech they don’t like without it appearing to the general public that they are attacking our first amendment rights. The solution was to convince the people that anti-government speech is evidence of mental illness. So they rolled out the propaganda, and used the mainstream media to scare and condition us all. Now they shroud free speech in a cloak of mental illness, and pretend they are fighting a monster.
The decision to use “mental health concerns” as their straw man was no accident. There are several advantages to this approach. First, they can bypass the legal justice system where the burden of proof rests on them. Second, they can force you to take mind numbing drugs and subject you forced therapy (i.e. re-education) sessions in mental institutions that they can’t do in jail. Third, and most important, no label is more misunderstood, damaging, pervasive, stigmatizing, vague, or irrefutable than that of mental illness. It’s easy to convince the public that someone is crazy, all you have to do is make the accusation. The second someone is accused of being “mentally ill”, their right to be innocent until proven guilty goes right out the window. The mere accusation is enough to alter opinions, influence public perception, and spark excessive scrutiny.
August 13, 2012
Sharpen up my axe; I’m here to sever heads.
Not to make excuses for the guy, but these are song lyrics from the song “Bring Me Down” by Swollen Member. It’s very common for people to quote song lyrics on Facebook. Trust me, if I quote L.L. Cool J this does not mean that I actually want to “bomb a town…get down”. There are numerous song lyrics out there with violent content and some of them are quite quotable.
August 12, 2012
Do you know why the American people will win the civil war that is coming? Because we are Americans.
Apparently, this post is scary because Raub thinks there is a civil war of some sort looming in the future—which will pit the citizens against the government. But wait. Isn’t Janet Napolitano’s DHS buying millions of rounds of small arms ammo, training the military for domestic operations, purchasing all kinds of riot gear, training the military to operate “re-education centers”, putting drones in the skies, lining our streets with video cameras, encouraging citizens to spy on each other, and snooping on Facebook pages (like Raub’s) to be prepared for civil unrest? How is Raub’s concern that the government may fight the people in a “civil war” any different from Janet Napolitano’s concern that the government may fight the people because of “civil unrest”? I wonder if they will be knocking on the door of Big Sis anytime soon….
August 10, 2012
I’m starting the revolution. I’m done waiting.
The word “revolution” terrifies these people in government. My friend used it before they went after him and Raub used it too. In fact, there is a whole list of words that DHS scans Facebook for, and I’m guessing “revolution” is right near the top. The implication is that Raub is going to do something violent, but he never says he’s going to be violent. Our nation was founded by a revolution; the Beatles sang about revolution; we’ve affectionately labeled positive eras in history as “revolutions” (such as the industrial revolution); and Ron Paul’s peaceful Campaign for Liberty is often called the “Ron Paul Revolution”. Sure, saying you want to start the revolution may be a bit controversial, but the first amendment wasn’t written to protect tame or mundane speech.
August 9, 2012
This is the part where I tell the Federal Government to go f*** itself. This is the part where I tell Generals, training our young men to fight Americans, I am coming for you. The Veterans will be with me.As a former marine, he probably has some insight as to the training they receive. If our military is being trained to fight us—instead of defend our constitutional rights—he has every right to be angry. Raub is not a threat because he wants the military to play the proper constitutional role.
August 5, 2012
If you are unaware of the great amount of evil perpetrated by the American Government I suggest you take your head out of the sand. The day of reckoning is almost at hand.
So, Raub thinks our government is evil. Is that not his right? I personally think all governments are evil. Governments exist for the sole purpose of controlling, restricting, and manipulating people. It’s not “crazy”. It’s a valid opinion.
July 28, 2012
If you are my friend, you deserve to know the truth. This world is secretly run by a shadow organization of people who among other things enjoy raping children. Some of leaders were involved with the bombing of the twin towers. It was a sacrifice and a complete inside job. Also the Bush's are very sick twisted problems. I believe they have a secret Castle in Colorado where they have been raping and sacrificing children for many years. Think I'm crazy? Think again.
This is by far the “kookiest” of Raub’s posts, but is it threatening? Is it cause for concern about his mental health? Is it cause to lock him up against his will? This post is nothing but an expression of Raub’s own beliefs. He’s entitled to his beliefs, and simply because they may sound a bit kooky to you doesn’t mean he has no right to hold them. Let’s be honest. Christians find the beliefs of Muslims to be “kooky”, Republicans find the beliefs of Democrats to be “kooky”, and the people who drink Bud Light because it “tastes great” think the people who drink Bud Light because it is “less filling” are a bit kooky. It’s not illegal to have kooky beliefs. My kids believe that a fat man lives at the North Pole with toy-making elves, flies all around the world stopping at every single house in one night, makes this journey in a magic sleigh pulled by magical flying reindeer, enters and exits everyone’s houses through the chimney, and gives them toys for simply being good—which he knows because he can see them at all times. This is far kookier than believing the Bushes own a secret castle and rape children, but I’m not quite ready for the FBI to round up my children and send them to the loony bin.
So there you have it: no direct threats, no suicidal talk, no loss of function, no inability to perform his daily routine, none of that pesky criteria that traditionally indicates mental illness. It would seem that the government is less concerned about real evidence of mental illness and more concerned with anti-government sentiment (which they consider to be one in the same). It’s important to pay attention to cases like this because it shows exactly what the government is trying to do, and how they plan to do it—and it all goes back to the MIAC Report.
The truth is that our government has wanted to erode our free speech for a long time. In particular, they absolutely do not want us questioning or speaking out against them. But this was a tricky situation because the people would never give up their first amendment rights. They were faced with a dilemma: how to punish speech they don’t like without it appearing to the general public that they are attacking our first amendment rights. The solution was to convince the people that anti-government speech is evidence of mental illness. So they rolled out the propaganda, and used the mainstream media to scare and condition us all. Now they shroud free speech in a cloak of mental illness, and pretend they are fighting a monster.
The decision to use “mental health concerns” as their straw man was no accident. There are several advantages to this approach. First, they can bypass the legal justice system where the burden of proof rests on them. Second, they can force you to take mind numbing drugs and subject you forced therapy (i.e. re-education) sessions in mental institutions that they can’t do in jail. Third, and most important, no label is more misunderstood, damaging, pervasive, stigmatizing, vague, or irrefutable than that of mental illness. It’s easy to convince the public that someone is crazy, all you have to do is make the accusation. The second someone is accused of being “mentally ill”, their right to be innocent until proven guilty goes right out the window. The mere accusation is enough to alter opinions, influence public perception, and spark excessive scrutiny.
As my friend told me after he was fired and trying to save his reputation, “there is nothing worse than being labeled ‘crazy’. The more you try to prove your sanity, the crazier you look.”
I’m writing this article as a call to action—not to take up arms, but to merely pay attention. The MIAC Report, the media indoctrinations, the PATRIOT Act, and the NDAA were all created for a reason and this is it. Do not believe any propaganda that tells you that some speech is more dangerous than other speech. Do not let them convince you that it’s for the greater good to lock up anyone who disagrees with the government. As long as people like Brandon Raub can be locked away in a mental institution, our ability to speak freely is right there with him.
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Milo Nickels began blogging and cartooning about politics in the year 2000. After achieving some notoriety at that time, Milo took a break. Now, Milo has launched a new website, Five Cent Revolution where he continues to write about political issues. In particular, Milo focuses on constitutionalism, critiques of modern liberalism and progressivism, and defends individual liberty above all else. Milo wants the government out of our wallets, out of our business, and out of our lives to the greatest extent possible.
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17 comments:
A scathing analysis, both illuminating and hard to deny. Good work! Little EIA salutes you.
If your very first instinct was to question the content of Raub’s posts instead of questioning the government’s actions, what does that say about you?
It says, "I'd like to know the facts before I make up my mind."
If someone is arrested for saying something, who wouldn't first ask what he said? It's not a reaction based on our "instinctual love of the government", it's based on an innate sense of right and wrong.
Is the author suggesting that we shouldn't ask what Raub said? That if someone says their First Amendment rights were violated, we shouldn't ask what is was he said in the first place?
Marine Brandon Raub Freed – Judge Rules Case Bogus
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/08/23/marine-brandon-raub-freed-judge-rules-case-bogus/
Brilliant! Great job pointing out this total nonsense.
Milo here. I never said that we shouldn't wonder what Raub said. I'm pretty sure that I did say in the article that the content of Raub's facebook posts "is relevant". I didn't insult people for asking, I challenged them to take an introspective look at themselves if their very first instinct was to attack the victim (Raub), and ask themselves WHY that was their first reaction. When the government was CLEARLY in the wrong, why would the first reaction to be questioning their victim?
To hear about this story and immediately ask what Raub said, is like hearing of a rape and immediately asking what the girl was wearing.
Agree or not, it is pretty standard to question people who threaten a sitting President's life, so asking about the content does not necessarily make me a tool of The State.
Before 9-11, though, it was standard to intercept planes which violated Washington DC's airspace, so I guess standards don't mean much anymore. "The wicked fleeth when none pursueth" describes the government well. I wonder what they are so guilty about? O how our veteran heroes get turned into zeroes when they start fighting for their freedom and not the central banks.
There are Targeted Individuals in mental institutions right now who are perfectly sane. The media has never done a report on some poor soul that has been lasered via NSA satellite to the point of insanity. This story is to just cover-up the people the NSA has killed and really ruined. Repent, the Lord is coming to end this.
Hello Milo, glad to hear back from you.
In comparing Raub to a rape victim, you are making the same type of mistake you accuse us of. You "blindly and instinctively trust" anyone but the government.
How could we determine that Raub was a victim, unless we know what it is he said? How do we determine he was a victim? By looking at his actions.
If I see someone grabbed off the street, my first reaction is yes, to think they are being kidnapped. But if I see someone protesting and they get arrested, I think we can logically infer that they their actions caused the arrest. And it would be reasonable to ask what those actions were.
I think Raub's posts were near the line. But the only reason I can make that determination is by seeing what he actually said.
Do you really think we are propagandized fools because we want more information? You state that the government is "clearly wrong". How do we know they were clearly wrong, unless we know the facts?
Dude, you're a spin doctor. Any sane person can read these along with his anti-government rhetoric and have cause for concern. The government's main priority is safety and security of this country, they would be neglecting that if they did not make sure this guy wasn't some loon about to blow up a building. I suggest people who are truly NOT violent, choose your words more wisely or you may get unwanted attention as well. In the end this guy is a loon, everyone but other loons knows it.
Will be interested to see if my comment is "approved"
me thinks R.T.F protest too much. agressive, and probably insulted that they asked themselves the first question rather then the latter.
Good work Milo.
"The government's main priority is safety and security of this country,..."
are you out of your mind? the governments FIRST priority is supposed to be UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!
Our government has no mandate to protect the people- It does have a mandate to protect the rights of the people-
A job it fails at daily while breaking every rule, law and treaty in its efforts to better protect the balance sheets of big money special interests.
It days of old, it was reasonable to assume that the person of interest "must have done something", after all, the government doesn't just go around scooping up or killing people with no reason, tghus the fault for the event must be placed upon the person instead of the institution of government-
That was then- Now, you must assume that the government is out of bounds in every aspect, and await information that leads you to believe otherwise-
Milo- #1- Miller Lite was known for its "Tastes great!" "Less filling!" advertisements. Not Bud Light.
#2- I was pissed off years ago when I heard Bush was putting protesters in "Free Speech Zones." I thought this whole entire country was a "free speech zone?" And for the record, if I am not mistaken, the first amendment was written so that you could peacefully assemble and hold grievences against your government. I believe the only thing that the first amendment does not allow you to do legally is to put others in harms way by yelling out "fire" in a crowded movie theater where no fire actually exists, and it protects the POTUS from people specifically calling for his termination. As long as you do not do either of those two things, your speech is guaranteed protection. At least that was before 9/11.
I thought Patty Henry said it best folks, "Give me liberty or give me death." Does that make him a mental patient? C'mon. The people who need to be mentally examined are the people running this insane country into the ground.
Governments first priority is the government. That is the crux of the problem. That our government routinely does things that you and I would be arrested for is another story entirely.
I just want to say something.
"If you are my friend, you deserve to know the truth. This world is secretly run by a shadow organization of people who among other things enjoy raping children. Some of leaders were involved with the bombing of the twin towers. It was a sacrifice and a complete inside job. Also the Bush's are very sick twisted problems. I believe they have a secret Castle in Colorado where they have been raping and sacrificing children for many years. Think I'm crazy? Think again."
you think this is crazy?
have you ever seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtSVBTne-KY
or this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3IsCPOADc4
these people are evil. They've been around a long time.
I don't know if Bush has a castle in Co or not, but there are plenty of high ranking people involved in the trafficking of children, and the misuse of them. See what some of the surviors of MKULTRA and Poject Monarch have to say.....those who can remember and are still alive. Or how about The Franklin Coverup.
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