Fringe Adorns Citizenry

Local Militia Welcomes All Comers

Last updated Saturday, March 18, 2006 10:12 PM CST in Front

By John T. Anderson
The Morning News

Those same fliers warn of acts of "terrorism by agents of government." Information about avoidance of taxes is a favorite topic of Wilson's seminars that can last nine hours and cost $60 at the door. Wilson calls these payments "donations."

He also accepts -- and prefers -- 5 ounces of silver as payment. A meeting earlier this month pulled in around 20 people.

"Each one of us has the right to tax avoidance," Wilson said.

Home schooling, avoiding inoculations for children and America's dependence on credit also are among the wide-ranging topics Wilson brings to the table during seminars. He backs up his teachings with an armload of old court cases, historical data, a Web site and excerpts from the Arkansas Constitution, which he passes out to almost everyone.

"There are a lot of folks out there that feel innately 'Hey, there is something wrong out here,'" Wilson said. "But they can't put their finger on it. I guess one of my missions is, 'Let's get unconfused here, folks.'... I didn't leave my government. My government left me."

Wilson's overall mantra may best be mirrored in his description of the South's mindset during the Civil War, which he refers to as "Lincoln's War."

"The South," Wilson explained, "said, 'Leave us alone.'"

P.K. Holmes, who ended an eight-year stint as U.S. Attorney for Arkansas' Western District in 2001 and is now a private attorney, said anti-tax groups are nothing new.

"There was always some undercurrent of groups of people who didn't want to pay taxes," Holmes said. "They were never successful (in court)."

'No Wacos'


Increasing taxes, unenforced immigration laws, a growing national debt, schools where students don't pray and gun-control laws are the issues that loosely connect Weston's readers, Wilson's seminar-goers and militia men with big guns. While members of anti-taxing groups may not belong to militias, or vice versa, there is often a correlation of thought, according to Mark Pitcavage, a Columbus, Ohio-based fact-finder for the Anti-Defamation League. The league monitors militias and other groups that it deems potentially dangerous.

"They are closely linked," Pitcavage said.

He loosely defines the groups under the heading of "patriot movement," a movement that could grow if the economy turns sour, he said.

Wayne Fincher, lieutenant commander of the Militia of Washington County, believes more middle-class Americans will more ardently support traditional far-right issues, such as gun rights and immigration reform, as the influence of the federal government grows. He is waiting with a copy of the Arkansas Constitution, a shooting iron and a hearty handshake.

"What we've got to do today is hold our ground," Fincher said.

That means proudly upholding the right to bear arms, standing up for land rights and not always accepting the federal government as the supreme law of the land, he said.

Militias in general are potential breeding grounds for violence, according to Pitcavage.

"(Militias) have extreme views. They are heavily armed," he said.

Pitcavage described the militia in Washington County as "small and stable," based on information from its Web site. But he said the problem with militias -- even the "meet, eat and retreat" varieties -- is that they can fuel discontent among some members. That discontent can blossom under economic pressure, he said. Landowner rights, now being discussed in Washington County, is an example of a hot-button issue that, Pitcavage said, could be inflamed by militia members' influence.

"It is certainly something authorities would want to pay attention to," Pitcavage said.

Fincher and Paul Smith, commander of the militia, have cobbled together a group of men and women who believe in the right to bear arms. The group's Web site states its members "will not tolerate any invasion by agencies hostile to our sovereign state." That means, in Fincher's words, "no Wacos." He refers to the federal intervention in Waco, Texas, in 1993 that ended with federal agents attacking a stronghold of David Koresh for the stockpiling of weapons. Dozens of people were killed. Fincher, with conviction, says militia troops would intervene in a similar situation in Washington County.

"The federal government could be put back in the box," he said.

A machine gun that can fire 550 rounds a minute and assorted 9 mm Sten submachine guns are stored in the militia's concrete and steel vault. Each is stamped with the word "noncommercial" to prove the group holds the arms for militia purposes only and not for trade or sale. Owners of automatic weapons must pay $200 to license each automatic weapon they own. Militia members say they got around that by rebuilding government-destroyed automatic weapons for their use, according to Smith.

Constitutional Demand


The Militia of Washington County is different from many militias. First, it is organized. Fincher began researching militia rights when gun control laws "were gettin' pretty hot in 1992." He believes the Arkansas Constitution not only allows but demands a militia. Second, it is a militia that is open about its actions. The group sent letters to a the U.S. attorney's office, Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Arkansas State Police, the Washington County sheriff and others explaining its actions and the type of weapons on hand. No one has yet raised a hand to oppose them.

Both Kenneth McKee, former county sheriff, and current Sheriff Tim Helder have blessed the organization, Fincher said.

Third, the group's Web site welcomes all races. Racism plagues some militias. Fincher and Smith seek to change that perception -- and others. There is no drinking allowed at the militia's 1.6-acre property.

"The reason people are afraid of the militia is because they have been taught to be afraid of the militia," Fincher said.

Chief Deputy Jay Cantrell of the Washington County Sheriff's Office said he and Helder are aware of the militia and the weapons it holds. Last year, he and Helder met with militia members for doughnuts and coffee at the group's headquarters.

"They were all armed," Cantrell said. "It is not necessarily illegal to own automatic weapons."

He said talk of militia intervention during any standoff situation with federal agents is a bit troubling.

"I think most of these guys are reasonable and willing to listen. ... We are not developing any type response to deal with the militia" in such a situation, Cantrell said.

Anyone is welcome at militia meetings, including women. Article 11 of the Arkansas Constitution calls for all 18 to 45-year-old men to serve. Smith and Fincher will not reveal the number of members who meet at the 40- by 72-foot concrete block building on East Black Oak Road, south of Fayetteville. No muster roster exists.

Topical events can both fan the flames of militia interest and drive people underground. Smith said more than 100 people turned out for a Fayetteville meeting concerning the formation of a militia just before the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995. About 15 people showed up for a subsequent militia-formation meeting after the bombing, Smith said. That indicates, Smith believes, there is both interest and fear on the part of citizens when it comes to their government.

"The woods," he said, "are full of them."

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