1990s far-right militias consisted mainly of Bubba and his cousin Jethro who were running around playing "Army" while being decades too old for it. They were no threat at all, except maybe to the local wildlife.
And to themselves.
1990s far-right militias consisted mainly of Bubba and his cousin Jethro who were running around playing "Army" while being decades too old for it. They were no threat at all, except maybe to the local wildlife.
168 Dead, and 680 injured beg to differ.1990s far-right militias consisted mainly of Bubba and his cousin Jethro who were running around playing "Army" while being decades too old for it. They were no threat at all, except maybe to the local wildlife.
168 Dead, and 680 injured beg to differ.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing
The chief conspirators, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, met in 1988 at Fort Benning during basic training for the U.S. Army.That was one event by a couple of nuts. The vast, vast majority of them were a bunch of clowns "playing soldier". Mostly men who wished they had the guts to join the army.
The chief conspirators, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, met in 1988 at Fort Benning during basic training for the U.S. Army.
There were also those in the militia movement who had the guts to join the army, and had received training and experience there.
The demographics that the militia movement draws from happens to be the same demographics which are disproportionately represented in US Army combat units, so it is hardly surprising that there was a cross over between the two.
There was certainly the capability to carry out more attacks, we are not talking about a mass up rising or something like that but assassination of public figures, bombings, attacks on infrastructure and federal law enforcement, establishment of no go zones could have happened if a trigger point was reached.
The thing is the militia movement as a whole never felt that the trigger point had been reached, and in fact their purpose was to stop that trigger point being reached by existing as a threat.
The FBI certainly believed there was a threat, and was actively trying to infiltrate militia groups.
What was being suggested was that if things were different and a trigger point was reached.The whole thing was a joke. It not only didn't get to the "trigger point" it was never near it and didn't have the numbers to be an actual threat.
What was being suggested was that if things were different and a trigger point was reached.
I have to wonder what your definition of a threat is?
I think that such an event would increase instability and political tension as required by the OP.
Simple: no civil rights successes, no pro feminist bills for gender equality, no mainstream sexual revolution, no obstruction of gun control, no relaxing of anti homosexual laws, no environmentalism, no deregulation. That would lead to a prolonged counter-culture that splits into socialist and libertarian sects. These sects fight each other both electorally and physically, while the bulk of the US becomes communo-nationalist, mixing social conservatism with strong labor unions and New Deal policies. If LBJ can get reelected, along with a term of Humphrey and two terms of Scoop Jackson, you would have an entrenched Democratic majority mobilizing the Silent Majority and being assailed by left and right.
Right so I'll have to tell the British that the IRA was no threat then.To be a threat they would have to be thousands of Al Qaeda types not a bunch of grown up children and a handful of nuts.
Right so I'll have to tell the British that the IRA was no threat then.
Also that 9/11 thing can't have been as big a deal as everyone makes it out to be.
If you think thousands are needed to be a threat then I don't think you understand how terrorism works. To quote Stalin The purpose of a terrorist is to terrorize. Consider 19 people carried out 9/11, two people did the Oklahoma bombing, the DC sniper was two people. Now consider attacks across the USA against Federal Law Enforcement, Politicians, and Infrastructure.