North Dakota, The Militia, and Holocaust Denial (DRAFT)

North Dakota, The Militia, and Holocaust Denial

Militia Influence or Simple Hate Crimes?

On the other hand, anti-Semitic and racial episodes on college campuses in the late 1980's touched roughly 20-30% of all minority students on campus. According to U.S. News and World Report, 71% of 550 colleges surveyed reported at least one incident of racism or anti-Semitism during 1992-1993. The Militia of Montana, Christian Identity, and various Freemen groups have found their way into the life of the region. With activities ranging from passive to active forms of intimidation, the demonstrate that both Antisemitism and Holocaust denial have found fertile ground in the rural Northwest, namely, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Participating in regional law enforcement seminars and presentations before local citizens organizations does indicate an active concern on the part of the aforementioned states. However, it remains to be seen to what extent their actions will stem the tide of militia popularity.

Introduction

Reviewing our world of the 1970's - 1990's, our times have not been that different from the days of Hitler and Stalin. Policies of racial genocide have carried the day in the African states of Rwanda and South Africa as well as political genocide in the South American state of Argentina, Southeast Asia's Cambodia, and the People's Republic of China. More recently, the Bosnian civil war has includedPOW camps reminiscent of Nazi concentration camps, wide-spread cases of mass rape of Bosnian Muslim women, and ethnic cleansing. These are surely very humbling reminders of how far we have progressed under the heading civilization.

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Problems in America

Our own media provides us regularly with examples of intolerancewithin American society. We can look to Time magazine's "When White Makes Right. Skinheads carve out their niche in America's violent culture of hate," of August 9, 1993. Various talk shows, including Oprah, Geraldo, and Donahue, have fed America's curiosity about the rise of hate groups and Holocaust deniers, for example, 60 Minutes reported early 1994 on the activities of Bradley Smith and David Cole, and Montel Williams' broke for a commercial during his talk show out of LA with "Holocaust: Fact or Fiction?" More recently, Newsweek reported June 26, 1995, in the article entitled "The Shame of Greenwich," on the Greenwich High School (Greenwich, Conn.) year book in which seniors encrypted the phrase "kill all niggers" under their graduation pictures. One of the academically most competitive schools in the nation, this same wealthy neighborhood and high schoolalso counted among its ranks Ivana Trump and Diana Ross.

Events of the Last Few Years

The first Trial of O.J. Simpson and his acquittal have divided our nation largely along racial lines. The media made the most of these opportunities with talk shows addressing the color of justice while ABC's show "Turning Point" of the night before Simpson's acquittal presented the racist and violent history of The Order. Then as the Pope celebrated mass in Baltimore, Maryland, he also called upon Americans to deal with racial injustice in their land.

The American Nazi Party

While the American Nazi Party, founded by George Lincoln Rockwell (1918-1967) in 1958 is currently limited to roughly fifty members, it provided the foundation from which America's white supremacist movements would grow in the 1980's and 1990's. "Virtually all of the diverse organizations within contemporary right-wing, white supremacist U.S. politics, except the Ku Klux Klan,are philosophical and tactical descendants of Rockwell and the ANP. The Skinheads, the National Socialist Vanguard, the Order, the Aryan

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Nation, the White Aryan Resistance, and the New Order, share a hatredof Jews and Blacks, as well as a reverence for Rockwell as their spiritual founder of the movement." It was Rockwell, furthermore, who linked the ANP with the movement Christian fundamentalism --- andspecifically Christian Identity -- in the early 1960's.i

The White Supremacist Movement

According to many researchers, the most significant branch of the radical white supremacist movement in the 1980's and 1990's is Christian Identity. According to Lenny Zeskind, research director ofthe Center for Democratic Renewal, "Identity is based on the premise that the Jews are literally Children of Satan--the seed of Cain, thatpeople of color are `pre-Adamic' mud people--God's failures before perfecting Adam, and that white Christian Aryans are the `Lost Sheep of the House of Israel'-- chosen people, and therefore America is thebiblical promised land." Christian Identity members are preparing for the Biblical apocalypse by collecting weapons, ammunition, and large quantities of food. Their theology provides a link with elements of the Ku Klux Klan, various white supremacist groups, and the Posse Comitatus.

The Posse Comitatus took the lead in spreading Christian Identity in the 1980's. The Posse Comitatus originated as a loosely-knit survivalist movement which grew out of the Christian Identity teachings of Col. William Potter Gale in California. The Posse Comitatus promotes the unsubstantiated belief that state and federal officials above the county level are part of a gigantic conspiracy to deny average citizens their rights. The Posse Comitatus also sees as agents of the conspiracy all law enforcement officials above level of county sheriff such as game wardens, Internal Revenue Service agents, federal Marshals, and the FBI. Furthermore, many Posse and Identity adherents believe Jews, Blacks, Communists, homosexuals and race-traitors have seized control of the United States. They refer to Washington, D.C. as the Zionist Occupational Government (ZOG). They read the novel The Turner Diaries in which an underground white army leads a revolution againstZOG.

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In late 1974 a national Posse convention was held in Wisconsin with 200-300 attending. While the press gave much attention to Wisconsin Posse leader James Wickstrom, his claims to hold some vaguenational leadership post was flatly contradicted by the autonomous and anarchistic nature of the Posse itself. However, States where Posse activity was reported in the 1980's included: California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

The most violent Posse confrontation involved the mishandled attempt to serve legal papers on Posse activist Gordon Kahl. Two federal agents from the Justice Department's U.S. Marshals Service were killed, and several persons wounded. Kahl fled underground and was later killed in another mishandled attempt to flush him from a fortified bunker. Kahl and other white supremacists killed or jailedby the government have become martyrs to Posse adherents and other racists. After the Gordon Kahl incident, many Posse and Christian Identity members decided to carry out activities in secret or throughfront groups.

While the Posse was growing in the Midwest and West, members of Ku Klux Klan and Nazi groups joined together for a deadly assault on an anti-Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina on November 3, 1979.Five members and supporters of the Communist Workers Party were killed in the shootout. Following the Greensboro shootings and the death of Gordon Kahl, a number of previously-antagonistic racist groups in America began to make contact with each other, and began toestablish informal means of communication and information sharing. Christian Identity was the glue than held the groups together.

Racist groups began to stage joint activities, sometimes built around survivalist encampments. As this cooperation became more formalized, what emerged was, in effect, a white racist alliance which shared a belief in Identity. One of the leaders of the movement in the northwest was Identity Pastor Richard Butler of the Church of Jesus Christ--Christian which operated out of a compound called Aryan Nations in Hayden Lake, Idaho.

The members of the group variously called The Order, White American Bastion, or The Silent Brotherhood, who were convicted in Seattle for staging armed robberies and murdering Denver talk show

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host Alan Berg, were predominantly adherents of Identity organized out of the national meetings held at Butler's Aryan Nations. According to the "Klanwatch Intelligence Report" of the Southern Poverty Law Center:

"A look at the backgrounds of some of the 23 Order members prosecuted in Seattle illustrates the cooperation between radicals that now permeates the extremist right: Five had Klan ties, one had been a Nazi party member, a half-dozen were Aryan Nations, one was a veteran tax protester, four CSA's [Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord] five National Alliance members...."

"Aryan" or "White" as used by Identity ostensibly refers to persons of Nordic, Anglo-Saxon or Germanic stock, or at the very least, persons stemming from Northern or Middle European ancestors. The Identity definition of "Aryan" is more closely related to mythological or operatic reality rather than any scientific or anthropological definition of Indo-European peoples. Aryan actually is a term used by linguists to trace the common roots of the Indo-European languages.

Christian Identity borrows paranoid conspiratorial beliefs from reactionary groups such as the John Birch Society with their claim that secret cabals run most world governments under orders from wealthy elites such as the Rockefeller family. Christian Identity wraps all the conspiracy theories together and adds the myth that white Christian Americans are God's Chosen People fighting a religious war against satanic forces.

Racism and Antisemitism in North Dakota

Here at home in North Dakota, however, we had a our own reminders of the problem we are facing. Vicki Fetzer's letter to the editor of the Dickinson Press appearing on August 9, 1995, and entitled "Seeingracism in North Dakota." She wrote:

Is there racism in North Dakota? Being a black working single parent with two bi-racial kids and a full-time college student, I am asked this question many times. The problem is any way I answer this question, it makes people uneasy.

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In North Dakota -- the land of the free, no crime, fresh air, and a strong moral background, the last thing people want to hear is that they are racist. I have been in this stats for three years and I love this state but I have encountered racism here. And I ask myself why?

Why when I walk into an office for an interview, the personbehind the desk screams; because she thinks I am going to rob her? Why when I do get the job it's only because I am black; not because I was more qualified? Why when I go shopping I get no assistance. Why when I pull up to another car the people inside lock their doors? Why do my kids get rejected from day-care, and when they don't other parents remove their kids? Why do my three year old and five year old get called negras, black faces, etc.? Why do I get second hand service from restaurants,doctor's offices, lawyers, banks and stores? Why when I go out for entertainment, I hear "You don't belong here, go back to Africa?"

And why do my white friends get stopped by the police because there is a black person in the car and they think they are transporting drugs. So they search the car, my friends, andour belongings. And the only thing they find is tears from my kid's eyes and pieces of my broken heart.

So I ask you, is there racism in North Dakota?Vicki FetzerDickinson

Jews, Judaism, and North Dakota's Schindler

Around the turn of the century, a handful of Jewish settlers found their way into North Dakota as homesteaders. Their contributions to a highly diversified ethnic environment come as a surprise to many citizens of North Dakota today that there is also a North Dakotan "Oskar Schindler," namely, Herman Stern of Valley City.Starting in 1935, Herman Stern, himself a German immigrant, sponsored125 Jews during the Holocaust. North Dakota, in short, has its own distinct contribution to the history of American Jewry.

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Herman Stern’s (Valley City) story emerged through the research conducted by Craig Olson at the Chester Fritz Library at the University of North Dakota. Drawing from Craig Olson's recent article in Horizons, "Starting in 1935, Herman Stern, himself a Germanimmigrant, sponsored 125 Jews during the Holocaust. The Valley City businessman operated Straus Clothing Co., a store started by a relative in Sanborn, N.D., in 1879. Stern was the founder of the Greater North Dakota Association. In 1992 he was inducted into to the University of North Dakota's Center for Innovation and Business Development's Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame. He died in 1980 at the age of 92.

...While the Nazis' hatred of Jews was well-known outside Germany, it was by no means clear to the rest of the world how this sentiment would affect the internal policies of the Third Reich. Theactions of the Nazis soon made it clear to the world that life for German Jews would continue to worsen. As early as December 1933, Rabbi Albert Gordon broadcast to Americans that "650,000 (Jewish) menand women were unsafe in Germany" and that Nazi policies could not beexplained as "a simple case of hysteria." Within this context, Herman Stern began his efforts to rescue German Jews.

Stern was born in Oberbrechen, Germany in 1887. In 1903 he cameto America to join his cousin, M.G. Straus, in North Dakota. Together they began a chain of clothing stores that today bears Straus' name. Later Stern moved from Casselton, N.D., to Valley City, N.D., where he continued to live and manage the stores after Straus' death. He was a respected businessman who founded the Greater North Dakota Association and was active in organizing the Winter Show in Valley City. He also aided the war effort in North Dakota by serving as the Barnes County chairman for war bond drives.

...By the early 1930's, Herman Stern began to help Jews escape from Germany. Emigration was a complicated matter. Not only were theprospective immigrants required to have financial supporters in the new country, but also the sponsor had to be a relative of the applicant (although this was stretched in Stern's case to include very distant relatives and even friends of friends). In addition, the prospective immigrant had to meet health standards, have a birth certificate, passport, photographs of themselves and their police records just to apply for a visa.

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The guarantors of the immigrants also had a long list of requirements that they had to meet. They had to provide financial records of life insurance policies, tax records, savings accounts, stocks and bonds and real estate holdings. The sponsor also had to assume full financial responsibility for immigrants once they were admitted into the United States. This financial burden could be considerable since the new immigrants frequently spoke little Englishand often had trouble finding work in their trade.

While the immigrants had difficulty getting out of Germany, their troubles did not end at the border. They still had to settle ina foreign land where language and culture could become a formidable barrier. Nazi Germany was not the only place where anti-Semitism existed. For example, when Stern attempted to help a young boy seek employment in North Dakota, he was informed that "a Jewish boy (sic) here won't do as the twon (sic) is very small and people just won't take to them." In addition to facing bigotry, the new Americans found themselves involved in a paradox. While they were refugees from Hitler, they were still considered Germans and in the early months of 1942 many faced the specter of internment as German nationals.

...For several reasons the majority of Stern's successful efforts took place before 1939. First, even though persecution of the Jews existed from the time Hitler took office, the full extent towhich the Nazis intended to go only became clear on "crystal night" on November 9, 1938...Second, the immigration process was a long one n ordinary times, and this was compounded by the coming war and the increasing harassment of Jews by German officials. Finally, the number os persons whom Stern sponsored became so great that the American consul questioned whether Stern should be allowed to sponsorany more refugees....

Stern devised a plan whereby immigrants were to be settled in groups of 16 families [in the Red River Valley] to maintain a sense of togetherness and cultural integrity....he feared that the immigrants would overwhelm the assistance capabilities of New York and force may [sic] people who were willing to work to remain idle. He berated the inflexibility of the immigration system, saying: "The medical profession...through the influence of the American Medical Association has made it impossible for refugee doctors to settle in

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most states because of the requirement for citizenship. We in our own state could furnish location for 50 doctors if the restrictions could be lifted."

.....The key in enabling the refugees to get out of Germany was the American consulate. The American consul in Stuttgart, Samuel Honaker, was the most accommodating one. Until 1942 he and Stern combined to get out nearly all of the people for whom Stern had affidavits...ii

So, what did Stern save 125 Jews from.......?

Dickinson State University Students' Survey

Stern's story begs the question: How far have the lessons of the Holocaust become part of our everyday North Dakotan consciousness? To what extent have we been able to abandon the type of prejudices which made Hitler's drive to exterminate Europe's Jews possible? Our survey was intended to provide a few insights into possible answers to these questions.

Over the past 24 months, Dickinson State University students studying the Holocaust and Antisemitism conducted a survey of regional sensitivity towards the Jews and Judaism. The survey involved roughly 800 individuals and included twenty-four questions. Despite a higher propensity among those surveyed to reject statementswith anti-Semitic implications, those surveyed revealed a strong propensity towards Jewish history as distinct and separate from American history, viewing Jews as a more cohesive group than other Americans. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX More disturbing, of the questions answered, in thirteen cases aquarter or more of those surveyed generally accepted positions typical of nineteenth and early twentieth century anti-Semitism with its secular and religious components. The last component of the survey called for an answer to the following question: "All Jews are______, ______, and ______." While the vast majority of those surveyed failed or refused to respond, the answers obtained reflectedthe general character of survey results. Most answers ranged from the quite moderate to the complementary. However, some displayed a

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deep-seated mistrust of Jews, for example, answers such as clannish, crooked, scheming, outsiders, and manipulative.

Students enrolled in Dickinson State University's course on the Holocaust conducted a survey of regional sensitivity towards the Jewsand Judaism in 1995-1996. The survey involved 762 individuals, of which DSU students comprised 49.1% (375) of the total. Women constuted 51.4% of those surveyed. The age breakdown of those surveyed worked out as follows:

Age Percent Raw Number18-20 27.8% 21221-25 21.8% 16626-30 14.8% 11331-40 17.0% 13041+ 18.5% 141

Educational level of those surveyed broke down as follows:

High School 19.6% 149Freshman-Sophmore 34.9% 266Junior-Senior 26.1% 199Ba/BS+ 17.6% 134

The survey included twenty-two questions. The questions were more designed to evoke sentiments and not measure academic knowledge of the nature of Judaism or the Jews. Specifically, the questions addressed several typical stereotypes of Jews that have circulated inwestern civilization for hundreds of years. For example, several questions delve into the image of Jews as unscrupulous businessmen, as unwilling to integrate into society, and as responsible for the killing of Jesus Christ. While the results of the survey showed promise, they also indicated substantial room for improvement. (See Appendix One)

Despite a higher propensity among those surveyed to reject statements with anti-Semitic implications, XX.X% of those surveyed indicated their belief that Jewish history is distinct and separate from American history. Second, xx.x% of those surveyed agreed that Jews stick together more than other Americans. More disturbing, of the questions answered, in thirteen cases a quarter or more of those

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surveyed generally accepted positions typical of nineteenth and earlytwentieth century anti-Semitism with its secular and religious components. In raw numbers, that translates into roughly xxx-xxx of those surveyed -- and here we are referring to a relatively well educated group!

The last component of the survey called for an answer to the following question: "All Jews are ______, ______, and ______." While the vast majority of those surveyed failed or refused to respond, the answers obtained reflected the general character of survey results. Most answers ranged from the quite moderate to the complementary. However, some displayed a deep-seated mistrust of Jews, for example, answers such as clannish, crooked, scheming, outsiders, and manipulative.

Conclusions Drawn from this Survey

Projecting these results onto the state of North Dakota (with a population just under 700,000), we might venture a careful observation, namely, while more education may be one key to undermining anti-Semitism, education along has not solved the problem. If North Dakotans have difficulty dealing with the Holocaust, how can they expect to deal with issues that strike closerto home, for example, the treatment of Native Americans?

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The Survey Response

Date sent: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 07:37:17 MDTOn March 16, 1996, I witnessed a meeting of the Militia of Montana. Interestingly, these two events came together in ways I could not have anticipated

The respondant was female, over 41 years of age, and had a college education. Selecting from the following options, namely, (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Agree, and (4) Strongly Agree, she answered the following questions as indicated:

4 1. Jews stick together more than other Americans.4 2. Jews always like to be at the head of things.4 3. Jews are more loyal to Israel than America.4 4. Jews have too much power in the US today.4 5. Jews have too much control or influence on Wall Street.4 6. Jews have too much power in the business world.4 7. Jews have a lot of irritating faults.4 8. Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices to get what they want.4 9. Jewish businessmen are so shrewd that others don't have a fair chance in competition.4 10. Jews do not care what happens to anyone but their own kind.4 11. Jews are just as honest as other businessmen.4 12. Jews are essentially responsible for killing Jesus Christ.1 13. Jews all tend to look alike.4 14. Jews are overly influential in banking.4 15. Jews tend to over-emphasize the significance of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.4 16. Jewish history is distinct and separate from America history.4 17. Most Jews are foreigners.4 18. Jews do not want to integrate into American society.1 19. Jews are better educated than the average American.1 20. Jews have a higher IQ than the average American.

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Finally, complete your interviews with the following: All Jews are ___________________________, ____________________________, and ________________________________.

[At this point, she begins her detailed account of her point of viewby reflecting on the survey questions. I have tried to reproduce heranswers as best I could and in the spirit in which these answers wereoffered. -- David A. Meier ]

I believe what you will read in the following pages will reveal what is known about the Jews! And it is more than you asked for or knew about, I can guarantee that! I hope the ADL will be proud of your survey!

1. Jews _are not Americans_! America is based on Christian priciple. Jews are Anti Chirst and _Hate Christians_. Jews are globalists! Their government is the United Nations, which is really the One World Order government of the Jews.2. They _are_ our _total government_ at this point. Need I say more? Bill Clinton married Hillary Rodham and converted to Judaism, the Anti Christ religion! So our whole governemt was turned over to the Jews by the CLintons and those who backed them for election. TheJews! The ADL was one of the contributors to Clintons' [sic] election kitty! This was an illegal controbution because it claims to be a non profit [sic] non taxable [sic] organization!3. Without a doubt 99% of the Jewish population _are_ loyal to that _illegal_ Marxist Communist state! I say illegal because Palestine was invaded by the fully armed Nazi Jews of Europe in 1948. The Palestinians were an unarmed people under a British Protectorate! TheZionists-Nazis slaughtered thousands of Palestinians, drove the rest from their homes and businesses, then had the nerve to call it sanctioned!4. The Jews have all the power in this country today! Thanks to thepropaganda organization called the ADL! They have convinced Americans that they are anti Semites [sic] if Americans speak out about Jews! Jews are not Semites. The Jews in this country are 90% Khazar Jews who are Asiatics!

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Regardingless of where Jews go, from Noah right to this day allJews are Asiatics! Not Semites!5. They invented Wall Street!6. In the last ten years since Reagan deregulated the business world, and created the power buyouts in the process, this is correct.They also own the television industry as well as the radio stations and the major newspapers and publishing houses of this country. _So much_ for free speech in this country any more!7. This is an understatement! Greed for money and power. Arrogance,self serving interests, hatred of Christians and the goal od world conquest! I'd say this is very irritating. They cannot live among the people of the world unless they do have the power. Any anyone whoopposes them end [sic] up dead!8. Jews dod not have morals, how can they tell the difference between shady and not shady! It is the Christian principled Americans who know the difference!9. What the Jews call shrewd, Christians call deceptive! As I stated when a people have no morals and ethics, they have no awareness of what is right or wrong. They have no apparent conscience! So to them, anything they do is fair practice!10. Oh how true this is from time and memorial.11. Honest is not in their vocabulary. Ivan Boesky and Lichael Milken are two very good examples!12. Jews were the cause of Christ's death. But they were called Pharasees then!13. Jews are not a race! They are as individual as any other culture. But they are able to blend in with the peoples they live among! This is how they get away with their crimes and blame the victims of which name they do their crimes in! Examples, Germany andRussia, and now Africa. This is one of their Modus Operandis! Oh, Bosnian Serbs also! Bosnian Serbs are descendants of the Sephardic Jews who were expelled from Spain for ritual murder of Christian children, in 1492! In fact the Jews were expelled from all of Europefrom 1290 to 1640 for ritual murder of Christian children, whose blood they drank and used in their Purim and Passover bread! I wouldsay Jews were not good candidates for citizenship among any Christianpeople with this kind of record! These people can do these horrible acts and still accuse their host countries of persecution? The

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Hasidim have done these ritual murders in America to this day since the 1770s!14. The Jews have owned our banking system since 1913 when Wilson signed the illegal Federal Reserve Act! The Roggenfelds, alias Rockefellers, _privatized_ our Federal Reserve May 18, 1914! This has been the biggest con game in the history of this country!15. No! They use Hitler and the Holocaust for sympathy and propaganda! They have since 1970! Holocaust means Burnt Offering, not up in smoke, Mr. Meier! The Jews did ritual sacrifice for 4000 years before Chirst! They threw their children, their first born into a pit of fire, alive, via a statue idol of their God Molech! _This_ is what is meant by Holocaust! And Hitler _was_ a Jew put into power by Jews! The Jewish bankers of Germany, the Rothchilds, and the Jewish bankers of America, Jacob Schiff and Warburg! Jocab Schiff also bank rolled the Khazar Jews in 1917 Revolution! After all Mr. Meier Communism _and_ Nazism is [sic] Jewsish! 16. Jewish history is one of murder and genocide to get what they want! And it is 6000 years old. I'd say American history is very separate from Jewish! Although Jews have been in America doing theirmischief since 1564! They could not resist the plum called America, could they? The Jews as I've read lately came from Brazel in 1564. 23 of them. But what was not said is that Jews were deported by the colonists _because_ their evil history was known to them!17. Since most Jews are loyal to the Nazi state of Israel, and they came to America claiming persecution, which was a blatant lie, I'd call them illegal aliens! Many Jews have double citizenship! No other people that imigrate here and become citizens are allowed _this_ double citizenship. But because Jews _are_ in control, they take as much license and advantage of their power as they can get.18. Jews do not integrate into any country they live in. In fact, the Jews were the original _Separatists_ in this country!19. The Jews _think_ they are better educated! Education is only asgood as the people who have control of it! And the Jews got control of our educational system when the fool Franklin Delano Roosevelt and_his_ Jewish wife becaem President!20. No, they do not! It takes IQ to build a country and the Jews have not built a country in their whole history! They invaded countries already established. They had their chance to build a

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country when the Tzar of Russia set up the Pale of Settlement just for the Jews in 1771! But it seems the Jews were not able to keep a viable prosperous society living entirely to themselves! The Jews are a parasitic peoples! They live _off_ the people who do the work!Jews are not builders of societies! They are destroyers and conquerors and enslavers! But they have not used war since 929BC to conquer people! They do use force as long as they are the only ones armed. Otherwise they are really cowards. They are whiners and complainers! There is no more despicable peoples than the Hebrews who we call Jews! IQ? Does it take IQ to murder children and genocide whole populations? I know the history of AIDS and Ebola and the World Health Organization, the arm of the Jews One World Order government, the United Nations, and it's [sic] involvement withthe invention of AIDS! AIDS is not a natural virus caused disease! The W.H.O. ordered a virus artificially made that would destroy the human immune system! By artificial, I mean AIDS is not one virus! The loyal Communists from Russia and CHina used our own Disease Control Centrerat Ft. Detrick, Maryland to combine the bouvine luekemia virus and sheep visna virus in a petre dish with human tissue! Then the AIDS virus was inculcated into a small pox vaccine which was used to vaccinate the African peoples! 75,000,000 African people have died because of this viscious [sic -- I am skipping some points where thisnote would fit] act. Do you call this IQ? Americans did get AIDS through homosexuals only because promiscuous homosexuals who participated in a most evil act of the deceit I've ever heard of! Unknown to the homosexuals they were innoculated _with_ AIDS! This happened in New York City at about thesame time these innoculations were given in Japan Brazil and Haiti and Africa! Now tell _me_ about your pheny Holocaust! If you would expose those that really genocided [sic] Jews with the 1 million German people genocided [sic], I would not say a thing. But you are a tool and a dupe of your own people!!!! I would suggest you get a copy of the Protocols. The whole planis spelled out fully, including the innoculation of diseases _into_ populations! But this isn't all! The new weapon HAARP is a deadly

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multiple weapon! It disturbs the ionisphere around the earth that isthe Earth's protection! The last space launch was used to put a satelite into space to work in conjuction with HAARP. The breaking of the tether _was_ deliberate! In space you can move ten tons with your hand. No resistance at all. No way did that tether break accidently! That satelite will be used to bounce electro magnetic waves back to earth at specific targets! Populated areas will be the target! This _weapon_ HAARP also heats up the ionisphere! This will cause glbal warming! It will melt the ice caps! It seems since Jew controlled NASA has been fooling around with HAARP and the run away satelite, the earthquakes around the PAcific Rim have stopped! These earth quakes _and_ our unusual weather in this country for the last 4 years has been created by HAARP! Americans over the whole United States know about this weapon and have known for several years! What kind of IQ do you have to have to creat [sic] a weapon thatcan destroy all of humanity? Well, there is a space station in the process of being assembled. I wonder how many Jews will be aboard when total destruction of this earth takes palce? It is sure as rain you won't be one of them Mr. Meier! You'll find out soon whether you and your generation of Jews get left behind. This time it will be only the elites of the Jews that will survive _this_ Holocaust that is coming!This is just part of the facts I know about!

[End of the Survey Response]

Meeting with the Militia of Montana

As indicated, I attended a meeting of the Militia of Montana last night (March 14, 1996, Holiday Lodge Best Western in Glendive, Montana) which _ featured_ John Trochmann, one of the Militia of Montana's founders (refered to by hotel personnel as a _seminar_.) While the details of his presentation hardly deserve our attention, Iwould say that -- excepting anti-Semitic pronouncements -- Trochmann's presentation reflected the content of the aforementioned survey so far as to beg the question of an obvious over-lap of

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sources. I would add, however, that Trochmann placed a very heavy emphasis on the UN as _the_ government of the U.S. citing examples ofthe presence of UN vehicles in the United States (and in Montana in particular), FEMA (as the agency which will eventually deprive us of our fod, water, homes, and freedom, once the _government_ declares martial law), and the U.S. military (which will be used against American civilians). He also indicated his belief that the _government_ was preparing civilian detention centers, from which civilians would be partialed out for slave labor in both North and South America) ....... there's always more were that came from. As for martyrs for the cause, Trochmann drifted towards Waco and Ruby Ridge -- at the former, the _government_ placed (paraphrasing) "babyson sticks and burned them." ...... Yes, I also managed to tape a portion of the presentation.

One conslusion in this case is that Trochmann's recent public presentation (and distributed materials) catered to the anticipated audience and not the circle of true believers. As for the 75-100 people in the audience, about half were curious visitors with varyingdegress of interest. I would guess perhaps a quarter were sympathietic to the cause and not more than a quarter appeared _devoted_ in some sense. As for age and gender distribution in the audience, it was fairly evenly distributed. However, those in the _devoted_ category were more likely younger males and a sprinkling of younger women. While it is unreasonable to assume a massive generation gap within the militia, my gut impulse is to think that dominate elements (assumed drawn from the 40-60 age group) remained largely out of sight. This would, of course, be very consistent withtheir selected world view.

Responses

Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 22:18:59 -0600 (CST)From: [Email Address]To: [email protected]: A Very Ugly Response

Professor Meier:

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As an observer on the History of Antsemitism List, IOve often wondered what compelled you to accept a position in rural North Dakota. You must feel totally cut off from your peers; maybe thatOs why you participate so often on the List.

But now I learn that youOve been using your students to promote aOstudyO of anti-Semitic inclinations within the Dickinson area community. And this OstudyO has been going on for over 14 months... And you have finally elicited OA Very Ugly ResponseO.

IOm relieved that you are alive and well, Professor. However, you havenOt indicated what the relationship is between this respondent and your student cadre. It seems likely the respondent is a parent or relative of one of your students...

Professor, your survey seems to me to be a series of negative statements about Jews. Each of these statements has a certain amount of validity, especially if the respondent has some knowledge of recent world affairs. Unfortunately, youOre asking people with little or no contact or experience with Jews to pick andchoose. And if they agree with your statements, you label them as Americans with anti-Semitic inclinations?

You have obviously irritated a member of the Religious Right, with strong views concerning our countryOs relationship with Israel. This person is quite well informed; in fact, IOm impressed at the knowledge displayed by this person in responding to your questions. If you ignore the religious implications of her statements, and concentrate only on statements of fact, Ibelieve you will find that her views are shared by many people in our midwestern and western states; itOs possible that she speaks for a majority of Americans in this part of the country...

Professor, itOs important that you understand one point: Concern about the plight ofOriental and Ethiopian Jews in Israel is not anti-Semitism; Concern about the endlessinjustices endured by Palestinians in Israel is not anti-Semitism; Concern about hypocritical Jews living in the USA and supporting Israeli atrocities is not anti-Semitism.

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Think of us as honest secular humanists...

Date sent: Tue, 19 Mar 1996 08:47:15 -0600 (CST)From: [Email Address]To: "David A. Meier" <[email protected]>Subject: Re: A Very Ugly Response

Mr. Meier:

I'm just recovering from a most unfortunate weekend. Several weeks ago I had reason to examine the archives of your History of Antisemitism list. I joined your list, and - - believe me - - without any pretense or exaggeration, I was accepted by your Mr. Levy in Chicago. I was slow in my investigation, so several weeks went by before Idetermined that the information I was looking was not available in your list.

I was about to depart when you barged in with your "survey list" and your "kooky response" and your "undercover investigation" of the dastardly Montana Militia. So Isent you a message, as an equal member of the list, questioning the manner in whichyou were presenting this information. Incidentally, Meier, I sent you the message privately, because I did not want to embarrass you in front of your peers.

Instead of responding, you contacted [Name Removed] in Chicago, and arranged to have me categorized as an "antisemitic lurker" on the list. I can assure you that I willNEVER forget the moment I received Mr. [Name Removed]’s message. (Ask Mr. Morse to explain the capitalization of NEVER)...

I attempted to correct the problem by contacting [Name Removed], but all I received back was a smartass response...

* * *

Well, I'm back home now, and I find that I am unable to signoff the History of Antisemitism list. I've tried to do so in several different ways, and I find that my entre' is somehow encapsulated in a larger matrix. So, I continue to receive the messages from the list..

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The printouts suggest that I contact the owner, Mr. [Name Removed]. I doubt that I'llever do that... What I will do,is reroute the files.

Mr. Meier, I suggest that you have Mr. [Name Removed] in Hawaii handle the gatekeeper duties in the future. I believe that, had Mr.[Name Removed] been in charge rather that Mr. [Name Removed], I would not now be in this position.

Also, I hope that you will find new employment in Chicago or New York. You'll be much happier there.

[NAME]

Current Research Into Hate Crimes

Over the course of the 1970's and into the 1980's, research into the nature ofprejudice decreased. Over a twenty year period spanning 1974-1994, the number of professional journals in sociology and psychology dealing with prejudice dropped from 87 to 43. Explanations for this drop tend towards the false belief that prejudice and hate crimes were on the decline. According to one national survey, most high school students regularly witness racial confrontations. Anti-Semitic and racial episodes on college campuses in the late 1980's would touch roughly 20-30% of all minority students on campus. According to U.S. News and World Report, 71% of 550 colleges surveyed reported at least one incident of racism or anti-Semitism during 1992-1993. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic acts increased by 11% in 1994. Klanwatch reported 183 assaults against gays and lesbians in 1993 and 228 in 1994.

Jack Levin, professor of sociology and criminology at Northeastern University,and Jack McDevitt, co-director of Northeastern University's Center for Applied Social Research, co-authored in 1993 Hate Crimes: The Rising Tide of Bigotry and Bloodshed (Plenum Press, 1993). They examined 450 incidents in the Boston area fromthe late 1980's and some 4,000 incidents throughout the nation in 1990. Their research revealed that "organized hate groups are not the main perpetrators of violent acts; individuals are." Furthermore, hate crimes are usually motivated by two basic factors: as a form of "thrill seeking" or against those viewed as "outsiders." While the first group draws heavily from alienated youth and the

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majority of perpetrators of hate crimes (two-thirds), the hate crimes against outsiders (which constituted roughly one-third of all hate crimes) were perpetratedby those individuals who felt "personally threatened by the presence of new-comers who `don't belong.'" Only one-percent of all hate crimes were acted out by "true believers," i.e., members of various hate groups.iii

Few Concluding Remarks

If true, then where does that leave us as individuals? I'd liketo address this question through one example and one call to action. First, my personal experience is that racism keeps getting closer to our families. This particular fact became part of my experiences during the Los Angeles riots of the summer of 1993. South-central Los Angeles was some fifty miles or so from my residence in Pomona --located on the farthest western-most edge of Los Angeles county. As the riots spread across south-central Los Angeles, I tracked the movements of the rioters on a map in my office at Pomona College. While I feared the movements of the riot, I felt that there was no way it could actually extend into Pomona. Then during a lecture I was presented with a brief note that my wife, who worked in Pomona, "was safe." I later learned that safe meant being escorted to her car by armed guards with their guns drawn. Racism's consequences were at the doorstep of my home and family and there was now nothing I could do but watch and wait. It was now too late to response to the causes of racism.

On that note, I have my own personal plan of action. Simply put, my plan is a call for traditional politeness. Politeness is thefast track to disarming another person's apprehensions or fears. It's an easy way os saying "I know you're there, I respect your space, and I view you as another respected human being." Politeness is also a way to help everyone get involved in a little dialogue. Simply put, if you cannot find a way to say "excuse me" then how do you intend to deal with real issues? Something for all of us to think about.

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Appendix

Table 1: 1995-1996 Total Survey (762 Individuals Surveyed)Table 2: Total DSU Students (320 DSU Students Surveyed)Table 3: Non-DSU Students (287 Individuals Surveyed)Table 4: 1995 Survey (604 Individuals Surveyed)Table 5: 1995 Survey (292 Males Surveyed)Table 6: 1995 Survey (314 Females Surveyed)

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Table 1:Total Survey Results in Percentages. (762 Individuals

Surveyed)

(1) Disagree Strongly

(2) Disagree

(3)Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question

Q1 8.2 42.5 37.0 12.0 Jews stick together more than other Americans.

Q2 9.0 53.9 27.8 8.9 Jews always like to be at the headof things.

Q3 11.0 47.6 31.6 9.3 Jews are more loyal to Israel thanAmerica.

Q4 19.3 56.3 18.0 6.2 Jews have too much power in the UStoday.

Q5 17.2 56.2 21.1 5.0 Jews have too much control or influence on Wall Street.

Q6 18.2 56.8 17.3 7.0 Jews have too much power in the business world.

Q7 25.0 51.2 18.0 5.5 Jews have a lot of irritating faults.

Q8 20.1 56.2 18.1 5.2 Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices to get whatthey want.

Q9 22.4 54.1 17.6 5.8 Jewish businessmen are so shrewd that others don't have a fair chance in competition.

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(2) Disagree

(3)Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question

Q10

19.3 45.3 26.3 8.7 Jews do not care what happens to anyone but their own kind.

Q11

11.3 24.8 49.4 14.0 Jews are just as honest as other businessmen.

Q12

28.1 47.2 17.3 6.7 Jews are essentially responsible for killing Jesus Christ.

Q13

19.9 52.9 21.8 5.1 Jews all tend to look alike.

Q14

17.6 53.2 22.3 6.6 Jews are overly influential in banking.

Q15

21.4 44.4 24.5 9.2 Jews tend to over-emphasize the significance of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust.

Q16

8.7 41.9 38.8 10.1 Jewish history is distinct and separate from America history.

Q17

13.5 56.7 24.8 4.2 Most Jews are foreigners.

Q18

15.7 56.5 22.0 5.2 Jews do not want to integrate intoAmerican society.

Q19

15.9 57.3 21.9 4.1 Jews are better educated than the average American.

Q20

37.6 50.3 10.4 1.7 Jews have a higher IQ than the average American.

Table 2:

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Total DSU Students. Survey Results in Percentages. (320 DSU Students Surveyed)


(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question


Q2 8.4 62.5 23.4 5.3 Jews always like to be at the head of things.

Q3 8.1 49.1 34.1 8.4 Jews are more loyal to Israel than America.

Q4 23.4 58.8 13.1 4.1 Jews have too much power in the US today.




Q8 22.8 58.8 14.4 3.1 Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices toget what they want.

Q9 24.7 55.9 15.0 4.1 Jewish businessmen are so shrewdthat others don't have a fair chance in competition.

Q10

24.0 47.6 20.1 4.4 Jews do not care what happens toanyone but their own kind.

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(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question

Q11

5.0 17.9 59.7 16.4 Jews are just as honest as otherbusinessmen.

Q12

29.5 47.6 16.6 5.3 Jews are essentially responsiblefor killing Jesus Christ.

Q13


Q14


Q15

28.1 46.9 17.5 7.2 Jews tend to over-emphasize the significance of Adolf Hitler andthe Holocaust.

Q16


Q17


Q18

15.0 60.2 19.4 4.4 Jews do not want to integrate into American society.

Q19


Q20

? ? ? ? Jews have a higher IQ than the average American.

Table 3: Non-DSU Students. Survey Results in Percentages.

(287 Individuals Surveyed)

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Evenly divided between me and women (49.0/49.7), respectively, the age and education breakdown of those surveyed worked out as follows:

Education

High School

Freshman-Sophmore

Junior-Senior

Ba/BS+

Age

18-20

21-25

26-30

31-40

41+


(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question






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(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question



Q8 14.7 53.1 25.5 6.3 Jews are more willing than othersto use shady practices to get what they want.


Q10


Q11


Q12


Q13


Q14


Q15


Q16


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(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question

Q17


Q18


Q19

7.3 57.7 28.3 5.6 Jews are better educated than theaverage American.

Q20


Table 4:First Survey (1995) Results in Percentages. (604

Individuals Surveyed)


(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question




30


(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question







Q10


Q11


Q12


Q13


Q14


Q1 25.2 46.2 19.7 08.1 Jews tend to over-emphasize the

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(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question

5 significance of Adolf Hitler andthe Holocaust.

Q16


Q17


Q18


Q19


Q20


Table 5:Survey Results (1995) in Percentages. (292 Males Surveyed)


(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4) AgreeStrongly

Question



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Q10


Q11


Q12


Q13


Q14


Q15

24.8 43.2 21.1 10.2 Jews tend to over-emphasize the significance of Adolf Hitler andthe Holocaust.

Q1 06.8 31.7 47.8 13.0 Jewish history is distinct and

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6 separate from America history.

Q17


Q18


Q19


Q20


Table 6:Survey Results in Percentages. (314 Females Surveyed)

(1) DisagreeStrongly

(2) Disagree

(3) Agree

(4)AgreeStrongly

Question


Q2 10.5 61.8 21.7 05.7 Jews always like to be at the headof things.

Q3 06.7 51.0 36.0 05.7 Jews are more loyal to Israel thanAmerica.

Q4 20.4 63.7 12.4 03.5 Jews have too much power in the UStoday.


Q6 16.0 66.5 14.1 03.2 Jews have too much power in the

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business world.


Q8 21.0 61.5 14.6 02.2 Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices to get whatthey want.


Q10


Q11


Q12


Q13


Q14


Q15


Q16


Q17


Q18

14.6 65.9 14.0 04.1 Jews do not want to integrate intoAmerican society.

Q19


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Q20


Conclusions

Despite the multi-cultural character of North Dakota history and society, the history of Jewish homesteaders has been completely removed from the general consciousness of the region. Militia groups fed from this discontent generating groups of supporters and sympathizers. Survey results add, furthermore, that there exists anantisemitic foundation from which these groups may continue to grow and expand. Examples of their activities are by no means limited toJordan, Montana.

Let me thank Dan Lusthaus and David Lieberman for sharing their personalexperiences. Obviously, what we have are differing opinions on thedefinition of anti-Semitism. Personally, I find merit in Gavin Langmuir'sdefinition:

...we may speak of realistic hostility, xenophobia, and what I shall call chimeria. It is also obvious that these three kinds of hostility may be expressed by only a few individuals or by many people; and we would therefore say that realistic hostility, xenophobia, and chimeria become socially significant only when they are widespread and influence social policy. FOR THESE REASONS...I WOULD RESERVE USE OF THE TERM "ANTISEMITISM"...FOR SOCIALLY SIGNIFICANT CHIMERICAL HOSTILITY AGAINST JEWS [emphasis added].

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While fair-minded people may honestly disagree over definitions, I dothink the personal stories we heard would fall under what David Gerber,editor of _Anti-Semitism in American History_, recentlywrote in the Double Issue of Culturefront, "Jews in America":

"Frequently, the results and the interpretations attached to [surveys]exaggerate the threat of anti-Semitism. Annual lists of anti-Semiticincidents often report little more than name-calling in interpersonalrelationships and objectionable graffiti--frequently on college campuses,where objectionable graffiti against everyone is a way of life."

I in no way mean to trivialize the personal pain suffered by individualsin America who happen to be Jewish, but I must again stress that sufferingand victimization in the American case should be seen in a comparativecontext, and in that context other groups have borne the brunt of Americandiscrimination and racism. While some may be uncomfortable with acomparative context, I would submit that since we are dealing with moralissues here, choices have to be made and levels of victimizationidentified. Otherwise, we are left with the platitude that "alldiscrimination and racism is bad."

Thus, in America, the chief victims would have to be first and foremostNative and African Americans. Next would come a disturbingly long list,

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including (in an order I do not wish here to try to establish) Chinese,Japanese and other Asian Americans, Irish Catholics and other Catholics,Mormons, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and so on. In all of these cases we canreadily find concrete cases of violent action taken against each group.With respect to Jews in America, I think we can find enough testimony fromthose in the Jewish community alone to convince us that the Jewishexperience in America has been qualitatively different from that of theabove-mentioned groups, as well as from that experienced by various Jewishcommunities in some European settings. Why, then, this insistence fromsome circles on the reality of "virulent" anti-Semitism in America?

As a Gentile, I would never employ such wording, but it is significant, Ithink, that David Klinghoffer, in the August 1996 issue of Commentary,"What Do American Jews Believer?," wrote: "Then comes the Holocaust,theveneration for whose victims allows Jews to share in the trendy cultofvictimhood. With constant invocations of a fabled nationwide anti-Semitism,scare-mongering groups like the Anti-Defamation League keep this god'saltar-fire burning."

Where does that leave us? It would seem to me that we need to find aworkable definition of anti-Semitism, applicable to the American scene. I,

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for one, am uncomfortable with the sometimes too-easy transference of sinsfrom elsewhere to "American Gentiles" in the past and today.

Date: Mon, 24 Feb 1997 19:26:18 CSTSubject: Anti-Semitic Incidents in AmericaPatrick O'BrienUniversity of HawaiiAmerican Studies

Endnotes

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i. Frederick J. Simonelli, "The American Nazi Party, 1958-1967," The Historian, Volume 57, Spring 1995, pp. 553-566.

ii. Craig Olson, "Herman Stern: North Dakota's Own `Schindler,'" Horizons Fall 1994, pp. 27-32.

iii. Jack Levin and Jack McDevitt, "The Research Needed to Understand Hate Crime," The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 4, 1995.

North Dakota, The Militia, and Holocaust Denial (DRAFT)

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