Two suspects accused of gunning down Arkansas police officers this week may have ties to extremist anti-government groups, two civil rights organizations say.Jerry R. Kane, 45, and his 16-year-old son Joseph Kane fatally shot two police officers and wounded two others during a wild shootout Thursday, according to Arkansas state police.
The father and son were shot and killed during the battle on the streets of West Memphis, Arkansas.
The Anti-Defamation League said the two suspects belonged to "an extreme right-wing movement that believes that virtually all existing government in the United States is illegitimate and which seeks to restore an idealized, minimalist government that never actually existed."
It sounds like a familiar theme, the anti-government one. Is it so difficult to identify the ones who cross the line from the more acceptable complaining about big government to the dangerous category which guys like this inhabit? Do you think the government doesn't have lists to do just that? Is it wrong?
What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.
mikeb: "Is it so difficult to identify the ones who cross the line from the more acceptable complaining about big government to the dangerous category which guys like this inhabit?"
ReplyDeleteA good question -- which leads to other questions:
How does one legally define those political views which justify government action?
How does one legally identify someone as holding those political views, for the purpose of taking government action against him?
Looking at this another way, here are 3 levels:
ReplyDelete1) "There ought to be a revolution."
2) Will you join me in a revolution?"
3) "Next month, you and I will begin the revolution by..."
Move against 3, and surveil 2. But in America, what do we do about 1?