Founded on March 2009 by Stewart Rhodes in Lexington, Massachusetts, Rhodes, is a Yale Law School graduate, and former US Army paratrooper and Congressman Ron Paul staffer. The group claims to not be radical in aims but the SPLC makes tentative links to the militia movement through some group members.
Oath Keepers was founded on the idea that current and former members of the armed services and police organizations should keep their original oaths to "uphold and defend the Constitution." The specific aim is to encourage members of the military to not follow orders to: disarm American Civilians, conduct warrantless searches, violate state sovereignty, or detain individual or groups of Americans.
Early this year the Department of Homeland Security release a memoranda on the possibility that extremist groups may try to recruit recent War on Terror veterans.
Organizations like Oath Keepers seem to fulfill this view, however the memoranda specified that right wing groups and holders of such beliefs were not considered threats.
The group explicitly states that it is non violent and not anti-government.
Though some of the more alarmist analysts claim that the group is filled with conspiracy nuts who believe that the U.S. government has concentration camps ready to fill with dissidents.
Oath Keepers is registered as a Las Vegas non-partisan non-profit group.
Written by Seamus Esparza
Posted November 18th, 2009 by Seamus Esparza
