Our Little White Supremacist Domestic Terrorism Problem, Con't

So turns out that thanks to Bush-era Warren Terrah rules, the amount of explosives involved in the white supremacist domestic terrorism plot to kidnap and kill Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by Trumpist insurrectionists apparently qualifies for WMD charges against the terrorists.

A federal grand jury brought additional charges on Wednesday against three men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, saying they planned to use weapons of mass destruction to blow up a bridge.

Adam Fox, 40, of Wyoming, Michigan; Barry Croft Jr., 45, of Bear, Delaware; and Daniel Joseph Harris, 23, of Lake Orion, Michigan, were charged with knowingly conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Fox, Croft and Harris along with Brandon Caserta, Ty Garbin and Kaleb Franks were arrested and charged in October with conspiring to grab Whitmer, a Democrat, from her vacation home in Antrim County, a rural area in northern Michigan.

Prosecutors said the men, who face up to life in prison if convicted, were part of a plot by a right-wing militia extremist group known as the Wolverine Watchmen to abduct Whitmer in retribution for public health orders she imposed to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

In the new indictment, Fox, Croft and Harris were accused of planning to destroy a bridge near Whitmer's vacation home in order to hinder the response by law enforcement.

The indictment also said that on Sept. 12, 2020, Fox and Croft stopped to inspect the underside of a highway bridge for a place to mount an explosive charge.

The next day, Fox ordered $4,000 worth of explosives for an undercover FBI agent posing as a co-conspirator, the indictment said. It added that about three weeks later, Fox and Harris made payments toward the explosives, the indictment said.

The new indictment also accused Croft and Harris of possessing a "destructive device" that was not registered as required by federal law. It said Harris also possessed an unregistered semiautomatic assault rifle.

Lawyers for the men were not immediately available for comment.

 

And before we go "Hey Zandar, aren't you against PATRIOT Act abuses especially being used against American citizens?" the answer to that is an unqualified yes, but this is not an abuse. I remind you that this was an organized conspiracy to kidnap the governor of Michigan, strap a bomb to her in order to hold her ransom, and to demand changes to COVID-19 public health regulations or to kill her otherwise. 

This is straight-up the textbook definition of terrorism here, the use of the threat of lethal force in order to enact political changes through fear or terror. Putting these guys in an iron box for a lifetime is not an abuse. (Killing them for it would be an abuse.)

Don't mistake me for a prison abolitionist. There's a wide area between "ban prisons!" and "Reform them to be humane!" and these guys are exhibit A as to why prisons exist in all countries.

These guys are terrorists. Lock them up.