“It was just a bunch of good ol’ boys out to have fun”

“It was just a bunch of good ol’ boys out to have fun”

by digby

That is apparently going to be the defense of the Hutaree Militia:

“I’m going to fight it tooth and nail,” David Stone’s wife and co-defendant, Tina Mae Stone, said during a break in jury selection last week. “It was just a bunch of good ol’ boys out to have fun. We did survival stuff. I did it mostly to spend time with my husband. People tell me, ‘Good luck.’ I don’t need luck. I’ve got God on my side.”

The militia prepared for survival in case of domestic chaos or an attack on the United States, attorneys Todd Shanker and Richard Helfrick said in a court filing. They noted the group even had a website and promoted its weekend outings.

The indictment, however, describes a more sinister band. The government says the Hutaree, which the militiaclaimed means “Christian warriors,” was an anti-government group committed to fighting authorities who belong to a so-called “New World Order.” The defendants are accused of conspiring to someday ambush and kill a police officer, then attack the funeral procession with explosives and trigger a broader revolt against the U.S. government.

“The court will hear testimony and examine evidence concerning this particular group’s hatred for, and desire to do physical harm to, law enforcement,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Graveline said.

Hmmm. I’m certainly not sympathetic to armed wingnut militias in general and this group sounds like a bunch of real kooks. But I’ve always wondered a little bit about this case. Either they were dangerous idiots or plain old idiots and it’s never been clear to me which one. I guess the trial will clear that up. It’s telling that they have refused to take plea bargains.

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