This week marks seven years since the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This is a brief minisode to mark the anniversary and remind myself why I can't stop looking for these weird little guys.

This week marks seven years since the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This is a brief minisode to mark the anniversary and remind myself why I can't stop looking for these weird little guys.

Weird Little Guys is a weekly show about the worst people you’ve never heard of, taking you beyond the headlines to get to know the race warriors and aspiring terrorists trying to unravel the fabric of our society. Weaving together the origin stories of modern American white supremacist groups and the crimes that land their members in court, independent journalist Molly Conger exposes the monsters for what they really are - some weird guy. Whether they’re conspiring to build bombs or serving swastika shaped cookies at a dinner party, the weird little guys trying to destroy America are a little less scary with their masks off. 

Weird Little Guys is a weekly show about the worst people you’ve never heard of, taking you beyond the headlines to get to know the race warriors and aspiring terrorists trying to unravel the fabric of our society. Weaving together the origin stories of modern American white supremacist groups and the crimes that land their members in court, independent journalist Molly Conger exposes the monsters for what they really are - some weird guy. Whether they’re conspiring to build bombs or serving swastika shaped cookies at a dinner party, the weird little guys trying to destroy America are a little less scary with their masks off.

Investigative journalist Molly Conger takes you beyond the headlines to examine some of the worst people on the planet, most of whom you’ve never heard of. These are the weird little guys trying to ruin life as we know it.

Weird Little Guys

A Brief Reflection on 'Charlottesville'

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/17fdf0f6-dd33-4ce7-a8bb-b1cb01748f6f/transcript

When Oath Keeper Darren Huff returned to Madisonville, Tennessee on April 20, 2010, he was planning to take control of the courthouse. It didn't quite work out that way. He didn't even see the inside of a courthouse until his own arrest a week later.

Sources:

https://www.politico.com/story/2010/04/army-birther-under-investigation-035823

https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/army-birther-lakin-released-from-leavenworth/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/04/26/gordon-liddy-on-shooting-from-the-lip/75754676-030f-4191-a9e3-a421855aea1f/

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-six-g-gordon-liddy-the-126130442/

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/08/roger-stone-kristin-davis-robert-mueller/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democratic-party-accuses-republicans-voter-intimidation-federal-court

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/attorney-for-birther-army-doc-is-former-gop-staffer-and-anti-gay-crusader

https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/gan/press/2011/11-01-11.html

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/14/fewer-than-1-of-defendants-in-federal-criminal-cases-were-acquitted-in-2022/

https://time.com/archive/6597707/the-secret-world-of-extreme-militias/

https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-vaxxers-charge-followers-to-join-fake-anthony-fauci-grand-jury/

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4382623/fitzpatrick-v-bivins/

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5092131/united-states-v-huff-tv1/

When Oath Keeper Darren Huff returned to Madisonville, Tennessee on April 20, 2010, he was planning to take control of the courthouse. It didn't quite work out that way. He didn't even see the inside of a courthouse until his own arrest a week later.
Sources:
<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2010/04/army-birther-under-investigation-035823">https://www.politico.com/story/2010/04/army-birther-under-investigation-035823</a>
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/army-birther-lakin-released-from-leavenworth/">https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/army-birther-lakin-released-from-leavenworth/</a>
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/04/26/gordon-liddy-on-shooting-from-the-lip/75754676-030f-4191-a9e3-a421855aea1f/">https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1995/04/26/gordon-liddy-on-shooting-from-the-lip/75754676-030f-4191-a9e3-a421855aea1f/</a>
<a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-six-g-gordon-liddy-the-126130442/">https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-six-g-gordon-liddy-the-126130442/</a>
<a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/08/roger-stone-kristin-davis-robert-mueller/">https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/08/roger-stone-kristin-davis-robert-mueller/</a>
<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democratic-party-accuses-republicans-voter-intimidation-federal-court">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democratic-party-accuses-republicans-voter-intimidation-federal-court</a>
<a href="https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/attorney-for-birther-army-doc-is-former-gop-staffer-and-anti-gay-crusader">https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/attorney-for-birther-army-doc-is-former-gop-staffer-and-anti-gay-crusader</a>
<a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/gan/press/2011/11-01-11.html">https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/gan/press/2011/11-01-11.html</a>
<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/14/fewer-than-1-of-defendants-in-federal-criminal-cases-were-acquitted-in-2022/">https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/06/14/fewer-than-1-of-defendants-in-federal-criminal-cases-were-acquitted-in-2022/</a>
 <a href="https://time.com/archive/6597707/the-secret-world-of-extreme-militias/">https://time.com/archive/6597707/the-secret-world-of-extreme-militias/</a>
<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-vaxxers-charge-followers-to-join-fake-anthony-fauci-grand-jury/">https://www.thedailybeast.com/anti-vaxxers-charge-followers-to-join-fake-anthony-fauci-grand-jury/</a>
<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4382623/fitzpatrick-v-bivins/">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4382623/fitzpatrick-v-bivins/</a>
<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5092131/united-states-v-huff-tv1/">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5092131/united-states-v-huff-tv1/</a>

Arrested Democracy, Pt. 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bb600b11-709f-4910-b4c9-b22f000caf3e/transcript

In 2010, conspiracy theorists around the country were convinced that Barack Obama was not the rightful president. Some of them filed lawsuits. Some of them tried to have the President indicted. And when none of that worked, some of them took matters into their own hands and tried to arrest the county court employees they thought were standing in their way. In the first half of this story, Walter Fitzpatrick unsuccessfully storms the courtroom in Madisonville, Tennessee. The outcry over his arrest would motivate Oath Keeper Darren Huff to rally supporters for a second attempt.

Sources: 

Jardina A, Traugott M. The Genesis of the Birther Rumor: Partisanship, Racial Attitudes, and Political Knowledge. The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 2019;4(1):60-80. doi:10.1017/rep.2018.25

Josh Pasek, Tobias H. Stark, Jon A. Krosnick, Trevor Tompson, What motivates a conspiracy theory? Birther beliefs, partisanship, liberal-conservative ideology, and anti-Black attitudes, Electoral Studies, Volume 40, 2015

Hughey, M.W. Show Me Your Papers! Obama’s Birth and the Whiteness of Belonging. Qual Sociol 35, 163–181 (2012).

https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/birther-movement-founder-trump-clinton-228304 

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33388485

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/us/12alabama.html 

https://www.newsherald.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/19/vigilante-group-oath-keepers-arrested-in-mexico-beach-following-hurricane-michael/9509280007/ 

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oath-keepers-poll-watching_n_58122566e4b0990edc2f8178 

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1998/hate-group-expert-daniel-levitas-discusses-posse-comitatus-christian-identity-movement-and 

https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1:2009mc00346/137380/2/0.pdf

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/25/judge-lamberth-jan-6-trump-00137960 

https://www.tncourts.gov/rules/rules-criminal-procedure/6 

In 2010, conspiracy theorists around the country were convinced that Barack Obama was not the rightful president. Some of them filed lawsuits. Some of them tried to have the President indicted. And when none of that worked, some of them took matters into their own hands and tried to arrest the county court employees they thought were standing in their way. In the first half of this story, Walter Fitzpatrick unsuccessfully storms the courtroom in Madisonville, Tennessee. The outcry over his arrest would motivate Oath Keeper Darren Huff to rally supporters for a second attempt.
Sources: 
Jardina A, Traugott M. The Genesis of the Birther Rumor: Partisanship, Racial Attitudes, and Political Knowledge. The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics. 2019;4(1):60-80. doi:10.1017/rep.2018.25
Josh Pasek, Tobias H. Stark, Jon A. Krosnick, Trevor Tompson, What motivates a conspiracy theory? Birther beliefs, partisanship, liberal-conservative ideology, and anti-Black attitudes, Electoral Studies, Volume 40, 2015
Hughey, M.W. Show Me Your Papers! Obama’s Birth and the Whiteness of Belonging. Qual Sociol 35, 163–181 (2012).
<a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/birther-movement-founder-trump-clinton-228304">https://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/birther-movement-founder-trump-clinton-228304 </a>
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33388485">https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33388485</a>
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/us/12alabama.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/us/12alabama.html </a>
<a href="https://www.newsherald.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/19/vigilante-group-oath-keepers-arrested-in-mexico-beach-following-hurricane-michael/9509280007/">https://www.newsherald.com/story/news/crime/2018/10/19/vigilante-group-oath-keepers-arrested-in-mexico-beach-following-hurricane-michael/9509280007/ </a>
<a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oath-keepers-poll-watching_n_58122566e4b0990edc2f8178">https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oath-keepers-poll-watching_n_58122566e4b0990edc2f8178 </a>
<a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1998/hate-group-expert-daniel-levitas-discusses-posse-comitatus-christian-identity-movement-and">https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1998/hate-group-expert-daniel-levitas-discusses-posse-comitatus-christian-identity-movement-and </a>
<a href="https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1:2009mc00346/137380/2/0.pdf">https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/district-of-columbia/dcdce/1:2009mc00346/137380/2/0.pdf</a>
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/25/judge-lamberth-jan-6-trump-00137960">https://www.politico.com/news/2024/01/25/judge-lamberth-jan-6-trump-00137960 </a>
<a href="https://www.tncourts.gov/rules/rules-criminal-procedure/6 ">https://www.tncourts.gov/rules/rules-criminal-procedure/6 </a>

Arrested Democracy, Pt .1

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/9e84d27e-5f30-4e0d-8f26-b227018b079c/transcript

In 2022, Ethan Melzer pleaded guilty to plotting to help al Qaeda ambush and kill his entire unit while on a sensitive mission in Turkey. But Melzer's co-conspirators turned out to be a Canadian teenager and a government informant, not members of al Qaeda. And the satanic cult that drew him down this nazi rabbit hole turned out to have been run by a man on the FBI payroll.

Sources

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17286246/united-states-v-melzer

 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69307006/united-states-of-america-v-melzer/

 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-satanist-neo-nazi-plot-to-murder-u-s-soldiers-1352629/ 

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/neo-nazi-1378280

 https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/jack-teixiera-case-military-extremism-1234724461

https://www.wired.com/story/the-dangerous-exploits-of-an-extremist-fbi-informant/

 https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/ona-fascism-nazis-folk-horror-underground-occult/ 

In 2022, Ethan Melzer pleaded guilty to plotting to help al Qaeda ambush and kill his entire unit while on a sensitive mission in Turkey. But Melzer's co-conspirators turned out to be a Canadian teenager and a government informant, not members of al Qaeda. And the satanic cult that drew him down this nazi rabbit hole turned out to have been run by a man on the FBI payroll.
Sources
<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17286246/united-states-v-melzer">https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17286246/united-states-v-melzer</a>
<a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69307006/united-states-of-america-v-melzer/"> https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69307006/united-states-of-america-v-melzer/</a>
<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-satanist-neo-nazi-plot-to-murder-u-s-soldiers-1352629/"> https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-satanist-neo-nazi-plot-to-murder-u-s-soldiers-1352629/ </a>
<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/neo-nazi-1378280">https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/neo-nazi-1378280</a>
<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/jack-teixiera-case-military-extremism-1234724461"> https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/jack-teixiera-case-military-extremism-1234724461</a>
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-dangerous-exploits-of-an-extremist-fbi-informant/">https://www.wired.com/story/the-dangerous-exploits-of-an-extremist-fbi-informant/</a>
<a href="https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/ona-fascism-nazis-folk-horror-underground-occult/"> https://thequietus.com/opinion-and-essays/black-sky-thinking/ona-fascism-nazis-folk-horror-underground-occult/ </a>

A Deal With the Devil: Ethan Melzer, Pt. 2

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b7144c8e-7015-4f56-bfb5-b2210010e1d3/transcript

A Brief Reflection on 'Charlottesville'

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