Mr. Middleton,
My name is John Martin and I am a precinct committeeman in Hillsborough County, FL for the Republican Party of Florida. There are many citizens in my precinct who have become aware of the possibility of political profiling occurring on a state and national level based on an apparently legitimate LE memo being circulated on the internet titled MIAC Strategic Report 02/20/09 The Modern Militia Movement. I have enclosed a PDF file of the scanned images. On page 7 of the memo, the following text appears.
Political Paraphernalia: Militia members most commonly associate with 3rd party political groups. It is not uncommon for militia members to dispaly Constitutional Party, Campaign for Liberty, or Libertarian material. These members are usually supporters of former Presidential Candidate: Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr.
Mr. Middleton, Ron Paul is a sitting Republican Congressman of whom many Republicans in my precinct voted for last November. The Campaign for Liberty is in fact a political lobbying organization that is educating citizens of ALL political persuasions about the Constitutional role of government.
I understand that we live in escalated times of threat where Law Enforcement faces a much higher risk of being targeted by extremist and radical elements of our society and around the world. I fully support the principles outlined in this memo in regards to educating Law Enforcement Officers and keeping our brave men and women safe with the most updated knowledge and information. I believe that everyone who has supported Ron Paul and his Campaign for Liberty will agree that our movement is peaceful and that no one in our organizations are interested in a violent confrontation with our police forces.
Several phone calls have been made to your offices from around the country as it is believed that this memo or similar memo's are spreading all over the country. My concern I hope is an obvious one and twofold.
First, we do not accept violence as a solution and anyone claiming to be a member of one of our political activist groups who is found to be planning violence will be reported to the authorities immediately. Likewise, I would like to know what evidence there is to suggest members of anti-government organized militias are associated with peaceful political activism.
Secondly, political activism is an American tradition. During such critical times as these, it is important that the voice of the people be heard, regardless of political ideals. Political activist should work closely with law enforcement to ensure that violent domestic terrorist do not have a platform from which to launch these "Complex attacks" that the memo talks about. At the same time, we should take great care to protect those innocent activist from being needlessly singled out or from having their rights of free speech infringed upon.
My question sir:
Is the memo, specifically page 7 and the quote I mentioned above a legitimate enough concern to single out an entire group of people? If so, what evidence would you be willing to supply that would confirm that Ron Paul supporters and the Campaign for Liberty pose an elevated security threat to our police force? Finally, have the men and organizations named in the memo been notified that their groups are under closer scrutiny?
Thank you for your time sir and I do look forward to your response.
Respectfully Yours,
John Martin - Concerned Citizen in FL.