A Very Fair LA Times Article About Oath Keepers, by Richard Fausset: Oath Keepers organizer sees need to sound an alarm
Los Angeles Times
By Richard Fausset
Rand Cardwell, the Tennessee director of the Oath Keepers, is shown before their monthly meeting August 25, 2009 in Knoxville. (Chad Greene)
Reporting from Farragut, Tenn. – There would be no screaming at Rand Cardwell’s meeting tonight, no histrionics, no playing to the cameras. The atmosphere was PTA. Garden Club. Kiwanis.
Cardwell had called this second meeting of the local chapter of Oath Keepers, and on a recent Tuesday night about 16 of his fellow Tennesseans trickled into a suburban Town Hall community room. Now they sat quietly around some folding tables, with all eyes on Cardwell, the chapter president.
Cardwell, a 48-year-old laid-off aluminum plant worker, was new to this activism stuff, but he wasn’t nervous. He’d led enough meetings back in his days as a Marine Corps sergeant.
The group who had answered his call was made up of men and women. Some were just off work, while others were dressed in the casual garb of the retired and unemployed. All were white, which was no surprise in this white-majority Appalachian county. But they brought a diversity of worries.
Article continued here
NOTE from Stewart Rhodes:
Rand Cardwell is the Tennessee State Director for Oath Keepers. He did a great job representing Oath Keepers and is to be commended. He’s a card of a man and an example of the kind of leadership we are looking for in each state (no surprise that he is an effective leader, since he was a sergeant of Marines). All of us here at Oath Keepers wish Rand and his wife Cathie all the best.
This story by LA Times reporter Richard Fausset is the fairest, most accurate article on Oath Keepers to date. Other “journalists” have done silly hit pieces on us without even bothering to interview me or anyone else in our organization, merely mindlessly regurgitating the nonsense of the Southern Poverty Lie Center, and further lumping us in with groups and individuals that have nothing to do with us or our mission. That’s what you call an attack by “conflation.” Pick an individual or group that most readers would consider either offensive or insane and then in the same breath mention other individuals and groups that have nothing to do with the former, insinuating that they all agree. Just one example is this silly article by Steven Thomma, a supposedly award winning journalist, who has apparently forgotten the basic rules of journalism 101 – find out who, what, where, when, and why. Thomma never even contacted us to find out who we are, what we are doing, or why. He simply assumes he already knows. A high school newspaper could do a better job of it.
But not Richard Fausset of the LA Times. Acting as a journalist should, he called and interviewed me over the phone, asking all about what we are doing and why, and when he asked if we had anyone in the South he could interview face to face (since Richard is based out of Atlanta) I sent him to Rand and also to Chauncey Normandin, our Florida Director. Richard chose to attend one of Rand’s meetings, and the result is this very fair story.
My only objection is the sub-heading to the article on the LA Times site, which refers to Oath Keepers as an “antigovernment group.” As I told Richard in a followup email:
How is Oath Keepers an “antigovernment group”? Our focus is on keeping the oath to the Constitution, and following the law. If we were antigovernment, as in anarchists, we would denounce the Constitution and all government, and take back our oaths. Funny, when many on the left rightly criticized the actions of the Bush Administration – all the dangerous and outrageous claims of power – they were not called “antigovernment.” But that label is readily applied to those perceived as being on the right who are now doing the same.
….
A better description is a “constitutionalist group” because that is precisely what we are – strict constitutionalists who want nothing more than for those who swore the oath to take it seriously and to take the Constitution and Bill of Rights seriously.
Turns out that Richard has no control over the sub-heading, but he agreed it did not fit the article, and he has passed my objection and request for a change up the chain of command at the LA Times.
Still, other than that one flaw which was beyond Richard’s control, he did a bang up job and deserves our thanks for doing what a journalist should do – seek out the facts and accurately report who, what, where, when, and why. Maybe he can give lessons on journalism 101 to Thomma. Please take the time to drop Richard an email and thank him for being an honest, hard working reporter. Email him at:
For the Republic!
Stewart Rhodes
PS – I was hit with the flu on the way back from DC and have been out of commission for the past four days, but I will post pics, video, and commentary on our DC trip by tomorrow.
Please donate and support Oath Keepers mission, every little bit helps!
September 18th, 2009 at 5:58 am
A very good report. This encourages me even more to fight the good fight. Keep the fire burning patriots! We are doing the right thing.
Reach, Teach, and Inspire!
September 18th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Glad to see our Brothers and Sisters-In-Arms in The Volunteer State are hard at work and spreading the word about our mission!
BLACKHORSE!
September 18th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
My prayers surround you and your family and hold your wife’s health close to my heart. The stress you are all living under is very hard on the immune system. Please do everything you can to eat well, sleep well and enjoy each other and each day as it comes. Thank you for putting the people’s welfare ahead of your own, I am sure that your generosity and selflessness will be repaid many times over.
September 18th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Ravenhair, Thank you for your kind words.
September 19th, 2009 at 2:39 am
I must disagree with you Stewart,
No Kudos to Mr Fausset from me.
Quote from the article:”The group who had answered his call was made up of men and women. Some were just off work, while others were dressed in the casual garb of the retired and unemployed. All were white, which was no surprise in this white-majority Appalachian county. But they brought a diversity of worries.”
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Once again, the “race card” is played.
Mr. Fausset, I find this to be divisive and offensive!
Is it not reasonable to think that an adhoc group of people getting together on national political issues in a “white majority Appalachian county might coincidently be “all white”?
The mere mention of it wreaks of the sleasy, unprofessional, race baiting tactics of the left to try and connect one group of people to another in the mind’s eye of the public and does nothing but plant a seed of deception. It detracts from your credibility and that of your employer.
Oath Keepers stand for the constitutional rights of ALL Americans regardless of race and do not practice nor condone racial discrimination within our ranks either covertly or overtly.
September 19th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Bingo, Tom. Racism is the default accusation against anyone who is not in line with the left. Any mention of race, at this point, is an attack. If race is not an issue, why mention it?
Otherwise, the article is accurate.
September 19th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
I thought, aside from the comment on race, it was a good article.
“…the group calls itself nonpartisan…” No, we ARE nonpartisan.
September 20th, 2009 at 7:13 am
I agree with the race card being played. But other then that at least he had the guts to sit down at a meeting and report the truth about it.
We are growing and we need to keep up the recruiting.
God bless America and the “Oath” keepers
I am a conservative, I am mad and I vote.
September 20th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I just saw an article about oathkeepers an am interested. Keep ur the good work. Thank you for your service!
September 20th, 2009 at 8:56 am
Stewart, when the left attacks you like that, you know you’re being effective.
An attack by the Southern Poverty Lie Center is a badge of honor.