National Socialist Movement (United States)
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- This article refers to the American National Socialist Movement; for other organizations see National Socialist Movement.
The National Socialist Movement (also called NSM or NSM88) was the largest neo-Nazi Party operating in the United States in early 2006, with a peak membership of approximately 400 [1] [2], though their organization has since dwindled to approximately 40 active members. They are largely shunned by other "white nationalists", such as the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi-Skinheads, but do cooperate with certain groups.The name America's Nazi Party is sometimes used, but this should not be confused a number of other groups, including Rocky Suhayda's American Nazi Party, that use the same name.
The NSM is led by Jeff Schoep and his girlfriend Angela Foxworth[3], following the deparature of its other leadership, including its Spokesman Bill White [4] and its Chairman Clifford Herrington [5]. The group once had chapters in most states, but now maintains a handful of active organizations -- primarily in Minnesota, Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and South Carolina -- with a few individuals holding PO Boxes and acting as contact points for the group in other states, such as Mark Martin in Ohio and Jim Ramm in Washington and Oregon. Membership is open "to all 'Aryans'". The group is inspired by Adolf Hitler, and its symbol is the Swastika. It has roots back to the American Nazi Party under George Lincoln Rockwell.
The use of the term "Socialism" in the group's name is derived from the English translation of the German Nazi party, which developed as an alternative to Marxist socialism and modern Bolshevism, to which the term "socialism" is more commonly applied.
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[edit] History
The National Socialist Movement was founded by Robert Brannen, Cliff Herrington and James Mason in 1974. Mason was expelled in 1976 for praising Charles Manson and went on to form his own group. Cliff Herrington was his deputy and was appointed to lead in 1983 after Brannen suffered a series of strokes.
Both Robert Brannen and Cliff Herrington had been supporters and Storm Troopers of the post-George Lincoln Rockwell's National Socialist White People's Party under Matt Koehl. In 1993, after fleeing accusations that he had statutorily raped a fifteen year old girl in Minnesota, Herrington appointed Jeff Schoep, who joined in 1992, to leadership of the NSM. Schoep, the NSM's current commander, was arrested in 1998 for aiding and abetting a burglary, to which he pleaded guilty [6].
The NSM have been called "Hollywood Nazis" by white leaders such as Don Black, a phraseDavid Duke coined in a 1979 speech [7] to describe those who dress in vintage World War II uniforms for public demonstrations, protests, and rallies.
In July 2006 the NSM witnessed a number of senior personnel leave the organization over allegations that some NSM members were involved in a Satanist movement [8]. NSM spokesman Bill White and "Minister of Radio" Michael Blevins (known as Vonbluvens)[9] left, along with the entire Washington chapter. White formed his own party, the American National Socialist Workers Party. Herrington has since stepped down as NSM chairman. Ongoing fighting as a result of the NSM split continue on such forums as VNN and the Vonbluvens Show blog.
Since the split, attendance at National Socialist Movement rallies has declined substantially. As many as 150 white activists [10] attended NSM rallies during their peak, but a recent 2007 national rally in Missouri drew two dozen NSM members and supporters [11], with a late March 2007 demonstration in Ohio drawing one NSM member and three supporters [12].
On Dec 8 2006 Bill Hoff, a senior member of the NSM and 2008 NSM Vice-Presidential candidate, was killed in a car accident.
[edit] Political ideology of the NSM
The NSM's web site's FAQ states (among other things)
"Liberals in America have taken and warped the laws around that govern child abuse and made the laws very open and broad. [...] The laws have to be re-written so that our courts are not wasting their time on cases that over zealous case workers have brought before the courts in some sick attempt to destroy as many families as they can."
"We can see the evil effects of social liberals' acceptance of homosexuality by the increased number of pedophiles, child pornography cases...", etc.
(Note: The NSM supports an "instant death penalty" for homosexuals).
"The 'Brown shirt' tradition was brought to America by the great Commander George L. Rockwell, founder of the original American Nazi Party."
Echoing the original "25 points" of the NSDAP, the National Socialist Movement proposes a 25-point program which includes policies such as racial separatism, isolationism and colonial expansion, nationalization of all corporations, socialized health care, and media censorship. These points have been fine tuned to target the problems they perceive to be unique to America (see their 25 Points of National Socialism).
[edit] NSM radio
NSM radio got its start under Vonbluvens (real name Michael Blevins) as the "Minister of Radio" for the NSM. He got his start in radio by buying airtime on the Hal Turner show in 2003, but went off air shortly afterwards. He then went on to found the "Vonbluvens Show", and has been broadcasting under that name ever since.
While living in Roanoke, Virginia, Vonbluvens and George Hutchins of N.I.M. hosted a Hitler birthday party in 2000. A few years later he moved to Sarasota, Florida. There he made local news when it was reported that he was listed as the backup caregiver at his wife's daycare center which was run in their home, where a neighbor had seen a swastika flag hanging on an inside wall. The daycare was given the nickname Nazi daycare by some. However, after the daycare had been inspected by local county officials the daycare center was allowed to continue in operation due to the fact it was in compliance with regulations and has been in operation for ten years with no problems or citations.
"White Viewpoint", also produced by Vonbluvens, was hosted by Dr. Jacques Pluss who was a university professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University until he was "removed from the classroom" in March 2005, only one month after he began broadcasting the show on a weekly basis over the Internet. In early October 2005, Pluss officially rejected his Nazi "affiliation", explaining that he had infiltrated the NSM as part of research for a forthcoming book on White Power Movements in the U.S., and clarifying that he never actually held Nazi thinking. Vonbluvens and the remaining hosts at the NSM dropped Pluss' show in October 2005 and denounced him as a traitor and a Jew who was simply upset because he wasn't given more authority within the NSM. More recently, Pluss has reasserted his National Socialist views and written that Jews and Blacks are not homo sapiens. He maintains that he has taken a paid position with an international group known as "Stille Hilfe that offers legal and financial assistance to Third Reich SS and Gestapo veterans living in the United States. It is extremely unlikely that such a group exists in the United States because veterans of the SS and Gestapo would be arrested and deported since they necessarily entered the country illegaly by falsifying their immigration status.
In July 2006 Vonbluvens resigned from the NSM due to the involvement of Chairman Cliff Herrington in a Satanic group. VonBluvens claims to be a Christian and that having a senior member of the NSM practicing satanism was incompatible with his Christian beliefs. Matthew Ramsey (AKA Jim Ramm) took over Vonvluvens' position and renamed it the Minister of Media. After his departure Chris Johnson became the new director of NSM-RTV.
Current shows produced include:
- Nazi America
- Voice of victory
- Australia Calling
[edit] Federal informers
Through its recent history, much of the National Socialist Movement has been run by informers paid by the FBI or Jewish organizations. Particularly, its Orlando leader, David Gletty, who organized a march against black crime in Orlando's black Parramore neighborhood in February 2006, was recently exposed as a federal informer by the Orlando Sentinel [13]. The group's former Utah leader, Rocky Monbaren, was a federal informer against the Aryan Nations [14], and its former New Mexico leader, Richard Brunson, was recently expelled from the group after it was discovered Denver newspapers reported he had worked as an informer for Jewish groups in the skinhead movement during the 1980s, and that he had participated in the dedication of a Denver, Colorado multicultural center as an "ex-skinhead" [15]. In 2003, a Wisconsin member of the NSM, a convicted murderer, was arrested and charged with gun offenses and pedophilia on the testimony of the NSM's Illinois leader, who was a federal informant [16].
Since the departure of much of the group's leadership in 2006, Jewish organizations such as the ADL have issued a number of press releases [17] [18] favorable to the group and attempted to draw media attention to it as part of a larger fund raising campaign to bring in money for the ADL to fight "anti-Semitism".
[edit] Sex Offenders
The National Socialist Movement has also had a chronic problem with sex offenders in its organization. In 2003, the aforementioned Michael Faust was arrested and charged with molesting thirteen and fourteen year old boys at an NSM-sponsored paramilitary training camp. [19] From 2003 through 2006, a convicted rapist, John Snyder, served as the group's Indiana State leader.[20] In 2007, the group's Maryland state leader, Gordon Young, was arrested on charges of raping a young girl. [21]
Other white activists, such as Tom Metzger and Dennis Mahon, have stated that the group's previous leader, Cliff Herrington, faced charges of raping a fifteen year old girl in 1993, and his wife, Andrea Herrington, runs an organization, "Teens for Satan" [22], that focuses on teaching children to contact demons through heightened states of sensation found in sexual activity. The group's current commander, Jeff Schoep, married a 16-year old girl in 1993 (marriage license 30A29031 in DAKOTA County, Minnesota court records) , who divorced him in 1999 for the stated caused of adultery (case# 40A8637 1 MN).
[edit] 2008 Presidential Candidate
The National Socialist Movement has announced John Taylor Bowles as their candidate for the 2008 Presidential election. They have set up a website for the candidates campaign. Bowles is a convicted felon and is not qualified to appear on the ballot in any state.
[edit] North Toledo riot
See 2005 Toledo Riot
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- National Socialist Movement Headquarters Official Website (without intro)
- Neo-Nazi leader's past resurfaces on day of triumph, Southern Poverty Law Center report on Commander Jeff Schoep.
- Registered sex offender heads the Indiana NSM Chapter, Southern Poverty Law Center report on NSM Indiana State Leader John Snyder.
- The National Socialist Movement at the ADL's "Law Enforcement Agency Resource Network"
- "Day-care operator's husband is neo-Nazi leader" Herald-Tribune March 6, 2005
- [23] "NSM candidate for president".
- "Neo-Nazis outnumbered at historic site", 25 June 2005 CNN article.
- "Planned neo-Nazi march sparks violence", 15 October 2005 CNN article.
- "Nazis Rising" SPLC article
