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This segment, though long, should be required viewing for anyone who wants to understand how the right's latest made-up scandal came to be. It's essentially the invention of former militia leader and right-wing agitator Michael Vanderboegh.
On December 8, when Eric Holder testified before the House Judiciary Committee about Operation Fast and Furious, the bungled federal attempt to combat gun smuggling to Mexico, his testimony was met with frequent snickers and occasional hostility. The source wasn't Republican committee members, but rather a blogger seated at the press table. Wearing a homemade press pass in a National Rifle Association badge-holder, Mike Vanderboegh had arrived at the hearing toting an Army-issue laptop case that appeared capable of withstanding a roadside bomb.
A large, ruddy fellow with white hair and a mischievous smile, he had played a key role in turning Fast and Furious into a national scandal. From his home in Pinson, Alabama, Vanderboegh writes a little-known, far-right blog called Sipsey Street Irregulars.
To call Vanderboegh a right-wing extremist is probably understatement.
Vanderboegh is unapologetic about his advocacy for armed resistance against what he views as a repressive government. He describes himself as a member of the Three Percent movement. It's a reference to those who fought in the American Revolution, a minority that Vanderboegh claims "never amounted to more than 3% of the colonists." On his website, Vanderboegh sums up the doctrine of the Three Percent: "We will not disarm. You cannot convince us. You cannot intimidate us. You can try to kill us, if you think you can. But remember, we'll shoot back."
Nice to see where the Republican Party is getting its ideas these days.
