The police chief of Gilberton, Pennsylvania, whom you may remember from last month , is in the news again.
What is happening in Gilberton should be a warning to all those who value our basic, inalienable rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The story there centers around Police Chief Mark Kessler, who drew attention by posting a series of profanity-laced videos to YouTube in which he attacks “libtards,” fires fully automatic assault weapons, and threatens, “If you f***ing maniacs want to turn this into an armed revolt, knock yourselves out.”
This is no idle threat the chief is making. Kessler is the head of a private militia called the Constitution Security Force (CSF) whose members swear an oath to “respond to the call if… needed to resist tyranny that seeks to destroy our republic.” Kessler recruits CSF members at his website ChiefKessler.com , combining his personal and professional identities in one neat little package.
CSF openly affiliates with anti-government extremist groups like Oath Keepers and the “Three Percent” movement, which was founded by former Alabama militia leader Mike Vanderboegh. Vanderboegh made his own headlines in 2010 when he urged supporters to throw bricks through the windows of Democratic offices nationwide following Congress’ passage of health care reform. Many offices were vandalized in response, including that of then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.
<snip>
On Wednesday, during a meeting of the Gilberton Borough Council to consider disciplinary actions against Kessler, his supporters answered his call. While a State Police helicopter circle overhead, more than 100 people gathered outside the borough hall, many of them armed. CSF members patrolled the area with AR-15 assault rifles, telling one reporter they were there to provide “security.” As John Luciew described it, “When it came time to open the small borough building for the public meeting, these armed men blocked the doors and prevented people from going inside.”
They also angrily confronted Michael Morrill of Keystone Progress, who delivered petition signatures from 20,000 Americans who want Kessler fired. In an email Morrill told me, “I have been organizing for four decades. I have faced Klansmen in Kentucky, Ustase in Bosnia and police indiscriminately beating demonstrators in Italy. [Wednesday] night in Gilberton was more frightening than any of those situations.”
Well, apparently, the borough council has finally decided to suspend Kessler without pay. His response (from his/CSF’s website):
I am about to embark on a battle for which I will only meet head on, regardless of THE out come I refuse to be a political victim, a coward lead by tyrants, dictators or political hacks!
“NEVER AGAIN!”
I would like to thank everyone who has shown support during these troubled times,
as many of you know I was unjustly suspended by Gilberton Borough Officials , they tried to use any excuse possible, fact is I violated NO BOROUGH POLICY!
these dictators took it upon themselves to punish an AMERICAN exercising their constitutional rights!
leading the CHARGE FOR FULL TERMINATION during this unjust 30 day suspension is
( Vice President) Councilman Eric Boxer ( Democrat )
( President ) Councilman Daniel Malloy ( Democrat )
They all took an oath to their country, our CONSTITUTION, NOT TO ANY TITLE, OR OFFICE!
“FREEDOM ISN’T FREE”
I will sacrifice all I have defending my country, our constitution, OUR FREEDOMS
NEVER AGAIN WILL I BE RULED BY TYRANTS, DICTATORS, OR SCUM POLATICIANS
For I am jus one man who stood against many and said, NO MORE!
And, yes, that is verbatim.
So I Pit him for illiteracy on top of everything else.
:o You all know I’m not illiterate, just a sometimes-clumsy typist. Mods, please edit thread title? “Security,” not “Seciuity”.
Chief Kessler is typical of those brave patriots who made the American Revolution.
People should start sending him photo’s of $1.05 in change.
[QUOTE=nutjob]
What’s his beef?
As viewed by the British, i.e., a screaming nutbag.
Why do I have a feeling this is going to end badly?
You know the wise words of our Founding Fathers so well:
“Imma gone stick this M-4 up that lefty King George’s butthole.” – Nathanael Greene
“Fucking libtards are fuckin’ ruining this fuckin’ country.” – Alexander Hamilton
“Ah, so those folks out West think they can challenge the authority of the Federal government by resorting to armed rebellion? Well, let’s see how they like a bayonet in their asses, courtesy of the U.S. Constitution!” – George Washington
ETA: Oh yeah, that last quote actually shows “Sheriff” Kessler that he’s closer to being a treasonous bastard than a defender of civil liberties. Silly me, misunderstanding what the Fathers of the country were really all about!
Gyrate
August 8, 2013, 11:49pm
9
Nothing says “defending freedom against tyrants” like becoming an oppressive tyrant yourself.
noisy… Even accounting for the fact that revolutions bring out the weirdos like nothing else, maybe there was some sort of induced mass psychosis in the late 18th century, increasing bombasticism and fervour.
Even in America of that time police chiefs would have only been allowed such excesses if they confined their jollies to clubbing trade unionists.
And now Kessler’s lawyer joins in the crazy:
The attorney for suspended Pennsylvania police chief Mark Kessler after a series of profane rants involving machine guns accused a local city council member on Tuesday of trying to stack the deck against his client the day he was sanctioned.
“We were under the full assumption and belief that Chief Kessler had the support of his mayor and that he would have a fair hearing that day when they met in executive session,” attorney Joseph P. Nahas told the Pottsville Republican Herald. “We didn’t know it was going to be a kangaroo court.”
Francis is the head of the House of Stuart; the other gentleman is a known fraud with no better claim than Elizabeth Windsor.
[QUOTE=Travis Bickle]
Sounds familar. And we all know how that turned out.
Yeah, Bickle went on a shooting-spree and wound up a hero in the public eye.
I don’t think Kessler can pull that off.
BrainGlutton:
Yeah, Bickle went on a shooting-spree and wound up a hero in the public eye.
I don’t think Kessler can pull that off.
Well, some maintain that all the events in Taxi Driver that take place after the shooting spree are only happening in Bickle’s mind.
That sounds more like Kessler.
Kessler is using a lawyer now. At least that suggests it won’t end violently.
If you don’t throw in your buck o’ five who will?
Also suggests it won’t be free, so there’s at least one thing he’s not wrong about.
Baring in mind that as a jacobite I detest those that they were fighting against still more than them — some of them were a trifle noisy… Even accounting for the fact that revolutions bring out the weirdos like nothing else, maybe there was some sort of induced mass psychosis in the late 18th century, increasing bombasticism and fervour.