# "Oath Keeper" arrested for plotting to take over a courthouse in Tennessee **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 10, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857 "2010-05-10T01:28:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/1 "2010-05-10T01:28:03Z")
From [WBIR Knoxville:](http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=120662&catid=2) > [@](#): > > Georgia man has been arrested in Tennessee–authorities say he headed to Madisonville, armed and prepared to take over the courthouse. > > Darren Huff stands charged of traveling in interstate commerce with intent to incite a riot and transporting in commerce a firearm in furtherance of a civil disorder. > > The FBI says Huff traveled to Tennessee armed with a pistol on his hip and an assault rifle in his truck, intent on carrying out citizen’s arrests of 24 federal, state, and local officials, and on seeing that another man did not face trial for trying to do the same. > > On April 1, Walter Francis Fitzpatrick had tried a citizen’s arrest of Grand Jury Foreman Gary Pettway. Fitzpatrick had previously tried to get the grand jury to indict President Barack Obama on charges of treason, with no success. Fitzpatrick was charged with disorderly conduct, inciting to riot, disrupting a meeting, and resisting arrest. > > The FBI said Fitzpatrick had drafted and issued citizen’s arrest warrants for the state, local, and federal officials. > > Fitzpatrick was headed to trial on his charges on April 20. > > FBI officials say Huff didn’t want Fitzpatrick to go to trial, so planned to head to Tennessee. Story also at the [SPLC](http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/05/07/georgia-oath-keeper-charged-after-attempting-%E2%80%98citizen%E2%80%99s-arrest%E2%80%99/) and [CrooksandLiars](http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/oath-keeper-under-arrest-after-drivi) (the latter makes the connection between Huff and the Oath Keepers). I Pit Mr. Huff, and the [Oath Keepers,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_Keepers) for persistent and bottomless stupidity. I’ve seen their apologists insist the Oath Keepers are a strictly law-abiding organization, but, really, once you started talking in terms of taking the law into your own hands and judgment, what did you **think** was going to happen?! It was just a matter of time, and we should only be relieved no shots were fired and no one was hurt. **This** time. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/2 "2010-05-10T02:00:08Z")
Lone nut. Not representative of teabaggers. We’ve seen lots and lots of lone nuts, but the federal warning about them was purely politically motivated. They _don’t want you to know_ about all the left wing violence in the past year so they don’t tell you about it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/3 "2010-05-10T02:14:46Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Lone nut. Not representative of teabaggers. We’ve seen lots and lots of lone nuts, but the federal warning about them was purely politically motivated. They _don’t want you to know_ about all the left wing violence in the past year so they don’t tell you about it. Once again, [Tom Tomorrow calls it!](http://www.salon.com/entertainment/comics/this_modern_world/2010/04/06/this_modern_world/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/4 "2010-05-10T02:19:34Z")
We left wingers just blow up oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico. We draw the line at flying planes into IRS buildings. ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/5 "2010-05-10T02:21:23Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Once again, [Tom Tomorrow calls it!](http://www.salon.com/entertainment/comics/this_modern_world/2010/04/06/this_modern_world/index.html) “Yargle Bargle!” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/6 "2010-05-10T02:37:03Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Lone nut. Not representative of teabaggers. Not-so-lone nut. Totally representative of tea-baggers. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/7 "2010-05-10T03:14:49Z")
The only thing that surprises me about this is that these assholes didn’t cry like little girls when they were arrested. I’ve said it before, but I think it bears mentioning again. The day the “Oath Keepers” make a valid point about the political process, I’ll go over to Pat Buchanan’s house and personally fellate him. Let’s just I don’t feel my heterosexuality being threatened in the foreseeable future. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/8 "2010-05-10T04:30:28Z")
[Aaaaand Free Republic weighs in!](http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2506636/posts)😛 ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/9 "2010-05-10T04:34:19Z")
> [@](#): > > The FBI says Huff traveled to Tennessee armed with a pistol on his hip and an assault rifle in his truck, intent on carrying out citizen’s arrests of 24 federal, state, and local officials, and on seeing that another man did not face trial for trying to do the same. > > On April 1, Walter Francis Fitzpatrick had tried a citizen’s arrest of Grand Jury Foreman Gary Pettway. Fitzpatrick seems to be considered somewhat of a [“political prisoner”](http://conservativeamericannews.com/american-grand-jury/lt-cmdr-walter-francis-fitzpatrick-is-now-a-political-prisoner) to the nutjobs. > [@](#): > > Fitzpatrick had previously tried to get the grand jury to indict President Barack Obama on charges of treason, with no success I was going to ask, on what kind of nutcase delusional grounds, I wonder, but never mind, there’s plenty of cites as to this teabagger’s delusion. [Here’s one.](http://texasfred.net/tags/walter-francis-fitzpatrick-iii) (warning, link to another nutjob who seems to want to shoot people in the face and is proud be called a “domestic terrorist”.) ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/10 "2010-05-10T04:52:31Z")
Btw, [here’s a great Rachel Maddow piece](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#37007607) about Fitzpatrick and Huff. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/11 "2010-05-10T04:56:57Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Btw, [here’s a great Rachel Maddow piece](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#37007607) about Fitzpatrick and Huff. 😕 Wait, if Obama “was a CIA operative when he went to Columbia University” (1981-83 – Reagan years) – doesn’t that make him a Real American?! And Huff was stopped for a traffic violation and told the state troopers he was planning to take over the courthouse. How dumb **is** this guy?! ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/12 "2010-05-10T05:11:50Z")
Uh, pretty dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/13 "2010-05-10T06:24:38Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Wait, if Obama “was a CIA operative when he went to Columbia University” (1981-83 – Reagan years) – doesn’t that make him a Real American?! No I think it means he is closely associated with the Federal Gummint plot to overthrow the constitution and curb the freedoms of Real Americans. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/14 "2010-05-10T12:05:23Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > 😕 Wait, if Obama “was a CIA operative when he went to Columbia University” (1981-83 – Reagan years) – doesn’t that make him a Real American?! > > And Huff was stopped for a traffic violation and told the state troopers he was planning to take over the courthouse. How dumb **is** this guy?! He must have thought the state trooper was a fellow “Oath Keeper.” That gives me hope. Most of these wackos don’t have the balls to do anything more than strap a gun to their hip and _pretend_ to be badasses. And those who do don’t have the brains to pull off anything _really_ dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/15 "2010-05-10T13:00:36Z")
Palin and Beck should be so proud. Their constituency is on the move. > [@joebuck20](#): > > That gives me hope. Most of these wackos don’t have the balls to do anything more than strap a gun to their hip and _pretend_ to be badasses. And those who do don’t have the brains to pull off anything _really_ dangerous. All it takes is one teabagger to get “lucky.” Some have already, and even when one fails, it might spur another nutjob to think “I could do it better.” Even dumb fucks can get lucky sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/16 "2010-05-10T13:29:39Z")
I love the fact that this guy took the time to print up Citizen’s Arrest Warrants, like that means fuck-all. In fact, remember this: [This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=487189) \_ [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10298301&postcount=12) \_ […](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10298375&postcount=17) It seems we may actually have been on to something. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/17 "2010-05-10T13:41:22Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Lone nut. Not representative of teabaggers. That goes without saying. It’s not a proper teabagging when it’s just the one nut ! (badum TSH) Thank you, Vegas ! ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/18 "2010-05-10T13:43:13Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Palin and Beck should be so proud. Their constituency is on the move. > > All it takes is one teabagger to get “lucky.” Some have already, and even when one fails, it might spur another nutjob to think “I could do it better.” Even dumb fucks can get lucky sometimes. And right now, there is a third nutjob making his Wile E. Coyote-style plans to spring the other two from the clutches of the evil, Solcialist, Muslim-loving Gub’mint. At least the numbnuts who try to arrest Cheney have real crimes they can point to. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/19 "2010-05-10T15:17:22Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Most of these wackos don’t have the balls to do anything more than strap a gun to their hip and _pretend_ to be badasses. And those who do don’t have the brains to pull off anything _really_ dangerous. I don’t think Timothy McVeigh was possessed of a towering intellect or was particularly brave. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2010, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857/20 "2010-05-10T15:19:37Z")
Couldn’t the guy take over his _own_ state and leave the Feds out of it? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oath-keeper-arrested-for-plotting-to-take-over-a-courthouse-in-tennessee/538857.md?page=2)