James Wickstrom

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James Paul Wickstrom (October 7, 1942 – March 24, 2018) was an American radio talk show host and Christian Identity minister who resided in Linwood, Michigan. He was known for his many strong right-wing opinions; he was intensely anti-communist and denounced those he perceived to be communists, such as Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela, whose death he rejoiced in 2013, describing him as a "vile black terrorist". He frequently advocated the mass murder of Jews, non-European Americans, homosexuals, drug addicts, and race traitors, in accordance with the Christian Identity movement.[1]

He was a founding member of the anti-government Posse Comitatus movement, often described as racist and anti-semitic by its critics.[2][3]

History

He was born in Munising, Michigan.[4]

Periodically, Wickstrom wrote racially inspired articles, and operated as a pastor in Christian Identity organizations. In 1980, Wickstrom ran unsuccessfully in Wisconsin as a Constitution Party of Wisconsin candidate for United States Senator, coming in third with 16,156 votes; and was a Wisconsin representative to the American Independent Party's national committee.[5] He was the party's nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1982, coming in fourth with 7,721 votes; and remained on the national committee.[6] During this same period, he attracted national attention to the ideology of the Posse Comitatus movement, as an outspoken defender of the rights and concerns of Gordon Kahl, including an appearance on the Phil Donahue Show. In 1985, after his arrest, he was no longer listed as an official of the Constitution Party of Wisconsin.[7]

Death

In March 2018, it was reported by the Southern Poverty Law Center that Wickstrom had died; the report was attributed to what the SPLC described as "unnamed sources within the white supremacist movement".[8] More details appeared in a report on Michigan-based website MLive.com, which reported that Wickstrom had been living in Linwood, Michigan,[9] and in a broadcast eulogy for Wickstrom published on YouTube on March 25 and stating that he had died on March 24.

Criminal actions and convictions

In January 1982, Wickstrom lost when he sought election as chairman of the town of Fairbanks, Wisconsin.[10] He decided to set up his own municipality, a Posse enclave on the banks of the Embarras River within the boundaries of Fairbanks. He put public notice of the creation of the "Constitutional Township of Tigerton Dells" and a meeting to elect officers of the township in a local paper. The announcement described Wickstrom as "acting clerk"; at the meeting, Wickstrom was "elected" Clerk and Municipal Judge and fellow Posse member Donald Minniecheske was "elected" the Tigerton Dells Chairman and Assessor.

Over the next seven months, Wickstrom took applications for and issued a liquor license and a cigarette license, attempted to file various documents indicating he was a judge or town clerk with local and state offices, and threatened to sue the Shawano County county clerk if she did not cooperate with his demand for official printed ballots.

Since none of this was lawful under the relevant Wisconsin statutes, in 1983 Wickstrom was arrested for "assuming to act as [a] public officer". (During the trial, he announced to the court that he planned to set up similar townships in other states, and had the presiding judge served with an ersatz "subpoena" for a "Citizens Grand Jury", signing the document as "Judge". He was found guilty, and served over thirteen months in jail (he'd received the maximum nine-month sentence on each count, to be served consecutively).[11] (Minniecheske was sentence to nine years for possession of stolen property and other crimes.) Wickstrom's sentence was eventually commuted; as part of the terms he was not to associate with the Posse or similar groups. He moved to Pennsylvania, and was later arrested and convicted of a plan to distribute $100,000 in counterfeit U.S. currency to white supremacists attending the 1988 Aryan World Congress.[12][13] He was paroled in 1994.[14]

In 1990, Wickstrom was convicted of counterfeiting currency and possessing firearms illegally as a felon. He was sentenced to 38 months in jail.[15][16]

Ideology

Wickstrom derived his beliefs from his interpretation of the Christian Bible. He preached what he referred to as Two Seedline Racial Covenant Identity, an ideology which among other things, postulates that the Caucasian race is made in the image of God. Furthermore, people of Jewish descent are not considered the "children of God", but rather the children of Cain. Wickstrom categorically rejected the Jewish religious doctrine which states that Jews are "God's chosen people", stating that in fact members of the "white western, European" race are the actual Israelites referred to in the Christian Bible.

Later activity

Wickstrom hosted a weekly internet radio talk show, Yahweh's Truth. During the show, Wickstrom often had a limited number of guest speakers, where the topic was predominantly his perception of a communist, Zionist mandate operating in the United States whose goal is to destroy the civilized Western nations, or nations where Caucasians are the ethnic majority. According to Wickstrom, this goal is to be seen out through authoritarian and corrupt financial practices, multiculturalism, media infiltration, miscegenation and globalization. As well, he invited his listeners to call in to speak their views on world issues, which are typically similar to Wickstrom's.

Rhetoric

Wickstrom's frequent anti-globalist rhetoric drew the attention of such left-wing activist groups as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. Wickstrom frequently alleged Jewish domination of religious, political, educational, and monetary "dynasties" which determine national direction.

References

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  5. ↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. The state of Wisconsin 1981-1982 blue book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, distributed by Document Sales, 1981-1982; pp. 823, 887, 908
  6. ↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. The state of Wisconsin 1983-1984 blue book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, distributed by Document Sales, 1983-1984; pp. 686, 821
  7. ↑ Theobald, H. Rupert; Robbins, Patricia V., eds. The state of Wisconsin 1985-1986 blue book Madison: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, distributed by Document Sales, 1985-1986; p. 836
  8. ↑ https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/03/26/james-paul-wickstrom-posse-comitatus-leader-dies-75
  9. ↑ https://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/2018/03/infamous_white_supremacist_naz.html
  10. ↑ 'Leader of Posse denies Klan Link,' Milwaukee Sentinel, April 3, 1981, part 2, page 3
  11. ↑ 798 F.2d 268 James P. WICKSTROM, Petitioner-Appellant, v. Walter SCHARDT, Respondent-Appellee; No. 85-3224, United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit. Submitted July 8, 1986; Decided Aug. 19, 1986
  12. ↑ Smith, Brent L. Terrorism in America: Pipe Bombs and Pipe Dreams; Binghamton: SUNY Press, 1994; p. 60
  13. ↑ Buchanan, Susy. "Return of the Pastor" Intelligence Report, Winter 2004, Issue Number: 116; Southern Poverty Law Center
  14. ↑ Roddy, Dennis B. "Aryan Nations moving to state" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 29, 2002
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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