By Bill Wilson — Respected military magazine Small Wars Journal recently published an article co-written by a retired Army Colonel named Kevin Benson. The article, entitled “Full Spectrum Operations in the Homeland: A ‘Vision’ of the Future,” was ostensibly written as a training manual for military commanders and general staff.
Benson is a seminar leader at the University of Foreign Military and Cultural Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He is also the former head of the Army’s School of Advanced Military Studies. In other words, he is entrusted by our government with molding the minds of future military leaders.
In discharging these responsibilities, however, Benson has chosen to aggressively promote a radical leftist portrayal of the Tea Party – and of South Carolina – a portrayal that is inaccurate, incendiary and totally inappropriate for use in military instruction.
“In May 2016 an extremist militia motivated by the goals of the ‘tea party’ movement takes over the government of Darlington, South Carolina, occupying City Hall, disbanding the city council, and placing the mayor under house arrest,” the article co-written by Benson supposes.
Motivated by a “high-profile and vocal minority” which has used “race-baiting and immigrant-bashing by right-wing demagogues,” the Tea Partiers envisioned in Benson’s scenario receive support from “law enforcement officials already sympathetic to the tea party’s agenda.” Meanwhile a governor who “professed sympathy with tea party goals” refuses to take a stand against this militia.
“The ‘tea party’ insurrectionists in South Carolina enjoy a groundswell of support from other tea party groups, militias, racist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, anti-immigrant associations such as the Minutemen, and other right wing groups,” the article continues.
Laced with inflammatory rhetoric pulled straight from the wildest conspiracy theories of the far left, Benson’s scenario is a shamefully narrow-minded, hyper-accusatory manifesto that seeks to masquerade as a blow-by-blow account of how the federal government would quell such a hypothetical rebellion.
Benson’s characterization of the Palmetto State and its people is as disgusting as it is untrue. And the goal of the piece is clearly indoctrination – not instruction.
Compare this to the treatment of highly decorated armor officer Lt. Col. Matthew Dooley whose classes to fellow officers on the dangers of radical Islam came under fire from groups linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Now, with the class cancelled and his career sidetracked, Dooley is paying a heavy price for asking a question which dare not be asked.
The startling lesson is that if you want to teach an approved class at the War College, it is better that you hypothesize a scenario where you are killing South Carolinian tea party members than one which poses the question of whether we are at war with Islam itself.
Obviously Dooley’s contention is erroneous, but at least his misguided thinking had its roots in something tangible – the bloody September 11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands of Americans of all colors and creeds.
Benson’s commentary – which is every bit as erroneous and indefensible – is nothing but contrived left-wing smear propaganda, a baseless attempt to vilify patriotic Americans whose only crime is embracing the principles upon which our country was founded.
Every American – whether they support the Tea Party or not – should condemn this insulting characterization of this grassroots, peaceful political movement. Meanwhile the Pentagon and any contractors who employ Benson should immediately sever all ties with him.
Our military cannot tolerate such shameful teachings – nor can we tolerate such selective enforcement of values.
Bill Wilson is president of Americans for Limited Government. You can follow Bill on Twitter at @BillWilsonALG.
