Guest opinion

Extreme roots

Recently, the Bigfork Eagle carried an article about the Constitution Party of Montana's annual convention. While the article did provide examples of the group's right-wing ideology, it allowed party members to frame their message as they wished. We believe a more complete picture is needed.

While both the Montana and national Constitution Parties wrap themselves in God, country and flag, their real agendas are radical. Howard Phillips founded the national Constitution Party (originally the U.S. Taxpayers Party) in 1992, combining Christian Reconstructionism with themes of the militia movement. Reconstructionists believe that civil law should mirror Old Testament biblical law, meaning the death penalty should be extended to gays, lesbians, blasphemers, and adulterers. The party also promotes "New World Order" conspiracy theories similar to those of the militia movement.

The Constitution Party of Montana expanded on Phillips' foundation. Michael Heit, who started the state party, proudly proclaims he hasn't paid income taxes since 1987 and wants to get rid of his Social Security number. Both of these are hallmark practices of groups like the Montana Freemen. Heit has also celebrated John Trochmann, founder of the Militia of Montana and a former Aryan Nations participant.

The party's platform supports "unorganized militias," a term used by the far-right militia movement to supposedly justify its constitutional existence. In the Eagle article, the Constitution Party stated "community militias" should be restored. It matters little which adjective is used—unorganized or community—anti-government militias are far from benign.

The militia movement spawned activists like Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, and groups like Project 7, which was stockpiling ammunition and compiling a hit list of criminal justice employees in Kalispell. During the party's existence, its Web site has contained links to militia icon Bo Gritz's Center for Action, which offers paramilitary training courses.

The Constitution Party has a backup plan if outright war with the government doesn't develop. It seeks to elect lawmakers who will carry out its wishes to abolish most government agencies—the Department of Education, Internal Revenue Services, etc. It also wants to get rid of the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection by repealing the 14th Amendment.

While Heit brought the militia ideology to the table, the current party chairman, Jonathan Martin, brings the Christian Reconstructionism. He and followers regularly picket the Great Falls Planned Parenthood clinic, carrying placards featuring pictures of allegedly aborted fetuses. In the past, both Martin and Heit have lambasted Montana Right to Life and the Montana Republican Party for being too moderate.

This was the party Rick Jore joined in 2000. At the time, he was an incumbent Republican legislator from Ronan. He left the GOP, saying he needed to belong to a party reflecting his values. After losing his re-election campaign, Jore hit the Constitution Party speaking circuit, peddling the notion that the GOP is too liberal and no different from Democrats.

Jore also represented the influence of Christian Reconstructionism during a court hearing where he asked a local judge to void the Montana Supreme Court's decision regarding his contested race for House District 12. He based his argument on a tract distributed by the Plymouth Rock Foundation, a Reconstructionist group based in Massachusetts. He gave a copy to the judge, as he outlined his theory that lower courts can overrule appellate courts.

Jore and the Constitution Party are part of an ultra-conservative faction that criticizes the Montana Republican Party for marching towards liberalism and socialism.

This overt hostility to the GOP is one reason it was bizarre to see the Republican Party fighting for Jore's appointment to the legislature and picking up most of his legal expenses.

Constitution Party of Montana members fall outside the political mainstream's definition of "conservative." By fighting for Jore's appointment, the Montana GOP tried to award a fringe political party with a seat in the Montana Legislature. This helped redefine the term "conservative" in Montana, moving it even further to the right.

The GOP continued this trend over the summer when some of its legislators participated in a Constitution Party of Montana event in Belgrade.

The Republican Party is giving political legitimacy and credibility to a right-wing group that can't achieve it on its own. That is the major significance in the controversy over House District 12—the GOP selling itself out to the right-wing fringe.

Travis McAdam is the research director for the Montana Human Rights Network.