Thanks to a faithful reader for contrasting recent news with past Arkansas commentary:
Stewart Rhodes — founder and leader of the extremist group Oath Keepers — was arrested Thursday on a charge of seditious conspiracy, accused of guiding a months-long effort to unleash politically motivated violence to prevent the swearing-in of President Biden that culminated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Aug. 30, 2009, an opinion column by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Mike Masterson begins:
Ever heard of a former paratrooper and Yale Law School graduate named Stewart Rhodes?
How about the non-partisan group he founded in April called the Oath Keepers? Me neither. Not until last week anyway.
But we all should be aware of this non-violent, committed group of Americans and how rapidly their numbers are growing across America. Basically, they are men and women who are dedicating themselves to the principles cited in our founding documents.
David Helms of Prairie Grove is the passionate Arkansas coordinator for the group. As with others who have joined Oath Keepers, this 49-year-old Army veteran and pilot says he is devoted to preserving our constitutional republic.
Masterson’s column also said:
There are other actions that Oath Keepers won’t take. For instance, its members don’t advocate or promote the overthrow of any government, be it local, state or national. They also do not promote violence or the removal of any official from his or her elected office, including judges.
For the record: Helms was not among the 11 indicted for sedition last week nor among another group named in related Jan. 6 charges. He’s left few Internet footprints since being interviewed by Masterson in 2009. An Arkansas Oath Keepers website mentioned in the Masterson column no longer turns up on the Internet.
