Extremist group demands governors resign
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/04/02/art.gibbons.gi.jpg caption="Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons received a threat letter on Monday, his office said."]Washington (CNN) - A domestic extremist group has sent letters to more than 30 U.S. governors demanding they resign, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI said in an intelligence note.
The letters told the governors to vacate their posts within three days, the note said.
DHS and the FBI said there do not appear to be credible or immediate threats of violence attached to the letters.
The group behind the letters has a "Restore America Plan" that calls for the removal of any governor who fails to comply, the intelligence note said.
While DHS has no information that the removal refers to a specific plan for violence, "law enforcement should be aware that this could be interpreted as a justification for violence or other criminal actions," the note said.
Other steps in the group's plan include "establishing bogus courts, calling of 'de jure' grand juries, and issuing so-called 'legal orders' to gain
control of the state," the note said.
States that have received the letters include Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Utah, Arkansas, Maine, Colorado, Rhode Island, and Nevada.
Gov. Jim Gibbons of Nevada received one Monday, and three more Wednesday, one of those by fax, his Chief of Staff Robin Reedy told CNN.
The group behind the letters believes there should be no federal government, Reedy said.
The letters were not handwritten, but did have some handwritten signatures, Reedy told CNN Thursday.
The office had been warned in advance to be on the lookout for the letter, she said.
Gibbons' office stepped up security at the capitol in Carson City after receiving the letters. Everyone had to enter through one entrance, and an X-ray machine and metal detector were brought in. Boulders were placed in front of the capitol so vehicles could not drive close to the building.
The governor had not seen the letters himself, because he had been in Las Vegas for a few days, Reedy said Thursday.
-CNN's Jeanne Meserve and Carol Cratty contributed to this report.
Another one of those Domestic terror tea party groups with way too much time on their hands and I think they need to be rounded up and sent to America's version of Siberia.
Your article states "The group behind the letters has a "Restore America Plan" that calls for the removal of any governor who fails to comply, the intelligence note said."
Comply with what? What were the demands made by the group?
Another example of individuals who are all pure un-american. Thank God our constitution protects us from these extremists. This is my country and you better "Love it or leave it". Oh, I've been waiting to say that since my vietnam protest days.
This is a result of the GOP and the tactic of their FEAR campaign.
And how do we know that this group actually exists?
So were they only targeting inept Republican Governors? Gibbons SHOULD quit, but only because he is a lying, cheating, narrow minded idiot....not because of some extreme group. Hopefully the people of Nevada will vote in Rory Reid and get this goon out of Carson City.
Well, I hope these groups aren't among those who profess a love of our Constitution! They'd be hard-pressed to find this sort of behaviour codified there.
That said - isn't this what we used to call "sedition", before it become fashionable on the right?
Democrats are now worrying about the island of Guam tipping over due to a large number of troops proposed to be deployed there?? And these are the brilliant minds that Obama wants to run our health care, automotive and banking industries, etc...??
Me be afraid – very very afraid.
Amazing how this group has no name.
A quick search of the Internet reveals that the group responsible for the letters, 'Guardians of the free Republics', is just another group of right-wing anti-government religious wackos who ultimately derive the justification for their actions and beliefs from the Book of Revelation.
Why do these nuts crawl out of the woodwork every time the Democrats ascend to political power in the US? More importantly, why do they, as 'Christians', seem to forsake 99% of the New Testament in favor of the mere 14 pages of the Book of Revelation?
YES! Keep it up crazy Republican offshoots! Your guaranteed to drive independents to vote Democratic.
Seems as if anarchy is coming out of the closet in the US.
Stop calling these idiots "domestic extremists"...just because they happen to be americans...call them what they really are!..these idiots are TERRORISTS! period.