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Review Traitors Beware

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Oct. 15, 2009 By recoveredAccount187
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Before I start my review of Beckemeier's history of the Minutemen, I just want to say that it's quite welcoming to see more writers putting out books about the other side of the 1960s. There are way too many self-congragulatory books out there about how the wide eyed children of postwar privilege (i.e. hippies/Boomers) stopped a war, maaan, fought alongside the Negro in his struggle for respect, revolutionized sex, rock music, and did it all while completely blitzed out of their minds on mind altering substances. Suffice to say, most of it is a bunch of delusional hooey. Since the negative aspects of Boomer cultural supremacy are now apparent it makes sense that there is more of a... More > demand for histories of those forgotten soliders who knew back then that a triumph of the hippies would lead not to an egalitarian utopia but rather to nanny state liberalism and the disolution of standards.



This being said, I found Beckemeier's 'Traitors' a quick and exciting read though lacking in a few spots. He does an excellent job tracing the organizational history and defining the sociological background of its members. Also, the personal history of Mr. DePugh, who is obviously the best source for the history, is quite interesting and provides a good anchor for the rest of the book. The history of police infiltration and paramilitary actions is also indispensable. My main criticism is that the meat'n'potatoes of the Minutemen ideology is glossed over. All the reader is told about their core ideas is: they hated Communists, believed Communists had infiltrated the Federal Government, used gun control legislation as proof of the previous accusation and thought only a guerrilla war against the US Government and Communist agents could bring the USA back to the state of liberty it was founded on. Beckemeier writes about serveral books written by DePugh and also of Minutemen publications yet cites from them very sparingly. If Beckemeier had quoted more directly from these publications the reader would have a better understanding of the specific political principles the Minutemen believed in. Secondly, while Mr. DePugh, as chief creator of the group, is an excellent source, Beckemeier does not mention Robert N. Taylor, a former member and current neofolk musician, at all. Mr. Taylor has spoken about the Minutemen frequently in interviews and seems an excellent source for charting the ideological journey of a former Minuteman to the present. Here is a good interview: http://tinyurl.com/5whwf9



All in all though, I enjoyed this book and find that Beckemeier's effort in contributing to the historification of this group and the 1960s radical Right in general outweighs any central criticism I may have. I also understand this is Beckemeier's first book and I will certainly look forward to any future publications of his.



Ean Frick, < Less
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Mar. 2, 2010 By Subsonic
Gives a good overview of the Minutemen. As recoveredAccountant187 said, interviews with Robert N. Taylor fill in many gaps regarding the organization. I have located a source for a reprinted Minuteman manual: http://www.quikmaneuvers.com/vengeance1_am_resistance_combat_manual.html

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Product Details

ISBN 978-0-615-17283-5
Copyright Standard Copyright License
Publisher Eric Beckemeier
Published February 4, 2008
Language English
Pages 148
 
Binding Perfect-bound Paperback
Interior Ink Black & white
Dimensions (inches) 6.0 wide × 9.0 tall

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