In May 2021, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Majorkas informed the Senate Appropriations Committee that the greatest threat America currently faces is intrinsically internal—specifically, “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists”, white supremacy.” According to this Against All EnemiesThis situation has not improved in the past two years, as Charlie Sadoff’s documentary details how a collection of anti-government white-nationalist movements is gaining more and more attention within our borders; and members of the military.
Sadoff, who made his directorial debut at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8th. Against All Enemies takes its title from his oath of constitutional duty: “I solemnly swear (or certify) to support and defend the United States Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The Three Percenters, Boogaloo Boys, Proud Boys and their founder Stewart Rhodes’ role in the January 6 provocative conspiracy This is a very current statement, given the rise of local groups like The Oath Keepers, which he was convicted of shortly before founding the uprising and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Worse still, it’s a perverted worldview that they are now the persecuted “patriotic” minority. – a commitment adopted by very treacherous groups who claim to be waging a war against the dark deep state powers, even if they try to replace this system with outright fascism in destroying democracy.
As anyone who has watched footage of the January 6 uprising well knows, most of the men and women who raided the Capitol or commanded the insurgents were active and/or former law enforcement and military personnel. Most useful for the ongoing dialogue on domestic terrorism, Against All Enemies‘ Investigation into current and historical links between American hate groups and armed soldiers and women. Northwestern University professor Dr. With archival footage and commentary by Kathleen Belew and former Army forward observer Kristofer Goldsmith (among others), Sadoff’s film explains that such connections existed in the post-Civil War, post-War-War, and post-Vietnam eras. The Ku Klux Klan is led by military veterans in the violent discriminatory and treacherous campaigns of the groups. He argues with clarity and certainty that today’s connection between neo-Nazi groups and soldiers and police officers is only the latest iteration of a longstanding trend, rather than an outlier.
However, this is not to underestimate the seriousness of the problem, because Against All Enemies argues that such ties have never been so tight. With generations of contemporary military veterans disillusioned with war, scarred by PTSD, and left adrift in everyday society, these groups provide companionship, purpose, and warfare to damaged warriors—according to Goldsmith, who describes himself as a distinctive “Nazi hunter.” missed opportunities. Moreover, they present them with a mission: to defend their beloved homeland against treacherous villains determined to disenfranchise, manipulate and crush them. It doesn’t matter if such a narrative is a fabrication; Having a target board near their comrades to point their guns is a tempting temptation for those who have completed their rounds of duty.
To draw the attention of the soldiers to these groups, Against All Enemies allegedly a social media culture filled with propaganda, able to unite disparate individuals and forces, and a Republican party that legitimizes outrageous conspiratorial treachery. This starts with Donald Trump and extends to many of his sycophants such as Michael Flynn and JD Vance who support QAnon, using their military credentials and armed forces skills to recruit more soldiers into the circuit. Sadoff speaks not only with various pundits, politicians, and critics, but also with a few arrogant extremists: Randy Ireland, former leader of the New York Proud Boys (who describes his brothers as “Western chauvinists”), and Eric “General E,” founder of the Southern Patriots Council. “Brad. Both are veterans and their comments suggest they exist in an alternate reality where the Big Lie is an indisputable truth, Joe Biden is a criminal, and rebellion is an obvious inevitability.
Goldsmith candidly recounts his experiences of falling down the rabbit hole of antisemitic fiction in the years following his army service, which fed his discontent and poisoned his mind. Her exit from this hateful echo chamber through face-to-face college courses and volunteer work speaks to the support systems needed to protect military veterans from falling into the trap of radicalization. Against All Enemies‘ The discussion about Timothy McVeigh and his involvement with the January 6 uprising illustrates the urgent need for federal laws targeting domestic terrorists who currently do not exist. The inadequacy of the means to combat these adversaries is depressing and frustrating, though not entirely surprising, given that one of the country’s two political parties has directly allied with such elements. And in doing so, it aroused distrust of the government and the media, fueled hatred towards minorities, and advanced tactics of substitution theory scaring that compelled conservatives to look at things with a grim us-they-return.
Written by Sadoff, Sebastian Junger, and Kenneth Harbaugh and narrated by Peter Coyote, Against All Enemies It does not always rigidly focus on the ways white nationalist organizations go after soldiers and police, but instead gravitates towards more general discussions, which, however relevant, tend to leave the proceedings a little messy. It is best when Sadoff allows his speakers to briefly talk about how patriotic veterans have been seduced to accept a “seductive” cause (“You will fight again”) with the promise of strength, fraternity, and valor. “Their move is about excluding others,” says Goldsmith. It’s also about suppressing dissent and consolidating power, and as the documentary shows, it’s a coordinated effort that – assuming a decentralized structure – is hard to see, much less combat, entirely.
Against All Enemiesits scope is too limited to be a definitive study of this phenomenon; Learning more about the prevalence of white nationalist sentiments and loyalties within the military (and police units) would give a more comprehensive portrait of this problem. As a result, Sadoff’s document does not fully convey the potential dangers of the 2024 elections and beyond. Yet there is much to dread about the future of the republic as a prelude to a devastating marriage that grows closer with each passing year.