Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 21, 1995 TAG: 9510230123
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bob Fletcher, organizer of the Militia of Montana, will address the rally, sponsored by Citizens in Action, which claims 40 members across Virginia.
Citizens in Action finds its roots in the U.S. Constitution and its faith in Christianity, said Don Doyle of Vinton, chairman of the group.
The organization considers itself pro-family, pro-gun and pro-American. Its goal is to teach about what members perceive as the gradual erosion of the United States' ability to govern itself.
Between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. today, the group will hold a rally denouncing one of the institutions its members believe is eroding those rights - the United Nations, which celebrates its 50th anniversary Tuesday.
"The long-term objective of the U.N. is a global government," Doyle said. "We would lose our constitutional rights. We don't want to see American troops turned into 'Globo-Cops.' We do not need this body to literally try and take over the world."
Douglas Jeffreys of Hanover County, a spokesman for Citizens in Action and a leader in the Virginia Citizens Militia, said he was most concerned with the national debt. But what drew him to the group was seeing the standoff at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, between white separatist Randy Weaver and federal agents.
Weaver's wife and son died during the 1992 siege, which has continued to be a point of contention for the Justice Department.
"To me, it was a sign that the federal government and several law enforcement agencies have stepped over the line from trying to protect to going after individuals," Jeffreys said.
The general manager of PAR-FM radio, a Christian radio network, also is scheduled to speak.
by CNB