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'{{Cleanup|date=September 2009}} {{Infobox_Person |name = Tom Metzger |residence = [[Warsaw, Indiana]] |other_names = |image = |imagesize = |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1938|4|9}} |birth_place = [[Indiana]], [[United States]] |death_date = |death_place = |death_cause = |known = Head of [[White Aryan Resistance]] |title = |salary = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |boards = |religion = |spouse = |partner = |children = John Metzger, Lori Metzger |relations = |website = |footnotes = |employer = |height = |weight = }} '''Thomas Linton Metzger''' (born April 9, 1938) is the American founder of the [[White Aryan Resistance]]. Metzger has been incarcerated in [[Los Angeles County, California]] and [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], and has been involved in several government inquiries and lawsuits. He has participated in race discussions and interviews with [[CNN]] and [[Telemundo]], and has appeared in numerous documentaries about [[white nationalism]]. ==Early life== Metzger was born and raised in [[Indiana]].<ref name="CableAccess">{{cite news |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F5071EFC38550C748CDDA90994DE484D81 |title=Extremist Finds Cable TV is Forum for Right-wing Views |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=October 7, 1986 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-09-18}}</ref> He served in the [[U.S. Army]] from 1961 until 1964 when he moved to [[Southern California]] to work in the electronics industry.<ref name="CableAccess" /> For a short time, he was a member of the [[John Birch Society]] and attended [[anti-communist]] luncheon meetings sponsored by the [[Douglas Aircraft Corporation]].<ref name="CableAccess" /> Metzger served as a [[Barry Goldwater]] precinct worker in 1964, but by 1968 moved to [[Fallbrook, California]] and supported [[George C. Wallace]] for President.<ref name="CableAccess" /> Metzger stopped paying taxes in the 1970s and by 1972 his [[tax protest]] over the [[Vietnam War]] destroyed his thriving television business but introduced him to other [[tax protesters]] who, he said, were "atheist racists, [[Christian Identity]] racists, [[Nazis]], all kinds of people."<ref name="CableAccess" /> During the 1970s he joined the [[Knights of the Ku Klux Klan]], which was led by [[David Duke]], eventually becoming the [[Grand Dragon]] for the [[State of California]]. In summer 1979, he organized a patrol to capture [[illegal immigrants|illegal Mexican immigrants]] south of [[Fallbrook, California]]. Metzger's Klan organization also had a security force which was involved in confrontations with anti-Klan protesters. Metzger's branch of the Klan split with Duke's organization in 1980 to form the "California Knights of the Ku Klux Klan."<ref>"The Real David Duke," Newsweek, November 18, 1991, Pg. 24</ref> Also in 1979 he took [[Greg Withrow]], of the White Student Union "under his wing," which later became the [[Aryan Youth Movement]] (AYM), for youth associated with [[White Aryan Resistance]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=1154 |title=The Godfathers|publisher=[[Southern Poverty Law Center]] |date= Fall 2006 |first= |last= |accessdate =2007-11-15}}</ref> He was also a minister in the [[Christian Identity]] movement.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} Metzger holds strong [[nationalist]] and [[cultural conservative|culturally conservative]] views, and he has alternated his political affiliations between the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] and [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] parties as each shifted its ideological perspectives. In 1980, Metzger won the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] nomination for the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] with over 40,000 votes in a [[San Diego]]-area district.<ref name="Clairob">{{cite news |url=http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/09/11/news/top_stories/93006213830.txt |title=Clair Burgener dies at 84|publisher=[[North County Times]] |date= September 10, 2006 |first= |last= |accessdate =2007-07-14}}</ref> He had changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat earlier in the year. The Democrats disavowed his candidacy, instead endorsing incumbent four-term Republican [[Clair Burgener]].<ref>{{cite news |url= |title=Democrats Disavow Nominee From Klan |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=June 6, 1980 |first= |last= |accessdate =}}</ref> Metzger lost by over 200,000 votes in November to a several-term incumbent in a heavily Republican district. In 1982 he sought the Democratic Party's U.S. Senatorial nomination, running against then-Governor [[Jerry Brown]] and author [[Gore Vidal]]. He received three percent of the vote. ==White Aryan Resistance== {{Main|White Aryan Resistance}} Metzger left the Klan after the election and formed the "White American Political Association" in order to promote "pro-White" candidates for office. He ran for the [[United States Senate]] in 1982, winning almost 76,000 votes (and 2.8% of the vote) in the Democratic Party Primary.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} In 1983, he changed the name of his group to "[[White Aryan Resistance]]" (WAR). WAR worked to recruit members in prisons, and rejected [[Christianity]] as a form of [[Judaism]]. Metzger made numerous television appearances in addition to hosting his own cable access show. In November 1988, his son appeared on an episode of the [[Geraldo Rivera]] show in which a brawl broke out and Rivera's nose was broken.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.geraldo.com/v5/Geraldo-At-Large/Racist-Violence.gr |title=Racist Violence |publisher=[[Geraldo Rivera|geraldo.com]] |date= 2007 |first= |last= |accessdate =2007-07-14}}</ref> The group was eventually [[Bankruptcy|bankrupted]] as the result of a civil [[lawsuit]] centered on its involvement in the 1988 murder of [[Mulugeta Seraw]], an [[Ethiopian]] man who came to the United States to attend college. In 1988, [[white power skinhead]]s affiliated to WAR were convicted of killing Seraw and sent to prison. Kenneth Mieske said he and the two others killed Seraw "because of his race."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE2DE1339F930A35756C0A96F948260 |title=Guilt Admitted in Racial Killing |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=May 3, 1989 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-11-18}}</ref> Metzger declared that they did a "[[civic duty]]" by killing Seraw.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,971437-2,00.html |title=Making War on WAR |publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=October 22, 1990 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-09-18}}</ref> [[Morris Dees]] and the [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] filed a civil suit against him, arguing that WAR influenced Seraw's killers by encouraging their group East Side White Pride to commit violence.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30613FD34540C758EDDA90994D8494D81 |title=Sending a $12.5 Million Message to a Hate Group |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=October 26, 1990 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-09-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/56028630.html?dids=56028630:56028630&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Oct+24%2C+1990&author=&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=02.A&desc=Lawyer+makes+racists+pay |title=Lawyer makes racists pay |publisher=[[USA Today]] |date=October 24, 1990 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-09-18}}</ref> At the trial, WAR national vice president Dave Mazzella testified on how the Metzgers instructed WAR members to commit violence against minorities. Tom and John Metzger were found civilly liable under the doctrine of [[vicarious liability]], in which one can be liable for a [[tort]] committed by a subordinate or by another person who is taking instructions. The jury returned the largest civil verdict in [[Oregon]] history at the time&mdash;$12.5 million&mdash;against Metzger and WAR.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6D61030F930A25756C0A967958260 |title=Review/Television; Behind the Hate, With Bill Moyers |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date= May 13, 1991 |first= |last= |accessdate =2007-08-26}}</ref> The Metzgers' house was seized, and most of WAR's profits go to paying off the judgment. ==Post-Oregon trial== After the trial, Metzger's home was transferred to Seraw's estate for $121,500, while Metzger was allowed to keep $45,000 under [[California's Homestead Act]].<ref name="homemess">{{cite news |url= |title=Metzger Leaves Former Home a Mess, but it's undamaged |publisher=[[The Oregonian]] |date=September 19, 1991 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-09-18}} page f3</ref> The SPLC and the ADL came up with the $45,000 needed to pay Metzger for the home.<ref name="homemess" /> Metzger was warned that any damages left in the house would result in a lawsuit, and while he left it in "a mess" with cracked windows, there was no serious damage.<ref name="homemess" /> As a result of the sale of his home, he was forced to move into an apartment.<ref name="homemess" /> In May 1991, Metzger had to agree to stop selling T-shirts of [[Bart Simpson]] in a [[Nazi]] uniform with the words "Pure Nazi Dude" and "Total Nazi Dude".<ref>"Bart Used by Extremists, "The Washington Times" May 13, 1993</ref> He was convicted in 1991 of [[cross burning|burning a cross]] in 1983, and sentenced to six months in prison and 300 hours community service working with minorities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5D81E3AF937A35751C1A967958260 |title=Supremacist Gets 6 Months in Cross Burning |publisher=[[New York Times]] |date=December 4, 1991 |first= |last= |accessdate = 2007-09-18}}</ref> He was released from prison 46 days into his sentence to be with his critically ill wife, who died after the seizure of his home.<ref>"Klan leader let out of jail to be with critically ill wife," ''The Gazette'' (Montreal, Quebec), February 22, 1992</ref> In 1992, Metzger and his son violated a court order not to leave the country and entered [[Canada]] to speak to the [[Heritage Front]]. Soon afterwards, he was arrested for violating Canadian immigration laws by entering the country to "promote racial hatred".<ref>"White Aryan leaders deported Jewish groups applaud decision," ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' July 3, 1992 </ref> He was summoned to appear in federal court after the [[US Treasury Department]] made inquiries concerning racist messages that were being printed on the back sides of fake dollar bills. Since the early 1990s, Metzger has advocated the [[Lone wolf (terrorism)|"lone wolf"]] method of organization, of which there are many, for white nationalist groups, which states that a person should not outwardly display his/her racist ideology, but must act covertly.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Metzger.asp |title=Tom Metzger/White Aryan Resistance |publisher=[[Anti-Defamation League]] |date= August 24, 2007 |first= |last= |accessdate =2007-08-25}}</ref> In 2003, Metzger appeared in a documentary by [[Louis Theroux]], titled "[[Louis and the Nazis]]". On 25 June 2009, Metzger's home outside of Warsaw, Indiana was raided by agents of the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms]]. No arrests were made and no information was released on what was found inside his house. Metzger was allowed to leave the premises during the search and stated that address books, [[compact discs]], tapes and computers were seized in the raid.<ref>[http://www.wane.com/dpp/video/local/local_wane_atf_raids_white_aryan_resistance_founders_home_200906251619]</ref><ref>[http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local_wane_white_supremacist_reacts_to_atf_raid_200906261712_rev1]</ref> Metzger currently resides outside of [[Warsaw, Indiana]]<ref>{{cite website |url=http://www.resist.com/ |title=W.A.R - White Aryan Resistance |publisher=The Insurgent |date= 2007 |first= |last= |accessdate =2008-10-08}}</ref>, and is still mandated to make payments to Seraw's family.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_D_hate25.3563952.html |title=Hate-crime case award will be hard to collect, experts say |publisher=[[The Press-Enterprise]] |date= August 24, 2007 |first= |last= |accessdate =2007-08-25}}</ref> Metzger hosts a weekly radio talk show called ''Insurgent Radio'', on the [[Internet]]-based [[Turner Radio Network]] (not affiliated with the [[Turner Broadcasting System]]). ==Electoral History== {{Election box begin no change | title=California's 43rd Congressional District Democratic Primary election, June 3, 1980<ref>[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=375065 Our Campaigns] "California District 43 - Democratic Primary Race - June 3, 1980," (retrieved on August 15th, 2009).</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Tom Metzger |votes = 33,071 |percentage = 37.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Ed Skagen |votes = 32,679 |percentage = 36.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Hubert Higgins |votes = 23,462 |percentage = 26.3 }} {{Election box total no change| |votes = 89,212 |percentage = 100.0 }} {{Election box turnout no change| |percentage = }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin no change | title=[[United States House of Representatives elections, 1980]]<ref>[http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1980election.pdf Office of the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives] "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1980," (retrieved on August 15th, 2009).</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = [[Clair W. Burgener]] ([[incumbent]]) |votes = 298,815 |percentage = 86.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Tom Metzger |votes = 46,361 |percentage = 13.4 }} {{Election box total no change| |votes = 345,176 |percentage = 100.0 }} {{Election box turnout no change| |percentage = }} {{Election box hold with party link without swing| |winner = Republican Party (United States) |loser = Democratic Party (United States) }} {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin no change | title=United States Senatorial Democratic Primary election, June 8, 1982<ref>[http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=37146 Our Campaigns] California U.S. Senate - Democratic Primary Race - June 8, 1982," (retrieved on August 15th, 2009).</ref>}} {{Election box winning candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = [[Jerry Brown|Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.]] |votes = 1,392,660 |percentage = 50.7 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = [[Gore Vidal]] |votes = 415,366 |percentage = 15.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Paul B. Carpenter |votes = 415,198 |percentage = 15.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Daniel K. Whitehurst |votes = 167,574 |percentage = 6.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Richard Morgan |votes = 94,908 |percentage = 3.4 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Tom Metzger |votes = 76,502 |percentage = 2.8 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Walter R. Buchanan |votes = 55,727 |percentage = 2.0 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Bob Hampton |votes = 37,427 |percentage = 1.4 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = Raymond "RayJ" Caplette |votes = 31,865 |percentage = 1.2 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = William F. Wertz |votes = 30,795 |percentage = 1.1 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = May Chote |votes = 30,743 |percentage = 1.1 }} {{Election box total no change| |votes = 2,748,765 |percentage = 100.0 }} {{Election box turnout no change| |percentage = }} {{Election box end}} ==Footnotes== <!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags--> {{reflist|2}} ==Further reading== *[[Morris Dees]]. ''Hate on Trial: The Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi''. Villard, (February 23, 1993) ISBN 067940614X (280 pages) *[[Elinor Langer]]. ''A Hundred Little Hitlers: The Death of a Black Man, the Trial of a White Racist, and the Rise of the Neo-Nazi Movement in America.'' New York: Henry Holt, 2003. ISBN 0-8050-5098-1 ==External links== *[http://www.resist.com White Aryan Resistance] - WAR official site *[http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=213#22 Tom Metzger] list on [[Southern Poverty Law Center]]'s "40 to watch" *[http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Metzger.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=2&item=7 Tom Metzger] profiled by the [[Anti-Defamation League]] {{DEFAULTSORT:Metzger, Tom}} [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:Antisemitism]] [[Category:American anti-communists]] [[Category:American neo-Nazis]] [[Category:American white nationalists]] [[Category:Crime in Oregon]] [[Category:John Birch Society]] [[Category:Ku Klux Klan members]] [[Category:Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragons]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Riverside County, California]] [[Category:Racism]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]] [[Category:People from an unknown place of birth in Indiana]] [[it:Tom Metzger]]'