I. The Speedway Bombings
For a terrifying week in 1978, a series of seemingly random bombings terrified the residents of Speedway, Indiana. One bomb maimed Carl DeLong and cost him a leg; he never fully recovered from his injuries, and committed suicide in 1983.
In October 1981, Brett Kimberlin (pictured above) was convicted for these acts of domestic terrorism and sentenced to 50 years in prison. More information on the Speedway Bombings, including investigators' theory that the bombings were intended to distract law enforcement from a recent murder, can be found at the Indianapolis Star's website, here.
Brett Kimberlin was paroled in 1994, and he is making news again; not for the Speedway Bombings, but for the way he's chose to live his life since being released from prison and for the people who are giving him money.
II. Brett Kimberlin, Community Organizer
Brett Kimberlin is the director of a tax-exempt organization called the Justice Through Music Project, which uses music to "organize, educate, and activate" young people. He also is the co-founder of another tax-exempt organization, Velvet Revolution, a network of Liberal organizations "demanding progressive change."
Velvet Revolution has made headlines by demanding the arrests of high-profile Conservatives, including Karl Rove and Andrew Breitbart. According to Fox News, in 2009, Velvet Revolution offered $200,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue, in retaliation for the Chamber's objections to President Obama's agenda. Given Brett Kimberlin's violent past, the Chamber was forced to re-evaluate its security needs as a result of the "bounty" on Donohue's head.
III. Brett Kimberlin's Donors
One would think that Liberals wishing to support organizations devoted to turning young people into activists and organizations devoted to demanding the arrests of Conservatives would have plenty of such organizations to choose from; but despite his violent, criminal past, Brett Kimberlin has had no trouble finding high profile donors to support his organizations, especially the Justice Through Music Project (JTMP). According to The Other McCain, donors who gave almost $1.8 million to JTMP between 2005 and 2010 include: the Streisand Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the Heinz Family Foundation, and the Tides Foundation.
If you think its newsworthy that Barbra Streisand and Senator John Kerry's wife are donating money to a charity run by a convicted domestic terrorist, you're not alone. Bloggers have begun talking about Brett Kimberlin, his criminal past, and his wealthy Liberal supporters, and Brett Kimberlin is trying to shut these bloggers up.
IV. Brett Kimberlin's Targets
After blogger Robert Stacey McCain began writing about Brett Kimberlin and his benefactors, Kimberlin called McCain's wife's employer to complain of harassment. McCain was forced to leave Maryland for his safety and has continued calling attention to Brett Kimberlin's past and present activities.
Brett Kimberlin reportedly targeted blogger Aaron Worthing after Worthing offered legal advice to someone Kimberlin was suing; Worthing and his wife were fired from their jobs because their employers were afraid that domestic terrorist Brett Kimberlin would show up at their place of business.
Blogger Patterico has chronicled a yearlong campaign of severe harassment against himself and his wife, including a false call to the police from someone claiming to be Patterico stating that he had just killed someone; law enforcement took Patterico into custody at gunpoint. Patterico believes that this harassment is coming from Kimberlin and his supporters. the details are a chilling must-read.
Patterico, Worthing, and McCain are not the only people to have been reportedly targeted by Brett Kimberlin and Kimberlin's supporters; Michelle Malkin has written an excellent post on the topic, urging solidarity with those targeted by Brett Kimberlin.
V. Brett Kimberlin's Surprise
If Brett Kimberlin is trying to silence people who talk about him, then the best defense is for everyone to talk about Brett Kimberlin. Accordingly, Lee Stranahan has declared May 25, 2012 to be Everybody Blog About Brett Kimberlin Day. (An excellent video produced by Stranahan is also available at the link.)
Read what people are writing about Brett Kimberlin. Search for stories in the Indianapolis Star. Call your local television station and suggest that they run a story. Call into Conservative talk radio. Call into NPR. Tweet it, talk about it around the water cooler, and if you run into Barbra Streisand in Malibu, ask her why she is supporting a man who has brought pain to so many lives.
