澳彩开奖

Long-time racist says he鈥檚 stepping down as leader of a splinter faction of the neo-Nazi , just weeks after being convicted of federal fraud-related charges.

Kreis, who鈥檚 reported to be suffering from diabetes-related health problems, doesn鈥檛 give a specific reason for quitting in his Internet posting, but says his successor is Pastor Drew Bostwick, who has lived in Iowa and been active in the neo-Nazi .

The Aryan Nations splinter Bostwick (right) now heads, with a tiny but unknown number of followers, will be renamed 鈥淭abernacle of the Phineas Priesthood-Aryan Nations,鈥� the new leader says. The term 鈥淧hineas鈥� refers to a Old Testament character who killed both an Israelite man and a Midianite woman as they were having sex 鈥� a story that is used by white supremacist to biblically justify acts of violence against 鈥渞ace-mixers鈥� and others.

Kreis claimed in his Jan. 6 post that he was named in advance in 2001 by Aryan Nations founder to succeed Pastor , who took over from Butler, if Redfeairn, who died unexpectedly in 2003, was not able to continue as leader for any reason. But Kreis was never able to really revive the organization, and other extremists fought him in their own bids to take over in the wake of Butler鈥檚 2004 death. Few extremists saw Kreis as the real leader of Aryan Nations, which was nearly destroyed by a 2000 lawsuit and Butler鈥檚 death.

In following years, while living in South Carolina, Kreis came under FBI investigation after making statements supporting Al Qaeda terrorists. Nothing came of those statements, but the probe did lead other allegations against Kreis, and last August he pleaded guilty to a federal charge of lying to the U.S. government while drawing military veterans鈥� benefits. The 56-year-old racist was given a six-month prison sentence and just released in mid-December. He still must pay $192,387 in restitution in $100-a-month payments to U.S. government he despises.

鈥淵ou may or may not know, and none of you will be surprised to hear, but ZOG has done its best to destroy me and my family, imprisoning me and removing me from my wife and 8 children as well as my congregation,鈥� Kreis said in what were his first public comments since being sentenced in December. ZOG is an acronym for the neo-Nazi phrase Zionist Occupied Government, meaning the federal government.

鈥淲e will not be held hostage by the tyranny of our enemies [and] we will prevail,鈥欌�� Kreis said. 鈥淚 will remain devoted to our cause as pastor in the church. However, in light of these circumstances which are beyond my control, I find myself in a position, for the better of the Nation, to pass leadership to Pastor Drew Bostwick.鈥�

Kreis said Bostwick 鈥渉olds many treasures from the teaching of our esteemed elders,鈥� including Butler. Bostwick 鈥渋s a great teacher,鈥� Kreis said, adding, 鈥淵ahweh will work through him leading us all to eternal victory!鈥�

Bostwick, in a follow-up posting, claims he is the last living Aryan Nations pastor 鈥渙rdained鈥� by Butler just days after a historic lawsuit that bankrupted the Aryan operation in North Idaho. The 2000 civil suit, resulting in a $6.3 million jury verdict, was filed by the 澳彩开奖 on behalf of a woman and her son who were assaulted by Aryan guards.

鈥淸That] was a terrible time for everyone,鈥� Bostwick said. 鈥淭he church was being destroyed by external enemies and internal rats and traitors.鈥�

Before bulldozers moved in and firefighters burned down the buildings at the bankrupt Aryan compound for training exercises, Bostwick said he was 鈥渄ivinely called to the ministry.鈥� He claimed he was 鈥渙rdained in [the] war-torn church鈥� on Oct. 28, 2000, by Butler, Kreis and Pastor Neuman Britton, while 鈥渆vangelist鈥� and fellow neo-Nazi R. Vincent Bertollini and others in the congregation were witnesses.

Bostwick said he first visited the Aryan Nations compound, near Hayden Lake, Idaho, in 1992, when he was 鈥渟till a little rebellious鈥� in his neo-Nazi skinhead days. 鈥淚 turned off Rimrock Road, onto the long tree-lined lane [of the Aryan compound] which led me to the gates of my redemption,鈥� he wrote.

Bostwick lived briefly at the Aryan compound and learned the tenets of 鈥� a kind of neo-Nazi theology based on the Bible 鈥� under Butler鈥檚 tutelage. 鈥淚 found, while walking through the buildings, constructed by the heroes and martyrs of our race, such as Bob Mathews [the late leader of the terrorist group The Order] and others, a warm, soothing comfort that I had never felt before in a church,鈥� Bostwick wrote.

鈥淚 studied the Identity message under Pastor Butler from March of 1992 until his passing in 2004,鈥� Bostwick added. The racist religion known as Christian Identity holds that the Bible is the history of white people and that Jews are the biological descendants of a mating of Eve and Satan in the Garden of Eden; it describes non-white people as soulless 鈥渕ud people鈥� created as 鈥渂easts of the field.鈥� Like his mentors, Butler and Kreis, Bostwick appears to weave these theological beliefs together with worship of Adolf Hitler and National Socialism.

鈥淚 hold lifetime credentials of ministry to certify that I am a licensed and ordained minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ in good standing and am recognized as being in the Church of [Jesus] Christ Christian,鈥� Bostwick said, referring to the theological arm of Aryan Nations. 鈥淚 studied the Identity message under Pastor Butler from March of 1992 until his passing in 2004.鈥�

Even before Butler鈥檚 death, various splinter factions of the Aryan Nations sprouted up in the wake of the lawsuit that literally leveled the hate group鈥檚 20-acre compound in North Idaho. Kreis, then in Pennsylvania, led one faction with a very active website, while Morris Gulett in Louisiana led another, interrupted by a prison term he served for conspiring to rob a bank. Last September, after Gulett emerged from prison, his faction sponsored the 2011 Aryan World Congress, the first time that event has been held since Butler鈥檚 death in 2004. Gulett has been named 鈥淲orld Leader鈥� of that Aryan Nations faction, the largest.

Briefly, there also was an Aryan Nations faction in Alabama that now appears to have morphed into a White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan group.

In Ohio, Paul Mullet, who lived in North Idaho after Butler鈥檚 death, also has claimed to be the real pastor of the Aryan Nations. And in Coeur d鈥橝lene, Idaho, Gerald O鈥橞rien boasts that it is he who is the new pastor of the Aryan Nations, though he does not seem to have attracted a significant following or done much.

Bostwick said his group will no longer use the title 鈥淐hurch of Jesus Christ Christian,鈥� which was used by Butler鈥檚 organization.

The late Olive Lorraine Swift 鈥� widow of Wesley Swift, the original founder of the Church of Jesus Christ Christian that was taken over by Butler 鈥� 鈥渉as requested *NO ONE* use the name 鈥楥hurch of Jesus Christ Christian,鈥欌�� Bostwick wrote. He offered no further explanation.

When Swift died in 1970, Butler, his follower and prot茅g茅, moved from California to North Idaho and established the Church of Jesus Christ Christian/Aryan Nations.聽 Swift鈥檚 widow died in 2005, and it鈥檚 not clear why she insisted other groups not use the Church of Jesus Christ Christian name.

Bostwick said 鈥渋t is with the deepest respect鈥� to Swift鈥檚 memory that 鈥渨e have chosen to represent ourselves under the name 鈥楾abernacle of the Phineas Priesthood-Aryan Nations.鈥欌��

Meanwhile, the years of infighting among the various self-proclaimed Aryan Nations leaders doesn鈥檛 appear to have ended. Bostwick said in the months after Butler鈥檚 death almost eight years ago, there was 鈥渁nother flock of vultures, hovering around, who picked at his bones after his passing before he was even cold.鈥� 鈥淲e know who you are,鈥� Bostwick warned them. 鈥淚 know who you are. You know who I am! Hope to see you soon!鈥�