User:Bnmx97/sandbox

I. Lead Section

Army of God is known to operate on the idea of "leaderless resistance". The idea of leaderless resistance means that the members of the group operate in smaller subsets, many times individually, yet they are all working towards the same general group goal or goals. This type of model actually serves a group well because is there is no hierarchy of power or direct chain of command which makes it much harder to legally prosecute the group or dismantle it as a whole.

****** I like the addition that AOG is leaderless, but I think you should explain how it has help this specific group stay intact or avoid legal ramifications rather than saying           it is helpful in general.******

II. Actions

Though the group was believed to have been formed in 1982, they did not do much to bring themselves attention in the early years of their operations. One thing that brought the group slightly more attention, yet did not seem to make authorities believe they were a real and violent threat, was them "signing" their acts against those who aided abortions or helped abortion providers in the legal and political realm. After a clinic attack, they left the letters "AOG" outside of the clinic. The same letters were signed at the bottom of a death threat that the group sent to former Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. Blackmun was specifically targeted by the group due to the fact that he wrote the opinion for the majority in Roe v. Wade which effectively legalized the practice of abortion in the United States.

****** Had the AOG done other attacks before they started signing? If so, how many? Why weren't they taking credit before?******

"was found guilty of the attempted murder of Dr. George Tiller..." and sentenced to 11 years in prison. (the boldface typing indicates information that is already present in the article, I merely added that small detail at the end) George Tiller was later assassinated in 2009 by Scott Roeder during a Sunday church service that Tiller was attending. Roeder admired Shannon greatly and had visited her many times while she was in prison. When Roeder was convicted for murder in 2010, Shannon wrote a statement indicating her support of Roeder's violent and murderous actions. ******citation here******

The "Virginia Dare Chapter" of AOG, also referred to as "the Virginia Dare Cell of the Army of God", received its namesake from the first white child born in the Roanoke Colony, a figure that is often glorified by white supremacists, in what is now North Carolina.

According to the Global Terrorism Database, the group only ever managed to officially incur one fatality, police officer Robert Sanderson, during their 1998 attack at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama. During that same attack, they also critically injured nurse Emily Lyons. However, individual members of the group were known and convicted killers. This includes Paul Hill who not only committed shootings of abortion providers himself but even went so far as to appear on ABC's Nightline to justify shootings carried out by other anti-abortionists.

Eric Rudolph, one of the more prominent members of the terrorist group, not only opposed abortion but also the government as a whole. According to the FBI website, he managed to carry out several acts of terror independent of the realm of AOG. One such attack was a bombing committed at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996. One person was killed and more than 100 others were injured as a result. ******citation here (you can just move it down or put it twice)******

Waagner is a known criminal who utilized a number of aliases to elude police throughout his criminal history. The mailing of the letters suspected to have been filled with anthrax was done after he escaped from Dewitt County Jail in Clinton, Illinois where he was being held prior to sentencing for previously committed crimes.

III. The Army of God Manual

The Army of God Manual is an anonymous document written and widely endorsed by anti-abortionist members of Army of God. According to the Army of God website, the manual "is not to be construed as sanctioning any group or individual to perform any action." The book, throughout eight chapters and various appendices, delves into various pillars of their ideology and is essentially a road map on how to commit violence against abortion clinics, abortion providers, and individuals associated with abortion. Parts of the book, specifically the appendices of chapters four, five and six, are not available for public consumption on the group's website due to federal laws. It is now in its third edition and is referred to by the group as a historical document.

The manual is available in its near entirety on the group's website which was formerly run by Donald Spitz. Spitz has no history of criminal activity but has historically used the website to publish short bios on high profile group members, publish racist rhetoric, post photos of what are claimed to be unborn bloody fetuses that were *******aborted?*******, and uses the website as a means to justify the actions of the group and incite others to support the Army of God and what they stand for.

************ I think this information will be a great addition to the article. I especially like that you added more detail and background to the descriptions of the group's actions. The final section titled "associated members" doesn't seem to have any information yet, but I like the idea of making a list of people operating for the AOG. Overall, you've done a great job, and I look forward to seeing the finished piece.******************

IIII. Associated Individuals