Linda Thompson (attorney)

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For other people named Linda Thompson, see Linda Thompson (disambiguation).
Linda Thompson
Linda-SM2.jpg
Born(1953-04-26)April 26, 1953
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedMay 10, 2009(2009-05-10) (aged 56)
St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
OccupationLawyer

Linda Thompson (April 26, 1953 – May 10, 2009),[1] born Linda Diane Capps,[2] was an American lawyer and militia movement supporter. In 1993, she quit her job as a lawyer in Indianapolis, Indiana, to start the American Justice Federation,[3] a non-profit group that promoted pro-gun causes through a shortwave radio program, a computer bulletin board system, and sales of its newsletter and videos.[4][5] She died of a prescription drug overdose in 2009.[2]

Conspiracy theories[]

Clinton conspiracy[]

Thompson was opposed to the Bill Clinton presidency. In 1994, Thompson helped compile a list of 24 people with some connection to Clinton who had died "under other than natural circumstances". The list was included in a letter to congressional leaders by former Rep. William Dannemeyer who called for hearings on the matter.[3][5]

Waco Branch Davidian conspiracy[]

In 1993 she produced a videotape entitled Waco, the Big Lie, which contained footage of the siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas and a history of the community. The videotape was distributed widely, and for a short period after its release she was a regular guest on talk radio shows. The film challenged the mainstream news reports of the Branch Davidian siege and created a small sensation, alleging a government cover-up of the events surrounding the siege. Thompson pointed out many inconsistencies in the official story and the government reports, and the hypocrisy of using deadly weapons to "rescue" children from their parents.[4][5][6]

Thompson also claimed that three BATF agents, whom she alleges were killed by friendly fire during the siege, were all former bodyguards of then-President Clinton and that the friendly fire was actually an assassination ordered by Clinton.[5]

In 1994, Thompson produced Waco II, the Big Lie Continues, in which she offered rebuttals to criticisms of her first film.[7][8]

Black helicopters and FEMA camp allegations[]

She made a third film in 1994, America Under Siege accusing the government of using "black helicopters" against patriots, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency of establishing concentration camps, facilities she claimed were to prevent patriots from interfering with plans to establish a "New World Order".[4][5][9] The supposed FEMA Camp was the Beech Grove Shops, an Amtrak repair facility in Beech Grove, Indiana.[10][11]

Proposed march on Washington[]

In 1994 Thompson declared herself "Acting Adjutant General" of the "Unorganized Militia of the United States" and announced plans for an armed march on Washington, D.C. in September of that year. She declared that militiamen would arrest and try for treason in "Citizen's Courts" those Congressional representatives not living up to their oath of office. The proposed march was almost immediately denounced by groups on the right wing, including the John Birch Society,[4] and Thompson subsequently cancelled the march.[12] Later, she was arrested for blocking a Presidential motorcade in Indianapolis. She carried one weapon concealed and also had one in her purse. Both guns were legal and no charges were filed.[4][5]

Death[]

Thompson died in St. Petersburg, Florida on May 10, 2009 after overdosing on medication. Her ashes were scattered in the Gulf of Mexico by her husband, in accordance with her last wishes.[1]

The medication was posted to her by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). A lawsuit was lodged on the grounds Thompson had a history of depression and suicidal threats since 2005, but was still mailed a three-month supply of painkillers. Thompson's brother, Stephen Capps, said that the VA should have known better than to send her that much medication.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Attorney Linda Capps (Thompson) Abrams". Paulding.com.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Levesque, William R. (May 15, 2012). "Lawsuit: Bay Pines VA sends suicidal woman three months worth of pain pills". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b The Clinton Body Count - Snopes.com Urban Legends Reference Pages
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e David H. Bennett, The Party of Fear: From Nativist Movements to the New Right in American History, Edition 2, reprint, revised, Random House Digital, Inc., 1995, Books.google.com direct link to text and foot note pages, ISBN 0679767215, 780679767213
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Jason Vest, The Spooky World of Linda Thompson, The Washington Post (also at Highbeam), D01, May 11, 1995, Access date March 17, 2007.
  6. ^ Waco: The Big Lie on YouTube.
  7. ^ Armed and Dangerous:Indiana, Nizkor Project, accessed August 25, 2012.
  8. ^ Waco: The Big Lie Continues on YouTube.
  9. ^ Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke, Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric Nazism, and the Politics of Identity, Edition reissue, illustrated, NYU Press, 2003, p. 290, ISBN 0814731554, 9780814731550
  10. ^ Debunking FEMA Camp myths (Popular Mechanics);
  11. ^ Amtrak Beech Grove Shop Tour; April 13 2007, by Chris Guenzler (TrainWeb)
  12. ^ Linda Kintz, Media, Culture, and the Religious Right, University of Minnesota Press, 1998, p. 259-260, ISBN 0816630852, 9780816630851
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