When the list of the names of Oath Keepers were released last week, one of those named was Madison Alder Gary Halverson. Halverson said that he joined the group in 2020 without vetting them and thought they were a bunch of do-gooders:
Halverson previously said he briefly joined the group in 2020 without vetting it and left within months of joining.
“I thought I joined an organization that welcomed veterans who cared about our democracy,” he told News 3 Now in a statement last week. “I was misled and I terminated the membership two months later in Aug. 2020.”
I'm sorry but besides not vetting them before signing up and paying a membership fee, he must not have read any papers or watched any TV either. And what person just goes off and joins a group without checking them out first? Especially a politician?
To make matters worse, Halverson couldn't just admit that he screwed up and resigned. He had to put the blame on his wife:
“Effective immediately I will be resigning my position as District 17 Alder. The safety of my family will always come first. My wife has PTSD from past trauma and the last week has been extremely triggering. Violence against women is a very real issue and having unknown individuals come onto our property and vandalize it is traumatic. For anyone who has PTSD, or lived with someone who does, knows that when something happens that is triggering, it is absolutely terrifying, and that terror can last for days or weeks or longer. I am unwilling to put her or my family through this any longer. I am deeply saddened that our current state of politics is filled with fear and intimidation tactics. The ends do not justify ANY means. I want to thank Alder Barbara Harrington-McKinney for her unwavering support throughout. I also want to thank my neighborhood leaders who have been strong advocates for positive change. I started out on this journey to help my community because that is who I am. I am proud of my accomplishments and have been honored to work with so many great people who live and work in this city.”
Y'know, if his wife is suffering from PTSD, that ought to have given him even more impetus to check out any groups he is thinking of joining to make sure there weren't going to be any repercussions.
Halverson's story doesn't seem very plausible. But even if one takes it at face value, it should make one wonder if he is responsible enough to handle the people's work.
