Linda Thompson (April 26, 1953 – May 10, 2009), born Linda Diane Capps, was an American lawyer and

militia movement The American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized milit ...

supporter. In 1993, she quit her job as a lawyer in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, to start the American Justice Federation, a

non-profit group A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that promoted pro-gun causes through a

shortwave radio Shortwave radio is radio transmission using shortwave (SW) radio frequencies. There is no official definition of the band, but the range always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (100 to 10 me ...

program, a computer

bulletin board system A bulletin board system (BBS), also called computer bulletin board service (CBBS), is a computer server running software that allows users to connect to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, the user can perform functions such as ...

, and sales of its newsletter and videos.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
, 780679767213Jason Vest

,

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

( ttps://web.archive.org/web/20121105190103/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-831420.html also at Highbeam, D01, May 11, 1995, ''Access date March 17, 2007. She died of a

prescription drug A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The rea ...

overdose A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

in 2009.

Conspiracy theories

Clinton conspiracy

Thompson was opposed to the

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

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.
The Clinton Body Count
' - Snopes.com Urban Legends Reference Pages

Waco siege conspiracy

In 1993 she produced a

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...

entitled '' Waco, the Big Lie'', which contained footage of the

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

of the

Branch Davidian The Branch Davidians (or the General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) were an apocalyptic new religious movement founded in 1955 by Benjamin Roden. They regard themselves as a continuation of the General Association of ...

compound in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...

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 Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

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. Thompson also claimed that three

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and preven ...

agents, whom she alleges were killed by

friendly fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...

during the siege, were all former bodyguards of then-President Clinton and that the friendly fire was actually an

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

ordered by Clinton. In 1994, Thompson produced ''

Waco II, the Big Lie Continues ''Waco, the Big Lie'' is a 1993 American documentary film directed by Linda Thompson that presents video-based analysis regarding the Waco siege. The first film made about the Waco siege, ''Waco, the Big Lie'' gained significant notoriety when it ...

'', in which she offered rebuttals to criticisms of her first film.

Black helicopters and FEMA camp allegations

She made a third film in 1994, ''America Under Siege'' accusing the government of using "

black helicopter The black helicopter is a symbol of an New World Order (conspiracy theory), alleged conspiratorial Military dictatorship, military takeover of the United States in the American militia movement, and has also been associated with UFOs, especiall ...

s" against patriots, and the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA) of establishing concentration camps, facilities she claimed were to prevent patriots from interfering with plans to establish a " New World Order". The supposed FEMA Camp was the

Beech Grove Shops The Beech Grove Shops is a railway maintenance facility in Beech Grove, Indiana, outside Indianapolis. Beech Grove is Amtrak's primary maintenance facility. It also contains a very large freight yard. History The shops were originally constructe ...

, an

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

repair facility in

Beech Grove, Indiana Beech Grove is a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city's population is 14,192. The city is located within the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Beech Grove is designated an "excluded city" under Indiana la ...

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. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in September of that year. She declared that

militiamen A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

would arrest and try for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

in "Citizen's Courts" those Congressional representatives not living up to their

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

. The proposed march was almost immediately denounced by groups on the

right wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authori ...

, including the

John Birch Society The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas. T ...

, and Thompson subsequently canceled the march.Linda Kintz, ''Media, Culture, and the Religious Right'',

University of Minnesota Press The University of Minnesota Press is a university press that is part of the University of Minnesota. It had annual revenues of just over $8 million in fiscal year 2018. Founded in 1925, the University of Minnesota Press is best known for its book ...

, 1998
p. 259-260
, 9780816630851 Later, she was arrested for blocking a Presidential motorcade in

. She carried one weapon concealed and also had one in her purse. Both guns were legal and no charges were filed.

Death

Thompson died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

on May 10, 2009 after

overdosing A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

on medication. Her ashes were scattered in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

by her husband, in accordance with her last wishes. The medication was posted to her by the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

(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 An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It i ...

. Thompson's brother, Stephen Capps, said that the VA should have known better than to send her that much medication.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Linda 1953 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American lawyers Accidental deaths in Florida American gun rights activists American conspiracy theorists Drug-related deaths in Florida Indiana lawyers Patriot movement Waco siege Whitewater controversy 20th-century American women lawyers