Merlin Miller
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Merlin L. Miller (born 1956) is an American paleoconservative political activist, independent film director, writer, and producer. His works include the television film ''
A Place to Grow ''A Place to Grow'' (aka ''Moissons du coeur, Les France'' French TV title) is a 1995 drama film written and directed by Merlin (Merle) Miller. Plot Upon his brother's death, Matt Walker, a recording artist, returns to his hometown to sell the ...
'' (1998), starring Gary Morris, and the film '' Jericho'' (2000), starring Mark Valley. During the 2000s he founded a
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
-based production company, Americana Pictures. He has also written articles for the '' Barnes Review'' and the ''
Occidental Observer ''The Occidental Observer'' is an American far-right online publication that covers politics and society from a white nationalist and antisemitic perspective. It is run by the Charles Martel Society. Kevin B. MacDonald, a retired American pr ...
''. Miller was the 2012 presidential nominee of the white nationalist American Third Position Party (now known as the American Freedom Party). Winger, Richard (January 17, 2012
"American Third Position Nomines its First National Ticket"
'' Ballot Access News''. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
Academic and political activist Virginia Abernethy was his running-mate.


Early years

Miller was born in
Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...
in 1956 and was also raised there. He states that he worked as an
Industrial engineering Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information a ...
manager for
Michelin Tire Company Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and larg ...
. Miller says that in his childhood, he admired
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
and Davy Crockett.


Career

Miller produced and edited ''Devil Rider'' (1989), a horror movie starring Tag Groat as the title character. In 1991, Miller produced
David Heavener David Brent Heavener (born December 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, director, actor, composer, producer and writer, specialising in low-budget features and direct-to-video action films. Early life David was born on December 22, 195 ...
's crime film ''Prime Target'', starring Heavener as policeman John Bloodstone and Isaac Hayes as Captain Tompkins. Miller co-produced the action film ''A Mission to Kill'' (1992), starring William Smith as a mentally unstable Vietnam veteran, Boris Catuli. Tag Groat, who played the title role in ''Devil Rider'', also appeared in this film. Miller returned to film making with ''
A Place to Grow ''A Place to Grow'' (aka ''Moissons du coeur, Les France'' French TV title) is a 1995 drama film written and directed by Merlin (Merle) Miller. Plot Upon his brother's death, Matt Walker, a recording artist, returns to his hometown to sell the ...
'' (1998), which he wrote, directed, and produced. The movie starred country singer Gary Morris; actors John Beck and
Wilford Brimley Anthony Wilford Brimley (September 27, 1934 – August 1, 2020) was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the l ...
, as well as hobo music artist Boxcar Willie, also appeared in it. > Miller produced and directed a western movie, '' Jericho'' (2000), with Mark Valley as the title character. Retired
Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
drill instructor R. Lee Ermey appeared in the movie, as did
Buck Taylor Buck Taylor (born May 13, 1938) is an American actor and artist, best known for his role as gunsmith-turned-deputy Newly O'Brian in the CBS television series ''Gunsmoke''. He is the son of Florence Gertrude Heffernan and character actor Dub Tayl ...
and country artist
Lisa Stewart Lisa Stewart (born August 6, 1968) is an American country music and jazz artist, actress, and television host. In 1991, she signed to BNA Records (then known as BNA Entertainment), releasing her self-titled debut album that year. This album ...
. Miller's shift in ideology led him to found Americana Pictures, based in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee Gatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located southeast of Knoxville and had a population of 3,944 at the 2010 Census and a U.S. Census population of 3,577 in 2020. It is a popular vacation res ...
, Miller's current home. According to its mission statement, the company aims "to develop, produce and market quality motion pictures, which promote fresh talent and the best of traditional European-American ideals." Americana Pictures' first film was said to be about the
USS Liberty incident The USS ''Liberty'' incident was an attack on a United States Navy technical research ship (spy ship), , by Israeli Air Force jet fighter aircraft and Israeli Navy motor torpedo boats, on 8 June 1967, during the Six-Day War. The combined air ...
, which he referred to as a "shocking Israeli attack" on the United States. He said he was planning to produce ''The Liberator'' (which was to be based on the history of Arminius and the
Battle of the Teutoburg Forest The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, described as the Varian Disaster () by Roman historians, took place at modern Kalkriese in AD 9, when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed Roman legions and their auxiliaries, led by Publius Quinctilius ...
). He wrote a favorable review of the
Martin Campbell Martin Campbell (born 24 October 1943) is a New Zealand film and television director based in the United Kingdom. He is known for having directed '' The Mask of Zorro'' as well as the James Bond films '' GoldenEye'' and '' Casino Royale''. He ...
movie ''
Edge of Darkness ''Edge of Darkness'' is a British television drama serial produced by BBC Television in association with Lionheart Television International and originally broadcast in six 55-minute episodes in late 1985. A mixture of crime drama and politica ...
''.


Ideology

During the 2000s, Miller began to take on an increasingly
paleoconservative Paleoconservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism in the United States stressing American nationalism, Christian ethics, regionalism, and traditionalist conservatism. Paleoconservatism's concerns overlap with those of the ...
political stance. He also became harshly critical of Hollywood, claiming that it "surreptitiously seeks to destroy our
European-American European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent E ...
heritage and our Christian-based traditional values, and replace them with values that debase these traditional values and elevate minorities as paragons of virtue and wisdom.... Today's motion pictures, in concert with other forms of mass media entertainment, are the greatest enemies to the well-being of our progeny and the future of our country." Miller has also accused Hollywood of being under "
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
-
Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...
control"; he cites
Kevin B. MacDonald Kevin B. MacDonald (born January 24, 1944) is an American antisemitic conspiracy theorist, white supremacist, and retired professor of evolutionary psychology at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). In 2008, the CSULB academic se ...
as influencing this belief. He has criticized celebrities such as
Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
and Madonna, saying that they are "dysfunctional" and "come from traditional Christian or European-American backgrounds but are notorious for spurning those values." He has cited
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...
and his self-marketed movie ''
The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film produced, directed and co-written by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, mother of Jesus, and Monica Bellucci as Mary ...
'' as inspirations. Miller also spoke at the 2008 national conference of the
Council of Conservative Citizens The Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC or CCC) is an American white supremacist organization. Founded in 1985, it advocates white nationalism, and supports some paleoconservative causes. In the organization's statement of principles, it st ...
, of which he is also a member. Miller has stated that while he does not share all the goals of the COfCC members, and rejects "extremist stances", he nonetheless agrees with the group's statement of principles. Miller states that he "doesn't like"
interracial marriage Interracial marriage is a marriage involving spouses who belong to different races or racialized ethnicities. In the past, such marriages were outlawed in the United States, Nazi Germany and apartheid-era South Africa as miscegenation. In 1 ...
but that he does not support outlawing interracial marriage. Miller has denied being antisemitic, instead claiming that he merely opposes "favoritism" granted to Jews in the film industry. He also opposes illegal immigration and what he refers to as "wide open borders" in the United States. Miller was a noted participant in the International Conference on Hollywoodism in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. After his return from Iran in 2012, he wrote on his website that he realized that the people who wanted a war between the US and Iran are " globalists (international bankers and their multinational beneficiaries). They control Israel, the American media and most of our politicians…and by extension our foreign policy."


Political activities

In 2008, Miller contributed $200 to the
presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...
of
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Congressman Ron Paul. He also served as a delegate for Paul's campaign. In January 2012, Miller was nominated by the American Third Position Party (later known as the American Freedom Party) for President of the United States in the
2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...
. He was the party's first presidential candidate nominee after its foundation in 2010. He gained ballot access in Colorado, New Jersey and Tennessee. During the 2012 election, he received 2,307 votes (~0.0%) in these states. In September 2012, Miller met with Iranian president
Mahmoud Ahmedinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),
for nearly 20 minutes and discussed a number of issues, including what both Miller and Ahmedinejad characterize as the "Zionist-controlled media" in the West. Miller publicly defended Ahmedinejad as someone who has been unfairly demonized in Western media and who cares about his people. Ahmedinejad gave Miller a collection of poems by
Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...
.


References


External links

*
Americana Pictures

2012 presidential campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Merlin 1956 births Living people American film producers American television writers American male television writers Politics and race in the United States Candidates in the 2012 United States presidential election 21st-century American politicians Candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election Writers from Des Moines, Iowa Anti-Zionism in the United States American Freedom Party politicians Council of Conservative Citizens Alt-right politicians People from Sevier County, Tennessee Neo-fascist politicians Film directors from Iowa Film directors from Tennessee Television producers from Tennessee