Mike Gemmell is the founder and president of Restore Our American Republic (ROAR). Prior to founding ROAR, he was a geologist specializing in groundwater resource development, a technical writer, and a freelance writer addressing environmental and other cultural issues. For more information on his professional background please see: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmgemmell.
This is the inaugural post of ROARâs âThe Week in Review.â Each week we will summarize cultural/political events related to ROARâs mission of restoring the foundation of individualism in America and offer suggestions concerning what can be done to hasten this task. I thought it appropriate to begin this new feature with an example of ROARâs defining spirit of rational defiance at work in an important current political issue.â Mike Gemmell     November 3, 2016
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Grassroots Activism in Action: The Rank-and-File of the FBI vs. James Comey and Hillary Clinton
The defiance of the U.S. Founding Fathers toward the king of England was the catalyst in the establishment of the worldâs first republic. It is a spirit that still lives inside America and here at ROAR we celebrate that spirit. Why you may ask? Because to identify and root out the corrupting influences in Americaâs cultural/political system will require the American people to stand up and challenge individuals and institutions who are actively trying to destroy it. Explaining why we have come to this state of affairs and how we can effectively challenge corrupting influences in our culture in a rational, life-affirming fashion is an integral aspect of the ongoing mission of ROAR.
This past week we saw a shining example of the spirit of rational defiance in the rank-and-file personnel of the FBI that forced FBI director James Comey to reverse himself and re-open the Hillary Clinton email server investigation.
On July 5th, FBI Director James Comey announced that despite clear evidence that Hillary Clinton and her aides were âextremely carelessâ in the handling of classified documents from her offsite email server, no criminal charges would be filed against her. In defense of his decision, Comey stated there was no intent by Clinton or her aides to break any national security statutes. However, he neglected to state those statutes do not require intent. This action was widely criticized as a politicization of a law enforcement agency and did not sit well with rank-and-file members of the Bureau. Following Comeyâs announcement, personnel within the Bureau began reaching out for help to prevent Comey from burying the investigation. By late October commentator Lawrence Kudlow reported that:
âThe FBI is in full revolt right now. The FBI has been in full revolt since the decisions made last summer.â
  As a result of that revolt, FBI personnel refused to destroy evidence that was part of the agreement to end the original investigation. Former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova stated: âAccording to the agreement reached with the attorneys who handed over their laptops, the laptops were to be destroyed per the agreement after the testimony was given â the interviews were given â by the attorneys. The bureau and the department agreed to that. However the laptops, contrary to published reports, were not destroyed, and the reason is the agents who are tasked with destroying them refused to do so. And by the way, the laptops are at the FBI for inspection by Congress or federal courts.âAccording to DiGenova:
âThis is a big development. This means there are some great, traditional, honest people inside the FBI and DOJ who will not let this stand.â
  Thanks to the courage and dogged perseverance of the FBI rank-and-file the Hillary Clinton email investigation has been reopened and the scandal continues to grow to unprecedented proportions. (For more information on this story see: http://www.wnd.com/2016/10/d-c-attorney-fbi-never-destroyed-clinton-aides-laptops/, and http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/264683/democratic-panic-matthew-vadum)
Cultural and political reform starts with defiance. When it is combined with rationalityâ as it is in this instanceâ positive results can follow. Rational defiance exists deep in the heart of America and is why I believe this country and the principles it was founded upon are worth fighting for. â Mike Gemmell