‘We weren’t out to change government, we were out to destroy it’

How an Army private plotted murder, and attempted to form an anti-government militia made up of U.S. soldiers:

After extra duty one night, Aguigui remembers, Salmon told him that “the leader of the resistance in the game was identical to how he envisioned me.” When Aguigui responded, “We could do this,” Salmon told him, “I’ll follow you to Hell, brother.” Aguigui told me that this was when his network of disaffected soldiers started thinking of itself as a militia. “That was the moment it all began,” he said. “We weren’t out to change the government, we were out to destroy it.” Aguigui named his group fear, which stood for Forever Enduring Always Ready. “I believe most Americans share my beliefs; they’re just afraid to show it,” he explained. “The only way to overcome all fear is to become something everyone else fears.” He referred to key members of the group, like Burnett and the Salmons, as the Family.

Author: Nadya Labi
Source: The New Yorker
Published: May 19, 2014
Length: 37 minutes (9,455 words)

Are You Sure You Want to Quit The World?

If you were desperate and hopeless enough to log on to a suicide chat room in recent years, there was a good chance a mysterious woman named Li Dao would find you, befriend you, and gently urge you to take your own life.

Author: Nadya Labi
Source: GQ
Published: Oct 1, 2010
Length: 25 minutes (6,284 words)