Kurt Saxon

History

During the 1960s, Saxon drifted into and out of several political organizations and new religious movements, including the American Nazi Party, the John Birch Society, the Minutemen, the Church of Scientology, and the Church of Satan. In August 1970, he appeared before a Senate Investigations subcommittee holding hearings on bombings and terrorism. According to newspaper accounts, he suggested police and "concerned citizens" use bombs to wipe out "leftists," and recommended that student demonstrators be machine-gunned in the streets.

By the early 1970s he came to reject the political and religious groups of the 1960s, and began writing on homesteading and preparedness issues. He claims to have coined the term "survivalism" to refer to making preparations for a future collapse of society and/or a major disaster.

David Letterman invited him to appear on his show in the mid 1980s, but changed his mind at the last minute.

In the early 1990s, Saxon had a shortwave radio program over WRNO, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Books and periodicals

Saxon is the author, under his birth name "Don Sisco," of The Militant's Formulary. After his legal name change to Kurt Saxon, he authored the biker book Wheels of Rage, a partially fictitious, but mostly factual account of the San Fernando, California based Iron Cross MC, an Outlaw motorcycle club; the Poor Man's James Bond series of books on improvised weaponry; and Granddad's Wonderful Book of Chemistry as well as Granddad's Wonderful Book of Electricity, which are compilations of several out of print hobbyist booklets on home brew chemistry and electronics projects.

In 1975 he began publishing the newsletter, The Survivor, which combined Saxon's articles with reprints of articles on 19th century technology of interest to the survivalist movement. The Survivor is also the name of a series of books he compiled on this material. During the early 1990s when the militia movement was at its peak in the United States, Saxon published a short-lived magazine called U.S. Militia.

Saxon also wrote at least one article for Mel Tappan's P.S. Letter.

Beliefs

Saxon is fond of describing contemporary society as a "Disneyland for Dummies" and predicts civilization's imminent collapse. When that occurs, only those who are prepared and rooted in practical knowledge—as opposed to any particular political or religious ideology—will survive. Saxon sees his mission as collecting and disseminating such knowledge and thereby ensuring the survival of the "best of our species."

Despite joining with the political American right on many issues, Saxon has often announced his support for abortion and often spoke about his atheistic views.

Recently Saxon wrote several scathing attacks on Islam, which he outspokenly denounced as a primitive and barbaric religion and an enemy of civilization. Saxon derides Muslims as people of low intelligence with a violent agenda towards all outsiders.

Until recently Saxon continued writing and posting his articles on a web page maintained by an assistant, but he no longer teaches or speaks. He owns a house in Alpena, Arkansas where he resided until his age and declining health forced him to enter an assisted care facility.