The Sussex County Community Organized Regiment (SCCOR) does not fit comfortably within either of those two definitions, but there is one point the organizers want to make crystal clear: The organization is not a bunch of guys running around the county with guns.

However, the group’s logo does contain a pair of muskets and a reference to the Second Amendment, which protects a citizen’s right to bear arms.

Putting that aside, organizers are more preoccupied with affairs of state than training the troops.

“Regiment doesn’t mean militia, but people who are dedicated and concerned politically,” said Angel Clark, who coordinates public relations.

According to SCCOR’s website, the mission of the group is to “form an organized, informed and active segment within our community that will work to ensure the survival of these United States of America as set forth by our founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.”

The grassroots organization is just getting off the ground and has been meeting only since February. Members say they are fed up with the current direction the government is headed, including liberal spending policies, government interference in business and policies that erode conservative values and the importance of family and church.

“If our leaders would only follow our Constitution, the county would be run properly,” said Eric Bodenweiser, chaplain and spokesman for the group.

Support for conservatives

“We are gaining a lot of legitimacy,” Bodenweiser said. “People who get involved feel at home surrounded by like-minded people.” He said the organization’s numbers are growing as more people learn what SCCOR is about.

He said one of the goals of the organization is to maintain the county’s strong conservative base. He then provided a hit list of elected officials who are targets of SCCOR – and the list only contained one name, House Majority Leader Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach. “We have to find a conservative Democrat in a primary to knock him out. We have to start now, and this is the group to do it.

“We have to learn these districts,” he said, pointing to a county map. “We have to defend the good officials and get out the bad ones.”

The May meeting at the American Legion in Oak Orchard featured two political speakers, Rep. John Atkins, D-Millsboro, and Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South. Rep. Dave Wilson, R-Bridgeville, and County Council President Vance Phillips, R-Laurel, were also there.

Before Atkins spoke to the group, Bodenweiser urged him to return to his roots and change back to the Republican Party. Before the last election, Atkins switched parties because, he said, Republicans had turned their backs on him.

Atkins resigned his 41st District seat in 2007 amid allegations of misconduct, but won the seat back as a Democrat in 2008.

“You are loved and forgiven,” Bodenweiser said.

“You are a conservative; now we need you back on our side. You don’t owe liberals anything. Conservatives put you back in office. Now you need to come back to the right side of the aisle.”

Politics at the core

Politics is at the core of SCCOR. During the most recent meeting, most of the talk centered on the Delaware General Assembly.

Clark said a political action committee has been formed, donations are being accepted and SCCOR will be endorsing candidates – those who reflect the organization’s conservative values and strong adherence to the U.S. Constitution. The group touts itself as a grassroots conservative movement.

She said a committee is charged with following bills in the state Legislature to keep members informed. Most stay up to date via the group’s website.

Clark said the organization is open to people of all political persuations. Many members are Republicans, but she is a Democrat and her boyfriend is a Libertarian.

The group plans to hold one general meeting each month and invite local and state politicians to speak and answer questions. Political education classes are also planned. Classes on the Constitution are first on the schedule, Clark said.

The organization comprises people from throughout Sussex County – young and old. “We have more than 200 watchers out there,” Clark said.

The group is using its website (sccor.org) to keep its members informed on legislation, meetings and other information. Members can also post comments and information on the site. Andrew Jackson, who administers the site, also posts jobs and business connections on the site.

SCCOR members find their roots in Victory Garden

One SCCOR outreach program is getting back to the roots of the country – literally. About two dozen members have planted a cooperative Victory Garden near Georgetown, with everything from 150 tomato plants to herbs, potatoes and corn.

“This is a hedge against uncertain times and the high price of food,” said Mitch Sweimler, coordinator of the project. “We want to learn to be self-sufficient.”

It’s a learning experience for Sweimler, who has never grown anything more than a few tomatoes.

The garden also has strawberries, watermelons, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, beets, cabbage, spinach, peas, onions and squash. In late summer after the harvest, the plot will be planted with pumpkins.

The gardeners will learn how to freeze, dehydrate and can their produce and how to extract seeds from plants for next year’s garden.

“It’s a group effort, a social thing,” Sweimler said. “We are becoming strong friends. We are almost like a family.”

He said the fruits - and vegetables - of their labors will be shared among members of the cooperative according to how much work each person has done in the garden.

He hopes there is excess so he can sell some produce at local farmers markets and use the proceeds to purchase fertilizer and other necessities for next year’s garden.

“We got a late start, and the rains have nearly done us in, so next year I think we will do much better,” he said.

www.sccor.org