Daily Outtakes: Yenor, SACR and Creating Chaos

Sculpture of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

When Gov. DeSantis first announced the appointment of Boise State professor Scott Yenor, I came across a Guardian article* about him as a co-founder of the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR). However, the attorney for the Claremont Institute notified us on Feb. 5 that Yenor is not co-founder of SACR. We deleted that reference from the post. This past weekend, I talked with Idaho residents about Yenor, SACR and Idaho politics to learn more about the new University of West Florida Board of Trustees chair.

SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN CIVIC RENEWAL (SACR)

A secretive organization called the Society for American Civic Renewal (SACR), founded in 2020, has created significant upheaval in Idaho through what investigators describe as a systematic effort to destabilize local institutions and potentially reshape American democracy.

The Talking Points Memo* reported SACR as an “invitation-only group, which excludes women, gay people and many others, aims “to recruit a Christian government that will form after the right achieves regime change in the United States, potentially via a ‘national divorce.’”

In what appears to be a series of “test runs” across Idaho, SACR-affiliated individuals and other far-right “conservatives” have systematically targeted and disrupted educational institutions.

One notable case involved the West Bonner School District, where SACR supporters helped install an unqualified superintendent *who lacked proper credentials. The superintendent then attempted to dismantle the district from within, creating a parallel 501(c)(3) organization with the same name as the school district and pushing to implement the Hillsdale curriculum. While parents eventually succeeded in removing him, the district remains embroiled in litigation.

Documents show SACR was established as a 501(c)(10) organization by Charles Haywood in 2020. Note: We have been notified by the attorney for the Claremont Institute. Ryan Williams of Claremont and Yenor are not co-founders of SACR, and Michael Anton is not involved in any way shape or form. We deleted that reference from the post.

In 2005, Haywood founded Mansfield-King, an Indianapolis-based manufacturer of shampoos, conditioners, and gels, and he sold the company to PLZ Aeroscience Corp in 2020. Haywood* has become more active and prominent as a blogger and commentator on the far-right podcast circuit and has also written for Claremont’s website, The American Mind. He predicts that the United States government will collapse and expressed his desire to become a “warlord” of an “armed patronage network.”

The organization’s disruptive influence has been particularly evident in North Idaho College, where SACR-aligned efforts have thrown the institution into turmoil. This pattern of targeting educational institutions appears to be part of a broader strategy to test methods for institutional takeover, with Idaho serving as a proving ground for tactics that could be deployed nationally.

Scott Yenor is a key figure in SACR’s Idaho operations (SACR Meridian Articles of Incorporation ). Internal emails reveal Yenor coordinated with Theo Wold and Josh Turnbow to establish the organization’s media presence. Yenor’s influence extends to the Ambrose School in Meridian, where he serves on the board of directors alongside other SACR members.

The group’s reach has expanded through New Founding, a company that has purchased extensive land between Nashville and Kentucky. New Founding’s development includes Doug Wilson churches, private schools, and what sources describe as a “Christian stronghold.” The company’s venture fund, led by founding member Nate Fischer, actively promotes state sovereignty legislation and hints at a significant state-level agenda planned for early 2025.

RELIGIOUS OVERTONES

According to the documents obtained by TPM, Yenor’s SACR chapter attempted to draft a “Statement on Marriage” t to encourage churches to proclaim an “intentional effort to celebrate the benefits of family life” because American “culture is hostile to Christian marriage.” I have already posted Yenor’s speech at the National Conservative Conference hosted by the Claremont Institute.

Beth Daviess wrote for the Middlebury Institute of International Studies:* “Yenor targets women’s participation in the labor force and their resulting independence from men as the root of many, if not most, societal ills.”

According to Daviess, Yenor’s suggested solution is the “elimination of women’s participation in the public sphere.”

Religious tensions have emerged as another source of conflict, with SACR’s requirement that members belong to Trinitarian churches effectively excluding Mormons, creating a significant rift in Idaho’s conservative community. This religious exclusivity has led to what local observers describe as “SACR versus the Mormons,” adding another layer of division to the state’s political landscape.

Perhaps most alarming are discussions within SACR-affiliated circles about what they term a “Red Caesar” scenario – a theoretical framework for replacing the current constitutional system with what they envision as a Christian nation. This ideology appears to align with their support for a Convention of States and connects to what online analysts have dubbed the “Theo Bros” movement.

The Theo Bros* concept envisions the emergence of a “Christian Prince” or “Red Caesar” figure who would emerge after the dissolution of the current constitutional order to rebuild America as a Christian nation. These ideas have been analyzed extensively in online forums, where researchers have documented connections between SACR members, Project 2025, and the broader Theo Bros theoretical framework.

In a blog post titled “On the Future Ascent of a Caesar,” Haywood argues if the modern world is to be saved, “the fastest, cleanest, least destructive, and most effective path to real necessary change in the lands currently known as the United States is Caesar.”

The organization’s strategy focuses on institutional control through what appears to be a tested playbook. Analysis suggests that SACR targets low-turnout elections to install ideologically aligned trustees on local boards. Their approach includes leveraging the Kootenai County (Idaho) Republican Central Committee as a political engine to influence local governance structures.

However, at UWF, Gov. DeSantis has usurped local input and put Yenor on the Board of Trustees.

The goal appears to be disruptive and create chaos while portraying themselves as supporting the U.S. Constitution, freedom and Christianity. Yenor’s becoming the UWF Board of Trustees chair allows SACR to spread its influence and political agenda in a key bellwether state, Florida, and at a Division II public university.

UWF and Northwest Florida’s economy may become collateral damage in a much larger play to destroy our democratic institutions and rewrite the Constitution to suit their weird political beliefs.

*BACKGROUND NOTES

The Guardian– Revealed: US professor was behind extremist site that spread conspiracies
Documents show Scott Yenor ran Action Idaho, which attacked LGBTQ+ people and Republicans deemed not rightwing enough. Read more.

Talking Points Memo – Inside A Secret Society Of Prominent Right-Wing Christian Men Prepping For A ‘National Divorce’ A trove of documents obtained by TPM reveal the society’s inner workings. Read more.

West Bonner School District Superintendent Branden Durst was promoted as candidate for the position by former State Sen. Scott Herdon, who lost his primary last year and is now the Idaho Freedom Caucus director.

Charles Heywood/The Guardian – US businessman is wannabe ‘warlord’ of secretive far-right men’s network Revealed: Charles Haywood, creator of the Society for American Civic Renewal, has said he might serve as ‘warlord’ at the head of an ‘armed patronage network.’ Read more. Note a photo used in the article was taken in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where Christa Hazel lives and is home to North Idaho College.

Yenor’s Views/Middle Institute of International Studies –“Secure a future for Christian families:” the Gender Ideology and Accelerationism of the Society for American Civic Renewal All known SACR members present themselves with a veneer of professionalism and work in respected professional sectors. SACR membership includes Harvard law grads, a think tank CEO, a public university professor, and a wealthy entrepreneur. Each of them writes with a polish that elides their message of dominance and brutality. Read more.

Theo Bros/Mother Jones – To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Meet the “Theo Bros” These extremely online young Christian men want to end the 19th Amendment, restore public flogging, and make America white again. Read more.

Featured Photo by iam_os on Unsplash

Daily Outtakes: Yenor, SACR and Creating Chaos

SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN CIVIC RENEWAL (SACR)

RELIGIOUS OVERTONES

*BACKGROUND NOTES

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