New age of the American militia

It's a good time to be a fringe conspiracy freak with an arsenal. A black President and Democrats in control. Not only can you freak out about "reverse racism" but you can also apocalyptically herald the oncoming crush of communism and the upcoming liberal plot to steal everyone's guns that's always just around the corner. Then there's the unexpected boon of a global economic crisis, an attempt at universal health care, an el Mexicano on the Supreme Court, the President's Muslim-y middle name, and the fact that Obama's father had the nerve to be an immigrant. All in all it's a great time to be completely and utterly paranoid that a race war/civil war/fascist takeover is a month away, tops. That's why it's no surprise that militia membership is on the rise.

Militia groups with gripes against the government are regrouping across the country and could grow rapidly, according to an organization that tracks such trends.

The stress of a poor economy and a liberal administration led by a black president are among the causes for the recent rise, the report from the Southern Poverty Law Center says. Conspiracy theories about a secret Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwest are also growing amid the public debate about illegal immigration.
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It's reminiscent of what was seen in the 1990s – right-wing militias, people ideologically against paying taxes and so-called "sovereign citizens" are popping up in large numbers, according to the report to be released Wednesday. The SPLC is a nonprofit civil rights group that, among other activities, investigates hate groups.

Ahh the 1990's militia movement, what a wonderful boon to this country they were. Flaming compounds, government shootouts, and Federal Building bombings. It was the golden age of helicopter videography of dilapidated shacks. But at least it was all worth it. At least all the militias and cults and Tim McVeigh's were finally able to expose Bill Clinton's diabolical government wide conspiracy of drug dealing, murder, and chubby girl diddling.

But not to fear, the report notes that we haven't seen the subsequent uptick in large scale violence. But thankfully, they note that it's probably just around the corner and all it needs is a spark. Hey, maybe it'll be one of those people who keep bringing guns to health care town halls. I guess Richard Poplawski's shooting of three Pittsburgh police officers over his fears that the Muslim President and the Jews were going to steal his guns or the guy who shot up the Holocaust museum weren't inspirational enough. And the recent shooting at the LA Fitness was just about misogyny, so try building a militia movement around that. Still, if we are lucky, it is for one reason: at least Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Lou Dobbs are out there every day trying to calm people down and not stoke paranoid fears. Where would we be without them?