I read the story, and find it sort of odd that California has the most "patriot extremist" groups. California? Really?
Not suprising that this comes from CNN. Equally not a suprise that Christians especially Catholics are identified with these groups since they are those that are most likely to be against what the current government is all about. Sad such a list even exists.
Wow, that many
Can you belong to more than one at a time?
"The country needs to do better," Potok wrote in an editorial. The Department of Homeland Security, he said, needs to act to avoid a repeat of the kind of hate-based violence the nation saw in the 1990s.
That legislation came near a period of infamous and deadly anti-government violence in Waco, Texas; Ruby Ridge, Idaho; and Oklahoma City, "and led to the first wave of the patriot movement," the report said.
Last I checked, Waco and Ruby Ridge weren't anti-government movements. They were just cases of jack booted tax men killing innocent people over someone not paying a fee, or the stock of their shotgun being 3/8" too short. Oklahoma City wasn't exactly anti-government either, per se. It was more of a move against members of the Bureau of Ninja Suited Taxmen.
I mostly agree with you regarding Waco and Ruby Ridge cannot agree with your apologist statement regarding Oklahoma City. That was domestic terrorism plain and simple committed by people who wished to engage in a war with the federal government.