Analysis of 'The Second Wave'

Part two of the report is actually entertaining as you watch Larry Keller try to tie so many unattached and disparate sections of the so called "Radical Right" into a mass militia movement.

He starts off by talking of Ted Gunderson, a conspiracy theorist who pushes the idea of there being federal internment camps throughout the country, government guillotines in storage and the government having a half-million caskets on hand. Funny Keller should start off with Gunderson because his own conclusions throughout are just as far flung conspiracy theories as Gunderson's.

And right off the bat comes the race-card playing.

"One big difference from the militia movement of the 1990s is that the face of the federal government - the enemy that almost all parts of the extreme right see as the primary threat to freedom - is now Black." says Keller.

There ya go. You are not allowed to criticize the federal government as long as a black man is in charge according to the SPLC.

Keller goes on to imply that current "militias" are actually now racists, not just people concerned with the constitution or the government. In Keller and the SPLC's world, concern about government interference makes you a militia member. He says this supposed "Second Wave" of militia is more motivated by race hate.

Then he tosses in illegal immigration just to satiate his racist theory and to try to tie the militias to those who want immigration enforced. (I told you he was reaching...)

"Contributing to the racial animus have been fears on the far right about the consequences of Latino immigration." Keller says.

Note how he compares those concerned with illegal immigration to not only militia members, but dubs all of them "far right" and puts a little dash of racism on top?

The fact is that he omitted the truth that the mass of "Latino immigration" currently hitting the country is via illegal immigration. The fact is also that nearly 90% of Americans want immigration laws enforced and it has nothing to do with race, but with law and order. Those numbers alone fly in the face of Keller's assertion that those in favor of immigration enforcement are "far right". Unless of course you believe that 90% of the country is "far right".

"Sales of guns and ammunition have skyrocketed amid fears of new gun control laws..." Keller says.

That seems like a quite obvious reaction by any citizen. Many can remember early 2008 when there was a run on rice as there were fears that rice was in short supply. And year after year flu vaccines run out. It's not a sign of militias skyrocketing because gun sales are up. Another Keller/SPLC conspiracy theory.

Reports put out by the Department of Homeland Security and law enforcement organizations have been influenced and/or reference the Southern Poverty Law Center as the source of their information. Two that are mentioned in this report are one from February, 2009 in Missouri and one in April, 2009 from DHS.

On page 5 of the report Keller tries to play a game. In this game he sites a report which had information supplied to it by the SPLC. In other words he is trying to trick you by using the law enforcement agency's name, but it is really their info that they had supplied to that agency. They are referencing their own statements.

Keller states: "In the words of a February report from law enforcement officials in Missouri, a variety of factors have combined recently to create 'a lush environment for militia activity.'"

The report he is referring to is the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) report entitled "The Modern Militia Movement" and it was later retracted by the MIAC. Yet that retraction hasn't stopped Keller from citing it as fact.

The report caused outrage because it specifically targeted supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as "militia" influenced terrorists and to watch out for citizens with bumper stickers regarding the Constitution, Campaign for Liberty and Libertarian parties.

The most amazing thing is that even after the retraction by the MIAC, Keller's portion of this current militia report reads almost verbatim what "The Modern Militia Movement" report said. The MIAC report cites the SPLC as the source for a good portion of the report.

Continue To Part Three