America is being plagued by an invasion of 'crazies.' (militias and moral decay in the U.S.)

• Author: Hyatt, Ralph

While staring nightly at the 11 o'clock news, have you ever found yourself toying with the thought that Americans are going berserk? The relentless parade of shootings, rapes, robbenes, muggings, and carjackings dig into your soul and eventually nourish a gnawing cynicism. What about those odd-ball militias cropping up all over the place? This epidemic of terror is downright scary. The "Crazies Are Coming!" could very well have been a terrifying Alfred Hitchcock thriller were he alive today.

Take the Montana Freemen. Are they merely an updated example of the timelessness of the constitutional amendments created by America's wise post-revolutionary leaders? The basic intent of the Second Amendment, after all, was that each of us--alone or in groups--should not be deterred from bearing arms for his or her own defense. Surely, few would negate the concept that those who govern never must breach the privacy of citizens by commanding soldiers or the Nation all Guard to search their homes. Yet, does that apply to the renegade racist, anti-government Freemen and similar loonies? Between the salaries of FBI agents and other expenses, it was costing the nation about $30,000 a day to contain the cast of 17 characters peacefully on their Montana compound.

Then there are the Arizona Vipers, a group of 12 so full of rage they dreamed about the demolition of seven government buildings, with each explosion making the bombings of the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City appear like kids' games. Fired up by their obsessions, they lustily used their guns--many which were fully automatic and unregulated--for frequent target practice and military maneuvers. They made and learned how to denonate extremely powerful explosives.

Combine guns and explosives with paranoid tendencies and you've got big-time danger. Vipers despise the government and insist that an international conspiracy exists to control America. "One World Order" they call it, a motto used by Pres. George Bush during the Persian Gulf war. Forget due process; the ballot box is a joke, the Feds are criminals; get them before they get us--these are their slogans. The belief in their version of the Constitution is so strong, they require new members to take an oath that they will enter into combat against all enemies--essentially, anyone who differs with them.

The militia problem never can be too small to be taken seriously. It is estimated that there currently are about 441 militias with 15,000 to 40,000 anti-government members spread across 40 states. This is not a small number when minds and goals are so destructive, and they are growing...