From the Kansas City Star : JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday blamed the "overzealousness" of a Missouri State Highway Patrol unit for a report slammed by conservatives because it links various right-wing organizations with the modern militia movement. The Democratic governor faced numerous questions about the report and how the state's police agencies gather intelligence during a news conference following a signing ceremony for legislation creating two new state accounts for federal stimulus money. "I'm confident that some of the overzealousness of this previously formed unit will be appropriately managed," Nixon said. It is clear, however, that Nixon is just trying to stay ahead of the firestorm of criticism this report has brought: Anger over the report's conclusions has bubbled among conservatives for weeks. The controversy intensified Wednesday after Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder held a news conference in the Capitol and called for Nix...

From the Springfield (MO) News Leader : JEFFERSON CITY — In response to a controversial report profiling political beliefs of militia members, the Missouri House of Representatives has barred the Department of Public Safety from spending any "state or federal funds for political profiling." On a voice vote, the Republican-controlled House adopted an amendment to the budget bill for Department of Public Safety, forbidding that state agency from funding reports like the Missouri Information Analysis Center's recent Feb. 20 "modern militia movement" report. The Department of Public Safety has apologized for the militia report, which links fundamentalist Christians, strict followers of the U.S. Constitution and people who oppose taxes, abortion and illegal immigration as possible members of militias. Earlier today, the Missouri State Highway Patrol retracted the militia report and admitted errors in the way the report was distributed without getting reviewed by top ...

I really hate to keep following this issue, but it's not going to die by itself. Some of our blogger friends have become--not to put too fine a point on it--somewhat unhinged by the idea of nefarious sleeper cells of gun-owning, bible-toting, constitution-quoting social conservatives organizing to oppose the current administration. Words like un-American , treason and sedition are getting thrown around in some places with great abandon, by people who are in turn feeling so threatened by Glenn Beck/Chuck Norris groupies that they're beginning to think that somebody ought to be doing something about these nuts ... Well, apparently somebody is. From PrisonPlanet : Alex Jones has received a secret report distributed by the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) entitled “The Modern Militia Movement” and dated February 20, 2009. A footer on the document indicates it is “unclassified” but “law enforcement sensitive,” in other words not for public consumption. A copy of the re...

... both of whom challenged me for suggesting that the MIAC report on the modern militia movement encouraged Missouri LEOs to focus on supporters of third-party candidates. Knappster said, The report doesn't say that CP/LP/CFL/Paul/Baldwin/Barr supporters are "militia-influenced terrorists" or any other such blather. It says the reverse -- that the militia bubbas tend to be CP/LP/CFL/Paul/Baldwin/Barr supporters. cassandra said: [quoting a previous comment by liz allen]: "Yet the Missouri Police got the Alert to go after Ron Paul supporters! Thats a fact." This is NOT a fact. The Alert (and you can read every word of it) provides a briefing of militia and other extreme right groups, history, motivations, typical associations, relationships to law enforcement and other data that tell law enforcement about these kinds of groups. This Alert isn’t much different that those that law enforcement would prepare and circulate about known or suspected gangs in the area....

I get sick and tired of the repetitive nature of viral, repeating internet stories that fail to add anything new to a story besides innuendo and personal spin. This is particularly the case since all the MSM outlets and most of the blogs are now running with pretty much only the brief Columbia Daily Tribune story on the issue of that controverisal Missouri Information Analysis Center report on the Modern Militia Movement . Let's start there, however, because what interests me is the official response to the story: State law enforcement officials said the report is being misinterpreted. Lt. John Hotz of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the report was compiled by the Missouri Information Analysis Center based in Jefferson City and comes purely from publically available, trend data on militias . Hotz said MIAC, which opened in 2005, is a “fusion center” that combines resources from the federal Department of Homeland Security and other agencies. It was set up to collect local...

From The Pitch : Today, Missouri Department of Public Safety Director John Britt sent a letter to the candidates named in the memo [Chuck Baldwin, Ron Paul, and Bob Barr], acknowledging that references to specific political candidates or third party political organizations should not have been made and are unnecessary in the effort to stopping violent extremist groups. Director Britt states in the letter: "In recognition of the mistaken inclusion of this information by the MIAC in its February 20, 2009 report on the militia movement, I have ordered that the offending report be edited so as to excise all reference to Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin and to any third-party political organizations . Additionally, you may rest assured that the report is not posted on any website maintained by the State of Missouri. "The Missouri Department of Public Safety regrets any inconvenience or issues caused inadvertently by the unnecessary inclusion of certain components by MIAC in...

... by arguing (with real facts) that the DHS Rightwing Extremism report was politically slanted and horribly flawed. This is apparently the case that DelawareDem seeks to make by including my name in a thread in which I was not commenting: Steve Newton, I am so relieved you that you and other right wingers saved us from the hellfire known as the DHS Report. Yeah, right wing extremists are not violent at all. OK, asshole, I've had enough. You want to make the charge that I ever said there were no rightwing extremist groups, or that law enforcement should not investigate legitimate leads on groups or individuals? Back it up. Here's the link to virtually everything I have written since the DHS report came out. Find it, or have the stones to admit you're wrong. Here's what I actually said: Don't get me wrong: there are violent, nasty people out there: skinheads, black separatists, eco-terrorists, Muslim honor-killers, fag-bashers, beltway snipers.... There are also ...

DelawareDem has a thoughtful piece up on our various differences regarding rightwing extremism and political rhetoric (and our mutual appreciation for a recent comment by Anonone, of all people), which contains this paragraph: But a problem remains. Right now, that violent fringe is being catered to in the extreme by the mainstream of the Republican party and the conservative movement, so much so that it is beginning to be difficult to tell the difference. They are being told that President Obama is a tyrant intend on taking their guns. They are being told that America is dying because of government spending. That Obama plans on opening large reeducation camps. That he is a terrorist, a muslim, a radical black Christian. That he is a fascist. That is both exploiting the violent fringe and empowering them. I want to try a little non-confrontational parsing here, paying particular attention to a couple of the charges. They are being told that President Obama is a tyrant intent on taking...

Interesting in the light of current events: A law enforcement agency whose leaked report suggesting militia members tend to favor certain political candidates sparked outrage among conservatives has no immediate plans to compile other such intelligence reports, an official said Wednesday. Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. James Keathley told a special House committee that the intelligence assessments compiled by the Missouri Information Analysis Center, which is part of the Highway Patrol, contain valuable information but that there were no immediate plans to draft new reports. "I don't know if we will ever get back in the business of producing strategic reports to be very honest with you," Keathley told committee members. "This report created us a lot of harm, a lot of problems. I'm not going to stand here and say anything other than that, we all know that's why we're all here." I give Keathley a lot of credit here, even this late in the game. But...

In the wake of concerns over the Missouri Information Analysis Center's strategic report on The Modern Militia Movement , Libertarians and other Americans concerned with increasing government are now discovering that there have been disquieting questions about the operations of such centers for years . The Libertarian Party of Missouri has demanded an immediate apology from the State of Missouri : “Not only is this assertion baseless, it is outrageous and very dangerous,” stated Missouri LP spokesman Mike Ferguson, who was also the national field director for the Barr presidential campaign in 2008. “It is also misleading. Libertarians oppose the violence, racism and extremism of the ‘militant militia’ that MIAC expresses concern about. Anyone who understands basic libertarian thought knows we adamantly oppose any violence for political purposes.” “The evidence is not offered because it is not there,” explained Ferguson, “the claims amount to political profiling. The Missouri Libert...