10 nutbags we should all know

[unhappycamper]

Profiling 10 of the Deeply Troubled Individuals Leading the Right-Wing Government Hating Crusade
June 15, 2010 |

In the last year and a half, militias and the larger antigovernment "Patriot" movement have exploded, accompanied by the rapid expansion of other sectors of the radical right. This spectacular growth (see timeline) is the result of several factors, including anger over major political, demographic and economic changes in America, along with the popularization of radical ideas and conspiracy theories by ostensibly mainstream politicians and media commentators.

Although the resurgence of the so-called Patriots — people who generally believe that the federal government is an evil entity that is engaged in a secret conspiracy to impose martial law, herd those who resist into concentration camps, and force the United States into a socialistic "New World Order" — also has been propelled by people who were key players in the first wave of the Patriot movement in the mid–1990s, there are also a large number of new players.

What follows are 10 selected profiles from the Southern Poverty Law Center's special report on key leaders in the larger 'Patriot' movement. AlterNet will be running more of these in the coming days.

The Repentant Taxman, Joe Banister, 47
Bulldozer vs. Bulldozer, Martin "Red" Beckman, 80
'Needle of Estrogen', Catherine Bleish, 26
(7 more to go)