Militia movement

Why did patriots not put up much of a fight when the W. administration eroded constitutional rights, but suddenly picked up steam when Barack Hussein Obama was elected?

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/07/10602763-election-economy-spark-explosive-growth-of-militias

 

The militias and tea partiers are defenders of the status quo. Essentially they are Tory loyalists, no more desirous of revolution or change than a dead man is desirous of an enema.

 

militia movements were growing for the past decade....

 

According to the article linked, their numbers peaked in 1994, then dropped sharply under W. and rebounded beginning in 2008. They jumped from 824 in 2010 to 1,274 in the most recent report.

 

Nothing like people who believe that the world's shining beacon of democracy is in mortal danger every time the party they don't like wins an election.

 

I think this has more to do with a post-9/11 softening of those individuals at the margins of these groups, where they become more sympathetic to the government, than anything else.

As we move further away from 9/11, those feelings are dissipating.

 

This is no different than the wacko hippies camping out in cities whining about rich people.

No different, other than those idiiots are on your side of the aisle so people of your ilk see it differently, as if it is some sort of a noble cause.

 

Except for the bombs and the guns, sure.

 

How much also has to do with psychological empowerment by the Heller decision by the Supreme Court, which seems to also coincide with the 2008 uptick?

Seems like a perfect storm set of factors here - BO's election, Heller, 9/11 receding into the rearview mirror, etc.

 

I covered a pretty high-profile trial in CoCoMo back in the 80s that involved the infamous Covenant, Sword, and the Arm of the Lord organization and it looked to me like the militia movement was pretty strong even then.

 

He was referring, I imagine, to the ideal and not the execution. Love the country until the elephant/donkey takes office. See also: celebrities and common folk insisting they would move to Canada should W win election.

 

The two groups aren't rhetorically equivalent. They have substantial material differences, not the least of which is that the 'hippies' haven't blown anyone up.