Resurgence Seen In Militia Groups; Threats Against Obama Now Decreasing

Since the election of President Obama, the FBI and other organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, have seen an increase in the activity in fringe groups, including various militia groups.

Racism may be playing a role in the spread, but the FBI and Secret Service are admittedly at a disadvantage since they really don't have a handle on the scope of the threat:

Word of the feds' new push to get a grip on fringe extremists - who faded into the background after the 9/11 attacks - came as a new watchdog report warned militias are making a racist "comeback" thanks to Obama's election.

"The face of the federal government today is black, and that has injected a whole new element into the militia movement," said Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's intelligence project, which issued the report.

The center's report said a rash of domestic terrorism cases recently, plus skyrocketing firearms and ammunition sales and an explosion of heated rhetoric by disgruntled militia types, is cause for worry.

Some hate groups also are opposing Obama's health care reform efforts as a form of Socialism, a top federal agent said.

After Obama's election, many counterterror officials snickered at the idea of a militia comeback from the 1990s. Some still insist the threat is overblown - and local.

But when Obama was sworn in, the FBI's Intelligence Directorate and Domestic Terrorism Section - which probes homegrown malcontents - asked joint-terrorism task forces nationwide to sniff around for hints of possible violent activity.

They are not spying on protected speech, officials emphasized.

"We don't know if there's an increased threat," a law enforcement source said.

"There's legitimate concern," said an agent inside the Justice Department who laughed off the threat months ago. "You're seeing more paranoia by the militias."

Author Ronald Kessler reports in his new book, "Inside the President's Secret Service," that threats against Obama are up 400% over threats to George W. Bush.

Government insiders told The News that threats are now decreasing. They noted that only one would-be assassin - Sara Jane Moore, who targeted President Ford in 1975 - was ever in the Secret Service's threat database beforehand.

The SPLC is the one issuing the call for increased vigilance.

I think it is warranted since the already overheated language and venom directed at the Administration has been ratcheted up in recent weeks in the course of the health care debate. Civility in the public discourse has broken down, and tone deaf politicians don't help matters, nor do statements by the Administration claiming that this must be rushed through swiftly, which would necessarily limit debate on changes that would affect the nation in profound ways.

None of this excuses the threats and increased chatter among militia groups.

The increase in death threats against the President is something that must be taken seriously by the FBI and Secret Service.

It is possible that these groups and those who were most threatened by President Obama taking office are coming to grips that he is indeed in office for the duration. That could explain the reduction in the number of threats against Obama in the recent period. Or, it could mean that they've now decided to lay low to avoid bringing more attention to themselves.