In a nod to extremism, Montana state Rep. Wendy Warburton (R) is introducing a bill to bring the militia movement into the mainstream by creating what she dubs “home guards” to provide services in case major emergencies. Reflecting her belief that “Montana needs an armed paramilitary group of volunteers,” Warburton has introduced a bill that would create a militia force “to fill the gap between community service organizations” like a neighborhood watch programs and the National Guard “to provide the state and its local communities with the ability to call upon trained and organized volunteers” when necessary. Not only would the “home guard” be allowed to manage its own identity and its ranks, but the state will pay for the damage it causes:

The bill would allow the “home guard” organizations to be formed in companies each with their own uniforms, flags and identities. Its language also would allow them to form into “infantry companies.”[...]

The “home guard” would not be subject to federal oversight and a company would only be recognized if certified by the governor. Creating the paramilitary groups would cost the state about $45,000 per year for the first few years, and the state would be required to pay for damaged equipment used by the groups during active duty.

There’s no questioning what Warburton hopes to create. As the Huffington Post’s Nick Wing notes, Warburton originally called these groups “organized militias,” only later amending it to less fraught term “home guards.” And, as the state’s Human Right Network notes, there’s no question who will gravitate to these unregulatedgroups — “anti-government extremists.”

According to a Southern Poverty Law Center report, previously dwindling “Patriot” groups — “militias that see the federal government as part of a plot to impose ‘one-world government’ on liberty-loving Americans” — have come “roaring back” under Obama’s presidency. Since he took office, there has been a 250 percent rise in ‘patriot’ groups. Extremists have attended Obama speeches bearing arms and even murdered six law enforcement officers. And if the state taps anyone like Arizona militiaman and radical anti-immigrant activist Bill Davis to pick the militia’s ranks, these home guards will pass over gun-toting “wannabes” and “Rambos” in favor of actual combat veterans with “kill records.”

Such anti-government extremists are gaining mainstream traction beyond Montana. Right-wing, extremist-friendly lawmakers in Arizona and Oklahoma have also considered creating official militia groups. And there are 512 Patriot groups across Texas, Michigan, California, Indiana, Oregon, New York, and Kentucky itching to gain similar inroads. As Montana gun-rights proponent Gary Marbut put it, these bills mark small steps to enfranchise anti-government thinking. “The question here is where that slider is located on that range between anarchy and tyranny,” Marbut said. “We’d like to nudge it back a little toward anarchy.”

In late May, a father-son pair of so-called “sovereign citizens” shot and killed two police officers in West Memphis, Arkansas after being pulled over on a routine traffic stop. Militia-like “sovereign citizens” take right-wing “tenther” beliefs to their logical extreme, declaring themselves exempt from federal law and from paying taxes, and believing they “don’t have to answer to any government authority.” The FBI lists the movement as a “domestic terror threat,” and as NBC Nightly News reported last night, the West Memphis shooting highlights that this growing anti-government movement may become violent:

While the sovereign citizen movement has existed for some time, its popularity appears to be growing in a climate where the anti-government rhetoric of the tea party movement has become commonplace. Former President Clinton, speaking at the Center for American Progress Action Fund in April, “drew parallels” between the anti-government tone that preceded the Oklahoma City Bombing “and the political tumult of today.” Sadly, several recent incidents of right-wing extremist violence — including the West Memphis shootings — suggest he may be right.

Our guest blogger is Joe Sonka, who is reporting on the ground from Kentucky. Sonka also maintains his own blog at Barefoot and Progressive.

U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul (R-KY), a darling of the tea party movement, has gained notoriety for his extreme views and close relationships with fringe leaders like Alex Jones. Part of Paul’s appeal has been his supposed support of individuals over large interests, like the government. But Paul appeared to reveal his true priorities during an interview with the candidate in Lexington over the weekend.

Paul was asked whether he supports the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark 1990 legislation that established a prohibition of discrimination on the basis of disability. Paul said he advocates local governments to decide whether disabled individuals deserve rights. Requiring businesses to provide access to disabled people, Paul argued, isn’t “fair to the business owner.” Later in the interview, when asked if he believes Americans have a right to use the 2nd Amendment to violently overthrow the government, a Paul staffer physically intercepted the recording and shuffled Paul away:

PAUL: You know a lot of things on employment ought to be done locally. You know, people finding out right or wrong locally. You know, some of the things, for example we can come up with common sense solutions — like for example if you have a three story building and you have someone apply for a job, you get them a job on the first floor if they’re in a wheelchair as supposed to making the person who owns the business put an elevator in, you know what I mean? So things like that aren’t fair to the business owner. [...]

Q: Do you think Americans, based on the 2nd Amendment, do you think they have a Constitutional right to violently overthrow the government?

PAUL STAFFER: Alright, we’ll have to stop recording.

Watch it:

While Paul is proud of his radical pro-business agenda, he is less willing to talk about his ties to the militia movement and violent anti-government groups. In March, Paul addressed a gathering of militia groups for an “open carry” rally by the Kentucky state capitol. The rally included groups like the Ohio Valley Freedom Fights, an organization that has openly worked with and defended the Michigan-based Hutaree militia. During his address to the rally, Paul called the armed attendees — many of whom were wearing “I’m A Rand Fan” stickers — his “private security detail.”

Although he had hoped for support from the tea party movement to boost Republican Party candidates this year, Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has aggressively opposed Paul’s nomination. As we reported yesterday, while much of the GOP established has organized and encouraged radical tea party protests, they have lost control of insurgent extremist candidates like Paul.

The Associated Press reports that Oklahoma tea party leaders, “frustrated by recent political setbacks,” are working with right-wing Republicans in the Oklahoma legislature to create a new “volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.” State Sen. Randy Brogdon (R-OK) and State Rep. Charles Key (R-OK) have met with tea party leaders, like J.W. Berry of the Tulsa-based OKforTea group, to plan legislation for a state-authorized militia. Brogdon, who is running for Governor and sponsored the right-wing anti-health reform “state sovereignty” resolution in his state, explained that he believes his anti-federal government militia has constitutional backing:

The founding fathers “were not referring to a turkey shoot or a quail hunt. They really weren’t even talking about us having the ability to protect ourselves against each other,” Brogdon said. “The Second Amendment deals directly with the right of an individual to keep and bear arms to protect themselves from an overreaching federal government.”

But critics say the tea party militia idea could “throw fuel in the fire of radicals.” Even some Republicans are opposed to Brogdon’s initiative. “If the intent is to create a militia for disaster relief, we have the National Guard,” said Sen. Steve Russell, (R-OK), a retired Army lieutenant colonel. “Anything beyond that purpose should be viewed with great concern and caution.” Indeed, the news of the state-sponsored militia movement arrives shortly before the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, on April 19.

Berry, the tea party leader who first solicited support for the militia, has posted rants against President Obama: the “Muslim President” — a “reincarnation of Pol Pot” who is trying imprison Americans for resisting health reform. One ominous posting from Berry says that his militia should “launch a thousand guerrilla attacks on the plans that these people have to ruin us and our country.”

Both Berry and Brogdon lean heavily on far right propaganda and media outlets to fuel their conspiracy theories. Berry frequently cites conservative news outlets like CNS and notes that he draws inspiration from the white supremacist thriller The Turner Diaries. Despite his extremism, Berry has met with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and other members of the Oklahoma Republican delegation, and counts them as “rock solid.” Brogdon, whose states’ rights resolution was drafted by corporate lobbyists opposed to health reform, has been endorsed by the lobbyist-run Tea Party Express and has appeared on on Fox News, Alex Jones’ radio show, and at a Glenn Beck rally.