Hate Groups: Declining, But Still Pursuing X-Ray Laser Weapons
Crazy right wing hate groups: sure, they're funny enough, when they're not knocking on your door at night, but most non-hate-group-members probably hope that they're disappearing. Are they?
According to the latest annual report from the Southern Poverty Law Center: yes! Meaning, probably, that racists, Birchers, and paranoid white separatists of all stripes are finally getting their shit together and starting Tumblrs, rather than meeting in groups, here in Obama's America. The bright side:
The number of hate groups last year dropped for the second year in a row, down 7% from 1,007 in 2012 to 939, after reaching a 2011 high of 1,018, according to the latest count by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). But the more significant drop came among the Patriot groups, which fell 19% from 1,360 groups in 2012 to 1,096 in 2013.
That's quite a notable drop over the period of only a year. Of course, a decline of that magnitude could more than be accounted for by the rising popularity of Duck Dynasty, which causes the natural hate group demographic to stay home on the couch.
Let us not be flip. The danger from hate groups is still real. The report notes that the KKK's numbers held steady in the past year—and their capacity for evil still knows no bounds:
Glendon Crawford, a member of the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was arrested and charged with working to construct an X-ray weapon that he allegedly intended for use on crowds of Muslims. He called it "Hiroshima on a light switch." Crawford was arrested after trying to get financing from two Jewish agencies and another Klan group.
Never underestimate these people.