Bill Clinton~ FBI failed to establish tie between McVeigh ~ right-wing  

I don't remember that about the OKC bombing then but I might have been busier with other tings and I didn't get the cable news stations or the internet like I do now. What I do recall is McVeigh being focused on as the bomber. Since I'm in the jiddle of a bunch of small towns in Pennsylkvanis where I don't see much militia atctivity with militias I was wondering what is their purpose today? Am I wrong in feeling that since we're protected by our local police departments we really don't need to form a heavily armed militia?
Annie

Ah, lol, you opened it now annie.
In all seriousness though annie. The militia movement did fade off a bit in to obsurity after the campaign in the 90's to marginalize them. They are still active, just more quietly so. but, what is their purpose today? Instead of answering this myself, I will let them speak for themselves. This is the Missouri State Militia's website, the same group deominzed in the homeland security/MIAC doc that came out several months ago, remember the one that also called ROn Paul supporters potential terrorists?. I posted a few relevent sections from the site, but please, do go to the site and look around, there is much that can be learned in just a short time. they work regularly with law enforcment, take part in search and rescue, missing children and amber alerts, disaster relief, emergency medical assistance, run food pantries, and yes, they are a standing state defense force and from the looks of them, this is one of the better organized and trained groups, but does that mean they are a threat? Of course not.
http://www.missourimilitia.com/FAQ.html
"COMMAND
On order of the Governor of the State of Missouri, the Missouri Militia will deploy to execute the laws of the state, suppress insurrections and repel invasions either as an autonomous force or in support of forces under direction of the Governor. In times of crisis, the Missouri Militia may activate to provide relief for natural and man made disasters without an official mandate from the Governor as the situation dictates" "CONCEPT
The Missouri Militia will act as a reserve component to the National Guard with the intent to act as the State Defense Force, as there is currently no SDF for Missouri. We are classified as a civilian volunteer organization and therefore will carry out operations in absence of orders as dictated by necessity during a crisis. All Missouri Militia personnel will conduct themselves with professionalism, integrity and the utmost respect for others at all times.""WHO CAN JOIN
You must be between the ages of 18 and 64 per Missouri Title V, never convicted of a felony, never adjudicated mentally deficient, and not a member of a hate group to be eligible to volunteer. Additionally we require a background check prior to becoming a full time volunteer. This must be completed no later than your third training event and costs $15.00 payable to the Missouri Highway Patrol" Better to have and not need, than to need and not have wouldn't you say annie?

almost forgot, one more tidimbit from their site:
"ROLE OF THE MILITIA
Today's militia has a wide spectrum of missions, from disaster relief to terrorism prevention. The slogan echoed now is "State Defense and Community Service." One role of the militia is defense of the state from terrorism or invasion. Other roles include disaster relief, search and rescue, emergency preparedness education and serving the community. We can serve our communities through aid programs like Harvesters, Habitat for Humanity, Project Warmth, Blood Drives as well as raising money for charities benefitting military veterans, cancer research, or volunteering at local food pantries and shelters. Given that the militia is primarily defensive in nature, it is natural that much of its resources should be aimed at bettering the communities from which it is derived."

Thank you for the info, X. I stand corrected, I guess I really wasn't aware of the valuable services they provide.
Annie

Well, I thank you for being open minded enough to look beyond the myth and hype annie.