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Your quote of the day from Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's Ladd Everitt when asked by Melissa-Harris Perry about the NRA's incoming president, Jim Porter:

EVERITT: If you love Ted Nugent, you're going to love the new incoming president of the NRA, Jim Porter. This guy basically could have walked right out of a militia camp.

Oh joy! Just what we need. Someone at the NRA more extreme than crazy Wayne LaPierre. Here's more on this wingnut from Hunter at Kos: NRA elevates crackpot conspiracy theorist to be their new president:

It looks like the NRA has no intention of toning down the batshit crazy, and calls for "responsible NRA leadership" just got shot in the thigh and left to bleed out behind the ol' shed. The new NRA president (the job rotates every two years, presumably because maintaining such a high level of indignant batshit crazy is a high-effort job) is current NRA vice president Jim Porter, who ascends to the job because apparently every last member of the NRA leadership is entirely off their rockers. Let's meet Jim, shall we?

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A Republican lawmaker in Idaho has proposed an amendment to the state Constitution that would require all adults to be militia members in an effort to preserve their right to bear arms.

At a Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, state Sen. Jim Rice (R) said that he feared that the U.S. Supreme Court would change the definition of the Second Amendment and allow the federal government to confiscate guns owned by individuals, according to The Associated Press.

But Rice argued that the federal government could never take away people's guns if the Idaho Constitution was changed to make all adults members of the state militia as a "backstop."

The Caldwell Republican hopes to let the voters decide on the amendment in the November 2014 election. Rice said that there was no issue that was more important to his constituents than gun rights.

Article XIV of the Idaho Constitution says that "[a]ll able-bodied male persons, residents of this state, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, shall be enrolled in the militia." The section also provides an opportunity for conscientious objectors to opt-out of serving in the militia.

While Rice hasn't offered specific language for his proposed amendment, he indicated that the age and gender requirements would be dropped, making all adults eligible for service.

"Today we held a print hearing on my proposed state constitutional amendment that will eliminate age and gender discrimination from our definition of the state militia," the lawmaker wrote in a message posted to Twitter. "This will allow the state to backstop the individual right to keep and bear arms in an effective way that is supported by the reasoning in all the U.S. Supreme Court decisions."

"We will actually run this concept next session since it needs to be on the 2014 general election ballot. The idea is that Idaho citizens get the opportunity to begin the discussion of this now."

The National Rifle Association has endorsed Rice with an A rating. His Facebook page is filled with pro-gun postings, including a message about buying his wife handgun and videos of him shooting a fully-automatic Thompson submachine gun with his son earlier this year.

"The Thompson submachine gun is a very fun gun to shoot!" Rice wrote in a 2012 blog post.

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It appears the former militia leader and wingnut extraordinaire Mike Vanderboegh is far from done causing trouble yet. It seems he wasn't too happy after the Supreme Court made its ruling on the Affordable Care Act this Thursday, to put it mildly.

Ex-Militia Blogger Who Spawned Fast And Furious Scandal Predicts Armed Insurrection Over Health Care Decision:

Mike Vanderboegh, the ex-militia blogger who calls himself one of the "midwives" of the Operation Fast and Furious scandal, recently predicted that if the Supreme Court declared the health care reform bill to be constitutional, it would lead to violent insurrection against "government tyranny."

The blogger posted the statements, which come from a recent unpublished interview, the same day the House of Representatives voted to find Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt over his unwillingness to release documents related to Fast and Furious.

In the excerpts Vanderboegh posted on his blog "which deal with the decision today," he says of a then-potential decision upholding the health care law, "You may call tyranny a mandate or you may call it a tax, but it still is tyranny and invites the same response." He further predicts the response of his ilk: "If we refuse to obey, we will be fined. If we refuse to pay the fine, we will in time be jailed. If we refuse to report meekly to jail, we will be sent for by armed men. And if we refuse their violent invitation at the doorsteps of our own homes we will be killed -- unless we kill them first. ... I am on record as advocating the right of defensive violence against a tyrannical regime." Read on...

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Chris Matthews allows 2nd Amendment protesters Larry Pratt and Skip Coryell to dig their own hole while trying to get them to explain what freedoms are being taken away from them and what right the 2nd Amendment protects. The one thing that's obvious from watching them is that their irrational fears and blind hatred for the President has little to do with anyone taking away their guns.

For a reminder on who these guys are, here's what David Neiwert shared with us on Pratt back in August of 2009.

But then, that shouldn't be terribly surprising. As hate-group expert Brian Levin, the second guest, tries to explain, the GOA has a long history of right-wing extremism, dating back to the days in the 1980s when it was part of Willis Carto's white-nationalist operation. The main figure in all this was GOA's longtime and current leader, Larry Pratt.

Moreover, as the ADL explains, Pratt actually played a critical role in the formation of the militia movement in the 1990s:

In 1992, Larry Pratt, leader of a radical gun- rights group [the GOA] and an advocate of the formation of militias, issued a statement in the wake of the Rodney King riots urging the Los Angeles Police Department to "take advantage of what the Founding Fathers called the unorganized militia" in order to forestall further unrest. Many people initially joined the fledgling militia movement largely as a way to protect more aggressively their right to bear arms; even today, gun-related issues dominate many of the newsletters published by militia groups.

The SPLC has more on Pratt.

David Corn has this on Skip Coryell:

On April 19, an assortment of gun-rights groups will mount the Second Amendment March at the grounds of the Washington Monument. On the Web site for the march, its founder, Skip Coryell, calls it a "peaceful" event. But these folks, as the Violence Policy Center points out in a new report, are pushing a virulent strain of anti-government extremism that certainly could drive a body to take violent action.

Last month in an article for Human Events, a conservative magazine, Coryell noted that one aim of the march is to imply the threat of violence:

My question to everyone reading this article is this: "For you, as an individual, when do you draw your saber? When do you say "Yes, I am willing to rise up and overthrow an oppressive, totalitarian government?"

Is it when the government takes away your private business?

Is it when the government rigs elections?

Is it when the government imposes martial law?

Is it when the government takes away your firearms?

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating the immediate use of force against the government. It isn't time, and hopefully that time will never come. But one thing is certain: "Now is the time to rattle your sabers." If not now, then when?

... I understand that sounds harsh, but these are harsh times. ...

I hear the clank of metal on metal getting closer, but that's not enough. The politicians have to hear it too. They have to hear it, and they have to believe it.

Come and support me at the Second Amendment March on April 19th on the Washington Monument grounds. Let's rattle some sabers and show the government we're still here.

Notice that Coryell says he's not advocating the immediate use of force against the government. That sure makes it sound like he's revving up the gun-rights troops for possible rebellion down the road.

Transcript below the fold.

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Sean Hannity plays concern troll for Michele Bachmann after Rep. Betty McCollum said this on the House floor.

With hate groups and violent anti-government militias on the rise in this country elected leaders must be mindful of the potential of their words to inspire violence. Constructive, passionate political debate is expected in our democracy, but harsh, dangerous name-calling that vilifies the President or Members of Congress is irresponsible. We must not ignore that the Oklahoma City bombing was an act of political violence perpetrated by deranged, anti-government extremists. It’s much too late after a bomb goes off to start condemning hate-inspired, violent rhetoric.

Even though she wasn't called out by name, both Hannity and Bachmann know who she's talking about. That's pretty telling in itself. Bachmann's response is to say this.

Bachmann: Well apparently it's hate speech when it's on the right and it's not hate speech when it's on the left, so you know, go figure where that comes from.

Both of these dangerous propagandists need to quit polluting our airways and yesterday.

Bachmann goes to lie and fear monger about “the government takeover of private industry”, the dangers of federal regulation of our banking industries, calls the government “thugs”, refers to the Democrats as having a “government control base” and saying when it’s attacked “that’s what they equate violence with”.

She goes on about First Amendment “freedoms” under attack, lies about tax rates being higher now than they ever were, rails on about the government “taking over the student loan industry” when all that did is cut out a middle man fleecing the government, and says “of course the people are reacting”.

Michele, the ones that watch ClusterFox are reacting to the crap that you and Hannity are spewing here. I’m sure neither of you are shocked by this.

Hannity then pulls out the Bill Ayers card again which he literally beat to death during the campaign season, and asks if there is a coordinated attack by “all people on the left” and if they’re “all singing from the same hymnal at this point”.

Of course Bachmann agrees that that evil “librul” media has colluded to attack Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and that anyone they see as an “affective voice” is who they go after and attack right now.

Oh my… those poor crazy ass wingnuts who are being unfairly attacked by you know, pointing out their words. They’re so abused. Bachmann and Hannity finish up the segment with playing the victim card. Something the conservatives have learned to do very well to deflect from the hateful bulls**t that comes out of their mouths.

As bad as most of our media is these days with not actually acting as "news" organizations as they should and as bad as a lot of the rhetoric coming from our politicians is these days with their hate speech and fear mongering, these two take the cake for the worst of all of it. I really look forward to the day when Sean Hannity is no longer drawing a huge paycheck to lie to gullible Americans who watch his show because they actually think he's telling them the truth, and when Michele Bachmann no longer is embarrassing the good people of Minnesota.

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Teabagger Mark Williams got terribly upset with Geraldo Rivera for a segment Fox aired just before they brought him on to ask whether the tea party movement should be worried about being painted as extremists.

Williams: Well as long as you keep helping them with hit pieces like the one you just ran. The tea party movement is a political movement based on...

Geraldo: Which hit piece was that Mark? Which hit piece was that?

Williams: ... based on the Constitution Geraldo. That piece mixing militias and Timothy McVeigh and the people who love their country and the Constitution. We are a human rights movement. America is the only society in the history of the world founded on the notion that governments exist to protect individual human rights and liberties. That's being taken away from this country. It's impossible for these people to be militias or to be racists.

Yeah right. This is coming from this guy -- Teabagger Mark Williams says: 'Obama is an Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug and a racist in chief' and tries to defend it!. Real sweetheart there. Williams goes on to lie and say that Congressman Lewis recanted his story that he was spat on. As Ellen at Newshounds points out, that's just the latest right wing conspiracy theory.

Maybe because it’s not true. Williams might have been thinking of Congressman Heath Shuler who has denied having heard the n-word at the protest on Capitol Hill the day health care reform legislation passed. But Cleaver has not recanted. In fact, here’s a video of him being spat on. (at about 1:15, found via Gawker.)

Williams then went off on a tirade, screaming at Geraldo.

Williams: We’re the ones who were egged, we were the ones who were physically attacked in some cases and our minority members received the most vile, hateful, racist emails. ...

What is it about America and the Constitution that frightens you, Geraldo? What is it about this country and engaged citizenry… what is it that frightens you?

Geraldo: You're going to be what frightens me.

Geraldo then runs to Mike Huckabee to get the tone of the show calmed down and the conversation away from crazy-ass Mark Williams. Yeah that's right. Mark Williams made Mike Huckabee look like the voice of reason in this segment. That takes some doing. The Newshounds article has more on Geraldo's lack of fact checking here.

So what set Williams off besides Geraldo daring to say that the tea party movement might not benefit from being associated with racists and militia groups?

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From GoLeftTV's Ring of Fire:

If you think that the Tea Partiers are just a bunch of misinformed Republicans who hate paying taxes, think again. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center who monitors the activities of extremist hate groups, the Tea Party is actually helping to strengthen the white supremacist movement in America, and has helped to re-energize some specific hate groups that were on the verge of extinction. Mike Papantonio talks about this with Mark Potok, editor of the SPLCs monthly Intelligence Report.

From The Onion:

Assassination plot thwarted due to suspect's fear it would seem racist.

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Our own Dave Neiwert joined Rachel Maddow to discuss the recent militia bust and the upcoming Second Amendment March planned for next month in Washington D.C.

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Rachel reminds our politicians that words matter, actions have consequences and when politicians use over-heated rhetoric like they have been over the past year, the results can be tragic from the environment they help to create. Sadly I'm sure this is falling on deaf ears. Michele Bachmann and Steve King are not going to quit terrorizing Americans any more than Glenn Beck is.

Maddow: Back in 1995 on the morning of the Oklahoma City bombing, just after the explosion a member of Congress named Steve Stockman (R-TX) was sent a fax touting the bombing. He was sent that fax by somebody in the militia movement. Mr. Stockman later turned that fax over to the FBI. He was never implicated in any way in the bombing itself. But there is a reason that the militia movement trusted a member of Congress enough to go to him with that.

Mr. Stockman had for example written an article in Guns and Ammo Magazine proclaiming that what happened at Waco was a government conspiracy to “prove the need for a ban on so called assault weapons”. Mr. Stockman peddled conspiracies that he got from the militia movement about the government planning a takeover, the government planning attacks, paramilitary attacks on American citizens. This sound at all familiar?

Helen Chenoweth was a Republican member of Congress from Idaho at the time. Helen Chenoweth was famous for convening hearings about her fantasies of Communism in the government and government over-reach. A gentleman named Sam Sherwood of the United States Militia Association bragged of providing the volunteers that got Helen Chenoweth elected to Congress. Mr. Sherwood was invited to testify at Chenoweth’s hearing, despite the fact that Mr. Sherwood had been quoted saying “Go up and look legislators in the face because some day you may be forced to blow it off.”

Helen Chenoweth and Steve Stockman, both members of Congress, neither of them obviously bombed that Federal building in Oklahoma City. They did not do what Timothy McVeigh did. But what they did in politics back in the early and mid-nineties helped create and nurture the environment that led to what happened on April 19th, 1995 on Oklahoma City. Timothy McVeigh emerged from a movement that was promoted and nurtured and encouraged by a lot of things, but among those things were some radical members of Congress.