Are they dangerous, or just citizens defending their rights?
BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY In a remote meadow in northern Michigan, inside a large tent heated by a wood stove, 50 white men dressed in combat gear and wielding rifles talk about the insanity of the outside world. The men, civilians all, see threats everywhere. There are reports of foreign soldiers hiding in salt mines under Detroit, some of the men say. Others speak of secret markings on highway signs meant to guide conquering armies. The men’s voices subside as “General” Norman Olson, a Baptist minister, gun-shop owner and militia leader, enters the tent. He tells the men they are the shock troops of a movement that’s sweeping America, that the “end times” are coming, and civil wars are two years away. “People think we are the ones who bring fear because we have guns,” Olson says. “But we are really an expression of fear.” In dozens of states, loosely organized paramilitary groups composed primarily of white men are signing up new members, stockpiling weapons and preparing for the wo
