Discuss the following:
Right-wing Militias
Right-wing extremism is making its reappearance in the form of the new Patriot Movement. These right-wing militia groups are profoundly anti-government. Some writers attribute the genesis of the Patriot Movement to Cliven Bundy, a Nevada rancher and anti-government protester, who was in a standoff with federal agents in 2014 for refusing to pay the federal government over a million dollars in unpaid grazing fees and other fines. In January of 2016, his son Ammon Bundy's militia in Oregon seized a national park and some experts feel this may bolster more anti-government militia action between ranchers and farmers with the federal government.
1. Identify a particular anti-government right-wing militia group, and explain why you think your choice best exemplifies the ideologies of the new Patriot movement in America. Give an example of their activities to support your selection.
Enforcing Hate Crime Laws
It is argued that the hate crime legislation at the state level is not applied equally at the federal level. Some posit that this is in part due to the lack of consensus over the meaning of a "hate crime." Definitions of hate crime often vary across police jurisdictions (e.g., states, counties), as well as scholars and academics who sometimes create their own operational definitions. This tends to add to the confusion and lack of consensus in defining hate crimes, making it more difficult to enact effective legislation..
2. Research the hate crime laws in your home state. Explain why you think they are, or are not, as similar and equally applied as federal hate crime laws. (Texas)