Patridiots

No, it's not about the football franchise from back east. There's plenty to discuss there, including the sartorial choices of the head coach to the way the NFL has manipulated its own rule book to preserve their "dynasty." That will have to wait for another day. In the autumn, perhaps.
For now, do you remember Patriot Missiles? They were deployed by the U.S. Army during the "first" war in Iraq. They were the valiantly named hero missiles that shot down the vile SCUD missiles during Operation Iraqi Freedom. That made sense. We were firing our patriotic projectiles at those evil Soviet-made clunkers from Saddam.
How about the Patriot Act? That was the one that was supposed to straighten things out after the events of September 11, 2001. The irony, of course, was that this patriotic legislation was enacted to curtail our freedoms in many ways. Some might argue that limiting some freedoms to ensure freedom for all is a worthwhile trade. Others might wonder why they still have to take their shoes off in airports, but not their underwear.
Which brings us to 2010, where patriots of still another sort are making the news. You may have heard of the Hutaree. This is the militia group that was recently disrupted by the FBI in Michigan. These are Christian soldiers preparing for the appearance of the anti-Christ. Their purpose is defined by select verses from the New Testament. The irony here, again, is that they tend to use the words of the "Prince of Peace" below photos of heavily armed men and women. Heavily armed men and women who are ready to "defend" their country and their beliefs at any cost. And yet, on the advent of Good Friday and Easter and other Jesus-centric moments on our calendar, I find myself wondering why trust in God is regularly supplanted by trust in Smith and Wesson.
The fact that the Second Amendment seems to be one of those core beliefs shouldn't be any surprise, weapons and militia-wise. Of course, I'm not sure exactly where stockpiling C-4 plastic explosive fits into the self-defense picture, but the loyal members of the CCR certainly do. And if you thought this meant that they were big John Fogerty fans, then you need to get caught up on your Christian Colonial Republic newsletter.

Here's where we come full circle: The Patriots of Hutaree are charged with "attempting to deploy weapons of mass destruction." The statutes that will help convict them? None other than the Patriot Act.