ABSTRACT
The Wisconsin tragedy has refocused attention on the right-wing fringe in America, in particular the white supremacist and sovereign citizen movements. Since the inauguration of Barack Obama, America's first non-white president, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has noted a staggering increase in right-wing mobilization. Many commentators have noted the "anger" within the Tea Party movement as well as the conspiracy theories that abound within it. The idea that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim socialist hell-bent on destroying "the America of our forefathers" is a sentiment not restricted to the odd ones out. A much more alarming trend within the right-wing movement, of which the (amorphous) Tea Party is just the loudest and most prominent representative, is the growth of outright "disloyal" opposition, in which the whole state becomes the enemy. The belief that America is at a historic crossroads, and that the 2012 election could be the last one, is widespread within America's right-wing circles.
