Timothy McVeigh may not have been an active member of an organized militia, but his anti-government beliefs closely echo their most cherished principles. According to his own writing, McVeigh was goaded into rage -- and action -- by the firestorm at Waco, itself a touchstone of the militia movement. While modern-day militias have been around in some form for many years, the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City threw a broad media spotlight on their activities.
What does McVeigh's conviction mean for the militias? Does he become a martyr to their cause -- or a warning that they should rethink their violent rhetoric and vague plots to overthrow the government? Salon spoke with Gail Gans, who tracks U.S. militia groups for the New York-based Anti-Defamation League.
Is McVeigh now a martyr for anti-government groups?
No. Most of the groups, even the crazy, conspiracy-oriented ones which believe the government plotted all of this and have asserted that McVeigh was a patsy, have distanced themselves from McVeigh. I don't believe he is going to become a poster boy for the movement.