In 2009 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a report called “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” The report painted a picture of how neo-Nazi groups and right-wing militias were gaining strength and becoming an increasing danger to the country’s security. At the time, the report was widely panned as a political attack on conservative ideologies and nothing substantial was ever done about the problem. Since then there have been multiple attacks by such groups, including the attempted bombing of a MLK Day parade in Spokane. The Southern Poverty Law Center now wants to know why congress is having hearings into radicalized Muslims and not the right-wing militias warned about earlier.SPLC Director of TITLE Mark Potok tells Seattle Weekly that casting wide nets of suspicion over entire ideologies is both improper and ineffective as a means of combating extremism. But he also says that it’s far-right, racist and fundamentalist Christian groups that pose a greater threat than any home-grown Muslim jihadists.”Americans need to understand is there is very vibrant and radical growing right that is completely capable of inflicting great violence,” says Potok. There are three main things going on in the country that lead to this. Number one, there is a changing racial demography in which white people are on their way toward being outnumbered. Number two is the economy, the subprime crash, the bank bailouts have made a lot of anger in the country. And number three is really the Glenn Becks, the Lou Dobbs and the Sarah Palins who are bringing ideas from the radical right into the mainstream.”Kevin William Harpham, the suspect arrested yesterday for planting a bomb filled with rat poison-covered shrapnel on a parade route of a Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Spokane is said to have ties to National Alliance neo-Nazi group. The NA, at one point during the height of founder William Luther Pierce’s tenure, was the largest white separatist group in the country with an estimated 1,400 members and supposedly 17 full time paid staffers. The group was funded through dues paid by members and, interestingly, through a record label called Resistance Records that put out music by neo-Nazi and separatist bands. Since Pierce died in 2002, however, the group has degenerated into a few scattered pockets of ragtag members. Potok sees no reason to think the group is on the rebound, but he stands by his notion that other similarly-minded groups are becoming an increasing threat.Besides Harpham, Jeffrey Harbin