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Feb. 23, 2011 Dear Barrett,
Today, we're releasing our annual investigative report exposing the hate and extremist groups operating in the United States—and the news is not good. For the first time ever, hate groups number more than 1,000. Plus, armed, antigovernment militias surged for the second year in a row. Frankly, given the political climate in our country, I'm not that surprised at this explosive growth of radical-right forces. Far-right politicians and media figures continue to pour fuel on the fire with outrageous conspiracy theories and demonizing propaganda about those who disagree with them, including our first African-American president. What's more troubling is the recent spate of hate-inspired violence: a bomb planted along the MLK Day parade route in Spokane; a man arrested with explosives outside a mosque in Michigan; a neo-Nazi caught heading for the Mexican border with a dozen homemade grenades. And, of course, a mentally ill man who appears to have absorbed radical-right ideas killed six people and wounded 13 when he tried to assassinate U.S. Rep. Gabriella Giffords in Arizona. 
My greatest fear is that this violence is just the tip of the iceberg and that there could be a major attack like the Oklahoma City bombing. It seems certain that President Obama will continue to serve as a lightning rod for the radical right's rage. He's the face of the federal government that militias and other antigovernment extremists see as their enemy. And he's symbolic of the country's changing racial and ethnic makeup. It's likely that the climate that breeds hate and extremism will get worse before it gets better. With your help, we'll continue to track and expose the activities of extremist organizations and provide law enforcement with the intelligence they need to keep our communities safe. Thank you, once again, for your commitment to stand with us as we fight the hate that threatens to divide our country.
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