We saw a report this week that should put the fear of God in all of us who believe in the peaceful transition of happenings in our country.

Three years ago there were a reported 149 militia groups in this country. Members of these groups are generally armed and espouse the overthrow of our country. Most of these groups are homebred, homespun Americans.

Great deals of these groups have traditionally hidden out in the extreme wilderness of our country. That is not necessarily true today. Today there are a reported 1,200 of these groups in operation in our country with many meeting and advocating their beliefs in the open. They range from the groups who are just mad about the political direction our country seems to be taking, to extreme hate mongers, who literally hate people because of their beliefs or color of their skin. Some of these groups believe in complete anarchy in our country.

With all of these groups in existence, and reportedly growing as we speak, some of their members could even be your neighbors. We dismiss this type of protest outright as many members of these groups could be considered far right extremists who in their own right are just as dangerous as the far left extremists who practice their hate and non-tolerance in our country.

One bit of fuel that motivates some of these groups is the protection of their families. Every time the elected officials of this country push and pass bills that restrict rights that thousands of our brave countrymen have given their lives to protect, it fuels these groups' growth. That is why it is important you stay informed and vote not only this November, but every election year.

Don't ever believe your vote doesn't count. It does and in a mighty way. We have important elections this year that will affect our county, our state and our country. Your informed vote can help curb the growth of this militia movement.