| 1st
Century Palestine
(Bandits) |
21st
Century USA (White
Supremacists) |
| Social
makeup: impoverished
peasants who may have
been driven from their
land by high taxes and
debt they could not
pay. |
Social
makeup: disaffected
whites who feel
threatened by
immigrants and the
power of the federal
government. Some
members of these
groups perceived
themselves to be
economically stressed. |
| Highly
decentralized. Many
bandit groups, each
with its own leader
and agenda,
operate in different
areas of the
countryside. |
Highly
decentralized. Many
groups, each with its
own leaders and
agenda, operate
in different areas of
the country.
Organizations like
Hatewatch.org and
Klanwatch.org track
more than 500 racist
and neo-Nazi groups on
the Web. |
| The
"enemies"
are Roman rule and
wealthy landowners,
some of whom are
fellow Jews. |
The
"enemies"
are the U.S.
government
(particularly the
Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, and Firearms,
and the Federal Bureau
of Investigation) and
non-whites (blacks,
Hispanics, Asians, and
Jews). |
| Sympathizers
include
some Jewish peasants
who may occasionally,
and clandestinely, offer food and shelter
to bandit groups. |
Sympathizers
may include others who
read the group's
materials or
contribute money, but
otherwise do not
actively participate
in organizing
activities. |
| Source
of income is highway
robbery. |
Source
of income is donations
from people who share
the groups' views. |
| Primary
weapons: swords and
spears. |
Primary
weapons: assault
rifles, grenades, and
bombs. Occasionally
groups may also buy
more sophisticated
weaponry on the black
market. |
