Convicted murderer and fanatical anti-abortion extremist Paul Hill was executed yesterday reported Newsday.

Hill was the first anti-abortion zealot to be executed in United States history.

The man who murdered a doctor and an abortion clinic escort with a shotgun in 1994 saw himself as a martyr and died unrepentant.

However, despite his delusions Hill will no doubt go down in history as a killer and fanatic.

David Trosch another zealot seemingly cast from the same mix of religious fanaticism that molded the mind of the executed murderer was still ranting.

Trosch told a reporter, “What Paul Hill did was absolutely justified. It was not murder. It was taking the life of a murderer who intended to commit further murders.”

Attorney General Janet Reno once named Trosch and his hero Hill as two of the most dangerous radical anti-abortionists in the US.

That list turned out to be prophetic.

Another man identified by Reno was Matthew Trewhella, who once headed “Missionaries to the pre-born” in Wisconsin.

Perhaps the execution of Paul Hill like that of another self-styled martyr Oklahoma bomber Timothy McVeigh, will be a message to the radical fringe that spawned him.

Crimes committed in the name of God will not go unpunished. And such fanatics can expect similar consideration in sentencing as other convicted criminals.

Since the capture, conviction and execution of Timothy McVeigh many radical anti-government groups called “militias” have dwindled and even disbanded.

Hopefully Hill’s execution represents a climactic point for anti-abortion violence and terror.

The so-called “militias” are at it again, apparently trying to generate interest and attention in the waning movement. And their latest scheme for attention seems to be “homeland security,” reports the Contra Costa Times.

Some “militia” groups say this has improved their ongoing recruitment efforts.

One leader claimed, “The militia should be used to provide security and to put down civilian unrest. It should be called a militia, it’s not a four-letter word.”

Maybe the “four letter word” here should be “crap.”

If these guys really wanted to help out they could join the National Guard, Army Reserve or just enlist.

But the only thing these anti-government extremists want to do is play army.

Montana resident John Trochman says, “They think we are a bunch of dummies.”

But Trochman is no dummy. His “militia” website looks more like a mail order business. And news reports afford him free advertising to promote his catalog product line.

One California leader said, “We don’t let in crazies and wackos.” He then elaborated how the Chinese are scouting the West Coast for an invasion.

Uh huh.

These guys would be a joke, if it wasn’t for the many arrests connected to the frequently violent movement and hate literature they often distribute.

Let’s also not forget that Timothy McVeigh was deeply influenced by “militia” rhetoric and conspiracy theories.

A mystery that still persists about the Oklahoma City bombing that claimed the lives of 168 people, is who cooperated with Timothy McVeigh to perpetrate or plan the mass murder?

FBI files now being discussed seem to indicate McVeigh may not have acted alone and perhaps conspired with members of a white supremacist group named “Elohim City” in Oklahoma, reports the Oakland Tribune.

Racist Robert Millar who died in 2001 led the group often called a “cult.”

McVeigh and Millar seemingly have taken secrets to their graves.

What is not secret is the milieu, which brought forth the mindset of the convicted murderer McVeigh.

He submerged himself within a subculture that included anti-government extremists and “militias” for some time before bombing the Murrah Building. His hatred was fed by conspiracy theories, most of all about the Waco Davidian standoff.

Millar like David Koresh maintained an isolated compound. Did he or some of his followers fear the FBI would scrutinize them next after the Waco cult leader’s rule ended in tragedy?

The murky paranoid subculture that transformed Timothy McVeigh from army veteran to mad bomber still exists within America.

John Trochman, the self-proclaimed Montana “militia” leader made it into print again within the Billings Gazette. Of course as usual, the former snowmobile parts seller saw conspiracies everywhere.

An interview with Trochman sounds like a “snow job” though, so maybe he really didn’t distance himself that much from his snowmobile business after all.

Trochman promotes for sale an array of conspiracy related survivalist wares at his much touted website.

He sells everything from a compass for $3.00 to “radiological meters” at $65 bucks apiece. Sleeping bags for the paranoid on the run are only $6.00, $20.00 for the waterproof model. There are frequent price cuts for double purchases, so two can be delusional for a discount. And of course there’s Trochman’s newsletter “Taking Aim,” which is $25.00 for twelve issues.

But the “militia” business hasn’t been good lately. Interest waned after the execution of Timothy McVeigh and the many arrests of “militia” participants certainly didn’t help to alleviate the slump. However, it seems that going back to snowmobiles is not appealing to John Trochman.

Despite his rhetoric Mr. Trochman appears to be more about merchandising and mailing lists than “militias.” So is all his talk about dark conspiracies little more than a “snow job” to promote sales?

Associated Press reports that once prominent “militia” leader Norman Olson has decided to pack it in and leave his home state of Michigan. Olson says, “I can’t live here any longer.” But actually Norm just can’t seem to win an election as local “militia commander” and appears to be a sore loser. Now he wants to stew in colder weather and is on his way to Alaska. Norm claims, “Alaska is a state that offers some hope.” Well, hopefully Mr. Olson will find somewhere to settle there, as remote as possible.

Another “militia” man doesn’t have travel options. Charles Pucket, former “Commander of the Kentucky State Militia,” plead guilty to two weapons charges and one count of intimidating a witness. He was then sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, reports Associated Press.

It seems “militias” have slumped since their pre-Timothy McVeigh peak in the 90s. McVeigh’s execution for the Oklahoma bombing, “militia” arrests and convictions, largely ended their fervor. And the mythology that these groups promoted about their supposed “militia” status today seems fairly ridiculous.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with some guys getting together to play army. That is, as long as no laws are broken. But for many “militia” types this seems impossible. Perhaps other disgruntled “militia” members will soon join Norm for winter war games in Alaska. As Olson says, there might be “some hope.”