Terrorists Versus Militia Members: Two Planned Machine-Gun Attacks Foiled in Two Weeks

Here are some media accounts of the 6 men charged with plotting to attack Fort Dix and "kill as many soldiers as possible" ...

FBI Agent Jody P. Weis: "Today we dodged a bullet ... What we witnessed here was a brand new form of terrorism."

Federal Prosecutors: "Islamic militants"

Associated Press: "White House spokesman Tony Snow said there is 'no direct evidence' that the men arrested in the Fort Dix plot have ties to international terrorism."

Washington Post: "Six foreign-born men inspired by Islamic radicalism were in the final stages of preparations to attack a military post in New Jersey when federal agents made a series of arrests last night and disrupted their plot, federal officials said today."

Compare to information on a different set of six men arrested less than two weeks earlier ...

Associated Press: "Five members of a self-styled militia were denied bail Tuesday after a federal agent testified they planned a machine gun attack on Mexicans, but a judge approved bail for a sixth man."

Birmingham News: "Simultaneous raids carried out in four Alabama counties Thursday turned up truckloads of explosives and weapons, including 130 grenades, an improvised rocket launcher and 2,500 rounds of ammunition belonging to the small, but mightily armed, Alabama Free Militia."

ATF Agent: "We classify these groups as violent and anti-government ... Any time you have a self-appointed colonel or a self-appointed major and they've got weapons and explosives, it is a recipe for tragedy."

Federal Prosecutors: "They just have a beef with the government, and they stockpile munitions."

Some questions:

Why all the discussion of terrorism in relation to the alleged Fort Dix plot, but not the other? In fact it was hard to find the word "terrorist" or "terrorism" used in any articles about the Alabama militia.

Why was there no talk about religion in the stories about the Alabama militia plot? Perhaps they never discussed Christianity during their militia meetings or in any Fed-monitored conversations, but we just don't know. I'm willing to bet some or all of those arrested from the Alabama militia were Christians.