Tongues clucked, beards stroked, over MIAC

Legislators are still trying to decide what, if anything, to do about the Missouri Information Analysis Center after right-wingers and third-party candidates claimed they were unfairly targeted by the group, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

MIAC first ran into trouble in the spring when a “Strategic Memo” on militia activity was leaked.

​Among the offended were third party supporters, whom the report claimed that support of said parties could be construed as a sign that you’re in a violent militia. Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr was named, for instance.

The report also pissed off conservatives, who claimed that the report singled out right-wing political speech as a sign that they might blow up a government building using few tons of fertilizer. Anti-abortion protesters, too.

Yesterday’s story notes that a meeting held on Tuesday failed to answer whether further oversight of MIAC was needed.