It's important to point out that Shawna Forde wasn't a "lone wolf" or "just a nut." She was a prominent leader of the Minutemen Movement who shared the stage with Jim Gilchrist, the group's founder -- along with three GOP presidential candidates -- at a 2007 "Conservative event" in Washington state.

On June 30, Jim Gilchrist, one of America’s top opponents of Illegal Alien Amnesty will highlight the 2007 Washington State Illegal Immigration Summit in Everett.The Summit should be the pinnacle Conservative event of 2007.

...

Wait ‘til you hear what he has to say. We can unite and win.

In addition the event is co-hosted by Minutemen American Defense, a Washington state-wide American citizen defense coalition headed by Shawna Forde, a re-born Rock promoter from the days of the music world-shaking Seattle Rock explosion. Shawna will speak.

Representatives (or the actual candidates) will appear from Presidential campaigns for TOM TANCREDO, DUNCAN HUNTER and FRED THOMPSON.

Maybe someone should ask Tancredo, Hunter and Thompson what they think of the Minutemen now. Remember, Mike Huckabee proudly accepted Jim Gilchrist's endorsement. And Forde was Gilchrist's protege.

You'd think this would be the end of the mainstream GOP's flirting with these dangerous vigilantes, but don't expect right-wing bloggers like the Anchor Baby to stop writing love letters to the Minutemen any time soon.

This came from the http://firedoglake.com/ website/blog.