Their ranks are sparse and scattered and, like the early American patriots they often pattern themselves after, they neither have nor want organized leadership beyond handshake pacts with neighbors or co-workers.

These are people who attend anti-tax seminars held in small meeting rooms in Fayetteville. They print newspapers with headlines that read "Big Brother Wants Your Livestock and Your Farm."

A large number of them want prayer in schools. Many believe in states' rights. And some of them-no official roster is kept-meet at a concrete-block militia outpost in southern Washington County where men wear sidearms, store machine guns in a vault and fly only the Arkansas flag out front.

"They feel their government has been hijacked," said Loretta Weston, owner of the Russellville newspaper, American Family Voice, which warns of "Big Brother" coming. "More and more people are becoming disgruntled."

She claims readers in 34 states and a monthly circulation of 4,000 for the free publication that started five years ago.

Dave Wilson of Bentonville has found a niche among folks who worry about their version of Big Brother. Wilson distributes fliers that advertise how to respond to "notices from government agencies and the IRS, as well as how to avoid having your child removed from your custody by 'political extremists.'"

Those same fliers warn of acts of "terrorism by agents of government." Information about avoidance of taxes is a favorite topic of Wilson's seminars, which can last nine hours and cost $60 at the door. Wilson calls the payments "donations."

He also accepts-actually prefers- 5 ounces of silver as payment. A meeting earlier this month pulled in around 20 people.

"Each one of us has the right to tax avoidance," Wilson said.

Home schooling, avoiding inoculations for children and America's dependence on credit also are among the wide-ranging topics Wilson brings to the table during seminars. He backs up his teachings with an armload of old court cases, historical data, a Web site and excerpts from the Arkansas Constitution, which he passes out to almost everyone.

"There are a lot of folks out there that feel innately 'Hey, there is something wrong out here,'" Wilson said. "But they can't put their finger on it. I guess one of my missions is, 'Let's get unconfused here, folks.' I didn't leave my government. My government left me."

Increasing taxes, immigration laws, a growing national debt, schools where students don't pray and gun-control laws are the issues that loosely connect Weston's readers, Wilson's seminar-goers and militia men with big guns.

While members of anti-tax groups may not belong to militias, or vice versa, there are often philosophies shared by participants in both, according to Mark Pitcavage, a Columbus, Ohio-based factfinder for the Anti-Defamation League. The league monitors militias and other groups that it deems potentially dangerous.

Wayne Fincher, lieutenant commander of the Militia of Washington County, believes more middle-class Americans will more ardently support traditional farright issues, such as gun rights and immigration reform, as the influence of the federal government grows. He is waiting with a copy of the Arkansas Constitution, a shooting iron and a hearty handshake.

"What we've got to do today is hold our ground," Fincher said.

That means upholding the right to bear arms, standing up for land rights and not always accepting the federal government as the supreme law of the land, he said.

Militias in general are potential breeding grounds for violence, according to Pitcavage.

"(Members of militias) have extreme views. They are heavily armed," he said.

Pitcavage described the militia in Washington County as "small and stable," based on information from its Web site. But he said that one problem with even the "meet, eat and retreat" militias is that they can fuel discontent among some members, and that discontent can blossom under economic pressure.

Fincher and Paul Smith, commander of the militia, have cobbled together a group of men and women who believe in the right to bear arms.

The group's Web site says that its members "will not tolerate any invasion by agencies hostile to our sovereign state." That means, in Fincher's words, "no Wacos." He refers to the federal intervention in Waco, Texas, in 1993 that ended with federal agents attacking a stronghold where weapons were stockpiled. Dozens of people were killed.

Fincher says the militia would intervene in a similar situation in Washington County.

"The federal government could be put back in the box," he said.

A machine gun that can fire 550 rounds a minute and assorted 9mm Sten submachine guns are stored in the militia's concrete and steel vault. Each is stamped with the word "noncommercial" to prove the group holds the arms for militia purposes only and not for trade or sale. Owners of automatic weapons must pay $200 to license each automatic weapon they own. Militia members get around that by rebuilding governmentdestroyed automatic weapons for their use, according to Smith.

The Militia of Washington County is different from many militias. First, it is organized. Fincher began researching militia rights when gun control laws "were gettin' pretty hot in 1992." He says the Arkansas Constitution not only allows but demands a militia.

Second, it is a militia that is open about its actions. The group sent letters to a the U.S. attorney's office, Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Arkansas State Police, the Washington County sheriff and others explaining its actions and the type of weapons on hand. No one has yet raised a hand to oppose them.

Third, the group's web site welcomes all races. Racism plagues some militias. Fincher and Smith seek to change that perception, and others. There is no drinking allowed at the militia's 1.6-acre property.

"The reason people are afraid of the militia is because they have been taught to be afraid of the militia," Fincher said.

Chief Deputy Jay Cantrell of the Washington County sheriff's office said he and Sheriff Tim Helder are aware of the militia and the weapons it holds. Last year, he and Helder met with militia members for doughnuts and coffee at the group's headquarters.

"They were all armed," Cantrell said.

He said talk of militia intervention during any standoff situation with federal agents is a bit troubling, though "I think most of these guys are reasonable and willing to listen.

"We are not developing any type response to deal with the militia" in such a situation, Cantrell said.

Smith and Fincher will not reveal the number of members who meet at the 40- by 72-foot concrete block building on East Black Oak Road, south of Fayetteville. No roster exists, they say.