One group in the deep South keeps a watchful eye on many of the more than 850 extremist groups in America.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala., is a non-profit public interest law firm that investigates activities of anti-government groups, according to Klanwatch director Joe Roy.

"We operate an ongoing investigation of these groups," said Roy, and noted they include the Ku Klux Klan and many armed militias.

The law center has been active the past 25 years, with the Klanwatch project ongoing since the early 1980s and the militia task force operating since 1994, Roy said.

But the task of following these groups is growing yearly, Roy said.

A recent study by the law center showed a 6 percent increase in the number of extremist groups groups operating in the United States.

The study titled "Two Years After: The Patriot Movement Since Oklahoma City," showed there are least 858 extremist groups with at least 380 armed militias operating in all 50 states, Roy said.

Roy conceded that these anti-government groups have accused the federal government of a number of legitimate complaints ranging from the increased crime and drug problems.

"I don't think you'll find anybody in the nation who will say the government is working fine," he said. "It's even corrupt in some areas."

U.S. citizens need to examine their government and address the problems stressed by the anti-government groups, Roy said.

But it is important for the Southern Poverty Law Center to find out what these anti-government groups believe in and what frustrates them about the federal government, he said.

"These (anti-government) people like to consider themselves to be like our revolutionary forefathers," Roy said. "But they are not."

There are no countries in the world that fund private armies to stalk and kill innocent people in the streets, Roy said.

Weaponless protests and acts of civil disobedience are socially acceptable forms of social change, Roy said.

"But there is a big difference between peacefully civil disobedience and violent acts of terrorism," Roy said. "Any movement that tries to get you to agree with their point of view by using guns and explosives is wrong."

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