Guardians of the free Republics looked to Gandhi, King, and Mandela

The Los Angeles Times writes that the "group's philosophy mingles with the anti-Federal Reserve mantra espoused by followers of US Rep. Ron Paul of Texas as well as with anti-tax advocates."

But while a return to constitutional ideals is what much of the conservative tea party movement is about, experts say the Guardians are a different animal altogether. They can be primarily traced to the anti-IRS Posse Comitatus movement of the 1980s, and their modern iteration is, if not non-partisan, anti-partisan.

A mix of left and right

"Traditionally, critique of the IRS has come from the right, such as the Christian patriot movement, but [sovereign citizen] movements also invoke a lot of left-wing ideas like anti-capitalism that are consistent with the times and the downturn in the economy, where people may have property liens against them," says George Michael, an expert on political extremism at the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

The alleged threats against US governors come at a tense time.

In February, disgruntled tax protester Joseph Stack flew his single-engine plane into an IRS office in Austin. And last week, nine members of an anti-government militia, the Hutaree, were arrested in the Midwest.

But instead of misery, the Guardians promised a new kind of largesse could have been in store if the group had succeeded in its quiet coup this week.

"Everything is going to be orderly and no one is going to be harmed in this movement," Guardians member Billy Ray Hall told the Los Angeles Times. "It's going to be really good. There's going to be funds enough for everybody."

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