Militas and Gangs

I keep hearing about how the different militias are part of the problem when it comes to the violence in Iraq.

U.S. forces say they have had success, especially against Sunni Arab militants who were their main enemies for the first three years after the fall of President Saddam Hussein in 2003.

But they have faced more violence from Shi'ite militia, who they say have ties to neighboring Shi'ite Muslim Iran.

Now when I hear the term militia I think of the ones that were prevalent here in the states during the 80's and 90's. A bunch of people (mostly guys) sitting around on some compound gathering food, water and guns while they rant at the oppresion of government. Many of these people just want to be left alone, not pay taxes and blame others for their problems. I imagine they still exist but keep a much lower profile, because if the government frowns on large groups of well armed criminals that get a lot of publicity (While large groups of well armed, law abiding citizens only makes the democrats nervous).

US militia group didn't go around killing, kidnapping and destroying property on a regular bases like what is happening in Iraq.

Mahdi Army militiamen have cleansed entire neighborhoods of Sunni residents and seized Sunni mosques. Day by day, hundreds have been killed and thousands have fled their homes, seeking safety in the shrinking number of majority Sunni districts.

The closest examples that I can think that match up to the Iraqi miltias are the KKK (definently evil done in the name of God), organized crime, current gangland and the wild west gangs. None of the them are perfect matchs, but of them have an element of similarity.