"...racist "birther" attacks on President Obama, discussions of the conspiracy behind the problem facing America (complete with anti-Semitic illustration), Christian nationalism, anti-environmentalism, and serious calls for legislation promoting states' rights and "nullification."

Devin Burghart of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights reports that a recent regional Tea Party Patriots conference held in Idaho was a far-right stew of

While Christian nationalism is often in the mix in such far right settings as this, the presentation on the subject stood out to veteran rightwatcher Burghart.

[One of the speakers was]...Sandpoint High School senior Brady Smith, who had attended something called "the patriot academy" in Texas. A lanky redhead in a dark suit. Smith read from his notes about how the root cause of the country's sickness was that we've forsaken our Godly heritage as a Christian nation. He listed several problems: the attack on "traditional marriage," abortion, and our public education system not teaching Christianity, as symptoms of the larger sickness. The cure to all that ails the country, according to Smith, was a return to our Godly heritage. His remarks were warmly received. But to the outside observer, Brady Smith's youth foretold a tragedy in the making.

You may be wondering, as I did, what is the Patriot Academy? It turns out that it may not only be where Brady Smith got many of his ideas -- it provides us with a window on the growing role of conservative Christian homeschooling in Republican electoral politics.