Posted by
Icarus on Monday, April 13, 2009 8:42:04 PM
Conservative websites are all abuzz about an alleged Department of Homeland Security report titled, "
Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." Be skeptical about this report. Be very skeptical.
Here are some of the reasons why I think this report is bogus.
The first thing that struck me is that report is so short. It is only 10 pages long. Does anyone think the government can produce a report containing "Law Enforcment Sensivitive information" that is only going to be 10 pages long?
Note how "Key
Findings" are nothing more than repeats of paragraphs from the
text. Show me a report that is that straightforward and I'll show
you a bureaucrat that doesn't know write in legalese.
Check
out the emails at page 10, "for comments & questions" etc.
The email address end with "@hq.dhs.gov",
"@dhs.sgov.gov" [sgov? what, 'secret government'? Come on]
"@dhs.ic.gov"?!? The DHS email address I've seen on that agency's
website are nothing more than "@dhs.gov". I'd send a message to
some of those so-called DHS email address in what looks very much like a bogus report, but I don't want the conspiracy nutter spam I think that
will open me up to.
Here are some quotes that I would be surprised if they came from any government agency; anti-government nutters trying to scare people onto their side of the fence maybe, but not from the Department of Homeland Security.
Note on Page 2 of 9: “[Rightwing extremism] may include groups and
individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to
abortion or immigration.”
“The information is provided to federal, state, local, and
tribal counterterrorism and law enforcement officials” Emphasis added.
Tribal counterterrorism & law enforcement official?
"The economic downturn and the election of the first African
American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization
and recruitment.” This is the same canard a lot of liberal-left activists
were putting out there in order to discredit any and all criticisms of
Pres. Obama. I guess ACORN is now writing law enforcement reports for
DHS?
The report includes reference to the Philadelphia shooting werein 3 of Philly's finest lost their lives. Do people really think a DHS report could be
that timely, even one related to law enforcement?
I think some nutter saw this phrase that is on at the
DHS website and ran with it: "[Office of Intelligence and Analysis] has five analytic thrusts aligned with the principal threats to the Homeland addressed by DHS. The first is
threats related to border security. ... The second is the
threat of radicalization and extremism.
Our top priority is radicalized Islam (Sunni and Shia groups), but we
also look at radicalized domestic groups. We do not monitor known
extremists and their activities; instead, we are interested in the
radicalization process - why and how people who are attracted to
radical beliefs cross the line into violence." Emphasis in original.
I also think that this is being used to set the table for Left-wing infiltration of the Tax Day Tea Parties, in the sense that this will be used to get some conservatives so fired up that they start screaming nonsesne about the Obama administration and what it's doing vis a vis conservative protests. Look how this just
happened to come out at the same time as Paul Krugman's
dismissive attack on Republicans and the grassroots Tea Parties. Note that Krugman refers to "the G.O.P. looked as crazy 10 or 15 years ago as it does now." And also note that the "DHS report" makes several references to the 90s. What better way to make conservatives look crazy than to plant this nonsense in their brains days before what may be the largest spontaneous gethering of conservatives and others critical of the Big Government?
Do not buy into this stuff, people. The Left wants to discredit the Tea Party movement. Don't help them by buying into what I think is a bogus report.
UPDATE - I was wrong: I know how to admit a mistake, and it looks like I'm wrong.
This report is a real DHS document. "The [DHS] press office got back to [Michelle Malkin] and verified that the document is indeed for real." Good God. How did federal government become so blatantly antagonistic; labeling people who do nothing more than question the growth of federal government as potential terrorists who need to be monitored? Where is the
Obama Propaganda Machine Main Stream Media in ferreting out this blatant government attack on freedom of speech? What is going on in this country? I guess I should have known that the radical Leftists who produced this steaming pile of a report were actually federal government bureaucrats. This is just insane. I guess now, with posts like this, and many more, I'm probably on some DHS watch list. Is this why I'm having a hard time finding a job? Things that make you go ... Hmmmm ...