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To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/15/2009 5:36:55 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Is Texas A Terror State?

By Jim Byrd
American Thinker

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Texas fits the Department's profile of potential domestic terrorism described in their newly released report titled, " Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment".

Islamic extremists' acts of domestic terrorism were recently given the dignity, by Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and President Obama, of being classified as man-made disasters, and abroad, the "war on terror" has been reclassified as an "overseas contingency plan". But an entire non-Islamic class, or perhaps by extension entire states, according to the report, are not afforded such considerate and cordial titles if they are anti-abortion, tend to harbor returning soldiers stationed in the Middle East, aid and abet the reintegration of military personnel into civilian life within their borders, are anti-illegal immigration, are anti-gun control, possess Christian views, are against high taxes, and are opposed to the overreaching power of the federal government. They fit the assessment of "extremists" that was


<<< "provided to federal, state, local, and tribal counterterrorism and law enforcement officials so they may effectively deter, prevent, preempt, or respond to terrorist attacks" >>>


It is the opposition of the "overreaching power of the federal government" that may have sealed Texas's fate as a terror state. Rick Perry's statement on the Governor's website, may have doomed the state of Texas by supporting HCR 50, which supports states' rights under the 10th Amendment. You know the 10th Amendment--the one that expounds on Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution and spells out explicitly the limits of the federal government, just in case the federal government became confused of their limits. Perry stated,

<<< "I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state. That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states' rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union....Millions of Texans are tired of Washington, DC trying to come down here to tell us how to run Texas." >>>

The remaining text of the declaration:

<<< A number of recent federal proposals are not within the scope of the federal government's constitutionally designated powers and impede the states' right to govern itself. HCR 50 affirms that Texas claims sovereignty under the 10th Amendment over all powers not otherwise granted to the federal government. >>>

It also designates that all compulsory federal legislation that requires states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, or that requires states to pass legislation or lose federal funding, be prohibited or repealed.

Let's test Texas's terror threat assessment capabilities based on voting habit:


Anti-abortion--check

Pro-Gun--check

Anti-gun control--check

Predominantly Christian--check

Military bases--check

Returning soldiers--check

Against high taxes (no state tax in Texas)--check, check

Anti-illegal immigration--check

Against an overreaching federal government--check

Conservative--check

Extreme right-wing (according to Democratic Party standards)--check

Understands Article 1, Section 8--check

Understands the 10th Amendment--check

Rejects federal authority in favor of state or local authority--check


That sums it up: Texas is most definitely a terror state in the eyes of Secretary Napolitano and her agency.


americanthinker.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/15/2009 6:02:21 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
     When those who excel at information manipulation and media
     control also sit in government the price of truth becomes 
     eternal skepticism.

DHS, 'Rightwing Extremism' and Information Warfare

By Lance Fairchok
American Thinker

The Homeland Security Assessment targeting mainstream conservatism was amateurish, poorly written and its logic absurdly shallow. It's a shot across the bow in the unfolding information warfare.

The DHS Intelligence Assessment Document marked "For Official Use Only" and entitled; Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, was released to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Its stated purpose was to "deter, prevent, preempt, or respond to terrorist attacks against the United States."

Read the entire document here.

fas.org

If this DHS Assessment is an example of the kind of analysis our decision makers receive from our intelligence agencies, we are in far worse straits than I had imagined. It is amateurish, poorly written and its logic is absurdly shallow. It sounds as if it was cobbled together from bits and pieces of dated research to quickly fill a short notice requirement. I suspect it was not intended to inform or educate law enforcement first responders and decision makers, so much as it was designed to shape their perceptions in the information war the Left is waging on the American people.


<<< Rightwing extremists have capitalized on the election of the first African American president, and are focusing their efforts to recruit new members, mobilize existing supporters, and broaden their scope and appeal through propaganda, but they have not yet turned to attack planning. >>>


The statement "they have not yet turned to attack planning" has the ring of inevitability to it, an assumption that attacks will come because of race and that it is impossible to object to Obama simply because of his radical politics. We are presented no evidence or example of how "Rightwing extremists have capitalized" because I suspect that their evidence would fall firmly under protected speech, and rightly subject to criticism. More importantly it would reveal the ideological underpinnings of the authors.

Anti-American rhetoric, such as calls for revolution and hate speech from the Radical Left has been over the top for many decades, yet we endure another fabrication of "potential" rightist conspiracies. With tens of thousands of Islamic Jihadist attacks since 9-11, and less than half a dozen "right wing extremist" examples in the last 20 years, one wonders how much critical analysis went into this nonsensical report. By their admission the threat has been merely words, but unlike Islamic extremism where words often equate to action, the opposite has been true of America's fanatics.


<<< Threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts. Nevertheless, the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn-including real estate foreclosures, unemployment, and an inability to obtain credit-could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past. >>>

Violence prone fringe groups certainly exist in this country, and their political and ideological motivations run a wide gamut from environmentalism, to gay rights, to anarchy, to white, Hispanic and black supremacy. The issues the DHS study claims are the rallying points for radicalism and extremist recruitment are exactly those that animate the national political debate; abortion, illegal immigration, gun rights, race equality and exceptionalism, jobs and how the economic crisis is being handled. It presents little or no evidence for its conclusions and offers no citations. It regurgitates the extravagant stereotypes of the military and average Americans that fill the fever swamps of radical leftist blogs, advocacy groups and publications.


<<< A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that "large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces." >>>


This "assessment" is not an analysis of a national trend or an examination of existing evidence or even recent radical literature; it is targeting those whose politics fall within the broad insinuations contained within its pages, namely mainstream conservatives. It is a manipulative information tool intended to paint the loyal opposition as reactionary kooks who are prone to violence and a danger to the country.

This is part of a more widespread ongoing information campaign to plant and reinforce critical themes into the American official, and broader public psyche, a continuation of the "clinging to guns and religion" message so frequently found in the rhetoric of President Obama and his acolytes. Watch for reinforcing messages from other venues and other government organizations. It will be used by talking heads, journalists and administration officials to make agenda-driven analysis sound rational as they work to delegitimize, marginalize and divide Americans, precisely when it is apparent that significant grass roots opposition movements are gaining steam.

Do not be surprised by the cynical use of the Department of Homeland Security for a political information war campaign. It is the modus operandi of the Left and has been used effectively for decades.

Ironically the report refers to the atrocities of Ruby Ridge and Waco as an example of radical motivations. Both events were anti-constitutional criminal abuses of American citizens by their own government. The spin campaign by the Clinton Administration to paint those crimes in a favorable light was intense, and in large measure successful. Anyone who questioned the tactics of the government was painted as a "Waco Wacko." The murder of children swept aside in liberal hypocrisy. The American people in large measure still believe the obscuring disinformation about those two events. The Obama-era team has refined the method.

In the information battle we live through, every media story and every government report is suspect. Experts, universities, think tanks, non-profits and interest groups are all tools for the spin masters and propagandists whose ethics are defined by "the ends justifies the means" of Saul Alinsky's model. The DHS Rightwing Extremism paper is merely a recent example of how the American people and their law enforcement agrencies are manipulated . When those who excel at information manipulation and media control also sit in government the price of truth becomes eternal skepticism.

And we ain't seen nothin yet.


americanthinker.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/15/2009 7:09:40 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Watch Out For Those Crazy Right Wingers!

By John
Power Line

The Extremism and Radicalization Branch, Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division of the Department of Homeland Security has released a report titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." You can read it here.

Of course, there are crazies of all stripes, and it's possible that a small group of "right wingers" could pose a terrorist threat. In principle, there is nothing wrong with assessing such threats from whatever direction they may come. Still, this report is an odd document. It is almost entirely unmoored to any empirical reality and appears to be heavily influenced by the political views of its (unidentified) authors. This is the central theme of the report:


<<< The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues. The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment. >>>

The whole point of the report is that "right wing" extremism is undergoing a "resurgence" as leaders of extremist groups take advantage of the down economy and the Obama administration to recruit new members. Weirdly, however, the report makes no effort to document any such increased recruitment or extremist activity of any sort. As far as one can tell from the report, "right wing" militias and similar groups may be dying out rather than growing.


<<< [T]he consequences of a prolonged economic downturn--including real estate foreclosures, unemployment, and an inability to obtain credit--could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past. >>>

I suppose that's possible. But why right wing extremists? Why not left wing? I would think that economic turmoil would be at least as likely to energize far-left groups. But whoever wrote the report made the automatic assumption--again, with no empirical data--that right-wing groups would benefit.

Another of the report's themes is that conditions today resemble those in the 1990s, when militia activity was a concern:

<<< The current economic and political climate has some similarities to the 1990s when rightwing extremism experienced a resurgence fueled largely by an economic recession, criticism about the outsourcing of jobs, and the perceived threat to U.S. power and sovereignty by other foreign powers. ...

Growth of these groups subsided in reaction to increased government scrutiny as a result of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and disrupted plots, improvements in the economy, and the continued U.S. standing as the preeminent world power. >>>


In 1995, the economy was booming. Nor is there any obvious similarity between the "political climate" now and in the 1990s, except that we have a Democratic administration in power. I suspect that's what the authors are really worried about, although they never quite come out and say so.

The Homeland Security report lists the possibility of restrictions on firearms as a driving force behind extremist recruitment:

<<< Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of rightwing extremist groups, as well as potentially spur some of them to begin planning and training for violence against the government. >>>


On its face, this is pure speculation. It's true that firearms sales have increased, but what evidence is there that those buying guns are "planning and training for violence against the government"? None that the report discloses.

The authors describe "rightwing extremist chatter" on the internet:

<<< Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures. Anti-Semitic extremists attribute these losses to a deliberate conspiracy conducted by a cabal of Jewish "financial elites." >>>


That's pretty sinister, all right: focusing on jobs and the economy. As far as anti-Semitism is concerned, you'll find much more of that on left-wing sites (including many that are considered mainstream) than on right-wing sites. That, though, must be the subject of another report.

Whoever wrote the report seems deeply hostile to conservatives' opposition to the agenda of the Obama administration. For example:


<<< Many rightwing extremists are antagonistic toward the new presidential administration and its perceived stance on a range of issues, including immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs to minorities, and restrictions on firearms ownership and use. Rightwing extremists are increasingly galvanized by these concerns and leverage them as drivers for recruitment. >>>


Millions of Americans--not just "rightwing extremists"--are concerned about the administration's positions on immigration and many other issues. Note that wherever possible, the authors slip race into the discussion, as with the reference to "expansion of social programs to minorities." I'm not aware of a single social program that the Obama administration has proposed to "expand to minorities." But the authors' assumption is, apparently, that anyone who opposes the expansion of social programs must be a racist. Once again we see the assertion that right wing extremists are "galvanized" and are "leveraging" these issues as "drivers for recruitment." But is recruitment up, down, or stable? The report doesn't say, and its authors evidently don't know.

The report returns to its theme of the similarity between conditions today and in the 1990s:

<<< Paralleling the current national climate, rightwing extremists during the 1990s exploited a variety of social issues and political themes to increase group visibility and recruit new members. Prominent among these themes were the militia movement's opposition to gun control efforts, criticism of free trade agreements (particularly those with Mexico), and highlighting perceived government infringement on civil liberties as well as white supremacists' longstanding exploitation of social issues such as abortion, inter-racial crimes, and same-sex marriage. >>>


What do abortion and gay marriage have to do with white supremacy? Nothing. Many millions of Americans oppose abortion and a majority oppose gay marriage, yet these commonplace views are somehow associated in the minds of the report's authors with "white supremacists." This tells us more, I think, about the people who wrote the report than it does about abortion and gay marriage opponents.

It's not hard to see where the authors stand on immigration, either:

<<< Rightwing extremists were concerned during the 1990s with the perception that illegal immigrants were taking away American jobs through their willingness to work at significantly lower wages. >>>


That, once again, is a view shared by many millions of Americans.


<<< Debates over appropriate immigration levels and enforcement policy generally fall within the realm of protected political speech under the First Amendment, but in some cases, anti-immigration or strident pro-enforcement fervor has been directed against specific groups and has the potential to turn violent. >>>


Is it just my imagination, or does the acknowledgement that debate over immigration policy is protected speech seem a bit grudging? The authors cite a single example in support of that last assertion:


<<< In April 2007, six militia members were arrested for various weapons and explosives violations. Open source reporting alleged that those arrested had discussed and conducted surveillance for a machinegun attack on Hispanics. >>>


I've not been able to find any reference to the alleged plot against Hispanics in any news account of this arrest. The link to immigration comes from "open source reporting;" does that mean that the report is relying on left-wing blogs? If not, what does it mean?

One of the report's most offensive features is its casual defamation of servicemen and veterans:


<<< A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that "large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces." >>>


The "prominent civil rights organization" is the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center. But what support is there for SPLC's assertion that there are "large numbers" of "white supremacists" serving in the armed forces--as opposed to, say, a "tiny handful"? The SPLC's full report is entirely anecdotal; the closest thing to data is this:


<<< [Scott] Barfield, who is based at Fort Lewis, said he has identified and submitted evidence on 320 extremists there in the past year. >>>


But even this alleged statistic appears to be false. Barfield was a gang investigator, and what he actually said was: "I have identified 320 soldiers as gang members from April 2002 to present." So we now have the Department of Homeland Security defaming our servicemen on the basis of a press release by a left-wing pressure group that misrepresented the principal empirical support for its claim. Nice.

The Homeland Security report further supports its suspicion of returning veterans by referring to an FBI report released last year:


<<< The FBI noted in a 2008 report on the white supremacist movement that some returning military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined extremist groups. >>>


So, how many are "some"? You can read the FBI report, titled "White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel since 9/11," here. Notwithstanding the deliberate vagueness of the Homeland Security document, the FBI was actually very specific:

<<< A review of FBI white supremacist extremist cases from October 2001 to May 2008 identified 203 individuals with confirmed or claimed military service active in the extremist movement at some time during the reporting period. This number is minuscule in comparison with the projected US veteran population of 23,816,000 as of 2 May 2008, or the 1,416,037 active duty military personnel as of 30 April 2008. ...

According to FBI information, an estimated 19 veterans (approximately 9 percent of the 203) have verified or unverified service in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. >>>


There you have it: a whopping 19 actual or alleged veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan have joined the "extremist movement." (The FBI notes that some of these "may have inflated their resumes with fictional military experience to impress others within the movement.")

It's hard to avoid the conclusion that this Homeland Security report is politically motivated, and reflects the authors' political prejudices more than an objective evaluation of a significant terrorist threat. In that context, the report's conclusion seems a bit ominous:


<<< DHS/I&A will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months to ascertain with greater regional specificity the rise in rightwing extremist activity in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the political, economic, and social factors that drive rightwing extremist radicalization. >>>

powerlineblog.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/16/2009 3:24:43 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
The Politicization of the Department of Homeland Security

By Lee Cary
American Thinker

The recently released Department of Homeland Security assessment of rightwing extremism represents an alarming politicization of that huge federal agency.

The 10-pages document is entitled: "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." Its source is the Extremism and Radicalization Branch of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis Assessment, of the Department of Homeland Security. (Imagine the size of their security badges.) Read it here.

gordonunleashed.com

American Thinker Jim Byrd's article entitled "Is Texas A Terror State?" provides a catalogue of transgressions that cumulatively define rightwing extremism. Byrd concludes that, when measured against Governor Rick Perry and Texas, the Lone Star State is solidly in the rightwing extremism column. (Excluding Kinky Friedman, of course.)

American Thinker Lance Fairchok's article entitled "DHS, 'Rightwing Extremism' and Information Warfare" places the DHS document in the context of information warfare.

Next, let's crawl into the weeds of this "amateurish" (Fairchok's accurate assessment) intelligence analysis, and examine its literary style.

First, its language is replete with vague and unsubstantiated hypothetical statements. Here are just seven examples.


1. "may" - "It is unclear if either bill [concerning mandatory firearm registration, and tagging and registration of ammunition] will be passed into law; nonetheless, a correlation may exist between the potential passage of gun control legislation and increased hoarding of ammunition..." (p. 6) (Or, folks are just frightened.)

2. "may" - "Because debates over constitutional rights are intense, and parties on all sides have deeply held, sincere, but vastly divergent beliefs, violent extremists may attempt to co-opt the debate and use the controversy as a radicalization tool." (Like what ACORN did with the AIG executive homes tour?)

3. "potential" - "High unemployment, however, has the potential to lead to alienation, thus increasing an individual's susceptibility to extremist ideas." (p. 4) (Might those also be leftwing extremist ideas, too?)

4. "potential" - "DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremist groups' frustration over a perceived lack of government action on illegal immigration has the potential to incite individuals and small groups toward violence." (p. 5) (Greater than the collective violence committed by illegal immigrants now held in federal prisons? And what's "perceived"- as though this perception is not reality - about millions of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. anyway?)

5. "could" - "Nevertheless, the consequences of a prolonged economic downturn...could create a fertile recruiting environment for rightwing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past. (p. 2) (And the implied long list of those confrontations from the past is found where exactly?)

6. "could" - "Rightwing extremist paranoia of foreign regimes could escalate or be magnified in the event of an economic crisis or military confrontation, harkening back to the ‘New World Order' conspiracy theories of the 1990's." (p. 6) (Refresh our memories, what were all those criminal acts that the NWO conspiracy theorists committed?)

7. "potentially" - A prominent civil rights organization [Which one?] reported in 2006 that large numbers [How many is large?] of potentially violent neo-Nazi, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces." (p. 7) (The lingering impact of Timothy McVeigh whose motives remain unclear.)


Secondly, it's full of vague and hypothetical assertions based on anecdotal and dated examples from the mid 1990's, with just a sprinkling of more current events.

Ruby Ridge, Waco, the Pittsburgh head case who recently killed three policemen (No mention of the gunman who killed four policemen in Oakland. Didn't fit the template, did it?). Three rightwing militia members arrested in Battle Creek Michigan with weapons. In 1996.

So, what was the comparable social trauma behind the mid 90's events? (The analysts missed citing the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby.)

Lastly, the timing of the release of this document near April 15 is, well, it's suspicious. Using the DHS/I&A intelligence assessment composition model:

The possible correlation between the release of this report shortly before the scheduled rightwing-related Tea Parties could indicate an effort by some to potentially distract attention away from the legitimate protests of April 15 against federal taxes in a way similar to the 1998 bombing of a Sudanese aspirin factory.


A long time ago, a young, U.S. Army, counterintelligence agent submitted reports to a hardscrabble, retired, master sergeant for his review and editing. It was the rare report that didn't bounce back covered with words lined-out in red ink, and comments scribbled in the margins like "Says who?" "How do you know that?" "Prove it."

If he edited the DHS/I&A's intelligence assessment, it'd come back looking like a CSI crime scene.


americanthinker.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/16/2009 3:58:20 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Alert the Media, and DHS Urban Legends of Right-Wing Extremism

by Ed Morrissey
Hot Air
April 15, 2009

I’ll be appearing on the Jack Riccardi show this morning at 11:30 am CT. Jack broadcasts out of San Antonio on KTSA 550 AM. The station has an Internet stream, so even if you don’t live in San Antonio, you can listen live to the show.

Jack wants to discuss the DHS report on “right-wing extremism”, a warning on threats that the DHS never bothers to quantify and explicitly says that don’t exist to their knowledge. What could be worse? Tom Maguire discovers that the authors of this political hit piece can’t even research what little data they provide. They use an April 2007 court case to justify their fear of ethnic violence, but never bother to look at the actual court documents. Here’s the argument from the report:

<<< — (U) In April 2007, six militia members were arrested for various weapons and explosives violations. Open source reporting alleged that those arrested had discussed and conducted surveillance for a machinegun attack on Hispanics. >>>


Well, that was what the media reported, but court documents and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms debunked the story:


<<< At a May 1 bail hearing, ATF agent Adam Nesmith seemed to testify that the government had evidence of the five militia members plotting a machine-gun attack on Mexican immigrants in the nearby town of Remlap. Nesmith described a reconnaissance mission the militia allegedly conducted in Remlap and told the judge, “There was a plan to attack a group of Mexicans in the Remlap area with their machine guns.” The judge denied bail, and the alleged backwoods militia machine-gun plot made news across the country. One typical headline the day after the bail hearing read, “Alabamians planned to machine gun Mexicans.”

But there is no mention of any specific plan to kill Mexicans in the search warrant affidavits or any other court document related to the Alabama Free Militia defendants, and the ATF says Nesmith’s testimony was misconstrued. [ATF regional director] Cavanaugh told the Intelligence Report that Nesmith did not mean to suggest that the defendants plotted to machine-gun Mexicans. What Nesmith meant to convey, Cavanaugh said, is that the militia members were planning to steal machine guns from Mexicans in Remlap — not to shoot the Mexicans with machine guns. “The purpose of the [reconnaissance] trip described by the agent in the testimony was to go to those Latinos and take their machine guns, which the militia believed them to possess,” Cavanaugh said. >>>


Great work, DHS! They’re quoting debunked wire reports rather than researching the actual cases. Tom continues:


<<< Yet this is one of only two examples cited of racist militia incidents triggered by the immigration debate. And the DHS cites “Open source reporting” as making the allegation. My goodness, other open source reporting debunked it - can’t the DHS analysts even make a phone call to BATFE to confirm this, or buy a subscription to Google? Or do they just believe any damn thing they read it if suits their storyline (hmm, can the Times handle the new competition? Can the Huffington Post?) >>>


The other example cited by DHS doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, either, but read Tom’s post to see why.

Clearly, this is not just a political hit piece designed to invalidate opposition to Barack Obama’s policies, but a shoddy piece of work in every other sense as well.

hotair.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/16/2009 8:17:38 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
    When President Bush was in the Oval Office, the left 
    celebrated "disgruntled war veterans" who spoke out against
    the war in Iraq .... But now that the Great American Healer
    is in power, the number of the wrong kind of disgruntled 
    war veterans is suddenly on the rise.

Enemy of the State?

By Pamela Meister
American Thinker

According to the nororious recent government report, I am a "radical right wing extremist."

If you didn't vote for Barack Obama, if you're unhappy with our tanking economy and the government's complicity in said tanking, or perhaps more odiously, you are a war veteran - you are, for all intents and purposes, an enemy of the state, subject to surveillance by law enforcement and security officials, who have been officially advised of the danger you represent.

So let's see: I didn't vote for Obama. I am unhappy with the government's complicity in our economic decline and the power grab that is the ultimate goal of the Fed's fiddling. But, I am not a veteran. Well, two out of three ain't bad.

If you went to a tea party, you might be an enemy of the state. If you have a bumper sticker on your car that is unflattering to Obama, you might be an enemy of the state. (I find it particularly interesting that the post-racial president is now stoking the fires of racism in order to discredit his critics.) If you are concerned about the government's attempt to radically curb your Second Amendment rights - whether or not you own a gun - you might be an enemy of the state. If you want to revive the true meaning of the Tenth Amendment, you too might be an enemy of the state.

Do you see a trend here? Obama and his fellow travelers are what Mark Levin calls Statists, defined below in part from his current bestseller Liberty and Tyranny:


<<< For the Statist, liberty is not a blessing but the enemy. It is not possible to achieve Utopia if individuals are free to go their own way. The individual must be dehumanized and his nature delegitimized. Through persuasion, deception and coercion, the individual must be subordinated to the state. He must become reliant on and fearful of the state. His first duty must be to the state - not family, community, and faith, all of which have the potential of threatening the state. Once dispirited, the individual can be molded by the state. (p. 16) >>>

Speaking of Statists, remember the Borg from Star Trek? "Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." Gene Roddenberry and his cohorts might have been on to something.

<<< "Giving away your freedom is easy. Taking it back is hard. One thing politicians are good at is humiliating people who dare to challenge them." - Christopher Chantrill >>>


Within the DHS report there is the admission that there is

<<< "no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues." >>>

In other words, we've got nothing on you but we're watching your every move. Considering that Obama and some of his closest advisors come from the Chicago political machine, where seek and destroy missions are the way things are done, we really shouldn't be surprised at a report which has no hard evidence of anything, but seeks to discredit - even destroy - anyone who doesn't toe the Statist line.

Such is the state of political life in America today. When President Bush was in the Oval Office, the left celebrated "disgruntled war veterans" who spoke out against the war in Iraq - in fact, so eager were they to find veterans with anything bad to say that could be connected to Bush and Iraq, they sometimes didn't bother vetting their sources and touted tales that ended up being bogus.

But now that the Great American Healer is in power, the number of the wrong kind of disgruntled war veterans is suddenly on the rise. And of course, what is the best example they can come up with in this report?


<<< "After Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991, some returning military veterans - including Timothy McVeigh - joined or associated with rightwing extremist groups." >>>


Let me see if I have this right: one crazy vet blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City with a little help from his friends and suddenly all war veterans are suspect? How insulting to our men and women in uniform can you get?

During the Bush years, we were told that dissent was patriotic. Wasn't it Hillary Clinton who famously screeched,


<<< "I'm sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you're not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we're Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration"? >>>


But today, dissent has become, well, if not unpatriotic, unfair and downright mean, to quote Michelle Obama. We have to give Barack Obama a chance. A chance to do what? Good question.

Our framers intended for the government to serve its citizens, not the other way around. As our government seeks more control over the markets and other segments of American society, average Americans are seeing the light and getting fed up with it. And if my not being afraid to say so makes me a "radical right wing extremist," then so be it.

The only thing I ask is that my cell has a clean mattress.

Pam Meister is editor for FamilySecurityMatters.org. She also contributes to Pajamas Media and Big Hollywood. The opinions expressed here are her own.

americanthinker.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/17/2009 3:59:24 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Homeland Security Report Issued Despite Civil Rights Concerns

By John
Power Line

The Associated Press says that the Homeland Security report on "right wing extremism" was issued despite objections from the Department's civil rights division:


<<< Civil liberties officials at the Homeland Security Department did not agree with some of the language in a controversial report on right-wing extremists, but the agency issued the report anyway. ...

Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa said the report was issued before officials resolved problems raised by the agency's civil rights division. Kudwa would not specify what language raised the concerns. >>>


There must be a story behind this vaguely-reported conflict. Why the hurry to rush the report into the hands of local law enforcement? Was someone at Homeland Security anxious to get it out before the "tea parties" that were scheduled for April 15? If not, then what gave the report such urgency? Its strongest warning was against the possibility of veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan turning to violent, right-wing extremism, but veterans have been returning from Afghanistan since 2002 and from Iraq since 2003. An investigation of the circumstances under which this report was written and disseminated appears to be in order.

powerlineblog.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/17/2009 5:53:28 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
    At the bottom of the cover page is a warning that it is
    "not to be released to the public, the media, or other 
    personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know."


I Am an Extremist

Oliver North - Common Sense
CREATORS SYNDICATE

WASHINGTON — According to the U.S. government, I am an extremist. I am a Christian and meet regularly with other Christians to study God's word. My faith convinces me the prophecies in the Holy Bible are true. I believe in the sanctity of human life, oppose abortion, and want to preserve marriage as the union of a man and a woman. I am a veteran with skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. I own several firearms, and I frequently shoot them, buy ammunition, and consider efforts to infringe on my Second Amendment rights to be wrong and unconstitutional. I fervently support the sovereignty of the United States, and I am deeply concerned about our economy, increasingly higher taxes, illegal immigration, soaring unemployment, and actions by our government that will bury my children beneath a mountain of debt.

Apparently, all this makes me a "rightwing extremist." At least, that's what it says in the April 7 "Assessment" issued by the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of Homeland Security. The nine-page report, titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," is full of warnings about American citizens who share any part of my background or subscribe to the beliefs above. It is one of the most alarming documents produced by our government that I ever have read.

Evidently, neither you nor I ever was supposed to read this "Assessment." At the bottom of the cover page is a warning that it is "not to be released to the public, the media, or other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know." We're Americans. We have a need to know what's going on in our government, especially in an administration that promised to be "transparent." A full copy of the report is posted at freedomalliance.org.

The "Assessment" purports to alert law enforcement officials that "rightwing extremists" — the term is used more than 35 times — are intent on exploiting Americans who have strongly held beliefs on everything from Christian faith to rising unemployment, U.S. sovereignty and the Second Amendment. It vilifies those of us in these categories by references to neo-Nazis, racists, militias, white supremacists and other "hate groups." Notably, the report includes a warning that right-wing extremism "may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

Though the report proffers a passing reference to the First Amendment, it is replete with bias against conservative thought, writing and communications.

On Page 3, law enforcement authorities are warned, "Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived (emphasis added) loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures."

That is a frightening acknowledgment that political speech is being monitored in America. It is also wrong. It's not "perception." It is fact. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the manufacturing and construction sectors have lost 161,000 jobs and 126,000 jobs, respectively, last month alone.

In its "Key Findings," the DHS manuscript boldly charges that "rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues" and offers this warning: "The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks."

Under the heading "Disgruntled Military Veterans," the report alleges: "Rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists — including lone wolves or small terrorist cells — to carry out violence." These unsubstantiated claims are followed by reminders that Timothy McVeigh, who bombed the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995, was a military veteran. Omitted is any reference to the fact that McVeigh was simply one of more than 40 million veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

Thirteen lines after this egregious, unconscionable slander against those of us who are military combat veterans, DHS makes the stunning charge that "lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent rightwing extremist ideology are the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States."

According to this DHS "Assessment," the most dangerous threat we face here at home isn't from radical imams preaching violence in U.S. mosques and madrassas, Islamists recruiting in our prisons, Somali terrorists enticing young immigrants to become suicide bombers, or Hamas, Hezbollah or al-Qaida operatives plotting mass murder. No, according to DHS, the real threat comes from what our government labels "rightwing extremist ideology."

Mr. Obama should disavow this report publicly and fire the officials responsible for issuing it. Those who prepare his remarks for the occasion should insert in the teleprompter former Sen. Barry Goldwater's words on the subject: "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice."

Oliver North is the host of "War Stories" on Fox News Channel, the founder and honorary chairman of Freedom Alliance, and the author of "American Heroes." To find out more about Oliver North and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.

creators.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/20/2009 1:26:08 PM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Scappleface: DHS to release left-wing group report via Twitter

By Scott Ott
Examiner Columnist
4/17/09 1:24 PM

News fairly unbalanced. We report. You decipher

After the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sparked a firestorm of protest from right-wing extremists over a nine-page report on the "resurgence in radicalization and recruitment" among right-wing extremist groups, DHS chief Janet Napolitano announced today that her department would soon release a similar report on leftist groups via Twitter.

The 'Rightwing Extremism' report warned that the current economic crisis, and the election of a black president, could inspire returning war veterans and others to join violent groups plotting against their own nation.

Twitter, a social networking site, allows users to post messages -- called tweets -- of up to 140 characters, including spaces, punctuation and misspellings.

Napolitano said the Obama administration always seeks balance, but explained that "given the relative dearth of left-wing extremism in the U.S., we figure we'll be able to post an in-depth analysis tweet, and still have characters to spare."

"I think it's fair to say that, for all practical purposes, there really are no left-wing extremists," said Napolitano. "Every time we get a report on a such a group, and we investigate, we find that they're just regular folks who believe the same things that I do, that the president does...Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi...these people are right down the middle."

The Homeland Security Secretary said the report to be issued on Twitter would be called "Mainstreamists: Just Going with the Flow."

Meanwhile, Napolitano said she would meet with veterans to apologize for what many saw as a disparaging characterization in the report on right-wing extremists.

"I would say that I'm sorry if some of our deeply-troubled war vets misunderstood our report because of their limited education," Ms. Napolitano said. "After all, they joined the military because they had no other options. We at Homeland Security should be sensitive to folks who didn't have the benefit of a liberal arts education, or the kind of wisdom that comes from high-level policy meetings in Washington D.C.."

Examiner Columnist Scott Ott is editor-in-chief of ScrappleFace.com, the world's leading family-friendly news satire source.

washingtonexaminer.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)4/24/2009 8:24:39 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Red Scare

Posted by Iowahawk

FILM PROJECTOR

thlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthl

ROLL TITLES

"It Could Happen Here!"

A PRESENTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

JANET NAPOLITANO, DIRECTOR

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
AND THE HOUSE ANTI-TAX ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

AN IOWAHAWK EDUCATIONAL FILMS PRODUCTION

SCROLL

march music


The story you are about to see is true. Or, at least, could be true. At this very moment dangerous subversive extremist elements are infiltrating our communities and schools, bent on destroying our American Way of Life. These are the shadowy forces of International Constitutionalism. Agents from the Department of Homeland Security are on the trail of these nefarious Red State saboteurs, but it will take a vigilant public - including ordinary high school students like you - to help bring them to justice before it's too late. Only with your help can we preserve the American Way!

-- Janet A. Napolitano


NARRATOR

This is Pinewood Lane, in Anytown, USA. A street probably a lot like yours. Happy citizens enjoying the bounty of living in this great land of ours. At 1102 we find the Baxters -- Mom and Pop, teen twins Bobby and Debbie, little Susie and Grandpa. A typical family who knows what it means to be an American. Why, here comes Gus the Mailman! I wonder what he's got in his mailbag for the Baxters?

How about that -- it's a mortgage bailout for Pop, an NEA grant for Mom's transgressive performance art collective, and guaranteed student loan applications for the twins. They're off to State U next fall to study Lacanian Semiotics, you know. And for Gramps, a letter from Medicare -- they've finally approved that gender reassignment surgery he's always wanted.

Yes sir, that's a mighty fine benefits package the Baxters harvested today, all courtesy of the United States of America in Washington DC. Hey, wait Gus! Before you head off to your next stop, Pop has something for you, too. It's his annual tax contribution ready for delivery. Patriotic Pop is mailing it early this year because he knows the wise folks in Washington will put that money to work for all of us through the collective magic of economic stimulus. No wonder Pop sealed it with a kiss!

That's the beauty of our American Free Prize System - regular folks bundling our money together for our leaders, who return it a thousandfold in free prizes for all. How does it work? All we really need to know is that it's the best system in the world. A lot of us take it for granted - but there are some who want to take it away.

hoodlum peers behind a tree at the Baxters; sneers, combs greasy mop with a switchblade comb

HORNS

bomp bomp BAAAAAAAAH!

fade out

NARRATOR

It's first period American History at Anytown Chomsky High. Hey, it looks like there's a new face in class -- could it be the mysterious young stranger from Pinewood Lane?

MS. ANDERSON

All right, students, calm down. We have a new boy joining in class. John? John Smith, stand up and say hello to your new classmates.

JOHNNY

Hey Toots, I go by "Johnny," see?

class laughs, Bobby and Debbie Baxter exchange concerned looks

MS. ANDERSON

That will be quite enough, students! And I suggest you watch that sassy mouth of yours, Mr. Smith. Now everyone open your textbook to page 23, "Iraq: America's Imperialist Hegemony Chickens Come Home to Roost."

NARRATOR

Bobby and Debbie notice that there's something just quite not right about Johnny. The air of contempt. The pasty complexion. The way he slouches and fidgets in his desk when when the teacher explains America's legacy of genocidal racism.

MS. ANDERSON

Now who can tell me how capitalist phallocracy gave rise to Military-Industrial Complex? Mr. Smith?

Johnny snaps his fingers rhythmically, unaware he is being called on

Mr. Smith... is that a transistor radio earphone?

JOHNNY

Oh yeah... hey, teach, like, it's cool, I'm listening to NPR. Terri Gross is talking about gay marriage chapels in Vermont.

Ms. Anderson walks over and grabs the radio out of his motorcycle jacket

MS. ANDERSON

Just as I thought... AM talk radio! Young man, report to re-education hall this minute for fairness cleansing!

Johnny swaggers out of the class, combing his hair; Bobby and Debbie Baxter exchange concerned looks; fade out

NARRATOR

During lunchtime in the school cafeteria, Bobby and Debbie see the new student Johnny sitting alone. They want to be friendly, and have been trained to be on the alert for potential Columbine-style loners and outcasts. So they decide to strike up a conversation with him -- but they're in for a big surprise.

BOBBY

Mind if we sit down?

JOHNNY

Go ahead, it's a free country.

BOBBY

Haha, good one! You're quite the cut-up, Johnny. By the way, I'm Bobby Baxter. I'm a senior and president of the Future Tax Collectors of America.

JOHNNY

Reet poteet, Daddy-o. Hubba hubba, who's the tomato?

Johnny ogles Debbie hungrily

DEBBIE

I'm Debbie Baxter, Bobby's twin sister. I'm varsity captain of the Eco Spirit-ettes. Go Polar Bears! Where did you say you came from, Johnny?

JOHNNY

Tex... heh, I mean, San Francisco. Yeah, that's it - San Francisco.

BOBBY

Look, Johnny... we saw what happened in History this morning. Maybe you got off to a rough start, but you've still got a chance to fit in. Why don't you join one of the after-school clubs? There's the Diversity Club, the Peace-a-longs, The Diversitarians, Feces Art Society, The Multidiversies...

DEBBIE

...don't forget the Multiculturalettes!

BOBBY

And how, sis! What do you say, Johnny? It'll be swell! And all our clubs have full federal funding. If you wash that greasy kid stuff out of your hair, I think you might even be FTCA material!

JOHNNY

No dice, Daddy-o! Taxes are for squares.

Bobby and Debbie look at each other quizzically

DEBBIE AND BOBBY

"Squares"?

JOHNNY

Yeah - L-7s. Cubes. Melvins. Nosebleeds.

DEBBIE

Bobby... I think he means he doesn't like them!

BOBBY

Johnny! Keep it down! Do you want the Hate Speech monitors to hear you? That kind of language could be interpreted by as illegally offensive! They could send you off to Juvie for that!

JOHNNY

Ha! There ain't no such thing as illegal speech.

BOBBY

What!? Says who?

JOHNNY

Sez dis.

Johnny whips out a laminated card from his dungaree pocket, close up of the Constitution

HORNS

bomp bomp BAAAAAAAAH!

NARRATOR

And so it begins. What Debbie and Bobby don't know is that "John Smith" is actually Johnny "Snake" Republico, secret agitator for the forces of International Constitutionalism -- the insidious extreme rightwing ideology that seeks to bring America to its knees by enslaving our helpless unsuspecting government, and stop it from giving you all the things that you want. It spreads like a cancer, slowly driving victims into violent, racist, anti-tax madness. It takes a strong will to resist the Consties' hypnotic sales pitch -- are Debbie and Bobby up to it?

DEBBIE

"In Congrefs"... what is this thing?

JOHNNY

Get hip to the glissando, kitten! Feast you baby blues on the Constitutionalist Manifesto. Dig this... I got the right to say what I want, pray how I want, assemble with anybody I want, nice and peaceable-like. It's all right there in Amendment numero uno!

BOBBY

Whoa, hold on there. Ms. Anderson says that kinda stuff is only for the Guantanamo prisoners!

JOHNNY

Just read it, Daddy-o. It'll flip your lid and make you blast off to crazyville!

fade out; fade into split screen of Bobby and Debbie in their respective beds, reading the Constitutionalist Manifesto with flashlights

NARRATOR

Against their better judgment, and the warnings of their teachers, Bobby and Debbie Baxter decide to experiment with Constitutionalism. 'Just a little before bed, to help me relax,' they say. Soon their curiosity grows stronger. Mom and Pop start noticing changes.

MOM

Lights out, Debbie! Remember you have that big Patriarchy midterm tomorrow.

DEBBIE

Yes Mother. Oh, and and Mother... can I borrow Grampa's makeup tomorrow? Johnny is taking me to the Spring Mandatory Sensitivity Grievance Hop tomorrow night.

MOM

Johnny Smith? That strange greasy rude boy your brother has been hanging around lately? Oh, Debbie, I'm just not sure...

DEBBIE

Please mother? Shulamith Firestone is leading one of the workshops. I think putting on a little makeup will help raise Johnny's conscious about lookism. Aren't we supposed to mobilize the lumpenproles?

MOM

Well... alright. I don't suppose Grandpa will mind if you borrow a little of his rouge and mascara. But stay out of his gown closet, young lady! G'night.

In the living room

MOM

George, I'm worried about the kids. Ever since they started hanging around that Smith boy, they've been acting strangely. Do you think we ought to report it to the authorities?

Pop looks up from his copy of In These Times

POP

Now that you mention it, Bobby has been out-of-sorts lately. I got a note from the school mental health nurse the other day, said Bobby got all het up about "quartering soldiers," or some nonsense. Kids today, I guess. I wouldn't get worked up though, I guess it's probably just one of those teenage phases.

MOM

I suppose so. Honestly, sometimes I wish I had aborted them when I had the chance.

NARRATOR

Instead of trusting their own instincts, Mom and Pop let the incidents pass, neglecting their duty to alert trained federal security authorities in the deluded hope that the problem would go away on its own. Every time Bobby and Debbie met Johnny after school "at the malt shop" things turned worse -- much worse. Debbie dropped out of Multiculturalettes and the Eco-Peps. Bobby's grades in Community Journalism and Queer Theory plummeted. Then one night Johnny dropped by the Baxters' to pick up the twins for some sort of "party"...

POP

Hi there, you must be Johnny. Say, that's quite an automobile you got out there. What is it?

JOHNNY

It's a '49 Merc. I mean... Prius.

POP

It sure is big. Are you sure it meets mandatory federal safety and fuel standards?

JOHNNY

Uh, sure, Daddy-o. It's like, uh, solar-powered.

POP

Well, I'll be! Sure makes a lot of noise for a solar. I couldn't help but notice you don't have a single bumper sticker on it.

JOHNNY

Oh, yeah. well, ya see, um, I just put on a new paint job. Lacq... I mean, sure, some kinda super ecology saver paint. All copacetic with Big Mama Planet, and like that.

POP

Phew! That's a relief. For a minute there I thought you might be one of those no-bumpersticker extremists. I don't want you young folks to get pulled over on suspicion of anything. Here, take one of my Nader 04's. Say, is that snake tattoo on your arm? "Don't Tread On Me"... what does that mean?

JOHNNY

What is this, Daddy-o -- some kind of interrogation? I''m pleading the 5th!

BOBBY

Reet poteet, Jackson! Slip me some skin!

Bobby and Johnny go through elaborate handshake

Hurry up, sis, It's time to agitate the gravel!

POP

Robert Baxter! Since when did you start talking like that? And why are you wearing a tricorn hat?

BOBBY

Unlax, Daddy-o! I know my rights!

DEBBIE

Hey, Tiger.

Debbie is at the top of the staircase, chewing gum in capri pants and tight American flag sweater. Johnny lets out a long wolf whistle.

MOM

Deborah! For Gaia's sake, stop objectifying yourself! Just what kind of party is this?

JOHNNY

The wildest, baby. The wildest!

DEBBIE AND BOBBY

Ha ha ha!

Debbie, Bobby and Johnny race out to Johnny's Merc and peel out

POP

Lucille... what is this thing that dropped out of Johnny's coat?

HORNS

bomp bomp BAAAAAAAAH!

MOM

Great Earth Mother... it's a teabag! Look away, George!

Pop shrieks, begins sobbing uncontrollably on Mom's shoulder; fade out

NARRATOR

After an emergency call to the Department of Homeland Security, two of the bureau's top agents arrive on the scene to help the Baxters stop the madness from ending in tragedy.

AGENT JONES

It's a good thing you called us when you did, Ms. Baxter. We ran the description you gave us through the DHS Univac, and we positively ID'd the suspect as Johnny "Snake" Republico, notorious ant-tax rebel.

GRANDPA

Can I offer you officers some free trade espresso? It's fresh!

AGENT JONES

No thank you ma'am. Gee, that's a pretty dress you have on there.

GRANDPA (flustered)

oh you sweet thing!

AGENT JONES

As I was saying, we've had Republico on our watch list for some time. He's no teenager -- he's a babyfaced adult and a card-carrying Constie. In fact, he spent a 3-year stretch in the Marines.

POP

Marines!?

shreiks, sobs

AGENT OLSEN

I'm sorry you had to hear that sir, but I'm afraid your children are in great danger. Republico matches every profile we have for a dangerous sleeper terrorist - pallid complexion, male, military veteran, weirdly unenthusiastic about paying taxes. It all adds up to one simmering, boiling cauldron of racist, misogynist, anti-government, anti-tax terrorism waiting to explode. In fact, we believe he may even have a gun.

POP

gun!?

shreiks, sobs

AGENT OLSEN

Yes sir. Owning guns is part of the Consties' sick and perverted Manifesto. In fact, the Marines make their recruits swear an oath to it. If I were a betting man I'd say Republico has kidnapped your children and taken them to some sort of illegal Tea Party gathering where they're about to be brainwashed -- without the proper Department of Education permits!

MOM

Are you sure?

AGENT JONES

Ma'am, Agent Olsen is the top expert analyst on the DHS rightwing monitoring task force. Olsen, show her your Georgetown PoliSci diploma.

MOM

I'm sorry, I didn't know. What gets in these people's heads -- don't they know that our very lives depend on government? Our mortgages, our jobs, our food, Garrison Keillor - without taxes, how do these Consties think we can pay dedicated public servants like you?

AGENT JONES

It's a mystery Ma'am.

Gus the kindly mailman bursts through the door

GUS THE MAILMAN

Agents! Come quick! there's some sort of ruckus down at the docks!

agents put on fedoras and bolt to the door; fade out

NARRATOR

Meanwhile, at the docks, Bobby and Debbie Baxter are going through Stage 2 of the Consties' evil indoctrination program -- a so-called "Tea Party" led by Constie propagandist saboteur and rightwing hate DJ Smash Taxbill.

SMASH

Welcome hepcat daddy-os and teen comrades! The hour of our ascendancy is here! Tonight we will poison the entire waterfront with our teabags, and bring the entire government of Anytown to a halt -- and without filling out an environmental impact statement! Minorities and women will be hardest hit! Bwahahaha! Today Anytown, tomorrow Berkeley! Now, look closely into the spinning spiral... feel the soothing rights...

BOBBY, DEBBIE, JOHNNY (mesmerized)

All Hail Madison and Jefferson!

screaming sirens, screeching tires

SMASH

Cheese it! It's the feds!

pandemonium as DHS agents burst onto the scene, guns blazing

AGENT OLSEN

Stop! In the name of the Fairness Doctrine!

Olsen unload seventeen rounds into Taxbill's gut; he clutches his chest and drops lifeless over a crate of Celestial Seasonings

BOBBY

Nooooo! Not Snake!

Just as Jones is about to fire at Republico, Bobby Baxter jumps in front of the bullet and drops to the floor

JOHNNY

Speak to me Daddy-o!

BOBBY

Live... free... or... die....

Bobby drops dead.

JOHNNY

You'll never take me without a warrant, coppers!

Johnny scales the nearby Anytown watertower

Top of the World, Ma!

DEBBIE

Johnny, give yourself up, baby! We can fight this in court, just like it says in the Manifesto!

JOHNNY

Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket! The Manifesto will protect me!

Johnny pulls the laminated Constitutionalist Manifesto from his cuff and brandishes it at the agents

Come and get me, you filthy coppers!

AGENT OLSEN

Open fire!

A hail of bullets slice through Johnny's Manifesto, and he tumbles 100 feet to his death. Olsen and Jones stand over his lifeless body.

AGENT OLSEN

Ironic, isn't it?

AGENT JONES

How's that?

AGENT OLSEN

Seems Johnny and his pals ended up just like their heros - dead white males.

AGENT JONES

It's even more ironic that he fell from a government water tower, on to this goverment sidewalk.

AGENT OLSEN

If you ask me, 'Twas beauty that killed the grease. Speaking of which, book Debbie Baxter -- on aggravated political deliquency!

Debbie is frog-marched to a waiting DHS paddywagon

MOM

Well, young lady, what do you have to say for yourself?

DEBBIE

Hah hah hah! Guess what? I'm pregnant with Johhny's child!

HORNS

bomp bomp BAAAAAAAAH!

POP

Sweet holy Gaia! Do you realize what this means, Lucille?

MOM

Debbie's first abortion! Oh honey, we're so happy for you!

DEBBIE

Abortion? I'm going through the birth! And then I'm giving it away... to a pentacostal preacher in Oklahoma!

HORNS

bomp bomp BAAAAAAAAH!

Pop shrieks, faints

MOM

Not if I can help it!

Mom grabs Olsen's revolver

Time for a certain late term medical procedure, you ungrateful brat! Taste my right to choose!

Mom fires 11 shots; Debbie drops to the floor, dead

HORNS

bomp bomp BAAAAAAAAH!

AGENT JONES

Good aborting there, Ms. Olsen!

GRANDPA

Anyone for expresso? I made it fresh! Did I miss something?

BAXTERS, AGENTS

Oh, Gramps, you scalawag!

everyone laughs happily; fade out to swelling music

JANET NAPOLITANO

Hello, I'm Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano. Although this particular story ended happily, who knows what could have happened to the US Treasury had the Baxters not alerted the authorities? That's why it's important for students like you to remain ever-vigilant for the warning signs of International Constitutionalism, and know how to respond. Do any of your classmates nod off in class during various Cultural Awareness Weeks? Does the soda jerk at the local malt shop complain about his FICA withholding? Have you heard rumors of unsanctioned, not-for-credit protest marches?

If so, you may be face to face with a Constie. Don't panic, and remember the 4 steps: (1) Stop, Drop and Roll. (2) Duck and Cover. (3) Cover your ears, and scream "Teabaggers! Teabaggers!" (4) Call your local Department of Homeland Security office to clear the area. Practice with your friends and teachers, and pay attention during the weekly school drills. It's up to all of us to stop the Consties, because the next victim could be you... or you... or YOU.

THE END

FILM PROJECTOR

thlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthlthl fwipfwipfwipfwip fwipfwip fwip fwip... fwip.... fwip


iowahawk.typepad.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)8/14/2009 3:42:29 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Hat tip to Robert G:

ALG Blasts DHS Methodology Used in "Rightwing Extremism" Memo Revealed in Freedom of Information Response by Department

getliberty.org

August 11th, 2009, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today condemned the methodology used by the Department of Homeland Security in issuing a controversial “right-wing extremism” threat assessment to law enforcement in April as “complete speculation.”

“Our worst fears about what went into this memo have been confirmed. The government department that was supposed to be tasked with identifying domestic terrorist threats is apparently using news stories, kooky websites, and conjecture instead of actual hard intelligence reporting and analysis,” said Wilson.

“This is a disgrace, and calls into question what it is that the so-called ‘Extremism and Radicalizaton Branch of the Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division’ actually does,” Wilson added.

Americans for Limited Government filed a Freedom of Information request in April demanding all documents related to the drafting of the controversial “right-wing extremism” memo. It has now received an interim response from the Department related to “All data and all studies, reports, or other documents regarding data created or reviewed by the Department in general to draft the Report… [and] on the specific groups listed in the footnote on page 2 of the Report that were used by the Department.”

Those studies and reports included 217 pages, “releasable in their entirety, all of which are publicly available,” according to the DHS FOIA response. All of the data used by the Department are available via the Internet. A summary of the web-links is included here.

In a recent edition of the Clews-Todd Report, ALG top researcher Don Todd recently gave his assessment of the memo and DHS’ FOIA interim response, “Here you have a bunch of government bureaucrats surfing the web that come up with this crackpot website [http://whatdoesitmean.com], and then they alert all the police agencies in the country to look out for veterans, pro-lifers, and people that believe in states' rights.”

FOX News today exclusively reported on DHS’ response to ALG’s freedom of information request.

“Not a single study or report was from any government source,” said Wilson. “And again, there was no evidence of any actual active recruitment of ‘disgruntled veterans’ by these groups, no evidence showing that folks who purchase guns or oppose gun-control legislation are necessarily dangerous, and no evidence that the economic downturn or the election of Barack Obama that is fueling any actual ‘resurgence’ of ‘extremism.’”

The memo had reported that “rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans”.

“We already knew that the memo did not illuminate on any actual planned attacks or any groups known to be planning attacks, or any groups with histories of perpetrating attacks that are currently conducting any types of operational recruitment, meeting, or planning attacks,” said Wilson.

“And now we know why,” Wilson added, explain, “The background DHS used was not based on credible intelligence sources, reporting, and analysis. Instead, what we found is that the Department was apparently surfing the net to see what news stories happened to turn up to support a pre-determined conclusion,” Wilson explained.

In defining “rightwing extremism,” the Department of Homeland Security memo targets “groups, movements, and adherents… that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority” and “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

“We now know for a fact that DHS was monitoring political speech and thought, whether on the Internet or via other forms of communications,” said Wilson, pointing to websites included in the DHS FOIA response that tracked gun-control legislation.

The memo had claimed that “Many rightwing extremists groups perceive recent gun control legislation as a threat to their right to bear arms and in response have increased weapons and ammunition stockpiling, as well as renewed participation in paramilitary training exercises.”

Previously DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said, “We are on the lookout for criminal and terrorist activity but we do not – nor will we ever – monitor ideology or political beliefs.”

“DHS’ response to our freedom of information request unfortunately confirms in no uncertain terms that their hunt for ‘rightwing extremists’ was nothing more than a witch hunt,” Wilson concluded.



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)8/14/2009 3:47:49 AM
From: Sully-1 Recommendation  Respond to of 35834
 
ALG's Wilson demands Napolitano resignation for using 'kook website'

By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor beltway-confidential
08/12/09 6:18 PM EDT

Bill Wilson is steamed at Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, so much so that he is demanding her resignation in the wake of revelations of a "kook website" as a major source for that controversial "threat assessment" issued earlier this year warning of an allegedly growing threat of terrorism by RIght-wing extremist.


<<< "Janet Napolitano must resign immediately from her post at Homeland Security over this outrage," Wilson said earlier today. Wilson is chairman of Americans for Limited Government, a conservative activist non-profit.

"The Department of Homeland Security used a kook website to indict the American people in drafting the 'rightwing extremism' memo. Its use in intelligence gathering was deplorable and highly dubious, not mention insulting to the tens of millions of Americans who were targeted by the memo."

He was referring to the site known as "whatdoesitmean.com, which appears to be a "news service" that publishes apocalyptic warnings about the end of the world. According to material ALG obtained from DHS under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the federal department used at least 11 citations from the site.

"Under Napolitano's watch, government officials who were supposed to be gathering real intelligence on domestic terror threats were instead surfing the web and reading whacky websites, all to create the public perception of 'rightwing extremism,'" Wilson said.

The DHS report warned of allegedly impending domestic terrorist acts by gun owners, pro-life activists, people concerned about states rights, and returning U.S. military veterans. Wilson said the department prepared the report "without any intelligence sources, crime data, or actual evidence of planned attacks or any groups known to be planning attacks, or any groups with histories of perpetrating attacks that are currently conducting any types of operational recruitment, meeting, or planning attacks."

You can read a complete list of the web sites used by DHS here. Prominent among those is the site of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left non-profit based in Mongtomery, Alabama, that for years has seen all kinds of Nazis and KKKers behind every bush in America, but especially those located south of Mason-Dixon Line. Just today, it issued a new report that AP breathlessly and uncritically accepts as credible.

You can read ALG's fact sheet on the report here. And check out this Clews-Todd Report from ALG.

washingtonexaminer.com



To: Sully- who wrote (30091)8/26/2009 7:10:48 AM
From: Sully-  Respond to of 35834
 
Darn Right-Wing Militias

By Bruce McQuain on The Jawa Report
QandO

Via The Jawa Report, a little “domestic terrorism” update. First St. Louis:

<<< A federal search warrant obtained by the Post-Dispatch connects a former Democratic campaign strategist to a Clayton bombing last year that seriously injured an attorney.

About two months after the October bombing, federal law enforcement officials searched the downtown loft of Milton H. “Skip” Ohlsen III, seeking “evidence related to the planning, execution, and/or cover-up of the bombing in Clayton, Missouri, on October 16, 2008.” Ohlsen in recent weeks has been at the center of a swirling political scandal that is threatening the political careers of at least two Missouri Democratic legislators. >>>

Then, Austin, Texas:


<<< A Texas woman faces trial this month in Austin on charges she threatened to kill a government informant who infiltrated an Austin-based group that planned to bomb the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., last fall…

…Crowder and McKay were part of a group of activists that had gone to the Twin Cities to take part in street demonstrations. The FBI had infiltrated the group with Darby. Crowder and McKay built eight of the gasoline firebombs but didn’t use them, a fact law enforcement officials credited to Darby.

Members of the Austin protest community heaped scorn on Darby, saying he had betrayed longtime friends and colleagues. >>>


I’m headed over to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website to see what they have to say about these right-wingers and their hate crimes …. oh, wait …

~McQ


qando.net


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