The Perils of Trusting the GovernmentThe blogs are a-buzzin' regarding the leaked DHS document on "Right-Wing Extremism" (#1 item on Memeorandum). A few highlights:
- Malkin contacted the press office of the DHS and has confirmed the FOUO document is not a hoax.
- One of my favorite political reporters, David Weigel, has a very dissapointing post where he condones this type of activity by the federal government (even though he once wrote for the libertarian Reason). His time at Washington Independent has mostly been spent criticizing far-right rhetoric as asinine, but it's a pretty big step to go from Stewart-style ridiculing to saying that his fellow countrymen need to be part of a federal dragnet. What a shame.
- Other progressive blogs like Think Progress, who get up in arms when 9/11 masterminds have their legal rights violated, see no problem with citizens in flyover land being the target of misleading characterizations as "domestic terrorists". I'm sure you all didn't see that hypocrisy coming.
This gets repeated over and over again during the report. They have no threat information. In fact, the report can’t even say definitively whether “extremists” are gaining “new recruits”. In order to find that, they’d have to identify the actual groups, note the recruiting patterns, and determine whether in fact they’re gaining recruits or losing members. Bottom line: DHS has no actual data. They’re pulling threats out of their collective arse and publishing them without any supporting research whatsoever.I have no idea why an intelligence assessment would be written if there was no data. I used to have the pleasure of writing documents like this in Iraq and anyone (military or civilian) would look at you like an asshole if you tried to pass off something that was based on hypothesis and no reliable sources of information/trends. It sounds more like left-wing jabber about Tea Parties being secret white supremacy gatherings than a useful assessment for intelligence officials. What an embarrassment. I feel bad for my Coastie friends who are part of this bungling bureaucracy.
Update: Famous DC Gaddabout TSO has the letter sent to the DHS by the American Legion.
See what the others have said:
15 comments:
Now where would anyone get the idea that White Supremacists were involved?
Also, the left has never been targeted for their political beliefs.
Look, the second that DHS spies on a Tea Party organizer because he has a Ron Paul sticker, I want that spy fired. But it's an incontrovertible fact that there are anti-government, murderous extremists out there who are 1) being driven crazy by Obama and 2) trying to recruit veterans to their cause. Last weekend I had a good, 50-minute chat with a militia leader who had once been arresting for fighting with cops.
I really see no problem with warning local cops about this stuff.
egads!
Thanks Anon, for leaving that link. I think one of the biggest differences between the two reporsts, though, is the existence of *specific* research and *nameable* groups - as opposed to blanket judgements and citing McVeigh as solid "evidence."
Supposedly there is a Jan09 DHS report floating around about left-wing extremism. Anyone seen that anywhere?
David,
I appreciate you leaving a comment, and your most likely correct that somewhere out there is one guy, who is a veteran, that is wrapped up in a white supremacist type organization. But this DHS document does not list specific groups and just makes ridiculous assumptions about "returning veterans" in general. So the report stretches for broad trends amongst modern veterans that are embarassingly inaccurate. Even the White House is distancing themselves from this monstrosity. I have a lot experience based on personal observation that the military is not prone to breeding hate-filled extremists. And my empirical evidence may not be much, but it's a lot better than the evidence the DHS provided in their assessment (which was none).
Anonymous,
Yes, there are bound to be a few kooks at any protest, please come back and I should have some picture of some tomorrow evening. I'm pretty sure that the Tea Party was not created by StormFront.
Also, I didn't say the left has never been targeted (see Nixon's enemies list ), and I wouldn't support that either, unless they were conducting acts of violence/property damage.
Katy,
There's been some on eco-terrorist type groups recently. Here's a link.
Thanks for the link, Nixon (Yup, that was me up there...not sure why my commenting name changed. weird)
I don't think the report indicates all right wingers are to be targeted. Which is what every freaker out there is now saying. No, it indicates that there are meatheads like this all over the country. You get a couple together, you get a dozen, you've got trouble.
I've heard with my own ears people indicating they are ready to take arms. They of course are panty waste of the chickenhawk variety, but none the less... All because they got a tax cut and the top dogs go back to Reagan era tax rates?
If you've got no ill intentions why would any of you worry?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09095/960750-53.stm
Nine days, homo. NINE DAYS! Night of the fucking vampire... AT THE FUCKING WESTIN!
Night of the vampire? Is that some creepy sexual reference? hate to dissapoint but I'm not going to be at the Westin. Sorry DeWald.
Nixon- If you don't wear your sunglasses and scarf over your face this 'anonymous' assclown will never recognize you!
Are you going to be in DC?
watch out Nixy. He's going to go all Twilight on ya.
This wasn't a serious assessment. This was simply an attempt to intimidate those that would participate in today's Tea Party events.
By threatening to label certain people 'right-wing zealots,' the Obama regime is threatening to monitor people's private activities. Note how none of the groups mentioned supported the Leader's election.
Any chance this is the beginning of the end, or at least the beginning of the winding down of DHS?
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