It’s always hard being the member of a political minority. An overwhelming percentage of the population, at least the part that even cares enough to vote, is fundamentally conservative. This is not meant ideologically – the public simply does not usually care for radical or rapid change, which is what most every political minority advocates. But it just got a lot harder.
The reason is a recent report released by the Department of Homeland Security. According to The Washington Times the report, supposedly highlighting an increase in “rightwing extremist activity” was sent out to law enforcement officials across the country.
The paper also notes that the report informs the police and sheriff’s departments that the federal government “will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months” in order to collect information on “rightwing extremist activity in the United States.”
The report claims this increase in “right extremist activity” is driven by the economic recession, the election of America’s first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans. But just who are these “rightwing extremists?”
In a footnote to the report a definition is given stating “rightwing extremism in the United States” includes not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority and “may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”
So to simplify, it appears that potential threats of domestic terrorism are no longer just the Klan and neo-Nazi skinheads but also now include anti-immigration and former Rep. Tom Tancredo, the Catholic Church, and the Cato Institute.
This DHS report bears striking similarities to a strategic report by the Missouri Information Analysis Center. The strategic report suggested members of the Libertarian and Constitutionalist parties, along with individuals displaying items like Campaign for Liberty materials, Ron Paul bumper stickers, and the famous “Don’t Tread On Me” flag are frequently members of dangerous militias and therefore constitute potential threats to law enforcement officers.
After receiving extreme criticism for the broad sweeping implications of the report the state of Missouri admitted it was wrong and retracted the report. Unfortunately Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security Secretary, is standing firm in support of the DHS report.
This support comes in the face of not only criticism from many maligned groups, such as members of the pro-life movement, veterans’ groups, and libertarians, but also the ACLU and prominent members of both the Republican and Democratic parties.
The greatest furor has been over the labeling of returning soldiers as potential threats, a suggestion even the White House has backed away from, but there has been considerable upset over other elements as well.
Top House Democrat Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to Secretary Napolitano, saying he was “dumbfounded” that the Department could have even considered releasing the report.
The Washington Times reports that “In his letter to Ms. Napolitano, Mr. Thompson demanded that Homeland Security officials explain how and why they wrote the report and whether it poses any threat to civil liberties.”
Reminding Napolitano that freedom of speech and association are guaranteed to all Americans, regardless of how extreme their sentiments may be, the congressman expressed deep regret that the Department allowed the memo to be sent to law enforcement officials around the country.
The ACLU has echoed Thompson’s concerns. According to Mike German, policy counsel for the ACLU “Certainly, the right-wing report is focused far too much on rhetoric and things people say and things people think rather than on criminal activity and the people involved in criminal activity…There is plenty of crime out there for federal, state and local law enforcement to worry about. They don’t need to invent threats that they have no factual basis for supporting.”
This report is even more distressing when one considers the recent Tea Party events held across the nation. These protests of President Obama’s plans to raise taxes and spending likely drew anywhere from 250,000 to 600,000 attendees nationwide according to 538.com.
Will the Department of Homeland Security consider these individuals potential domestic terrorists as a result of their “anti-government” sentiments? President Obama has yet to undo a great many of the egregious expansions of federal power put in place by his predecessor.
This report is a clear sign more attention needs to be paid to the Obama administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Freedom of thought is one of the foundations of a free society – it’s no coincidence that most dictatorships readily prevent the existence of political movements that challenge the state orthodoxy.
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I often here that somehow libertarians are utopian. Our two party system is creating so many parallels of socialist and communist dictatorship societies that the same thing MUST be said to those who fall into the two party trap that has created so many messes including the stigma placed on different ideologies that threaten no one. The insanity that a few gun toters out of 300,000,000 is worth ANY report shows the severe problem of collective thought on a very basic level.
Indeed being a minority is hard. A life of explaining why you believe what you believe to those who don’t understand your philosophy themselves, and who will not take the time to learn another way but their own.
My goodness…. I often —– hear* that somehow libertarians are utopian.
I don’t usually correct errors in posts, but crap
[...] why our gubment is creating would-be/could-be enemies everywhere. So let’s see here; complaining about the IRS is terrorism, returning veterans are extremists(pdf), and your daughter’s stuffed animal is the leader of [...]