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DHS Lexicon for Extremism |
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Prayer-Soldier writes "On 5 May 09, “Fox News” reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) withdrew a document released on 26 Mar 09 which, according to the document, was designed to “assist federal, state, local, and tribal homeland security and law enforcement officials in conducting analytic activities.” The document, posted on the “Washington Times” web site, stated that its purpose was to provide, “definitions for key terms and phrases that often appear in DHS analysis that addresses the nature and scope of the threat that domestic, non-Islamic extremism poses to the United States.”
The document defines such terms as anti-abortion extremism, anti-immigration extremism, environmental extremism, and right wing extremism. As originally reported in the “Washington Times,” DHS withdrew the report shortly after its original release. The “Washington Times” story comes less than a month after another DHS document drew significant public attention when it identified veterans returning from Iraq as potential recruits for rightwing extremist groups.
The report, entitled, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” related that, “The economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.” The report outlines that the combination of economic drivers, end time prophesies, gun control legislation and extremist issues such as anti-abortion and anti-immigration are creating fertile recruiting conditions for rightwing extremist groups.
The report states, “Antigovernment conspiracy theories and 'end times' prophecies could motivate extremist individuals and groups to stockpile food, ammunition, and weapons. These teachings also have been linked with the radicalization of domestic extremist individuals and groups in the past, such as violent Christian Identity organizations and extremist members of the militia movement.”
The report continues, “Many rightwing extremist 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. Such activity, combined with a heightened level of extremist paranoia, has the potential to facilitate criminal activity and violence.”
Perhaps the most controversial statement in the report was the reference to the concern that “rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.” Fox News reported on 16 Apr 09 that Janet Napolitano said, “To the extent veterans read it as an accusation ... an apology is owed.”
The controversy was stirred just as many Americans were taking to the streets to peaceably protest tax policies and excessive government spending. Language in the report seemed to include many of the concerns expressed at these protests, perhaps striking too close to home for many Americans. For example, the report stated, “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.”
A footnote of the report stated, “Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”
While the concern and focus of the two documents are domestic extremists that pose violent threats, the political issues such as religion, abortion, immigration, gun control, taxes and economic conditions are also part of mainstream American concerns. The documents are for use by law enforcement agencies to help identify potential extremists, but the definitions and commonality of the issues are so broad that some would question if the documents are intelligence analysis or political commentary.
On 27 Mar 09, WorldNetDaily (WND) reported that the state of Missouri withdrew a similar report produced by the Missouri Information Analysis Center. According to WND, the report, “warned law enforcement to watch out for individuals with "radical" ideologies based on Christian views, such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion and federal taxes.”
It is natural that state and local law enforcement will rely upon federal intelligence products and augment with local analysis. Many might be concerned that our government would produce such analysis that would cast the net of suspicion over millions of Americans, but we should also be encouraged that a free press was able to give exposure such that government officials took corrective action. We should be further encouraged that the source of release of these reports were local law enforcement officials that were forced to raise their eyebrows at such reports."
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Posted on Thursday, May 07 @ 00:28:52 MDT by drbonebrake
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