Posted by
Mike the Maintenance Man on Thursday, April 16, 2009 8:00:11 PM
The Department of Homeland Security has released an assessment report on "right-wing extremism" and their "potential" for violent domestic terrorism and specifically targets conservatives and veterans as primary threats. According to the report, right-wing extremism is defined as "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."
So there you have it. If you are pro-life, oppose illegal immigration, or believe as the forefathers did in small federal government that is less intrusive in the lives of the citizens of the states, you are an extremist. The report further attributes many other conservative ideologies to extremists and "radicals," citing issues such as gun control, fiscal conservatism, and the desire for the longevity of American supremacy as a world power.
Particularly telling, is the emphasis of the report on ideology and its lack of information regarding a single threat of violence on the part of individuals holding such ideologies. In fact, the report specifically states that DHS has no evidence regarding a single right-wing plan to commit an act of violence. So, in reality, the report targets the opinions of conservatives as dangerous and specifically refers to the transmission of such ideas as "propaganda."
The real danger here is the emergence of a government sanctioned report aimed at the intimidation and silencing of dissenting opinions expressed by a particular group of people. Specifically disturbing, is the apparent attempt by a federal agency to restrict free speech rights through such intimidation. One is left to wonder, if this is the beginning of a much larger effort to silence and restrict any opposition to the current administration's policies and agendas and if they are on a list of potential threats.
Michael Nadeau
P.S. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are mine, and as such, I exercise them as long as free speech is still protected.