It happens every time you get a dynamic Democratic president in office. It happened when William Jefferson Clinton hit Washington. The conservatives began hunting him in earnest and didn’t let up until they had him in their sights. Handing them the dagger didn’t help, but they would have found an opening regardless. Now they’re hunting again, but this time the perfect storm has settled in, with economics, alienation and anger all funneling into a fire that also has a racial component, with President Obama being the first African American ever elected to the presidency. So is it any wonder Homeland Security is on the alert?
When you add in the toxic gas of right-wing radio, which sells misinformation and fear by the commercial break, aided by other media (and political) enablers, the virulent hatred being spread across our airwaves is nothing to take lightly. Not that it hasn’t been there for over 15 years. It’s just been turbo charged since Obama.
The Washington Times reports that Barack Obama is a “recruiting tool” for the hate groups, with reporting that reveals Homeland Security on the alert.
The Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement officials about a rise in “rightwing extremist activity,” saying the economic recession, the election of America’s first black president and the return of a few disgruntled war veterans could swell the ranks of white-power militias.
A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines “rightwing extremism in the United States” as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority.
“It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration,” the warning says. [...]
Below is one part of the document, Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment, currently circulating on the web, bringing with it the upside of causing Michelle Malkin & Co. a great deal of indigestion.
(U//LES) 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 andrecruitment.
— (U//LES) 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.— (U//LES) 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. (U//FOUO) 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.
— (U//FOUO) During the 1990s, these issues contributed to the growth in the number of domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups and an increase in violent acts targeting government facilities, law enforcement officers, banks, and infrastructure sectors.
— (U//FOUO) 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.
(U//FOUO) 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.
* (U) 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. [...]
Note that “possible passage of new restrictions on firearms” nugget above. Oh, for want of a comma, but none was used, at least in this version. So forgive me if find exceptions to this passage, though I respect the seriousness of the message. (Update: As I said over “In the News,” I reject this entire paragraph in the DHS report.)
It’s not like this hasn’t been building since Obama surged last year.
Now that this document is circulating the web it’s only going to incite people more, with the aid of the wingnut radio hosts, of course, add in the now obligatory odd monologue sure to come from Glenn Beck, to put an exclamation on it all. It’s the nature of the wingnut beast.
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