I
didn't know it, but I may be a danger to the United States of
America. According to a recent intelligence
assessment (pdf)
issued by the Department of Homeland Security, I am an extremist and
potential terrorist.
That
last bit caught me off guard. I understood DHS Secretary Janet
Napolitano banished the word terrorism in favor of the less stigmatic
“man-caused disaster”. The word terrorism sounds so harsh,
implying a malevolence to an action. While the phrase man-caused
disaster is much more forgiving description, allowing for an oops
factor to that same action. It has as almost Steve Erkle charm.
The next time you hear about bombs going off in a crowded
marketplace, or another plane is flown into a skyscraper, or if a
city is obliterated in a blinding flash underneath a mushroom cloud,
take a moment to temper your outrage. Just imagine the nasal
intonation, “Oh, did I do that?” Since the word terrorism is off
limits, so should be the word for a person committing such an act.
In keeping with Sec. Napolitano's example, from now on I will not
refer to a terrorist as a terrorist, but rather as a man-caused
disaster causer (MCDC). Anyway, back to this document. What is it?
Where did it come from? Why does it identify me, or even you, as a
potential MCDC?
For
starters, it goes under the title of Rightwing
Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence
in Radicalization and Recruitment,
and was prepared by the Extremism and Radicalization Branch, Homeland
Environment Threat Analysis Division at DHS. The purported goal is
to “... to facilitate a greater understanding of the phenomenon of
violent radicalization in the United States. The information is
provided to federal, state, local, and tribal counterterrorism and
law enforcement officials so they may effectively deter, prevent,
preempt, or respond to terrorist attacks against the United States.”
Despite that lofty introduction, it does little to facilitate
understanding, providing no information or guidance other than
suggesting law enforcement officers keep an eye on “rightwing
extremists”.
Just
who are these rightwing extremists? Well, according to DHS, they are
the usual suspects such as white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and other
hate-oriented groups. That is all well and good. Those that preach
hate and evoke violence to further their cause need watching.
However, DHS also names another group, ordinary citizens with views
differing from those approved by the Obama administration. That group
includes “... 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.”
DHS
has already named holding federalist views, opposition to abortion,
and demands for enforcement of immigration laws as sure fire ways to
identify someone as a rightwing extremist. What other issues of
concern can get a person on their list? Supporters of Second
Amendment rights are guaranteed a spot, right along with anyone
expressing concern over lenient courts or judicial activism. People
who have a problem with jobs going overseas are mentioned. Did the
union types catch that? Unless you want to be branded a rightwing
extremist, do not complain about NAFTA, CAFTA, SHAFTA, or any other
free trade agreement. Then there are those leaving the military.
They cannot be trusted. “DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing
extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans
in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military
training and combat.” Finally, the catch all which designates
anyone not completely on-board with Obama. The actual phrasing
states, “... 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.”
OK,
by DHS definition I guess I am a rightwing extremist. As such, DHS
says that I might turn to causing a man-caused disaster out of
misguided loyalty to that inconvenient old piece of paper known as
the Constitution. How about you? Are you a potential man-caused
disaster causer too?
Dennis P. O'Neil