Posted on 04/20/2009 8:39:29 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Janet Napolitano continues to thrash around for any rationalization she can find for the DHS report that painted political organizing on abortion, federalism, and immigration as potential national-security threats and called returining military vets a danger to the country they served. Yesterday on CNN, Napolitano tried explaining that the DHS doesn’t see these vets as threats. The DHS sees them as saps who don’t know any better than to fall into extremist traps:
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Sunday portrayed veterans as victims – not perpetrators – of right-wing extremism as she sought to combat the political controversy arising out of an April 14 Homeland Security memo warning that returning soldiers could be ripe for domestic terrorism participation.
“The report is not saying that veterans are extremists. Far from it,” Napolitano said on CNN’s State of the Union. “What it is saying is returning veterans are targets of right-wing extremist groups that are trying to recruit those to commit violent acts within the country. We want to do all we can to prevent that.”
Yes, the poor dears are victims that obviously can’t decide themselves not to join violent groups … none of which the report bothers to name, by the way. Unlike the report on left-wing extremism, which names several known groups with track records of violence, the DHS report that Napolitano continues to defend never bothers to name an actual threat. Instead, it repeatedly states that DHS has no data on actual threats:
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.
And how does the DHS identify “domestic rightwing* terrorists”?
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.
So the Federalist Society has gone from being a group that follows the Constitutional tradition to being a potentially dangerous extremist group! And what did the report actually say about veterans? Page 2, the first mention of veterans in the report, makes veterans sound more like perps than victims:
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.
That doesn’t say that terrorist groups will exploit senseless veterans and trick them into becoming violent terrorists. It presumes that veterans have a predisposition to become violent extremists because of the difficulties that they have “reintegrating into their communities.” It’s the latest corollary to the every-Vietnam-vet-is-a-powderkeg belief. It’s not until two pages later that the report mentions the issue of recruitment and radicalization. And on page 8, we get this rather large section header: (U) Disgruntled Military Veterans
Napolitano is not only condescending towards veterans in her latest rationalization, she’s being completely dishonest about the way the DHS assessment treats returning combat vets. The report identifies them as a potential national-security threat to the country which they defended on the front lines.
DHS needs to stick to watching the groups themselves, and not people exercising their First Amendment rights and returning military veterans. In fact, the first thing Napolitano should do is to actually get threat data, instead of making up a bunch of scare stories about political dissent while not bothering to identify actual known racist and white-supremacist groups with track records of violence who should be watched.
I forget the name, but the first mate (I think) voices for the men, that it's been a productive morning, and (I think this is a quote .. ) .. "But Cap'n .. we've been killin' all mornin' ... y'can't call us in now."
Nemo ignores the plea and the fact that they are in a lucrative whale field to go on his insane quest.
Napolitano and the entire zero administration is in fear of Americans (the 2nd ammendment), and the military (they've tasted blood)
"“What it is saying is returning veterans are targets of right-wing extremist groups that are trying to recruit those to commit violent acts within the country. We want to do all we can to prevent that.”
Not that our military is blood thirsty ... but consider ...
If I (f'rinstance) returned after a tour in a combat/killing zone .. and I was there for the idealism I had been taught as a child and matured as an adult/warrior ... and came home to this zero administration ... I just might be a dangerous man on my own ... I recognize the enemy, and I have been trained to eliminate him.
zero is afraid of us
We have them surrounded ... there are more of us than them.
>They’re still searching for their gonads with hands and a mirror and coming up empty!!
Yep, it’s disgusting; see post 17.
They’re cutting the budget for the real military,
while giving ACORN uncounted millions...
and is that money being spent on weapons and training?
It is disgusting that the free, open, and honest elections in Iraq put ours to shame. {ACORN anyone? What about the “I found a box of ballot!” stories? The countless re-counts? It that Mass thing DONE yet?}
In fact, the first thing Napolitano should do is resign. The fact that she hasn't merely confirms that we have a drive by media which agrees with the DHS assessment. It's the latest version of John Kerry saying veterans are schmucks who joined the military because they had no prospect of good civilian jobs and Vietnam baby killers. Welcome home, indeed.
She’s our threat....not Vets.
Hello hole meet shovel.
And I do mean Hole.
How arrogant. This is typical liberal mindset, though. Her and Kerry, peas in a pod.
Why is the extreme right-wing Napolitano’s concern for sucking in veterans?
She doesn’t worry about MS-13, jihadist and black gangsters getting military training? Just those redneck skinhead white boys.
It’s not as if this was totally Napolitano’s idea.
There’s no way this memo went through without 0bama’s approval.
Make that Captain Ahab.
“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...”
I guess the founding fathers were right wing extremists, then, since that is precisely what they wanted - a federal government with very limited, well defined powers with the remaining powers going to the states and the people!!
She should be removed for ignorance and or stupidity, not to mention for failing to uphold her oath to defend the constitution!
Someone should photoshop the “Halp Us Sen. Kerry” troop photo with a saying something like: “Halp us Nappie, we’re 2 stoopid to avoyd extremists.”
Let ol’ Nappy keep harping, she is doing more to shape the attitudes and choices of Americans than anything else that we could do.
Senator Obama says he wants the Secretary of Defense to tell him, swiftly:
"What changes will you make to provide our soldiers in theater with real access to mental health care?"
"What training has the Pentagon provided our medical professionals in theater to recognize who might be at risk of committing suicide?"
"What assistance are you providing families here at home to recognize the risk factors for suicide, so that they may help our service members get the assistance they need?"
"What programs has the Pentagon implemented to help reduce the stigma attached to mental health concerns so that service members are more likely to seek appropriate care?"
The last 2 US military veterans to become terrorists were John Allen Muhammad (DC sniper, NOI member, attended million man march) and Sgt. Asan Akbar (muslim convert) who murdered Captain Christopher Seifert. Both of these muslim converts committed terrorist acts after the Murrah Federal Building was bombed in 1995. Yet Napolitano conveniently forgets these events and pulls Timothy McVeigh out of her ass.
You nailed it - the military has been trained to recognize the enemy - no wonder the enemy fears them.....
Impeach Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
Captain Nemo was Captain of the Nautilus-20,000 Leagues Beneath The Sea.
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