With the least surprising news of the day — that the Occupy movement has turned violent, and “G-d bless them” — it is worth revisiting the despicable report on “rightwing extremism” released in 2009 by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano:
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.
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The report, which was first disclosed to the public by nationally syndicated radio host Roger Hedgecock, makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have “specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence.” It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers.
An objective observer would have come to the conclusion that nothing in the conservative/libertarian rise pointed to a penchant for or intentions of violence, whereas leftists not only have had violence on the table, but have literally been shouting it through megaphones.
Even without the blaring evidence, the objective observer would have deduced the difference in behavior expected from those desiring a return to the rule of law versus those desiring limitations on liberty.
The government should have been prepared for leftist violence, and now it’s here, and they are not ready because resources were devoted to harassing the law-abiding.
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