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malaise

(295,181 posts)
Sat Aug 12, 2017, 07:44 PM Aug 2017

Before we celebrate all these ReTHUGs who are condemning the white supremacist/neo- [View all]

Nazi murder and violence today, please list the ReTHUGs who objected to the Obama Administration DHS Report on white supremacist/neo-Nazi groups when Janet Napolitano was DHS Head.

Republicans Blasted Obama Administration For Warning About Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism
https://thinkprogress.org/republicans-blasted-obama-administration-for-warning-about-right-wing-domestic-terrorism-de556496606c/
<snip>
The gunman in the shooting at a Sikh temple over the weekend has been labeled a potential domestic terrorist — defined as one who incites politically-motivated violence against his or her own country. In Wade Michael Page’s case, that political motivation was likely white supremacy, a growing problem in the United States.

But when, in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security reported that white supremacy is the US’s biggest threat for domestic terror, it was met with harsh criticism. Conservatives blasted the department for defining terror threats too broadly, instead of focusing on potential Islamic terrorists. Then-House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) was one of those who berated DHS, saying that they weren’t focusing on the real threats the US faces:

[T]he Secretary of Homeland Security owes the American people an explanation for why she has abandoned using the term ‘terrorist’ to describe those, such as al Qaeda, who are plotting overseas to kill innocent Americans, while her own Department is using the same term to describe American citizens who disagree with the direction Washington Democrats are taking our nation. Everyone agrees that the Department should be focused on protecting America, but using such broad-based generalizations about the American people is simply outrageous.

The report was titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” and it named white supremacists, radical anti-abortionists, and a few “disgruntled veterans” as most susceptible to recruitment by extremist groups, or to harboring resentment that may lead to domestic terrorism. DHS stressed that, during recessions, these threats go up, and law enforcement should be on the lookout for such extremism:

DHS/I&A; has concluded that white supremacist lone wolves pose the most significant domestic terrorist threat because of their low profile and autonomy — separate from any formalized group — which hampers warning efforts..[…]

Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A; is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

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