This post is not about how Obama is messing everything up. It is about respecting the brave men and women who have selflessly sacrificed so much, including their lives, to keep our country safe. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a report titled, "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." I've strived for objectivity here, forming my opinion after reading the report itself, not after listening to or reading conservatives' opinions about it. For those so inclined, click here to read the entire report.Here are some quotes from the report: "The DHS has no specific information that rightwing terrorists are currently planning any acts of violence, but [they] 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 and recruitment." Hmmmmmm, no specific information. They may be gaining new recruits. This speculative theme continues throughout the report (I'll quickly admit this is definitely not the first time our government has produced speculative "intelligence." Republican administrations are guilty as well).
So who are these potential recruits DHS is so concerned about? None other than our returning military vets. "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." Here's another one under the "Disgruntled Military Vets" section. "A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that 'large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces." Apparently, the organization was so prominent that DHS forgot to mention its name, the numbers so great that DHS omitted the count. How about a citation for this report? Why not name it? Why accept this bigoted hearsay? Where's the proof? Where's the data?
Just ONE 14 yr. old statistic is cited in the entire report - Tim McVeigh, the 1995 OKC bomber who quickly washed out of the Special Forces program. But to make the link that all returning vets are disgruntled, violent, anti-semitic, racist (our president is half black), can't handle the economic recession, and can't be trusted with firearms, and therefore likely recruits for Rightwing extremist groups, is laughable based on merely ONE example that happened 14 years ago. That's just as absurd as assuming that every bearded, turban-wearing man is likely to become a jihadi warrior, hijack a plane, or blow himself up.
I'm not a military vet, but I have family members who are, and I find this shoddy report downright offensive. If they don't come home in flag-draped caskets, our vets will now be suspiciously monitored thanks to the baseless, politically-biased propaganda produced by their own government. Veterans deserve, at minimum, to be thanked, respected, and honored by people of EVERY political persuasion. They don't deserve to be monitored, feared, and labeled as possible recruits for Rightwing extremist groups. I think an apology would be appropriate.
To her credit, Janet Napolitano, Sec. of DHS, offered an "apology" last Thursday: "To the extent that veterans read it as an accusation, an apology is owed. This was an assessment, not an accusation." Hey, it's better than nothing, right? But wouldn't it have been much better if she apologized for the report's actual contents, and not for how the veterans reacted to them?
