Security report a mistake / LJWorld.com

Archive for Wednesday, April 22, 2009

By Mike Hoeflich

April 22, 2009

The April 7 release of the Department of Homeland Security’s report on potential threats from right-wing extremist groups was a serious mistake for the new Obama administration. As the report itself makes clear at the very beginning, the DHS has no evidence to suggest that any extremist group is currently planning to take violent action in the United States nor, indeed, does DHS even have evidence of preliminary preparations for such activities in the future.

Instead, the DHS report consists of a series of speculations based upon tenuous and often very weak bases which will, without doubt, both increase public fear of domestic terrorism and lend credence to many of the baseless rumors circulating on the Internet and on conservative talk radio that the new administration is planning new legislation and new law enforcement initiatives against both conservative groups and individuals. If there is, in fact, no evidence to support fears of imminent or near-term right-wing domestic terrorism, then, in my opinion, there was no reason to issue this report now.

What is undoubtedly true is that the American public is not unified in its politics nor in its support for the new administration. For many Americans, President Obama presents an image of hope and of positive change. But for some Americans the new president is frightening. I do not think it is fair to attribute the fears that some Americans have of the new administration to racism, as the DHS report implies. There’s no question that there is prejudice and racism out there; there are Americans who hate blacks, Jews, Muslims, and Catholics. But these are not the only people who are buying guns or stocking up on ammunition. One of the strengths of the United States is its diversity.

We are a nation of liberals and conservatives, of pro-choice and pro-life supporters, of hunters and of vegans. We’re not always as tolerant of each other as we ought to be. Some troubled people see difference as something to be feared and, in extreme cases, are driven to violence. But I believe that these are the exceptions.

While I think that it is imperative that the federal government protect the citizenry against those people who would use violence to achieve their ends, I think that it is crucially important that the label of extremism be used sparingly. The federal government must not assume that those who hold certain beliefs on gun ownership or immigration or even race should be immediately categorized as violent extremists. I’m afraid that the April 7 DHS report will be read by many as doing this and may alienate many people who would never take up arms against the government or other Americans.

I was particularly offended by one part of the DHS report. This section read, in part: “...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.”

This is a terrible thing to suggest about American men and women who have suffered years of stress, deprivation and danger to protect their country and their fellow citizens. It reminds me of the horrible statements made during the Vietnam War that returning black soldiers posed a danger to society because they would return home, become radicalized and start a revolution. It didn’t happen then and it won’t happen now.

If the federal government is really worried about reintegrating returning veterans, let’s make sure that they get the services and help they need; warning law enforcement about potential dangers from returning veterans is not the way to do this. The DHS, its director, Janet Napolitano, and the White House owe every veteran and every man and woman serving in the military an apology for this statement.

Every administration, especially in its early days makes mistakes. The DHS memorandum of April 7 was imprudent, divisive and just plain wrong-headed. But it can be easily remedied. The president should speak out candidly and publically as he has done many times already in his short tenure and state that this memorandum does not represent what he believes or what his administration believes and that he understands that not everyone who opposes his policies or even fears his policies is a potential danger to the nation.

President Obama and his administration need to reach out not just across the aisles in Congress but across the often wide divide that separates Americans. He needs to calm the fears of those who oppose his policies, reassure them that even though he may disagree with them, he will not treat them with anything less than the respect they deserve and that unless individuals or groups advocate violence, the government will not, based on little or no evidence, treat them as criminals.

— Mike Hoeflich, a distinguished professor in the Kansas University School of Law, writes a regular column for the Journal-World.

Discussion

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22 April 2009
at 8:58 a.m.

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Keith (Anonymous) says…

Did you miss the report on the left-wing extremists also released by DHS? Remember, if the law is against you, pound the facts. If the facts are against you pound the law. If both are against you, pound the table.
22 April 2009
at 9:11 a.m.

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TomShewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…

“The Huddled Masses” coming to the theatre near you! Starring Barack Obama, Timothy Geithner, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid with special appearances by Janet Napolitano and Eric Holder.
22 April 2009
at 2:39 p.m.

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igby (Anonymous) says…

It sounds like they are planning another Waco. I hope they don't shoot anyone's dogs and raid their property and burn 80 people at the stake over a bogus informants talk about WMD's when they only had a lousy SKS.

Waco, was in fact what got the Dems kicked out of the House and Senate in 1994. Waco, bungling by the FBI and the Clinton's, rallied the right-wingers and out the Dems did go; for 15 years.

If you remember back then when this happened, the liberal press played it like the branch people were child molesters and had all these people there as hostages and that's why the FBI went there. But, in the Senate hearings , the FBI blamed it on a bad informants information.

They will attack some christian group this time because they will set them up for the attack and use the same misinformation as before, a bad informant.
22 April 2009
at 2:47 p.m.

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Keith (Anonymous) says…

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

Or so says Stephen Stills.
22 April 2009
at 3:47 p.m.

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meggers (Anonymous) says…

The reason for issuing the report is pretty clear to me: If someone had realized that Timothy McVeigh's right-wing extremism had blossomed into a desire and a plan to commit an act of terrorism, he might have been stopped.

Not that domestic threats are limited to one political ideology or the other. A case in point is the environmentalist radical that just made the 'most wanted' terrorist list.

But back to the right-wing extremists. It stands to reason that when self-serving partisan ideologues prey upon the ignorant by continually ratcheting up their rhetoric to incite intense fear, distrust, and even hatred, the consequences could potentially be much more serious than a few people getting together to share tea bags.
22 April 2009
at 4:21 p.m.

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meggers (Anonymous) says…

I should have also pointed out that Timothy McVeigh was a veteran. While most soldiers serve their nation honorably and are able to successfully assimilate back into society once their military career is over, an alarming number of vets are returning home with severe cases of PTSD, which is very difficult to effectively treat, yet if left untreated, can pose a serious risk to the individual, their loved ones, and society at large.

Patriotism is a wonderful thing and I support our nation's veterans as much as anyone else. One is certainly capable of supporting the troops without obscuring or denying reality. If the report is indeed factual(and I have seen no evidence to the contrary), no one is owed an apology.