What do you think? *UPDATED*
Bookworm on Apr 14 2009 at 3:47 pm | Filed under: Uncategorized
No doubt you’ve heard — especially because it’s spread out on the top of Drudge — that the NHS issued a general warning against the domestic terrorism dangers of “right wing extremists” especially vets. It didn’t identify any specific group, but just said extremists on the right can be dangerous.
There is a wild, hot debate now on the right side of the blogosphere (both in posts and in emails) about whether conservatives are right to be offended by this report. Michelle Malkin and Ed Morrissey strongly believe that, to the extent the report differs from other DHS reports in being strikingly vague, rather than focusing on a specific political group (except, of course, for those ex-vets), it is extremely offensive. On the other side, Charles Johnson and AJ Strata think that this is the usual DHS blather warning of extremism, and that it’s ridiculous for conservatives to get their knickers in a twist.
Just to throw one more thing in the mix, here’s a story from World Net Daily that I thought was a joke but that is, apparently, quite real. For a while there, Missouri was apparently targeting people with Ron Paul and Bob Barr bumperstickers. While I have no truck with these groups, to target them as radical extremists is insane.
So, what do you think?
UPDATE: I’m inclined to agree with this post at Power Line, which views the report as a peculiar document on its own terms because its accusations are vague and unsupported, its sources one-sided, and its stated facts (such as those regarding the correlation in the past between the mid-1990s economy and an upsurge in domestic terrorism) are just plain wrong. This is a political document, not a security assessment, and it’s therefore probably reasonable for conservatives to take umbrage (not to get hysterical, just to take umbrage) at its broad brush denigration of conservative beliefs, including the basic conservative tenet of a desire for a smaller federal government.
UPDATE II: More thoughts, triggered by ruminating over the Power Line post, which I liked a great deal because I believe that to point out the actual facts about the report — its errors, inconsistencies, omissions, straw men, overarching statements, and one-sidedness — is a good thing. That’s how we disinfect bad ideas.
To get furiously angry about the report, however, seems to me to be a problem, since it allows the Obama administration to point at our anger and say “See, we told you so.” In other words, we play right into their trap.
Cool anger and ridicule seem like the best way to expose the sheer silliness of this document (a document that would be much more useful if it targeted genuinely radical organizations on either side of the political spectrum), without giving the Left an opportunity to point fingers at us.
Related posts:
Email This Post To A Friend
13 Responses to “What do you think? *UPDATED*”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Yep, utterly insane…except for one thing: actions like these serve to “freeze and define the enemy”, in Saul Alinsky terms. I think that we are going to see a lot more of this as the Liberal Fascists try to define all of those that oppose them. This is not an isolated incident, it is part of a process.
We need to be very vigilant calling out actions such as these and, even better, heaping scorn upon them when they occur.
While I have no truck with these groups, to target them as radical extremists is insane.
They can’t profile Islamists, so they are going to profile their political enemies. Works for them.
Cool anger and ridicule seem like the best way to expose the sheer silliness of this document (a document that would be much more useful if it targeted genuinely radical organizations on either side of the political spectrum), without giving the Left an opportunity to point fingers at us.
Remember how the Left used to complain about civil liberty violations? You know they were planning to do everything they accused BUsh of, assuming they had not started diong so already.
I don’t think that this sort of thing should be allowed to pass without notice. It did go to local law enforcement all over the country. Missouri did recently advise their state police to be alert for people with the wrong bumper stickers, etc.
There is not too much to be done at this point; but I did correspond with my two (Dimocrat) Senators and asked them to comment on this action. I made sure everyone in my address book had the information, since many of them reside in areas where the news will not cover the story and they don’t have time to surf the ‘net.
I applaud the Governor of Texas. I don’t know exactly what his motives were, but he threw it back in their faces. (sic). . .The Federal government is oppressive in its size and its actions. . . I hope that his position will stiffen the spines of other Governors.
If the Governors will stand up for the 10th amendment; and interest groups such as the NRA, and religious organizations, will push back against infringement on other rights, we may hold back the tide. If we shrug it off, we may live to regret it. I don’t think these people are playing word games with us.
Book says,
>> Cool anger and ridicule seem like the best way to expose the sheer silliness of this document
and I agree, but don’t forget to keep that inner core of hot anger burning brightly within. Else we get stuck in the mode of “all talk and no walk”.
Look inside yourself and find it: That burning core of white-hot anger at your freedoms being violated, taken away, and ridiculed. Stoke that fire. It’s YOUR freedom, YOUR life’s choices, and they want to control YOU. Let your neurons race with the outrage.
– start of diversion –
And as an aside, by the way, screw George Lucas and his psychobabble Emperor-Speak: “Feel your anger, feed your anger, Give In To the Dark Side!” Psycho-Babble BS, right along with the deeply racist midichlorians-in-the-blood explanation for the Force he screwed us over with, too. Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” in his Tie fighter trying to shoot down Luke’s X-Wing: “The Force is strong with this one. What an amazing number of midichlorians must be swimming in his bloodstream!” Obi Wan to Young Luke: “You will be strong in the Force. I will train you. Yoda will test you for months. Oh, screw that crap. Here, let me take a drop of blood from your finger and test it with the kit I keep in this cupboard; that will be much easier.”
– end of diversion –
You need your anger; don’t be afraid of it. Feel it AND control it. Emotion and passion keep us going.
Keep the passion hot internally, and externally speak expressively and passionately but with control, without the Derangement Syndrome that we saw the Left get stuck in for so many years.
The 2001 report, Left Wing Extremism: The Current Threat is here, if anyone wants to compare and contrast, or just know of which you speak when someone tells you “there’s a left-wing warning, too.” It lists a fairly large number of specific, existing groups.
“Cool anger and ridicule seem like the best way to expose the sheer silliness of this document…”
I think you’re wrong about this. This is a document produced and published by a department of the US Government. _OUR_ government. It categorizes about half of the country – virtually anyone who disagrees with their political goals – as a potential enemy. _THEY ARE IDENTIFYING THEIR POLITICAL ENEMIES_ and preparing the battle ground to take them – US – out. Do not underestimate this. It is a first declaration of war against their political enemies – identification.
Notice the specific mention of the “returning veterans, who may become ‘radicalized’”….you betcha. They’re already radicalized – they take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution, and swear to defend it against _all _ enemies – foreign and _domestic_. Do you think the Obama administration supports the Constitution? Note the specific mention of those who are Constitutionalists – who support State rights over Federal rights. Anyone who supports the Constitution is being identified as a potential threat…is that clear enough for you?
It helps to understand that in these affairs there are two dimensions. There is the surface dimension, what people see and perceive first, that is mostly illusion or manipulated constructions and then there is the true depth, the layer beneath the surface.
It is all nice and good that you appear neutral or reasonable on the surface, but that only matters in so far as it disguises the true strength beneath.
People must never be under any illusions concerning enemy motivations or plans, even as they disguise allied strategies with “reasonable” or “misdirection type” surfaces.
More thoughts on the topic…
http://www.thereturnofscipio.com/?p=1614
Sadie! Someone else likes lists!
Posted by Anonymous on America’s Right…
“Maybe we should send our definition of a Right Wing Extremist to Janet Napolitano:
If you are EXTREME-LY Patiotic,
If you are EXTREME-LY disgusted
with Politicians,
If you are EXTREME-LY nauseated by the MSM,
If you are EXTREME-LY proud of our military forces and VETERANS,
If you are EXTREME-LY concerned with the defense and protection of the UNBORN,
If you are EXTREME-LY alarmed by the mindless spending by Washington bureau-RATS,
If you are EXTREME-LY proud of our country and our heritage and EXTREME-LY unconcerned about what Europe or any other country thinks of us,
If you are EXTREME-LY ready to rid Washington of career POLITICIANS and replace them with PATRIOTS,
If you are EXTREME-LY thankful to God for His blessings on this nation,
If you are EXTREME-LY committed to The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights and upholding the laws of our land when participating in orderly protests,
If you are EXTREME-LY ready to step up and do whatever you can to put our government in the hands of the PEOPLE,
You are a RIGHT WING EXTREMIST!!!
Everyone needs to make up their own list and send it to all our elected officials.”
Here’s another analysis of the report. Cooler and perhaps more rational than mine…!
http://www.americasright.com/2009/04/federalism-new-extremism-and-more.html#links
Last one, I promise. This is the other half of the equation – if you’re tarred with the label, you might as well play the part. Big mistake on the part of the left, I think.
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/04/big-dog-i-am-right-wing-extremist.html
[...] Bookworm Room » What do you think? [...]