I was a little surprised to find that my recent April Fools Day Diary ventured so close to the truth. And for the record, the date of April 7th was completely a coincidence. I swear I made the whole thing up using the expressed fears of conspiracy theorists that I picked up from several months of research on these extremists groups. I knew what would freak them out and totally had them pegged. So, I'm sort of getting a little chuckle now at their response to the REAL actions being taken by our government to alert Law enforcement in an effort to thwart Right Wing Extremism in America.
Like I said , mines was just a joke. I don't work for the government and if I did, I don't think I would be allowed to post a diary like that even as a joke so, let's just make that clear. In any event , as a concerned citizen, I am very much relieved to know that our government is looking at the same stuff I have been looking at and are taking steps to prepare and deal with it. Many of you are already familiar with a report that came out the other day that has all the little conservative and right wingers exposing their guilty consciences. As a matter of fact , one of the FP's posted a link to an article by Michelle Malkin
In that article, the Fox News Propagandist is whipping her little audience up into a frenzy of fear and paranoia over the DHS Memo entitled: "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.". I encourage all to actually read it as to not allow yourselves to get fooled into believing Malkin and Scarboroughs interpretation of it. In my April fools diary I requested tips for being a conspiracy theorists worst nightmare. Well, it appears their nightmare is now a reality because HSC Janet Napolitano is not joking.
But I read the ten page memo that was leaked on purpose as a courtesy warning ? obtained by some extremists activists and I see nothing in there that justifies both Malkin and Scarboroughs knee jerk assumption that the DHS was referring to people like them . The fact that they are the ones ranting and raging about it now only raises questions about their activities. What is it really about this memo that makes them believe that they are the ones being targeted ? Why are they acting as though they have some sort of guilty conscience ? A wise man once said "He who is first to plead his own case , is guilty in the matter".Malkin in her article admits that in fact, Left wing Extremists Groups were also targeted but, the groups in question were named while this current memo about right wing extremists was not named and has therefore concluded about herself and her followes;
We are all right-wing extremists now. Welcome to the club.
Hold on there now. The DHS is surely not is not talking about her are they ? It's IDENTIFYING right wing extremists ! Malkin must identify herself with these people otherwise she would not be so worked up over it. Let's take a look at the DHS Memo and see if we can find anything in there that resembles her and Joe Scarborough. Speaking of Joe, let me kill his argument first because that's the easiest. In case you all missed his little rant here it is;
The only things that's "perverse" is Joe Scarboroughs interpretation of the DHS Memo as well as his false accusation about the President of the United States. Here is specifically what that memo says in relation to veterans , like my nephew , returning from War;
— (U//FOUO) 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.
The targeting that's mentioned here with respect to returning vets is not related to the government , but rather the extremists groups who target such vets. So, who's side is Joe really on ? All that this memo did was raise a concern that just like before, these vets are going to be targeted for recruitment. It doesn't suspect them. It expresses concern that they may be targeted. Why is the DHS concerned ? Because it's happened before (See Timothy Mc Veigh) and it's happening now.
— (U) A recent example of the potential violence associated with a rise in rightwing extremism may be found in the shooting deaths of three police officers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 4 April 2009. The alleged gunman’s reaction reportedly was influenced by his racist ideology and belief in antigovernment conspiracy theories related to gun confiscations, citizen detention camps, and a Jewish- controlled "one world government."
So, maybe Joe should take a lesson from the President of the United States and know what hes talking about before he speaks.
Now, back to Ms. Malkin. What is it in this memo that has her thinking it was written with her in mind ? Does she actually have cause to be alarmed ? I don't know. Let's look at some more of that memo shall we ? See if we find any similarities. Does she and her pals over at Fox fit this description?
(U//FOUO) Rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived loss of U.S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors, and home foreclosures. Anti-Semitic extremists attribute these losses to a deliberate conspiracy conducted by a cabal of Jewish "financial elites." These "accusatory" tactics are employed to draw new recruits into rightwing extremist groups and further radicalize those already subscribing to extremist beliefs. DHS/I&A assesses this trend is likely to accelerate if the economy is perceived to worsen.
Nope. That looks more like your Ron Paul , Alex Jones "truthers" to me. Lets look at some more.
(U//LES) Rightwing extremists are harnessing this historical election as a recruitment tool. Many rightwing extremists are antagonistic toward the new presidential administration and its perceived stance on a range of issues, including immigration and citizenship, the expansion of social programs to minorities, and restrictions on firearmsownership and use. Rightwing extremists are increasingly galvanized by these concerns and leverage them as drivers for recruitment. From the 2008 election timeframe to the present, rightwing extremists have capitalized on related racial and political prejudices in expanded propaganda campaigns, thereby reaching out to a wider audience of potential sympathizers.
It's getting a little warmer wouldn't you say ? Let's look at just one more.
Revisiting the 1990s
Paralleling the current national climate, rightwing extremists during the 1990s exploited a variety of social issues and political themes to increase group visibility and recruit new members. Prominent among these themes were the militia movement’s opposition to gun control efforts, criticism of free trade agreements (particularly those with Mexico), and highlighting perceived government infringement on civil liberties as well as white supremacists’ longstanding exploitation of social issues such as abortion, inter-racial crimes, and same-sex marriage. During the 1990s, these issues contributed to the growth in the number of domestic rightwing terrorist and extremist groups and an increase in violent acts targeting government facilities, law enforcement officers, banks, and infrastructure sectors.
"By George, I think I've got it." Maybe the GOP Gang better start thinking twice about trying to hang on the coat tails of these radicals and using their messages of hate as their brand new platform for the Republican Party. Looks like they wont be able to rebuild their party by stealing the ideas of a radical fringe group and try to pass that off as something new. Looks like they have to redefine themselves the old fashioned way.
CHANGE !
Note: The DHS Memo is not subject to copyright nor is it a classified government document.