I Am an Extremist by Oliver
North of Human Events
According to the U. S. government, I
am an extremist. I am a Christian -- and meet regularly with other
Christians to study God's word. My faith convinces me the
prophesies in the Holy Bible are true. I believe in the sanctity of
human life, oppose abortion and want to preserve marriage as the union
of a man and a woman. I am a veteran with skills and
knowledge derived from military training and combat. I own several
firearms, frequently shoot them, buy ammunition and consider efforts to
infringe on my 2nd Amendment rights to be wrong and unconstitutional. I
fervently support the sovereignty of the United States, am deeply
concerned about our economy, increasingly higher taxes, illegal
immigration, soaring unemployment, and actions by our government that
will bury my children beneath a mountain of debt.
Apparently, all this makes me a
"rightwing extremist." At least that's what it says in the April 7, 2009
"Assessment" issued by the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The nine-page report, titled,
"Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling
Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," is full of warnings about
American citizens who share any of my background or subscribe to the
beliefs above. It is one of the most alarming documents produced by our
government that I have ever read.
Evidently neither you nor I were ever
supposed to read this "Assessment." At the bottom of the cover page is a
warning that it is "not to be released to the public, the media, or
other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know." We're Americans.
We have a need to know what's going on in our government -- especially
in an administration that promised to be "transparent." A full copy of
the report is posted at www. freedomalliance. org.
The "Assessment" purports to alert law
enforcement officials that "rightwing extremists" -- the term is used
more than 35 times -- are intent on exploiting Americans who have
strongly held beliefs on everything from Christian faith to rising
unemployment, U. S. sovereignty and the 2nd Amendment. It vilifies those
of us in these categories by references to neo-Nazis, racists, militias,
white-supremacists, and other "hate groups." Notably, the report
includes a warning that Rightwing Extremism "may include groups or
individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to
abortion or immigration."
Though the report proffers a passing
reference to the First Amendment, it is replete with bias against
conservative thought, writing and communications. On page 3, law
enforcement authorities are warned, "Rightwing extremist chatter on the
Internet continues to focus on the economy, the perceived (emphasis
added) loss of U. S. jobs in the manufacturing and construction sectors,
and home foreclosures."
This is a frightening acknowledgement
that political speech is being monitored in America. It is also wrong.
It's not "perception." It is fact. According to the Bureau of Labor
Statistics, the manufacturing and construction sectors have lost 161,000
jobs and 126,000 jobs, respectively, in the last month alone.
In its "Key Findings" the DHS
manuscript boldly charges "rightwing extremists may be gaining new
recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues" and
warns that "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."
Under the heading "Disgruntled
Military Veterans" the report alleges, "rightwing extremists will
attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit
their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat.
These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities
of extremists -- including lone wolves or small terrorist cells -- to
carry out violence." These unsubstantiated claims are followed by
reminders that Timothy McVeigh -- the 1995 Oklahoma City bomber -- was a
military veteran. Omitted is any reference to the fact that McVeigh was
simply one of more than 40 million law abiding veterans of the U. S.
Armed Forces.
Thirteen lines after this egregious,
unconscionable slander against those of us who are military combat
veterans, DHS makes the stunning charge that, "lone wolves and small
terrorist cells embracing violent rightwing extremist ideology are the
most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States."
According to this DHS "Assessment,"
the most dangerous threat we face here at home isn't from radical imams
preaching violence in U. S. mosques and madrassas, Islamists recruiting
in our prisons, Somali terrorists enticing young immigrants to become
suicide bombers or Hamas, Hezbollah or al Qaeda operatives plotting mass
murder. No, according to DHS, the real threat comes from what our
government labels "rightwing extremist ideology."
Mr. Obama should publicly disavow this
report and fire the officials responsible for issuing it. Those who
prepare his remarks for the occasion should insert in the teleprompter
Sen. Barry Goldwater's words on the subject: "Extremism in the defense
of liberty is no vice."
