liberal | The absurd reaction to the DHS report on right-wing terrorists

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has released a threat assessment on the potential for domestic right-wing terrorist organizations to use the current political climate to their benefit. The report identifies several issues that extremists can potentially abuse to turn people to violence, including a review of issues that American terrorist groups did exploit in the 1990s.

Among the types of things it discusses, economic hardship can drive people to look for an enemy. White supremacists don't like the fact we have a black President and might be driven to violence over it. Fear of foreign influence over the government and the economy can drive people to violence; for example, "fear of Communist regimes and [...] a “One World Government” plan inspired extremist members of the militia movement to target government and military facilities in past years [...] Law enforcement in 1996 arrested three rightwing militia members in Battle Creek, Michigan with pipe bombs, automatic weapons, and military ordnance that they planned to use in attacks on nearby military and federal facilities and infrastructure targets."

Someone can go nuts about the illegal immigration issue and shoot up an immigration center or attack random foreigners. For example, "a militia member in Wyoming was arrested in February 2007 after communicating his plans to travel to the Mexican border to kill immigrants crossing into the United States." And there is the controversy over weakening the Second Amendment, in which "violent extremists may attempt to co-opt the debate and use the controversy as a radicalization tool."

The report concludes that "white supremacist lone wolves pose the most significant domestic terrorist threat because of their low profile and autonomy -- separate from any formalized group -- which hampers warning efforts."

Then something strange happened. Major leaders of the mainstream Republican Party and the wider conservative movement took personal offense to the report as if they were the "domestic right-wing terrorists", the "white supremacists and violent antigovernment groups" that the report is referring to.

The American Legion tells us that the report is anti-veteran because it warns that:

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.

To the contrary, the Veterans of Foreign Wars says "the report proves that DHS is doing its job".

Here is a list of other significant political and media figures who stand with right-wing extremism of the really extreme, violent and white supremacist kind.

Much of this reaction can be chalked up to misinformation and misunderstanding what the report actually said. I doubt that Michael Steele has very strong sympathies for white supremacist organizations. This kerfuffle goes to show the importance of going back to the original source of information if you want to be well informed instead of relying on a game of telephone for your view of the world.

Not every conservative joined in the hysteria. Right-wing blogger Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs strongly reponded here, here, here, here, and here to the "hyperventilation" of the aforementioned people. Credit is also due to Shepard Smith of Fox News who stood against the wild reaction to the report.

Minor footnote: Talkers Magazine rates Rush Limbaugh as the most popular radio host in the U.S. and Michael Savage as the third most popular.