Posted on 04/17/2009 10:06:53 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Senators to Napolitano: Show us the data By Michelle Malkin • April 17, 2009 12:58 PM
Senators Coburn, Brownback, DeMint, Burr, Murkowski, Inhofe, and Vitter sent the following letter to DHS Secretary Napolitano yesterday concerning the DHS conservative hit job:
April 16, 2009
The Honorable Janet Napolitano Secretary The Department of Homeland Security 310 7th street, S.W. Washington, DC 20528-0150
VIA FASCMILLE
Dear Secretary Napolitano,
We write today concerning the release of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” prepared by the Extremism and Radicalization Branch, of the Homeland Environment Threat Analysis Division.
While we agree that we must fight extremists who are both foreign and domestic we are troubled by some of the statements your department included as fact in the report titled above, without listing any statistical data to back up such claims.
First, your report states that “Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists…” without listing any data to support such a vile claim against our nation’s veterans.
Second, the report states that the millions of Americans who believe in the Second Amendment are a potential threat to our national security. Why? Do you have statistics to prove that law-abiding Americans who purchase a legal product are being recruited by so-called hate groups?
Thirdly, the report states that those that believe in issues such as pro-life legislation, limited government, and legal versus illegal immigration are potential terrorist threats. We can assure you that these beliefs are held by citizens of all races, party affiliation, male and female, and should not be listed as a factor in determining potential terror threats. A better word usage would be to describe them as practicing their First Amendment rights.
Also, you list those that bemoan the decline of U.S. stature and the loss of U.S. manufacturing capability to China and India as being potential rightwing extremists. We would suggest that the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in the manufacturing industry to foreign countries are not potential terror threats, but rather honest Americans worried about feeding their families and earning a paycheck.
In closing, we support the mission of DHS in protecting our country from terror attacks and are proud of the many DHS employees who make this possible in conjunction with our state and local law enforcement. We ask that DHS not use this report as a basis to unfairly target millions of Americans because of their beliefs and the rights afforded to them in the Constitution. We also ask that you provide us with the data that support the unfair claims listed in the report titled above and to present us with the matrix system used in collecting and analyzing this data?
Finally, we look forward to your prompt reply and we offer our assistance to DHS in our shared effort to fight terrorism both home and abroad by using data that is accurate and independent of political persuasion.
I thought Tim McVeigh blamed it on Janet Reno/Waco.
This goes to show that, no matter which party does it - and no matter the intention, when you create a whole new government bureaucracy like Bush did with DHS, you leave another agency to the next guy to abuse the powers entrusted to it. Bad, bad idea to allow another ATF to develop under our watch; it was a bad, knee jerk reaction to 9-11.
Called Senator Lautenberg’s office. He is especially involved with helping veterans. Or so it says on his website.
The aide said Lautenberg didn’t approve of the statement butg would NOT be making a public statement.
I suggested he put his country before his party and speak up but was assured that would NOT be done. The aide acknowledged that they had been getting calls on the topic.
Pathetic, but typical.
LOL
I’ll challenge her!
See my homepage!
“The oustanding Thomas Moore Law Center (TMLC) has two lawsuits for this info and Michael Savage is helping too.
TMLC does great work and is for religious and Constitutional rights.”
I was going to post the same. Heard Michael Savage talking about it yesterday. He wants the full document, he wants names..
Nixon’s EPA is out of control too
DHS was formed in order to prevent another Al Qaeda type terror attack. But the Democrats began trying to misuse the DHS even in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, when they tried to make it a vehicle to finance their favorite pork barrel projects. We were hearing rhetoric from Democrat polticians like ...”[education, or renewable energy, or clean water, or sexually transmitted disease counseling] is a vital component of homeland security”.
It’s like the 90’s when Clinton misused the military for “peacekeeping” operations.
Now the worst is happening and the DHS efforts are being directed toward “right wing extremists”, which means people who oppose Obama’s policies.
The DHS should either be disbanded or there should be a clearer definition of its mission.
Is there any evidence whatsoever that the other 44 or so GOP Senators were asked to sign the letter and refused to? It is common practice in Congress for a number of members to sign a letter without attempting to get other signatures.
just brought two 3x5’s thanks for the link
The lady with the 10-gauge!
Just called my two (R) Senators, Lamar! and Corker and asked why they had not signed this letter.
Inhofe is quickly becoming one of my favorite House republicans. He gets it on the global warming nonsense and government waste. I would love to hear any feedback from OK freepers, but everything I read, I like.
I would love to see him considered for VP with one of our Conservative governor front runners for 2012.
Shouldn’t Liberals be watched because of the Unibomber and Bill Ayers?
“it was a bad, knee jerk reaction to 9-11.”
No, it was not.
It is far more likely that they simply exploited a crisis, which was not to go to waste.
Bush was NOT a Small-Gov President.
Shut down DHS, it is a KGB type of organization and should never have been formed to start with.
“Inhofe is quickly becoming one of my favorite House republicans.”
Ihofe used to be in the house, he is now a senator, and one of the best.
Besides voting right 95% of the time, he did one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen in the house. Some dems threatened to kick him out of the house over it. He stood tall and prevailed.
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/I/IN024.html
“Inhofe received acclaim in 1993 when he engineered legislation to reform the discharge petition rule, which functioned to keep bills in committee for lengthy periods in order to stall a vote.”
These leftist answer to no one. I’m sure the Senators will receive a reply and it will probably read something akin to this... Dear Senators, Thank you for your recent letter regarding the DHS report on right wing extremists. Because of your undue concern over this report I’ve added your names and those of your family members to the “list”. You may find it healthier to forget all about this issue. Your names have been passed along to Sec. Geithner so you should be receiving a little visit from some of his friends at IRS. In case you haven’t noticed my boy won so in the future kindly STFU. Sincerely, Butch Napolitano.
My Bad. I knew that. Must be the rain today. ;->
Thanks for the link.
“The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced that yesterday evening it filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The lawsuit claims that her Department’s “Rightwing Extremism Policy,” as reflected in the recently publicized Intelligence Assessment, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs...”
http://www.thomasmore.org/default-sb_thomasmore.html?291838522
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