Republicans criticize report on right-wing groups

[riverdeep]

Source: AP via yahoo

WASHINGTON – Republicans on Wednesday said a Homeland Security Department intelligence assessment unfairly characterizes military veterans as right-wing extremists. House Republican leader John Boehner described the report as offensive and called on the agency to apologize to veterans.

"Let me be very clear — we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States," Napolitano said in a statement. "We don't have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence."

In February, the department issued a report to law enforcement that said left-wing extremist groups were likely to use cyber attacks more often in the next 10 years to further their cause.

In September, the agency highlighted how right-wing extremists over the past five years have used the immigration debate as a recruiting tool.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090416/ap_on_go_co/homeland_security_extremists

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The right has an irrational love affair with the military. Our own military anyway, everyone else's is the enemy or inferior. A large variety of people join the military; to not even be able to entertain the thought that some of them aren't stable reveals a defensiveness that's pathological.

[LynnTheDem]

1. Why, how unexpected.

Heh.

[New Dawn]

2. But of course they have no criticism of Fatherland Security's (slanderous) "report" on leftists.

[rpannier]

3. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! nt

[dcindian]

4. Their leaders are shock jockeys what did any one expect to happen?

Your gods are playing your bitterness for your votes it was only a mater of time till the republican way became extreme.


Obama was so right when he tried to explain it to them.

[Historic NY]

5. Remind them about Timothy McVeigh.

[SkyDaddy7]

6. The Republicans are trying to

Spin this report to make it sound like it targets Vets...It simply says some vets could be preyed upon for recruitment. I guess it will take even more losses in the 2010 election to silence the right wing extremist in congress, I hope?

[ejpoeta]

7. hey.... if they aren't doing anything wrong, then they have nothing to worry about.

i think i've heard that somewhere before!!! hmmm.

[iandhr]

8. report

"The commander of the veterans group the American Legion, David Rehbein, wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano expressing concern with the assessment, which made its way into the mainstream press after conservative bloggers got wind of the analysis.
Rehbein called the assessment incomplete and said it lacked statistical evidence. He said the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing by military veteran Timothy McVeigh was one instance of a veteran becoming a domestic terrorist.
"To continue to use McVeigh as an example of the stereotypical 'disgruntled military veteran' is as unfair as using Osama bin Laden as the sole example of Islam," Rehbein said in the April 13 letter.
Napolitano defended the assessment and others issued by the agency.
"Let me be very clear — we monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States," Napolitano said in a statement. "We don't have the luxury of focusing our efforts on one group; we must protect the country from terrorism whether foreign or homegrown, and regardless of the ideology that motivates its violence."


Maybe this should be a response. It was possible for veterans who loose there jobs might fall victim to exploration by right wing extremists

[krkaufman]

9. What's the surprise?

Just another case of the Republicans putting their heads in the sand and ignoring reality.

[Tempest]

10. Where was Boner when the Bush administration said the same thing?

See post # 1

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3834402

[The Stranger]

11. Paging Timothy McVeigh . . .

Boner wants to apologize to you . . .