April 16, 2009 7:56 AM

Homeland Security Chief Defends Report On Right Wing Extremists

By
Daniel Carty
Topics
In The News
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said intelligence reports highlighting the potential terrorist threats posed by right wing extremists groups are "not accusations, they're assessments."

The report, which states that right wing extremist groups could use the nation's poor economy and the election of the country's first black president as recruiting tools, has come under fire from Republicans who say the Obama administration is unfairly singling out conservatives and military veterans.

But Napolitano said the reports are "not intended to infringe on anyone's constitutional rights by any stretch," during an appearance on CBS' The Early Show Thursday.

"These reports are issued periodically through the intelligence and analysis division of the Department of Homeland Security. And what they are intended to do is to give state, local, tribal law enforcement what we call situational awareness. What's out there? What do they need to be sensitive to?"

The report noted that military veterans who have difficulty reentering civilian life are susceptible to recruitment, as was the case with Timothy McVeigh, whose 1995 attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City killed 168 people. (Click here to read the full report.)

That drew the ire of the House of Representative's top Republican.

"To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable," Ohio Rep. John Boehner said.

Napolitano conceded that, if she had it to do over, "perhaps a few words would be changed," but "the overall impact of the report, and the purpose of the report, which was for state and local law enforcement purposes, that remains the same."

Napolitano was speaking from Mexico City, where President Obama is scheduled to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon about the drug-related violence plaguing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Calderon has said that guns from the U.S. are a big factor in the problem, particularly since the federal ban on assault weapons expired in 2004. But while the U.S. is taking measures to reduce gun trafficking, Napolitano said the government was not looking to reinstate the ban.

"Well, that simply is not part of the plan that we're talking about here."

Napolitano said U.S. efforts would focus on increasing border checks, utilizing better technology, more manpower and gun-sniffing dogs.

Watch CBS News correspondent Bill Plante's report on President Obama's trip to Mexico and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's interview.


Add a Comment See all 135 Comments
by BudParker June 7, 2010 6:34 AM EDT
After reading many posts here I have come to the conclusion that most Americans align themselves with the Democrat Party or the Republican Party. Both ideologies are corrupt, simply in differing directions. Of course, many will say, ?Alright smart guy, what is the alternative?? Our only hope to regain some semblance of control of our government is to stop voting for the person currently in office. We must flush the offal out of the sewer we call Congress. If you believe that there is a dilemma of monumental proportions in our Federal Government stop reelecting these perpetrators of economic and social malaise. Even if you are a staunch Republican and your Senator for the last 28 years is a republican, you simply must hold your nose and vote Democrat. Or, visa versa.

Congressional approval ratings are historically below 20%, yet reelection rates are nearly always 96-98% in the House, slightly lower in the Senate. It seems that everyone in Congress is an idiot, except my idiot in Congress. This, my friends, is stinkin? thinkin?. Reevaluate what is actually going on in Congress are come up with Plan B. Plan A is an abysmal failure. Flush the Congressional Toilet! Often. Professional politicians are THE problem.
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by Realistical March 6, 2010 9:15 PM EST
What is even MORE ALARMING is the extreme left's reaction to "perceived threat" by the "right!" The Left-extremism's reaction is to take constitutional rights from people, remove any power of the people and give it to the government, make the government Democrat and accuse anyone who does not agree with them as dangerous right wingers, create new laws to accuse anyone who does not agree with their spending, abortion, gay marriage or giving more power to the government of "hate crimes!" That is the real ALARM... this democratic "leftists report" is only an excuse to defame the right party or anyone not agreeing with them as well as an excuse to give themselves; more power over whom they "perceive" as the enemy. May God have mercy on us!! God bless the Americans!!!
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by perez74 April 18, 2009 7:27 PM EDT
Oh, and one more little tidbit for you reality-challenged "patriots."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/aryan_nations
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by perez74 April 18, 2009 2:26 PM EDT
I think the scariest thing about the release of this report is reading the truly idiotic comments from all you so-called "patriots." Guess what, folks, some characteristics of extremists are that they overeact and are irrational. Guess what you offended folks have been doing. As far as I'm concered, this report from Homeland Security is spot-on. The truth hurts, friends. That's why you're reacting so irrationally. Another characteristic of extremists: they think that the world revolves around their narrow and pathetic little vision of reality and everything thus becomes a threat to that little narrow vision. Sound familiar?
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by jihf April 18, 2009 1:31 AM EDT
Where you all of you when the Bush administration started listening in on our phone conversations? Or when he decided it was okay to kidnap people and put them in secret (and not so secret) prisons and not even charge them with any crime? Or tell them why they were being held? Or allow them to contact a lawyer or family? They just disapeared. Then, they decided it was okay to torture people. Then, after they told our lower-ranking, young service people to torture, they decide to put them on trial and throw them in military prisons. You are lost causes! I give up. goodbye
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by wanttobeheard April 17, 2009 11:59 PM EDT
I am no longer concerned about terrorist attacks from outside of our country. Our terrorists are now from within, within our Government, Banking System, Wall Street, & CEO's. The surest way to take down our country is through our economy and the greedy individuals of this country are managing that all on their own. Big deal if some in the banking industry are showing a profit. They should, they have all of our money. The whole point in bailing them out is so they can start giving back to the people. I can't see that this has happened.
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled against the vote of its people and other states are following suite. The voice of the people doesn't matter anymore; in fact their voices are being stifled. The people have had no voice in the bailouts or stimulus package. This Homeland Security Memo is just one more step in taking Constitutional Rights away from American Citizens. This has nothing to do with politics, or shouldn?t have anything to do with it. It has to do with the survival of our country and the laws of the land. Our Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Right to Bear Arms, etc. are all being questioned. This is scary, really scary.
Our country is on the verge of falling apart. We are no longer world leaders. What is next?
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by betsy_ross April 17, 2009 6:24 PM EDT
I think you need to take a look at the following bill, upon which these measures are being taken. It seems to be pending in the Senate, but was passed in the House with overwhelming bi-partisan support 400-35. Although is unclear whether or not the Senate passed the bill, there was funding included in the stimulus for the agencies and programs that would be in charge of enforcing the provisions in this Act.

So what is happening now is merely political gamesmanship again by these Senators who are objecting - since many of them also were aware of the budgetary provisions for DHS and where that money was allocated.

It seems the federal government is clearly threatened by the unrest now of many in the country, and has become a "hate" group all it's own - targeting now dissident Americans who are outraged at their now flagrant disregard for our Constitution.

Here is the Senate version of the bill:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s110-1959
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by jihf April 17, 2009 4:57 PM EDT
This whole uproar reminds me of how anyone who protested the Iraq war, or spoke out against Bush was called a TRAITOR. Now, we hear some Republicans calling for cessation; or for Obama to fail! You people need to step back, take a breath and get over the fact that Obama and the Democrats won! Our country is in shambles and Obama is trying to help us to recover! He is lowering taxes for 95% of Americans. He really does care about our country. Stop listening to Fox News. They are not trying to do anything positive for our country. Try, for just a week, to listen to other news sources on T.V. You are being brainwashed.
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by jihf April 17, 2009 4:45 PM EDT
Everyone knows that there are left-wing extremists, right-wing extremists as well as extremist-religious groups. Why are Republicans so upset about this report, unless they are members of those groups? If you are in the Klan, or a White Supremacist, you are who the report is about. If you are the guy down the street who loves his neighbors, but considers himself politically conservative, you are not even hinted at in the report! Give me a break! I am a liberal, but not a left-wing extremist.
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by betsy_ross April 17, 2009 4:27 PM EDT
Do you know how many deaths, property thefts, and children now strung out on drugs the left wing and neocon liberals have caused due to their supporter of "foreigners" rights over their fellow Americans and countrymen living in the border states.

Do you think this drug war now in Arizona would be happening at all, if Napolitano, the Arizona legislature, and federal government had secured those borders with border fencing immediately after 9/11.

A border agent was run over in the middle of a desert crossing recently - do you think he wasn't "terrorized" by those drug dealers? Do you think the the young girl kidnapped or raped by an illegal Mexican is not "terrorized."

Do you know just how many deaths the liberals in this country are actually now responsible for? Just because you are holding the gun, or dealing the drugs, doesn't make you any less responsible for the costs of the lives and property losses now in the border states - in sticking up for the "poor children" of the illegals - rather than the "poor children" of your lawful countrymen being marketed to by the dealers out in front of the local high schools and middle schools.

The deaths by the liberals far exceed in number those of any claimed "right wing extremists" by literally thousands.
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