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.

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Posted in: Homeland Security

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Comments


  1. #101
    On April 17th, 2009 at 11:02 pm, Bruce said:

    Thanks Senators, letter was nice – but wouldn’t a walk over to DHS and some fist banging on Janet’s desk been more effective?

    Come on, Fuller – that kind of behavior is reserved for members of the other side of the aisle – not gentlemanly conservatives. Shame on you, sir.

  2. #102
    On April 17th, 2009 at 11:07 pm, ArizonaNeanderthal said:

    Mcveigh, Nichols, Rudolph,

    None of them known be conservatives, none of them held Coffees for future Presidential candidates, none of them receiving tenure as college professors, none of them becoming editors or consultants to the MSM or being pardoned by a Republican President.

    Being physically threatening is not an act of terror, and nobody is going to die.

    I imagine I could give you a couple of thousands of examples there, BANK and ARMORED car robbery ring a bell?

    If you have a fear that the government is going to take away your right to bear arms, and take you to “re-education camps” you’re a paranoid freak.

    I imagine I could give you a couple of MILLION of examples. Vicky Weaver would be a good start. Go have coffee with William Ayres.

    These college fools aren’t practicing or preparing acts of terrorism

    Now you are just lying.

    Being called a “paranoid freak” by an a$$hat is almost as good as being called an Right Wing Extremist.

  3. #103
    On April 17th, 2009 at 11:41 pm, RabbidSquirrel said:

    On April 17th, 2009 at 8:54 pm, frontierguy said:

    Oh my!! Waterboarding, forced to be naked for a long period of time, sleep deprivation and being covered with caterpillers….Torture? That was what I had to do to join my fraternity!!

    Dude!!!!!!!

    And dont forget the loud music that continuously blared in our ears (Number 9… Number 9… Number 9…)and the motorcycle that was started/gunned IN the room where we were blindfolded and “forced” to duckwalk in a single file line and then thrown into a freezing cold pool in December

    ————

    Ummmm any other Navy guys have any stories to tell about how they earned their Shellback cards the old school way (not how these pansies do it these days?? (WHAAAAAA! My mommy’s calling MY congressman cuz U hit me with a firehose……)

  4. #104
    On April 17th, 2009 at 11:54 pm, RabbidSquirrel said:


    For those of you who dont know what a Shellback is….

    Video: (All the trash you see was probably stored for more than a week so that it would ripen, so a lot of people puked in the tunnel)

    All pollywogs, even the Commanding Officer if he has not crossed before, must participate.

    Our Commanding Officer ordered our Executive Officer (#1, #2 in command) to participate. He held my shirt in his teeth between my cheeks as we crawled the length of the ship :lol:

    (So when libs complain about “torture” at Gitmo, the prisoners get off EASY and ABU Ghraib was NOTHING!!!)

  5. #105
    On April 18th, 2009 at 12:00 am, RabbidSquirrel said:

    OK, Ive got to stop watching the video… Im sitting here remembering and Im about to puke on my keyboard. :lol: :shock: :lol:

  6. #106
    On April 18th, 2009 at 5:00 am, Mark Jaquith said:

    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.

    Huh? It’s a vile claim to say that our veterans are well trained and experienced in combat?

  7. #107
    On April 18th, 2009 at 8:32 am, old trooper said:

    Now, in light of the DHS report, how many returning Veterans that may have PTSD are going to go to the VA for counseling, knowing that they will be put on a Terrorist Watch list, No Fly List, have their 2nd Amendment Rights suspended for Life,,etc.

    Not to worry, it takes months to get an appointment because ACORN is better funded than the VA. The current ratio of Shooters to Non Shooters is about one in twenty. Teeth to Tail tells the tale.

    Besides any 12 year old kid can learn how to build bombs from the internet.

    The Va. Tech shooter never served in the military but displayed tendencies and no one did a thing about it.

    The DHS Report is Bravo Sierra on a grand scale.

  8. #108
    On April 18th, 2009 at 10:25 am, Politicalguano said:

    Yet another “Janet” who is a powerful government official who sees law abiding Americans as threats and terrorists as “hard working Americans.” Sorry, that last quote was the increasingly senile Pelosi talking about illegal aliens. Lets face it, Napolitano is the real threat to American security – she is a paranoid liberal who controls armed officers who can arrest anyone except lawbreaking foreigners illegally here in the US. Lets start investigating her, reporting her every word and action, and filing lawsuits against her every time she breaks the law.

  9. #109
    On April 18th, 2009 at 4:44 pm, sicsempertyrannis said:

    Janet Napolitano reminds me of Janet Reno part deux…

  10. #110
    On April 19th, 2009 at 7:08 pm, MacEamonn said:

    On April 17th, 2009 at 1:14 pm, ackvil said:
    Gee, I guess I am right-wing extremist since I own weapons, want to protect our borders, oppose illegal immigration, am pro-life, etc. I always thought these were core values.

    I believe the actual intent of the memo was so we would all know it is the patriotic duty of every red-blooded “right-wing extremists” to immediately turn ourselves into the government. :)

  11. #111
    On April 19th, 2009 at 8:02 pm, old trooper said:

    MacEamonn, It is the Patriotic Duty of Americans to Resist. Those few of Us that did not vote for Socialism in November.

  12. #112
    On April 20th, 2009 at 1:10 pm, Ignatius Reilly said:

    Janet Napolitano…what a dyke! (But why belabor the obvious.)

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