Another Republican Lie Has Been Destroyed

The Republican media has been on a rampage over the past week... complaining about the recent Homeland Security Assessment warning about the increase in Right Wing extremist activity, and warning that Right Wing extremist groups might target disgruntled, unhappy, unemployed former military folks for their organizations. Republican talk show hosts and pundits are claiming that the report is an effort by Barack Obama to attack Veterans...and is a politically motivated effort to hurt Republicans. They have labeled the report as "Obama's report"...and they have strongly suggested that the investigation of these groups was started by the Obama Administration. They also claim that DHS is being one-sided in looking at only Right Wing groups.

But it turns out, the Homeland Security Assessment had actually been underway for quite some time before Obama became President. That's right, the assessment was initiated under the Bush Administration, and was overseen by a Bush appointee.... by several Bush appointees in fact. The bulk of the work was done by the time Obama took office and long before he was able to get his administration up and running. So how could this be some grand conspiracy by Obama or his Administration?

The claim that the report is one-sided has also been debunked. I recalled a similar assessment about left-wing groups only a few months ago. The postings from RightWingWatch and Crooks and Liars confirms that I was not hallucinating when I heard the advisories warning about left-wing environmental terrorism. The wingnuts on the left bother me almost as much as the wingnuts on the right. But I have to admit that I find the Right wing extremists to be far more dangerous.

This fiasco is yet another example of Republican Right Wing craziness...and absolute paranoia. Again, what they are trying to do is whip up anger against Obama any way they can. Most of the time these Right Wing media folks know they are lying when they speak...they have to. They can't be this crazy and clueless. I believe that most of this nonsense is calculated.

That being said... I do believe that the vetting of this report before it was released (although it was reportedly "leaked") was poorly done. The highlighting of Veterans was probably unnecessary and Senior DHS officials had to have known that using Veterans in this context, especially when the Country is still trapped in two wars, would spark a firestorm from Right Wing Republicans. The wording of the report could have & should have been changed to avoid highlighting Veterans, while still getting the point across about the Right Wing Extremist threat. No one picked this up earlier in the process? That's incredible! That's what frustrates me the most about this whole situation... the way DHS framed the report (when it was not particularly necessary). Are they clueless about the huge platform that Right Wing media has in this Country and that if you don't have your business in order Republicans will pounce on it for their political gain? Obama apparently has quite a few boneheads working in these various agencies. It's frustrating knowing that I can't get a job in government, but there are all of these idiots working in the Obama Administration.


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Related Postings

Post from TPM

Post from Crooks and Liars

Article from NPR

The U.S. Is Still Wide Open To Another Al Qaeda Attack

U.S. Visa System Gives Al Qaeda An Open Door Invitation To Attack Us Again

Six years after 9/11, the U.S. remains unprepared either to prevent an Al Qaeda attack or to deal with the aftermath of such an attack. The Bush Administration and the Congress have been slow to respond to the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which called for tighter immigration policies, and interoperable communications for first responders, among other recommendations. Some recommendations have been completely ignored by Bush & Co. In addition, the U.S. health system is incapable of handling a mass casualty event, especially with the shortage of nurses, hospital beds, trauma centers, and first responders, and poorly prepared emergency rooms.

Now a new intelligence assessment is warning that Al Qaeda has regrouped and is intent on launching more attacks on U.S. soil. Listen Here. Meanwhile, the incompetent U.S. government is asleep at the wheel once again. The Bush & Co. policy of pushing for military action while ignoring domestic security has proven to be a disaster....and has left the country wide open to further attacks. The biggest hole in domestic security that the neocons have ignored is the U.S. Visa System. I have been screaming for years that this hole had to be plugged, and that the U.S. was leaving itself wide open for more attacks. The same vulnerability that the 9/11 hijackers exploited was never fixed. In fact, Bush & Co. relaxed some Visa restrictions, making it easier to enter the country. For example, travellers from Europe are not required to even apply for a Visa. As many of you know, Al Qaeda has a strong presence in Europe and operates relatively freely throughout the EU. It would be quite easy for a group of Al Qaeda operatives from Europe to fly to the U.S. and enter a U.S. port with no problem at all. And the Bush Administration knows about these vulnerabilities and has refused to address them. It is almost as if the Bush folks are leaving the country vulnerable on purpose as a way to take advantage of any future attacks and to keep the country in fear, instead of taking sensible precautions....precautions that any responsible government would take to protect its people. You can't be this incompetent by accident. In fact, the U.S. gets rid of anyone who tries to blow the whistle about lapses in security.

There was also a failure to limit the number of American colleges taking part in the Student Visa program....to a more manageable number. As things stand now, any private trade school that crops up can become a Visa sponsoring organization.... creating a conveyor belt for terrorists to get into the country. This is on top of all of the legitimate Colleges and Universities in the system. A alternative that I suggested some time ago would involve restricting the number of schools in the Visa system and would limit the number of Visa issued, and at the same time, encouraging the establishment of more American colleges and Universities overseas.... reducing the need for foreign students from sensitive parts of the world to actually enter the U.S. to obtain a degree from an American school. Several U.S. Universities already have several campuses overseas. Another option would be to expand online degree options to foreign students.

This is what happens when political appointees are put in key positions, rather than professionals with the proper qualifications. The people in charge of U.S. Homeland Security, such as Michael Chertoff, Julie Myers and Frances Townsend for example, have no experience or expertise whatsoever in Security.... no experience actually working in the field. These people have worn suits and have sat behind desks their whole careers. We basically have several Michael Browns running our security apparatus. It's a complete joke. This is why our security priorities are out of order. It is also why I believe that we are doomed.... and have been left to the mercy of Al Qaeda and anyone else who wants to do us harm. We are going around the world making new enemies, but leaving our borders wide open. It's like being in a neighborhood full of enemies, and picking a fight with the neighbor down the street....and leaving your front and back door open while you are away from home. Or not checking your doors before you go to bed at night. I think most Americans check their doors to make sure they are locked and might even set an alarm before they go to bed at night. But as a country.... we have done the opposite.

What about the War On Terror? That whole thing is a hoax. There is no War On Terror. I know from firsthand experience that the U.S. government is not hiring for key areas... Hiring is being done by the ones, twos, threes, and by the tens, for several security related positions. This is why I have not been able to get a foot in the door, despite being qualified for entry level work. I have been dying to serve the country in a DHS position. If there was a real War On Terror, hiring would be taking place by the hundreds and in some cases by the thousands.

The "War On Terror" is more of an empty political slogan....something that sounds good and something that is easy to brand. But there is no substance behind the words. Unless the "War On Terror" simply refers to foreign military intervention and ignores domestic security (which most Americans should know by now has not worked).

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