Homeland Security Warns of Extremists on the Right
Homeland Security Warns of Extremists on the Right
By Bruce Daniels
ABQnewsSeeker
Tuesday, 14 April 2009 09:59
Agency tells cops that economic downturn, election of a black president could spawn extremism.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is warning law enforcement agencies of a rise in "rightwing extremist activity" caused by the economic recession, the election of America's first black president and the return of some disgruntled war veterans, the Washington Times reported.
According to the nine-page report titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," we could be in for a return of the kind of right-wing militia activity experienced in the 1990s -- the last time a Democrat was in the White House.
Just as in the `90s, according to the report, right-wing extremists "exploited a variety of social issues and political themes to increase group visibility and recruit new members," including such issues as "opposition to gun-control efforts, criticism of free-trade agreements (particularly those with Mexico), and ... perceived governrment infringement on civil liberties" as well as "exploitation of social issues such as abortion, inter-racial crimes, and same-sex marriage."
The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis "has no specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but rightwing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues," the report states.
http://www.abqjournal.com/abqnews/abqne ... right.html