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| Napolitano: Vets can be victims of right-wingers |
| 2009-04-20 |
| Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Sunday portrayed veterans as victims – not perpetrators – of right-wing extremism as she sought to combat the political controversy arising out of an April 14 Homeland Security memo warning that returning soldiers could be ripe for domestic terrorism participation. “The report is not saying that veterans are extremists. Far from it,” Napolitano said on CNN’s State of the Union. “What it is saying is returning veterans are targets of right-wing extremist groups that are trying to recruit those to commit violent acts within the country. We want to do all we can to prevent that.” The April 14 DHS report on the dangers of right-wing extremism said that such groups “will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat.” And the report noted that there is recent historical precedent for the concern among the counterterrorism community. “The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today,” the report continued. A number of Republicans lashed out at the report, honing in right away at its assessment of veterans. The day following its release, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) demanded an apology from Napolitano. “To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as potential terrorists is offensive and unacceptable,” Boehner said. “The Department of Homeland Security owes our veterans an apology.” Napolitano said she regretted the politicization of the report, but defended it as another in a series – from her department and others – that have reached the same conclusion. “I regret that in the politicization of everything that happens in Washington D.C., some took offense,” Napolitano said. “But when you read the report, what it was saying was, look, we have a threat of terrorism within our own shores, and one of the groups being targeted to see if they would be aligned with that are some of our veterans.” “In retrospect, anything can be written differently to prevent politicization,” she continued. “But I think any fair reading says this is very consistent with other reports that have been issued before. They were issued before Obama was president, they’re being issued now. They’re meant to give people what’s called situational awareness, and they’re certainly not meant to give offense. Far from it.” Napolitano also defended another of the report’s politically sensitive conclusions; that emerging domestic terrorist threats “may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration,” which also drew criticism from Democrats concerned about the erosion of civil liberties. “The last thing the Department of Homeland Security is about is infringing on anybody’s constitutionally protected rights,” Napolitano said in response. “On the other hand, at the very edge of the [abortion] debate, at the very edge are the extremists groups, that have committed violent crimes, bombings and the like.” The Homeland Security Secretary also departed from her predecessor, Michael Chertoff – as well as many other former and some current intelligence officials – in defending President Obama’s decision to release the CIA enhanced interrogation memos. “I think the release of them is very consistent with what President Obama said during the campaign and how he’s conducted his government. It’s about transparency, it’s about accountability,” she said. “People can differ on this. But when you look at this overall… it was imperative, really, that the report was released.” The former Arizona governor also pushed back against recent comments by former Vice President Cheney that America is less safe with Obama as president. “I can look you in the eye, I can look the American people in the eye and say, every day we think about the safety of the American people,” Napolitano said. “We believe that you don’t need a Guantanamo to improve the safety of the American people and minimize the risk of terrorist acts. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #14 Typical liberal progressive nonsense: our troops are always victims. They were victims of the recruiters, then they were victims of their officers, then they were victims of the evil Bushco administration, and now they're victims of right-wingers. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-04-20 21:22 |
| #13 I trully believe that Jane Napolitano and company are monitoring the emails of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I trully believe that when Obama released the mastermind of the slaughter of 19 USS Cole sailors, that a lot of our active members of the military were justifiably pissed about it. Very pissed. And I am sure that what they expressed to each other, "the chatter" is what Napolitano is referring to. I have one thing to say. JUSTICE is due the men who lost thier lives on the USS COLE. We should not rest until justice is served. |
| Posted by: Zebulon Phinegum6819 2009-04-20 21:04 |
| #12 well, in her view, anyone who stands up for or is willing to defend the U.S. Constitution w/their life blood is a right wing extremist. Count me in Janet, you sanctimonious bitch. |
| Posted by: Tiny Hupusoling aka Broadhead6 2009-04-20 19:50 |
| #11 She's the OIC of the resident SMLM team OP, you're wasting your time. Get back to your light table and update the blackbook. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-20 19:25 |
| #10 Janet, most vets are a helluva lot smarter than you think they are. I was assigned to a unit in Germany once that had 38 people in it. Twelve of them had been former Rhodes Scholars - three officers and nine enlisted. Out of the 38 people, including 14 Photo Analysts, 5 Intel Analysts, 6 Image Processors, four Admin troops, and a smattering of eight other specialties, only ONE person had an IQ under 130 - and he was the commanding officer. You have no idea the kind of people, the QUALITY of people, you're talking about. We are not USED, we do what we think is right, and we have the ability to see through the government bullshit, even when we were on active duty. You owe us an apology, Janet. I want it NOW, and I want it HERE. Otherwise, you might find some of us really ARE in that group of "right-wing extremists" who believe that service to our nation begins with allegience to our Constitution, both in the letter AND the spirit of that great document. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-04-20 19:09 |
| #9 Sgt Mom, you did a great job and congrats! I watched Glen Beck and I thought he did a great job, and I'm not his biggest fan, but he was excellent! As was Terrible Ted! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-04-20 18:35 |
| #8 "We believe that you don't need a Guantanamo to improve the safety of the American people and minimize the risk of terrorist acts. Maybe Venezuela will take these slack-jawed, knuckle-dragging terroists. Or how about they be assigned to Ms. Napolitano's personal care for rehabilitation? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-04-20 18:24 |
| #7 Ms Napolitano is full of shit. One of the most important pillars of faith of the left is the enshrinement of white male Christian heterosexual capitalists as the greatest evil the universe can produce - a veritable asymptote of badness, which nothing else can remotely approach. It is the one of the pillars of their worldview. Many of their other ideas and philosophies flow from this cartoon character image they have created. When minorities or women or leftist extremists or Islamic extremists do horrible things, this idea of the white male hetero Christian capitalist being the great evil is challenged by the facts. Cognitive dissonance then ensues, requiring a resolution. A rigorous examination of the facts forces a conclusion: that in fact, white male Christian hetero males are not the default greatest evil in the universe. To those too intellectually lazy and full of hate to give up their cherished bogeymen, this is unacceptable. So they resolve to do whatever it takes to maintain their cherished fictions and bigotries. This report is exhibit A. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2009-04-20 17:51 |
| #6 Sgt. Mom -- that one's on Sat -- I'll find folks to go -- even in a crowd of 20,000, I just want to feel that excitement! Let me know if I can do anything from here in Austin... And hey, Liberal Town USA had 5,000 for the march down Congress! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-20 17:46 |
| #5 So Tim McVeigh does this thing and we broadbrush all vets. How about such an approach to those who masterminded and executed 9/11 killing and maiming far more Americans, that would be Muslims in the US. Given the number of Minnesotan Somalis who've decided to go jihad, that seems just as justified. Now if you just view either group as a threat to the power of socialist left, that would explain the attention on the former and kid glove approach to the latter. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-04-20 17:42 |
| #4 Glad you enjoyed listening, Sherry - you would have not had a good time in the crowd there. The SAPD confirmed from aerial photos that there was about 20,000 people there, at the peak. You know what they say - Everything IS bigger in Texas! Wait until we do the 4th of July Tea Party - that's gonna be awesome! |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2009-04-20 17:37 |
| #3 Sgt. Mom -- I just want to congratulate you and that SA committee for an incredible job! I didn't make it, had even tracked down bus schedules from Alamo Dome to the Alamo -- but, Boss scooted out, didn't invite us to go (Austin) -- I have a bum knee, and since I would have been by myself in that huge group, I backed out. I tracked it tho -- listened to WOAI and I swear, every time I turned to Fox this weekend, they were running Glen Beck! Great job -- tell everyone -- San Antonio made Texans proud! But, at least, I'll be at the Spurs game tonight! |
| Posted by: Sherry 2009-04-20 16:57 |
| #2 I'd be there, in a heartbeat, 49... although I think since me, my daughter, the chairman of the SA Tea Party committee, our webmaster and g*d knows how many of the other committee members and participants are veterans, your suggested group "Veterans against Stupid Politicians" has already formed. YMMV, though. |
| Posted by: Sgt. Mom 2009-04-20 16:37 |
| #1 Nap's backpeddling as fast as she can. How about any vets in code pink or PETA? Both extreemist orgs that carry out ops against our government and the people. We should start an org called Vets against stupid politicians! |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2009-04-20 16:20 |