DHS Report: Rightwing Extremism
(U) Key Findings:
(U//LES) The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) 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 economic downturn and the election of the first African American president present unique drivers for rightwing radicalization and recruitment.
(U) Disgruntled Military Veterans:
(U//FOUO) DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists—including lone wolves or small terrorist cells—to carry out violence. 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.
— (U) After Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1990-1991, some returning military veterans—including Timothy McVeigh—joined or associated with rightwing extremist groups.
— (U) A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that “large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces.”
— (U//LES) The FBI noted in a 2008 report on the white supremacist movement that some returning military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined extremist groups.
Full text of report in PDF format available at:
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf
Yup, "bombings and arson" are mentioned ...
once, at p.3. The rest folows the lead "Leftwing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyber Attacks over the Coming Decade."
And, yes, I am aware of ELF et al's other activities - since we just had one sentenced in Fed DC in Marquette 3 weeks ago - and of the 7 May 2008 DHS report cited by Bourbon just below my post.
That report sums their violent incidents from 1984-2008 (table - pp.15-23); and amply supports concern.
The Rightwing Extremist lead "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment" is supported by these items in this century (from report):
Quote:
p.3
The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) 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.
(U//LES) Threats from white supremacist and violent antigovernment groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts.
p.4
(U) A recent example of the potential violence associated with a rise in rightwing extremism may be found in the shooting deaths of three police officers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 4 April 2009. The alleged gunman’s reaction reportedly was influenced by his racist ideology and belief in antigovernment conspiracy theories related to gun confiscations, citizen detention camps, and a Jewish-controlled “one world government.”
p.5
Most statements by rightwing extremists have been rhetorical, expressing concerns about the election of the first African American president, but stopping short of calls for violent action.
p.6
In April 2007, six militia members were arrested for various weapons and explosives violations. Open source reporting alleged that those arrested had discussed and conducted surveillance for a machinegun attack on Hispanics.
— (U) A militia member in Wyoming was arrested in February 2007 after communicating his plans to travel to the Mexican border to kill immigrants crossing into the United States.
p.8
A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that “large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces.”
The FBI noted in a 2008 report on the white supremacist movement that some returning military veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have joined extremist groups.
The report also notes one post-1995 event:
Quote:
p.6
Law enforcement in 1996 arrested three rightwing militia members in Battle Creek, Michigan with pipe bombs, automatic weapons, and military ordnance that they planned to use in attacks on nearby military and federal facilities and infrastructure targets.
To me, this seems very slim evidence on which to posit a resurgence.
To these, the report adds another factor - firearms:
Quote:
p.3
(U//FOUO) The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.
(U//FOUO) Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of rightwing extremist groups, as well as potentially spur some of them to begin planning and training for violence against the government. The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by rightwing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement.
pp.4-5
(U) Legislative and Judicial Drivers
(U//FOUO) Many rightwing extremist groups perceive recent gun control legislation as a threat to their right to bear arms and in response have increased weapons and ammunition stockpiling, as well as renewed participation in paramilitary training exercises. Such activity, combined with a heightened level of extremist paranoia, has the potential to facilitate criminal activity and violence.
— (U//FOUO) During the 1990s, rightwing extremist hostility toward government was fueled by the implementation of restrictive gun laws—such as the Brady Law that established a 5-day waiting period prior to purchasing a handgun and the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act that limited the sale of various types of assault rifles—and federal law enforcement’s handling of the confrontations at Waco, Texas and Ruby Ridge, Idaho.
— (U//FOUO) On the current front, legislation has been proposed this year requiring mandatory registration of all firearms in the United States. Similar legislation was introduced in 2008 in several states proposing mandatory tagging and registration of ammunition. It is unclear if either bill will be passed into law; nonetheless, a correlation may exist between the potential passage of gun control legislation and increased hoarding of ammunition, weapons stockpiling, and paramilitary training activities among rightwing extremists.
(U//FOUO) Open source reporting of wartime ammunition shortages has likely spurred rightwing extremists—as well as law-abiding Americans—to make bulk purchases of ammunition. These shortages have increased the cost of ammunition, further exacerbating rightwing extremist paranoia and leading to further stockpiling activity.
Both rightwing extremists and law-abiding citizens share a belief that rising crime rates attributed to a slumping economy make the purchase of legitimate firearms a wise move at this time.
(U//FOUO) Weapons rights and gun-control legislation are likely to be hotly contested subjects of political debate in light of the 2008 Supreme Court’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller in which the Court reaffirmed an individual’s right to keep and bear arms under the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but left open to debate the precise contours of that right. Because debates over constitutional rights are intense, and parties on all sides have deeply held, sincere, but vastly divergent beliefs, violent extremists may attempt to co-opt the debate and use the controversy as a radicalization tool.
When the yellow bird sings in the coal mine, I listen up.
BTW: My words quoted in your post were frankly intended to be sarcastic. You, as a reader, have the right to your perception (and expression of that perception) that it is "spin"; or that it is a form of "juvenile partisan bickering"; or whatever.
The same goes for your perception that DHS has been balanced in its reporting. The readers can access the 2008 & 2009 DHS "leftwing" reports and can judge whether the evidence in those reports supports the DHS conclusions. They also can judge whether the evidence in the 2009 DHS "rightwing" report supports the DHS conclusions there.
Whatever his triggers ...
Quote:
from Bourbon
It was certainly a trigger for Tim McVeigh.
love of the 2nd Amendment was not one of them.
Amen, Schmedlap.
Rightwing extremism & the Limbic Brain
The subject of rightwing extremism is today's hot topic across the cable spectrum - secession seems another. So, I was treated to one of the nuttier interviews I've seen in a long time - so nutty that I had to look for the video and the transcript to make sure that I got it right.
So, we have Countdown, Keith Olbermann and Janeane Garofalo:
Quote:
OLBERMANN: ... On a more serious note, we're now joined by actor, activist Janeane Garofalo. Good to see you.
JANEANE GAROFALO: ... And you know, you can tell these type of right wingers anything and they'll believe it, except the truth. You tell them the truth and they become -- it's like showing Frankenstein's monster fire. They become confused, and angry and highly volatile. That guy, causing them feelings they don't know, because their limbic brain, we've discussed this before, the limbic brain inside a right-winger or Republican or conservative or your average white power activist, the limbic brain is much larger in their head space than in a reasonable person, and it's pushing against the frontal lobe. So their synapses are misfiring.
Now this got me thinking about the glories of eugenics, applied phrenology - and the picture of mobile DHS vans with MRIs and CATs to detect and register all those with enlarged limbic brains.
Much more in the interview.
--------------------------
A brief tour of the limbic brain is here. The controversy about its functions are here and here.
Yup, the spin is on-going ....
at both ends of the spectrum, as Ted (Jedburgh) and Watcher predicted a few posts ago.
Since I don't think JG is a "clear and present danger", or that she will be running DHS any time soon, I wasn't specially concerned with her scientific analysis. But, I thought it illustrated two larger problems.
One is broad-brushing - tossing your perceived opponents into one disparaged basket. E.g., all Sunnis (or all Shia) are bad folks because ____________. From thence, sectarian violence becomes justified.
The other is that broad-brushing becomes even more effective when it can be supported by science (or theology). So, eugenics and phrenology became accepted by many in the US as tools to shape society, etc. - which illustrate that even a center-oriented nation can go off half-cocked.
Change the direction given?
Law enforcement intelligence for a variety of reasons will report on the threat from the extremes; which may include single issue groups which are neither 'right' or 'left'.
Who set the requirements for the DHS report, research and more? If those requirements were changed - when aware of the political arena - such reports would disappear.
What intent and capability do these groups have?
The extreme 'left' and 'right' are reported upon as they are traditional LE targets and traditionally vulnerable to infiltration and informants. The newer groups, like Climate Change are not so easy. Particularly as public opinion shifts around on the issue(s) and what level of activity is seen as legitimate.
Finally I've not read the DHS reports themselves, just some of the reporting and a document on Virginia's threat assessment, which appeared on another website.
davidbfpo
Draw your own conclusion as to the danger ....
The Michigan Militia of Norman Olson, wiki here and 1998 archived website here, was more a figment of Mr Olson's imagination than anything real. As posted above, there was a 1996 arrest of some Battle Creek militia who were playing with things they weren't supposed to have - that was the last Michigan incident I know of.
The present Michigan Militia (several small groups) has a harmless rhetoric - and expresses a view on the DHS report that can be found here.
Perhaps, the Militia Babes are more of a threat - you may judge.
While I'll stick with the half-dozen local gun clubs (e.g., Ottawa - decent ranges), I'll also not lose any sleep over the present Michigan Militia.
Websites like Stormfront are another kettle of fish. While a lot said there is rhetoric, the sheer volume of posts suggests that there may be some who walk that walk beyond the talk.
Stormfront activists are not primarily motivated by 1.) a visceral opposition to gun control, and 2.) a deep seated mistrust of the Federal government which is viewed as invasive and attacking personal liberties and freedoms.
Many, very law abiding citizens, who happen to own guns, are influenced by those two considerations; but not by Stormfront.
Old lawyer proverb runs: If the law is on your side, argue the law. If the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If neither is on your side, call your opponent a schmuck. In this case, seems that some in DHS would like to substitute "fascist" for "schmuck".
Suspect in robbery homicide ran Minuteman splinter group:
New Border Fear: Violence by a Rogue Militia, by Jesse McKinley and Malia Wollan. The New York Times, June 26, 2009.
Quote:
The three people arrested in the crime include the leader of Minutemen American Defense, a Washington State-based offshoot of the Minutemen movement, in which citizens roam the border looking for people crossing into the country illegally. Former members describe the group’s leader, Shawna Forde, 41, as having anti-immigrant sentiments that are extreme, at times frightening, even to people accustomed to hard-line views on border policing.
The authorities say that the three suspects were after money and drugs that they intended to use to finance vigilantism, and that members of the group may have been involved in at least one other home invasion, in California.
Woman held in 2 slayings an outcast, activists say: But Shawna Forde had high-level contacts in Minuteman movement despite extreme views, by Tim Steller. Arizona Daily Star, June 28, 2009.
Quote:
In 2007, Forde applied to join Simcox's group, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, and was allowed in on a probationary basis, said group Vice President Al Garza and founder Simcox, who left the group this year to run for the U.S. Senate. The group vetted her through interviews and a background check, members said.
"Within a few weeks, she was so assertive, wanting to take charge and wanting to be a spokesperson," Simcox said.
"She lasted less than six months. After that, she went and tried other groups," he said. "She thrust herself into the movement where no one else wanted her."
"It's a hodgepodge of folks"
The world she entered is a set of individuals and groups, many using the word "Minuteman" in their name, many harboring hostilities with each other. They share an interest in stopping illegal immigration.
A bad article by the NYT imo, the Star article has more detail. The Times headline seems sensationalistic at this point, we'll see where this goes.
Left or Right Wing Nuts??
Seems each side has the same take when the opposite is in the driver seat.:p
Former DHS analyst: what keeps me up at night?
Note: copied here from a current August 2012 thread on Lone Wolves.
In the previous post I referred to a 2009 DHS report on Right Wing Extremism, today I found an interview of the lead analyst involved from the summer of 2011, which after recent events makes interesting reading for a non-American.
It ends with:
Quote:
What worries me is the fact that our country is under attack from within, from our own radical citizenry. There have been a lot of small-scale attacks lately, whether it's three mail bombs sent to U.S. government facilities in Maryland and D.C., or a backpack bomb placed near a [Martin Luther King Jr. Day] parade in Spokane, Wash., or two police officers gunned down at a traffic stop in West Memphis, Ark., [by antigovernment extremists in May 2010].
These incidents are starting to add up. Yet our legislators, politicians and national leaders don't appear too concerned about this. So, my greatest fear is that domestic extremists in this country will somehow become emboldened to the point of carrying out a mass-casualty attack, because they perceive that no one is being vigilant about the threat from within. That is what keeps me up at night.
Link:http://www.splcenter.org/get-informe...s-agency-bowed
I am aware of the role of the SPLC.
The benefits of hindsight - in The Economist
The article's full title:
Quote:
The benefits of hindsight....The need for more monitoring of domestic terrorism
Noted via Twitter today, it appeared on the 18th August, starting with this 2009 DHS report and ends pithily:
Quote:
..talking about right-wing extremist threatens howls of protest. Nice idea, shame about the politics.
Link:http://www.economist.com/node/215605...s_of_hindsight
The comments illustrate the difficulty in this area of public safety policy and in IMHO are not worth reading in total.
XRW in USA is the main source of ideological violence
A NYT opinion article that provides an updtae to the debate and cited DHS report:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/op...reat.html?_r=0
Quote:
The main terrorist threat in the United States is not from violent Muslim extremists, but from right-wing extremists. Just ask the police.In a survey we conducted with the
Police Executive Research Forum last year of 382 law enforcement agencies, 74 percent reported anti-government extremism as one of the top three terrorist threats in their jurisdiction; 39 percent listed extremism connected with Al Qaeda or like-minded terrorist organizations. And only 3 percent identified the threat from Muslim extremists as severe, compared with 7 percent for anti-government and other forms of extremism.
(At the end) As state and local police agencies remind us, right-wing, anti-government extremism is the leading source of ideological violence in America.
US Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism (part title)
The actual, full title of a NYT article is 'U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism. Now They Don’t Know How to Stop It.' It is added here as this DHS report gets a lot of coverage.
Link:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/m...ar-right.html?
There is a current open thread on 'Domestic political violence', where the NYT article is also posted.
Link:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...violence-(USA)
The Global Far-Right: An Interview with Julia Ebner
I cannot readily identify a thread on the extreme right / XRW / nationalist right and this Q&A article is added here.:wry:
Julia Ebner is a London-based analyst with a think tank; networking found she was admired for her research, you can judge yourself of course.
Link:https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org....th-julia-ebner
