It is not breaking news or a revelation to any informed American that “law
enforcement sees wingnut extremism as the top terrorism threat to
the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sees wingnut extremism as the top terrorism threat to the United States,
or that the FBI sees wingnut extremism as the top terrorism threat to
the United States.” It was no surprise that new analysis from the
DHS warned that Americans should be frightened of increased attacks from
so-called ‘sovereign citizens‘ on law enforcement, the
government, and government agents and buildings. According to a recent
report, since 2010 there were 24 violent attacks on American soil at the
hands of sovereign citizens with unlimited firepower who reject
government authority; a position establishment repugicans defend with
religious fervor.
Prior to President Obama’s summit on Countering Violent Extremism, the Southern Poverty Law Center issued a report on domestic terrorism that revealed “A
domestic terrorist attack or foiled attack occurred, on average, every
34 days. It also shows that fully 74% of the more than 60 incidents
examined were carried out, or planned, by a lone wolf, a single person
operating entirely alone. A total of 90% of the incidents were the work
of just one or two persons.”
As it should have, the SPLC report slammed the
nation’s focus on terrorism overseas while turning a blind eye to the
real and present threat of a growing number of home-grown terrorists.
What is interesting indeed is that the SPLC report held out hope that
the government is preparing to shift its focus to the homeland and
quoted Attorney General Eric Holder as a reason for its new found hope.
Holder said, regarding wingnut extremism that, “It’s something
that frankly keeps me up at night, worrying about the lone wolf or a
group of people, a small group of people, who decide to get arms on
their own and do what we saw in France with the Charlie Hebdo attack.”
Holder, like many Democrats, has the right mindset
and says the right things, but one hesitates to believe their sincerity
based on their inaction that belies their worries “keeping them up at night.”
It is true that any legitimate Department of Justice action to thwart wingnut extremists’ will garner a robust response and certain attack
from the repugican establishment, but at some point the extremists in
the repugican establishment have to be met with action and not just
anecdotes about sleepless nights, or meaningless summits on countering
violent extremism; actions get results, words do not. In fact, after wingnut extremist and ‘sovereign citizen’ Cliven Bundy summoned armed
militias and former law enforcement to send federal agents and local
law enforcement running for the hills, it is evident the federal
government has no interest in combating wingnut terrorism and is
likely terrified of challenging repugican extremism.
There was no better opportunity to send a powerful
message and clamp down on wingnut extremism than during, and after,
the Bundy ranch standoff. It is beyond refute that the armed militias
violated several federal laws, and committed sedition,
in chasing federal agents off federal land during the commission of
their duties, but likely because they were supported by repugicans and
Faux News, they are above the law. Months after the seditious incident,
Nevada law enforcement claimed
the criminals would face the consequences of leveling loaded weapons at
police and sheriff’s deputies, but it is likely Nevada repugicans
warned local law enforcement to back down or face the wrath of the cabal’s contingent of local armed sovereign citizens. Nothing has been
done and it emboldened other repugican extremists to join the repugican cabal’s
extremist war on the federal government.
Several repugican-misled states have passed laws
criminalizing federal authorities’ attempting to enforce federal laws,
and several repugicans have emboldened citizens to take up arms against
the federal government; with impunity. Since the Bundy ranch success in
forcing the government to acquiesce to extremists’ threats of violence,
many red states are passing laws justifying seizure
of federal land and daring the government to challenge the
unconstitutional laws. In fact in Montana, repugicans are pushing
legislation, SB 130, requiring creation of “state-sanctioned
paramilitary groups known as ‘home guards’ to combat the grave danger
posed by the federal government.” Home guards will be mobilized by local
sheriffs’ who are, under ‘sovereign citizen’ ideology,
the ultimate law of the land and the supreme Constitutional authority
across America. It is noteworthy that this brand of “wingnut
extremism” is sanctioned and promoted by establishment repugicans; not
“lone wolves” or small groups of wingnut extremists.
It is true that the repugican establishment, and their media outlet Faux News, is responsible for encouraging wingnut extremism and the ‘sovereign citizens’ movement representing
terrorist threats to America, but inaction on the part of federal
government is, if not exacerbating the threat, legitimizing the
movement. No matter what their reasoning for not taking action, allowing
sovereign citizens and establishment repugicans to intimidate voters, call for armed revolution, arrest
and prosecute federal agents, aim loaded firearms at federal officials,
and pass laws mandating paramilitary groups to combat the federal
government IS legitimizing extremists and domestic terrorists.
Over the past months, repugicans have called for
overwhelming force, including ‘boots on the ground’ to combat Islamic
State extremism in Iraq and Syria; and why not? If they can keep
terrified Americans frightened to death of extremists on the other side
of the world, the people will not notice the real extremist threat to
their survival and their nation are the repugican extremists in the
sovereign citizen movement that enjoys the full support of the
seditionists in the repugican cabal; the most dangerous terrorist
threat to America.
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