'Extremism' report 'tip of the iceberg'

'Extremism' report 'tip of the iceberg'

A lawyer pursuing a lawsuit against Department of Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano over an "extremist" report her agency issued that linked 2nd Amendment supporters, pro-life activists and others with terror says he's concerned by Napolitano's promise to "reword" the report.

"She says, 'Well, we're going to reword the document – and we're going to make it more precise,'" Richard Thompson, chief of the Thomas More Law Center, told WND today. "That's scary because we know they are still going to maintain some kind of targeting for various people that she's never apologized to or never retracted [her accusations]."

At issue is the agency's "Rightwing Extremism" report called "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment." WND has posted the report online for readers to see.

It linked returning veterans with the possibility of terrorism and when it was released, created such a furor for Napolitano she has given several explanations for it, including that she would have reworded the report and that it was issued by a rogue employee.

She later apologized to veterans for having linked them to terror.

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But Thompson noted that the report also targeted as "potential terrorists" Americans who:

• Oppose abortion
  
  
• Oppose same-sex marriage
  
  
• Oppose restrictions on firearms
  
  
• Oppose lax immigration laws
  
  
• Oppose the policies of President Obama regarding immigration, citizenship, and the expansion of social programs
  
  
• Oppose continuation of free trade agreements
  
  
• Are suspect of foreign regimes
  
  
• Fear Communist regimes
  
  
• Oppose a "one world" government
  
  
• Bemoan the decline of U.S. stature in the world
  
  
• Are upset with loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs to China and India, and more

And Thompson told WND no apology has been offered to the members of any of those classes of citizens.

He even said as part of his preparation for the lawsuit, his organization has uncovered "additional information" that "creates even more concern that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is unconstitutionally targeting Americans merely because of their conservative beliefs."

Thompson said that information will be released in due course.

"Moreover, simply removing the report from the DHS website, without a condemnation of its contents and specific instructions to all the enforcement agencies receiving it that that it should not be used, is merely hiding the evidence of an insidious ongoing agenda to go after conservative Americans," Thompson said.

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"This report was the tip of the iceberg," Thomson said. "Conservative Americans should be very outraged."

The Thomas More Law Center filed its lawsuit against Napolitano and the DHS last month on behalf of nationally syndicated conservative radio talk show host Michael Savage, Gregg Cunningham of the pro-life organization Center for Bio-Ethical Reform Inc. and Iraqi War Marine veteran Kevin Murray.

It alleges the federal agency violated the First and Fifth Amendment constitutional rights of these three plaintiffs by targeting them for disfavored treatment and chilling their free speech, expressive association, and equal protection rights. The lawsuit further claims that DHS encourages law enforcement officers throughout the nation to target and report citizens to federal officials as suspicious rightwing extremists and potential terrorists because of their political beliefs.