The aim of the FBI’s effort with the Defense Department, which was rolled into the Vigilant Eagle program, is to “share information regarding Iraqi and Afghanistan war veterans whose involvement in white supremacy and/or militia sovereign citizen extremist groups poses a domestic terrorism threat,” according to the Feb. 23 FBI memo.
Michael Ward, FBI deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, said in an interview Thursday that the portion of the operation focusing on the military related only to veterans who draw the attention of Defense Department officials for joining white-supremacist or other extremist groups.
“We’re not doing an investigation into the military, we’re not looking at former military members,” he said. “It would have to be something they were concerned about, or someone they’re concerned is involved” with extremist groups.
Mr. Ward said that the FBI’s general counsel reviewed the operation before it began, “to make sure any tripwires we set do not violate any civil liberties.”
Napolitano: Returning vets too stupid to avoid extremists
Janet Napolitano continues to thrash around for any rationalization she can find for the DHS report that painted political organizing on abortion, federalism, and immigration as potential national-security threats and called returining military vets a danger to the country they served…
Yes, the poor dears are victims that obviously can’t decide themselves not to join violent groups … none of which the report bothers to name, by the way. Unlike the report on left-wing extremism, which names several known groups with track records of violence, the DHS report that Napolitano continues to defend never bothers to name an actual threat.
Like oil and water.
TenguPhule
Or phospherous and water.
Gold Star for Robot Boy
When did Ed come to be so hacktacular?
He used to be a decent read, but now… Yeesh.
Ed Marshall
A friend of mine’s brother was an active recruiter for the northern hammerskins with the 101st airborne ten years or so ago. He’d fight with other chapters of the hammerskins over who regionally belonged to who, so he wasn’t even alone. I can name names all day long.
Mnemosyne
Did I only imagine that Tim McVeigh existed? It would be very comforting for me to believe that I dreamed him up and those 168 people he murdered are really still alive.
I guess that’s why people were so insistent that McVeigh be executed immediately — God forbid we should have an Iraq War I veteran talking about his ties to white supremacist militias. It was such a buzzkill for people like Cap’n Ed to have to listen to that.
Ejoiner
This stuff is just like the Obama “handshake” thing – they literally have to forget very very recent history in order to make some outrageous claim. I don’t even feel like arguing with ’em anymore since “facts” and “reality” have no claim in their thought process.
They have out Orwelled Orwell.
Ed Marshall
Doh, I forgot, the hammerskins, Aryan Nation, WAR, etc.. must be liberal fascists and have nothing to do with the right wing.
Dennis-SGMM
It seems like only yesterday that people like Captain Ed were just delighted about Bushco’s steadfast refusal to acknowledge who they were tracking or why they were tracking them because that might tip off the terrorists. Now it’s oppression.
Soon they’ll be wetting their pants over becoming the next David Koresh.
Donald G
Oh, poor Ed. I remember when he used to be a sensible conservative. I guess such hacktacularness is what happens when one takes Michelle Malkin’s shilling. Having one’s party lose power probably hasn’t helped matters, either.
serr8d
There, fixed that for you.
(Actually, I’ve heard John Cole was once a ‘good man’ and a decent read, but he fell into this left-leaning miasma, probably brought on by a strain of brain-rotting lefty bacteria and now we have…this newer incarnation. If he ever was more conservative, it was long before I started reading blogs.)
Zifnab
At what point do comments like “– Returning vets too stupid to avoid extremists –” coming from Republican strawmen start sounding less like strawmen and more like Republicans just making veiled attacks on the military?
If I heard someone shouting, “Democrats think /minority group/ are stupid, fat, ugly, America-hating, inhumane, scum sucking vermin that should be irradicated Holocaust style”, why would I think more badily of “Democrats” than the slug that felt the need to belt that out?
Ed Marshall
@serr8d:
You see what he did there, you were all like “Cap’n Ed is a hack”, and he was like “No, John Cole is”! pwned!l1l1l1111!!!!
LD50
Shorter serr8d:
“I know you are — but WHAT AM I?”
Donald G
I remember there used to be a term in the blogosphere ca. 2002-2003 that may be due for a resurrection. IIRC, it was initially applied to the rabid fringes of both the right and the left, but pretty much came to be solely used by the right to demonize the left. The time may be coming to rehabilitate the term “idiotarian”. No other term so accurately describes what I’ve been seeing from the right-wing these last few months.
SpotWeld
I wonder if Ed has realized that no matter how much of a wingnut he is, he still didn’t make Bush’s short list of scary people
Walker
@serr8d:
Who’s the new spoof?
Ash
Can someone explain this to me? I just seriously don’t understand what is going on with this whole brouhaha. Everyone knows that right-wing groups, such as militias, white supremacists, abortion clinic bombers, survivalists, etc, should all at least have their tabs kept on, right? Like…..how is this a big deal? WHY? Are these morans SERIOUSLY conflating psycho wingnutters with mainstream conservatives?
Quaker in a Basement
Ed is playing a familiar exploit in feigned outrage. (I wish I could say this ploy was the exclusive property of conservatives. It is not.)
The DHS report: Some extremist groups limit themselves to a single issue like abortion.
Ed’s retort: You’re saying everyone who opposes abortion is a dangerous extremist!!
He musta been out sick the day they did Venn diagrams at school.
Jay Severin Has A Small Pen1s
The same guys who took John Kerry to task for opposing the Vietnam war and attending protests when he came back?
Dink!
KRK
Does Cap’n Ed not know anybody in the military? Jon Soltz posted at VetVoice on this issue last week, pointing out that the US military has itself taken steps to reduce the risk of recruitment by right wing extremists.
sgwhiteinfla
I have noted this over at Oliver Willis’ blog but it bears repeating. The wingnuts primary defense these days is the “Pee Wee Herman” argument, “I know you are but what am I”. Seriously, try debating any of the few who actually have open comments on their blog or engaging in any that come along trolling and when you point out what Bush and nem did for 8 years instead of acknowledging anything they bring up Democrats who did shit 20 years ago or try to come up with a false equivalency for President Obama. Its what makes engaging in an honest debate with them close to impossible. The truth is we should stop bashing the Republicans in Congress some because they are actually just reflections of their base. Why expect them to come up with any alternate solutions when their supporters aren’t interested in that. The wingnuts want 24 hr poo flinging and thats what they demand from their elected officials. Its reducing their party to permanent minority status and utter irrelevance, but hey they get a couple of days of buzz on cable Tee Vee right?
anonevent
@sgwhiteinfla: I tried having a conversation the other day with some coworkers, and they have been trained to pull out another shrill statement when I debunk the last one. I eventually just stopped talking and let the conversation trail into a conversation about Susan Boyle.
Corner Stone
@TenguPhule: Why you gotta bring Willie Pete into this? He never did anything to you.
Andrew
I suppose dropping 40 IQ points was a job requirement for the Captain in becoming Malkin’s bitch.
trizzlor
@Mnemosyne: Bring up McVeigh with any wingnut and they’ll tell you that he was an atheist and a liberal. They will then proceed to point out that neo-Nazi’s are liberal (national socialism, remember) and the KKK was started by Democrats, who also wanted to block the Civil Rights Act.
I’m not kidding, this is from personal experience – that is the history book according to a conservative. And when you try to explain what happened using big-boy words like “the origins of fascism” or “Dixiecrats”, the ideas are too complex for them to grasp. It’s a one way argument.
trizzlor
@Mnemosyne: Bring up McVeigh with any wingnut and they’ll tell you that he was an atheist and a liberal. They will then proceed to point out that neo-Nazi’s are liberal (national socia.lism, remember) and the KKK was started by Democrats, who also wanted to block the Civil Rights Act.
I’m not kidding, this is from personal experience – that is the history book according to a conservative. And when you try to explain what happened using big-boy words like “the origins of fascism” or “Dixiecrats”, the ideas are too complex for them to grasp. It’s a one way argument.
Comrade Dread
It’s really entertaining to imagine the mental processes that interpret: We’re only watching or interested in veterans who’ve joined fringe groups.” into “All veterans are terrorists and they’re too stupid not to join fringe groups.”
I’m picturing a thousand hamsters in wheels trying to read the paragraph. All but one of them are long since dead. And the survivor is nearsighted. And she only understands Flemish.
omen
wingers keep claiming there was no basis for the dhs report. that stormfront rightwing nut from pittsburgh, poplawski, who shot and killed 3 cops was ex-military.
Zuzu's Petals
Well, the head of the largest veterans’ group in the country doesn’t have a real problem with the report either: