Thursday, April 23, 2009

House Republicans to Napolitano: Get out!

According to Politico’s Patrick O’Connor, House Republicans want Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to resign from her post or be fired by President Obama over the release of a department report dealing with potential threats from Right-wing extremists.

The report, titled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” has enraged conservatives and veterans’ groups, who allege that the Obama administration is targeting political opponents.

“Singling out political opponents for working against the ruling party is precisely the tactic of every tyrannical government from Red China to Venezuela," said Rep. John Carter (R-Texas). “The first step in the process is creating unfounded public suspicion of political opponents, followed by arresting and jailing any who continue speaking against the regime.”

”In particular, conservative members of the Republican Study Committee raised repeated concerns about the report and Napolitano's subsequent defense of its findings on Wednesday, calling on party leaders to raise the issue with President Barack Obama during a White House meeting on Thursday,” O’Connor writes.

The DHS report, which was released earlier this month, warned federal, state and local law enforcement officials that the troubled economy "could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past."

“Conservative bloggers and talk radio hosts immediately seized on the report as evidence that the Obama administration was trying to marginalize its critics on the right,” O’Connor adds.

Veterans groups, including the American Legion, accused the report of singling out service members returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last Thursday, Napolitano apologized to veterans who were offended by the report.

"I know that some veterans groups were offended by the fact that veterans were mentioned in this assessment, so I apologize for that offense. It was certainly not intended," she told CNN's "American Morning.” Napolitano also noted that Glen M. Gardner, Jr., national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, defended the report, saying it “served a vital purpose.”

Many conservatives are claiming that the report is “biased,” but do any of them care about the fact that it was initiated during the administration of George W. Bush? Why aren’t conservatives attacking Bush?

Oh, and does anyone not realize that the Obama administration issued a similar report about Left-wing extremism in January? That report, by the way, was also initiated by the Bush administration.

You can read both reports here and here. Take a look at them and tell me if you see any bias. And if you do, then blame Michael Chertoff, not Janet Napolitano.

I know I’ve been picking on conservatives a lot lately, but it seems as though the Right has gone haywire since the election last year. While I don’t relish the prospect of Democrats controlling our government over the next decade or so, the Republicans have not convinced me that they have the wisdom or the maturity to lead this nation again.

10 comments:

  1. Please allow me to sum up the right wing argument. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

    That is all.

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  2. In the words of Janet Napolitano, this entire thing is a "man-created disaster." That Newspeak is worse than anything.

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  3. Do you think that people's voice will be loud enough for it happen...that BAG needs to go...Great post!

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  4. Is it just me or is the GOP acting like a kid who just got high for the first time. The level of paranoia is climbing daily. For a party that gave us a president who completely ignored the 4th Amendment; they certainly are creating quite an uproar over rivacy issues. Stop "bogarting" and recognize the contradictions in your complaints.

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  5. Much ado about nothing. The sad thing is that people like Chamot apparently think it is real. Get it through your empty head, Chamot, this report was started during BUSHTIME. A similar report was issued earlier in BUSHTIME. There is also a report on LEFT WING THREATS, Chamot. Now, be a good little boy and go back to bed. The Bogeyman is not real this time.

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  6. Oh yes. Almost forgot. If you want a real bogeyman to worry about, worry about the Taliban taking over all of Pakistan and gaining Pakistani nukes. More of Bush's legacy to us. Worry about that. A lot.

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  7. Oh yes...she is all yours....AZ was thrilled to get rid of the Governor who has left our state in ruins. How is it possible that Obama appointed the head of a state that is the poster child for illegal immigration to homeland security??? I think McCain cut this deal just to get her out of here. Good riddance to AZ....sorry USA.

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  8. AZ is in ruins? Indian ruins? What kind of ruins? Did somebody bomb Phoenix? WTF are you talking about? Some details please. Instead of ranting like an adolescent, give out some facts.

    Was ALL AZ thrilled to get rid of her? How about the Arizonans who voted for her? Somehow I don't think that all Arizonans feel the way you do.

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  9. Here are some FACTS:
    She won the Arizona gubernatorial election of 2002 with 46 percent of the vote, succeeding Republican Jane Dee Hull and defeating her Republican opponent, former congressman Matt Salmon, who received 45 percent of the vote.Pretty close, eh? Since everyone hates her in AZ, you'd think that she'd not get re-elected, eh?
    In November 2006, Napolitano won the gubernatorial election of 2006, defeating the Republican challenger, Len Munsil, by a nearly 2–1 ratio and becoming the first woman to be re-elected to that office. Arizona's constitution provides a two-consecutive-term term limit for its governors, meaning Napolitano would have been barred from seeking a third term in office in 2010.Nope. She won by a 2 to 1 margin. Amazing for a Governor who left her state in ruins.

    The above information is from wikipedia and is easily searchable.

    The right wing just can't keep from lying. I can't remember the last time a right winger told the truth about anything except maybe for Meghan McCain.

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  10. We left wingers need not make any attempt to marginalize right wingers or right wing extremists. They have marginalized themselves perfectly well without any help.

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