澳彩开奖

The Washington Post today that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 鈥渉as stepped back for the past two years from conducting its own intelligence and analysis of home-grown extremism鈥� despite what experts describe as a rising threat from domestic extremists. The Post story was sparked by an by the 澳彩开奖 of Daryl Johnson, who was DHS lead analyst of non-Islamic domestic terrorism until quitting in frustration last year.

As the Post noted, DHS 鈥渆ffectively eviscerated鈥� Johnson鈥檚 team, cut the number of analysts studying such matters, and effectively stopped issuing reports meant for law enforcement agencies after the leak of an on 鈥渞ightwing extremism.鈥� That report, which was meant for law enforcement only but was quickly leaked, was attacked by an array of conservative groups and individuals for supposedly tarring all on the political right as potential terrorists.

The Post also noted that 澳彩开奖 President Richard Cohen DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano last Friday requesting a reassessment of resources devoted to 鈥渢he threat of non-Islamic domestic terrorism.鈥� It also pointed out that the 澳彩开奖 had compiled a list of almost 100 domestic terrorism and similar incidents on the radical right since the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. In addition, it said, the 澳彩开奖 that the number of hate groups has been growing for more than a decade, topping 1,000 for the first time in 2010.

The 澳彩开奖 has repeatedly since 2009 that the DHS report was, in fact, absolutely correct in its analysis of rising right-wing extremism in the context of a faltering economy and the nation鈥檚 first black president. And it was false that the report demonized any political group. Among other things, it pointed out that some extremists were interested in only a single issue like immigration or abortion, and added that extremists were interested in recruiting returning war veterans. It did not, as many conservatives alleged, suggest that all veterans were potential terrorists or that most people opposed to immigration or abortion were dangerous.

Nevertheless, the DHS report was repudiated, after being initially defended, by Napolitano. She acted after 20 conservative groups sponsored ads calling for her ouster, saying the report had been released without being properly reviewed and criticizing some of its contents 鈥� even though Johnson said that she initially seemed pleased in a private review of the report with him before its release. She apologized to the American Legion, which had complained about the report鈥檚 warning that hate groups were interested in recruiting Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans.

Johnson鈥檚 interview, carried in the issue of the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Intelligence Report that is due out later this month, was provided early to Post reporter R. Jeffrey Smith, who went on to conduct many additional interviews and other reporting. Smith found that officials in many of the nation鈥檚 72 鈥渇usion centers鈥� 鈥� institutions in which local, state and federal officials share sensitive information 鈥� were frustrated by the lack of information from DHS. He cited Mike Sena, who oversees all the centers, as saying more DHS effort was warranted, as did officials the Post interviewed at fusion centers in Missouri, Virginia and Tennessee.

In his interview with the 澳彩开奖, Johnson said that his unit, which once numbered six full-time analysts, had been cut to just one. The Post quoted an unnamed DHS official saying it was more than that, but giving no further details.

In his letter to Napolitano, the 澳彩开奖鈥檚 Cohen pointed out a number of recent domestic terrorist attacks or planned attacks since the 2009 DHS report.

鈥淭hese incidents are starting to add up,鈥� Johnson said in the 澳彩开奖 interview. 鈥淵et our legislators, politicians and national leaders don鈥檛 appear too concerned about this. So my greatest fear is that domestic terrorists 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. This is what keeps me up at night.鈥�