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Barrar Says Napolitano Needs To Resign
By Bradley Vasoli, The Bulletin
A local state representative, who is also a Navy veteran, plans to introduce a resolution, possibly today, condemning the Obama administration’s April 7 report that warned America’s recent veterans are susceptible to committing terrorist acts.
“To label our veterans who have served their country as potential extremists who have to be watched just shows a tremendous lack of awareness and sensitivity to our men and women,” the resolution’s sponsor state Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160th, of Chester and Delaware counties, said. “Their families should be outraged.”
Mr. Barrar said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, which produced the report, should resign.
The DHS analysis “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence of Radicalization and Recruitment,” was vague in terms of the evidence it used to back its conclusions. But it broadly focused on conservative Americans and particularly right-leaning military veterans as potential recruits for right-wing domestic terrorist organizations.
“The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I & A) has no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but right-wing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues,” the document stated. “The economic downturn and the election of the first African-American president present unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment.”
Supporters of DHS have said, in the wake of the controversy, the department issued a report earlier this year describing the potential for certain leftist outfits to use cyber technology to attack businesses’ computer networks. But that report did not raise the possibility of left-wing groups becoming physically violent.
Mr. Barrar said the more recent DHS report on right-wing extremists goes out of its way to depict military veterans as potential threats, but fails to find real examples apart from executed Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
“To me, this is so insulting that this administration would let this report come out in the fashion that they did,” he said.
The representative said he expects many members of the General Assembly to support his resolution.
“I think I’m going to have a lot of support for it,” Mr. Barrar said, adding that some Republican military veterans in the legislature have said they wish to cosponsor it. He acknowledged, however, getting Democrats to sign on could be more difficult because it calls for the resignation of a federal official who belongs to their own party. Due to the Democratic majority in the House, Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-116th, of Luzerne County, will have principal say over how much consideration the resolution will get.
Mr. Eachus’ office did not provide comment.
Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us
“To label our veterans who have served their country as potential extremists who have to be watched just shows a tremendous lack of awareness and sensitivity to our men and women,” the resolution’s sponsor state Rep. Steve Barrar, R-160th, of Chester and Delaware counties, said. “Their families should be outraged.”
Mr. Barrar said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, which produced the report, should resign.
The DHS analysis “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence of Radicalization and Recruitment,” was vague in terms of the evidence it used to back its conclusions. But it broadly focused on conservative Americans and particularly right-leaning military veterans as potential recruits for right-wing domestic terrorist organizations.
“The DHS/Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I & A) has no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence, but right-wing extremists may be gaining new recruits by playing on their fears about several emergent issues,” the document stated. “The economic downturn and the election of the first African-American president present unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment.”
Supporters of DHS have said, in the wake of the controversy, the department issued a report earlier this year describing the potential for certain leftist outfits to use cyber technology to attack businesses’ computer networks. But that report did not raise the possibility of left-wing groups becoming physically violent.
Mr. Barrar said the more recent DHS report on right-wing extremists goes out of its way to depict military veterans as potential threats, but fails to find real examples apart from executed Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
“To me, this is so insulting that this administration would let this report come out in the fashion that they did,” he said.
The representative said he expects many members of the General Assembly to support his resolution.
“I think I’m going to have a lot of support for it,” Mr. Barrar said, adding that some Republican military veterans in the legislature have said they wish to cosponsor it. He acknowledged, however, getting Democrats to sign on could be more difficult because it calls for the resignation of a federal official who belongs to their own party. Due to the Democratic majority in the House, Majority Leader Todd Eachus, D-116th, of Luzerne County, will have principal say over how much consideration the resolution will get.
Mr. Eachus’ office did not provide comment.
Bradley Vasoli can be reached at bvasoli@thebulletin.us
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