By Dave Stieren

They say you always remember your first time. Go ahead, chuckle if you must, but yesterday (4/14/09) was a big day for me. It was my first time attending a rally (non-sports related) for a cause that didn’t involve a pre or post event pub-crawl. Marching and chanting slogans with pro-OCS development folks was a blast. I had no idea that such activities now makes me a radical, and now the department of Homeland Security will be watching and listening to me. It’s nice to have fans, but I’m a little creeped out.

According to an assessment for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, a sub department of the department of Homeland Security, there is resurgence in radicalization and recruitment in rightwing extremism. A footnote on page 2 of the report gives us some insight on the department's definition of these radical groups:

“Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups, and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

So, and please bear with me, if I favor states rights over the maddening influence of the federal government, I may be an extremist? It sounds like a bad Jeff Foxworthy skit, ”If you think abortion is murder, you might be an extremist.” For the record, I’m more a Ron White fan myself, but I think we all get the point. Keep in mind that is the same government that is under the impression that we are a nation of racist cowards, are all smuggling guns to Mexican drug lords, and now, if you’re a veteran of Iraq or Afghanistan, you’re a potential extremist.

That’s right. In one of the findings, the government has assessed that war veterans are targets for recruiting of these groups due to being “disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war.” While the report sites only a small percentage may be interested in joining such groups, it also states “A prominent civil rights organization reported in 2006 that “large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the [U.S.] armed forces.” So much for supporting the troops and not the war.

So I guess in summary, if you’re a returning member of the military who is pro life, owns guns, didn’t vote for a socialist president, and wants the federal government to mind their own business and listen to talk radio, you may be an extremist. I just hope you didn’t go to a tea party today, or your phone will be bugged very soon. Once again I ask you, are you paranoid if they really are out to get you?