Ever read an article and wonder where have these people been for the last decade? Well that happened to me this morning when I read an ABC News article quoting the Attorney General of the United States of American, Eric Holder, saying that even two years ago, home grown terrorism wasn't concerning.What was uppermost on his mind, however, is the alarming rise in the number of Americans who are more than willing to attack and kill their fellow citizens.
"It is one of the things that keeps me up at night," Holder said. "You didn't worry about this even two years ago -- about individuals, about Americans, to the extent that we now do. And -- that is of -- of great concern."
"The threat has changed from simply worrying about foreigners coming here, to worrying about people in the United States, American citizens -- raised here, born here, and who for whatever reason, have decided that they are going to become radicalized and take up arms against the nation in which they were born," he said.
The search engine, a wonderful tool, shows a variety of violent acts committed by home grown terrorists and also steps our government have tried to take against it.
On October 23, 2007 (that is three years ago Mr. Holder) the House of Representatives passed the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act with a vote of 404-6.
The bill failed to become law during the 110th congress. Point is, the offering of the bill by Representative Jane Harman (D-CA) shows undoubtedly that Democrats and Republicans were concerned, greatly, over home grown terrorism.
In may of 2008, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs issued a Majority and Minority Staff Report, by Joseph Lieberman, Chairman Susan Collins, Ranking Minority Member, which also listed just a few examples of the problem seen back then.
The United States has not been immune from homegrown threats, as evidenced by the James case and other incidents. For example:
In December 2006, Derrick Shareef, a resident of Genoa, Illinois, who was not alleged to • be part of a terrorist organization but was inspired by violent Islamist ideology, was charged with, and ultimately pleaded guilty to attempting to acquire explosives as part of a plan to attack the Cherry Vale Mall in Rockford, Illinois.
In May 7, 2007, a group of six men were arrested as part of an alleged plot to attack the Fort • Dix military base in New Jersey. The men – three of whom were legally living in the United States – allegedly watched violent Islamist videos, obtained weapons, and planned and trained for the attack in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
In June 2007, federal law enforcement disrupted an ideologically inspired terrorist plot to • allegedly destroy fuel supplies and pipelines at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
More from that report:
These incidents and others form part of a growing trend that has raised concerns within the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities. The Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert S. Mueller, discussed this dangerous trend before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on February 5, 2008. Director McConnell testified that:Over the next year, attacks by “homegrown” extremists inspired by militant Islamic ideology but without operational direction from al-Qa’ida will remain a threat to the United States or against U.S. interests overseas. The spread of radical Salafi Internet sites that provide religious justification for attacks, increasingly aggressive and violent anti-Western rhetoric and actions by local groups, and the growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries that identify with violent Salafi objectives, all suggest growth of a radical and violent segment among the West’s Muslim populations.… The al-Qaida-propagated narrative of an “us versus them” struggle serves both as a platform and a potential catalyst for radicalization of Muslims alienated from the mainstream U.S. population.
To date, cells detected in the United States have lacked the level of sophistication, experience, and access to resources of terrorist cells overseas. Their efforts, when disrupted, largely have been in the nascent phase, and authorities often were able to take advantage of poor operational tradecraft. However, the growing use of the Internet to identify and connect with networks throughout the world offers opportunities to build relationships and gain expertise that previously were available only in overseas training camps. It is likely that such independent groups will use information on destructive tactics available on the Internet to boost their own capabilities.
And, according to Director Mueller:[W]e face the challenges presented by a third group and that is self-radicalized, homegrown extremists in the United States. While not formally affiliated with a foreign terrorist group, they are inspired by those groups’ messages of violence, often through the Internet, and because they lack formal ties, they are often particularly difficult to detect.
The 24 page PDF report itself can be found here.
Then a blockbuster report from early 2009 reveling 35 known terrorist compounds on U.S. soil.
Search engines are wonderful tools and perhaps Eric Holder should learn how to use one or better yet, read the reports he undoubtedly has access to concerning this issue that date back well over two years ago.
Just a thought.
Others providing examples:
The Jawa Report provides a video release, produced in 2008 (Yes Mr. Holder, again that is two years ago!!) showing the explicit threat of homegrown terrorism.
Just One Minute provides examples that Holder, as Attorney General, should be well aware of that date back to a couple years ago when Holder obviously slept through the year.
No, two years ago the only thing we knew about Reid, Padilla, the Lackawanna Six et al was that Bush was shreddding the Constitution and Gitmo needed to be closed. Two years ago the the DHS was fretting about right-wing haters.
Oh, well - I don't know why Holder wants to credit Obama and say that Muslims only became radicalized in the last two years, but there it is.
I don't know what rock Holder was hiding under for the last decade but perhaps he needs to crawl back under it and stop giving interviews if he is going to spout nonsense such as this.
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