God in Government

Abortion Opponents Object to "Extremism" Tag

By Jacqueline L. Salmon

A little-noticed mention of abortion opponents in that leaked domestic intelligence report is generating plenty of indignation among conservative Christian groups today.

The report by the Department of Homeland Security is an intelligence analysis of domestic and international threats to the nation's borders and infrastructure. The report describes "right-wing extremism" as possibly including "groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

Abortion opponents have jumped on that description.

"This is an outrageous characterization that raises serious questions about the leadership and direction of the agency charged with protecting Americans in the ongoing battle against terrorism," Jay Seculow, the president and chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, told the conservative Web site, LifeNews.com. He said the ACLJ is preparing a legal analysis and launching a nationwide campaign to demand that the DHS remove the reference from its warning.

The Thomas More Law Center, which calls itself the "Christian answer to the ACLU," announced that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Homeland Security "demanding to know the basis for their recent intelligence assessment targeting as 'rightwing extremists' those who oppose abortion, gun control, lax immigration laws, and a myriad of other policies supported by President Obama's administration."

One wag on the Web site of the Catholic News Agency suggested a new bumper sticker: "I am pro life and proud to be on the Homeland Security watchlist."

By Jacqueline L. Salmon  |  April 16, 2009; 10:57 AM ET  | Category:  God in Government Save & Share:  Send E-mail   Facebook   Twitter   Digg   Yahoo Buzz   Del.icio.us   StumbleUpon   Technorati  
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WMARKW - who is it that wants to take children away from their parents and force them into preschools and public schools? Who is it that supports the government violently attacking religious cults? Who is it that loudly wished for George Bush's death? Who is it that wishes to kick people out of their homes if an endangered species is found on their property?

Who is it that refuses to allow conservative speakers onto a college campus, but doesn't blink an eye when oppressive dictators come? I certainly don't like Ann Coulter, but I do think she's a bit better than Ahmadinejad on issues like human rights and womens rights. Yet threats of violence keep people like her and David Horowitz from being allowed to speak on college campuses, but those same liberals who violently react against conservatives and military recruiters don't blink an eye when a leader like Ahmadinejad, or a leader from a country that uses child soldiers comes.

Who is it that harasses workers who disagree with their union? Why do unions fear private voting so much? Because they like to be able to harass those who disagree with them.

Liberals are just as violent as conservatives, you just choose to not see any of the faults of liberals.

Posted by: GabrielRockman | April 17, 2009 2:37 AM
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Who's going around giving death threats to women getting abortions, writing down their license plate numbers, harassing them at home, harassing doctors to the point where they have to wear bullet-proof vests, planting bombs that kill and maim abortion providers, writing "hit lists" on the Internet, killing doctors, etc.? Surely not those good Christians?

If the shoe fits...

Posted by: Athena4 | April 16, 2009 11:51 PM
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Is the right wing more violent than the left?

I've seen conservatives display t-shirts and bumper stickers like "Neuter a liberal" or "Kill them all, let God sort them out," or praying for deaths of Supreme Court justices; while I seldom see liberals advocating acts of violence against innocent people.

Posted by: WmarkW | April 16, 2009 7:18 PM
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Just wait until Obama starts using all the unconstitutional provisions of the Patriot act against his political enemies. Then those "extremists" will regret they ever supported the Patriot act.

And those liberals who complained when the government used the patriot act to spy on Muslim charities will probably be silent when the government uses the patriot act to spy on Christian pro-Life church groups with even less ties to violence than the Muslim charities.

Neither Bush nor Obama has used the Department of Homeland Security to do anything to make us feel more secure - all they do is use it against their political enemies in the name of patriotism, and to fund their political wars on the taxpayer's dime.

Posted by: GabrielRockman | April 16, 2009 12:26 PM
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