Letter to the Honorable Janet Napolitano, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security

Letter

Letter to the Honorable Janet Napolitano, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security

Bennett asks DHS to 'Set the Record Straight' on its Report on "Right Wing Extremism"

Report calls veterans and gun owners potential "terrorists"

Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) today sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano regarding the department's recent report on "Rightwing Extremism," which states that veterans, gun owners and groups against abortion or immigration could be considered potential "terrorists."

"Secretary Napolitano needs to set the record straight on the department's attitude toward our veterans and other so-called ‘right wing' groups," said Bennett. "I am deeply troubled by the secretary's lack of concern over the misguided perception that is given by this report."

"Mentioning veterans and extremists in this advisory to law enforcement is deeply offensive to me and my fellow veterans," said Terry Schow, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs. "Those who defend this country both past and present deserve our eternal thanks and should not be used as speculation for potential ‘terrorists' recruits. I believe the secretary owes veterans and their families a heartfelt apology."

In the letter, Bennett asks Napolitano, "Do you truly believe that our returning war heroes, and all citizens who are gun owners, are not only unpatriotic, but threats to the state? Surely you cannot mean that Americans who exercise their second amendment rights, who also happen to disagree with the current administration's policies, should in some way be identified as a threat on par with narco-terrorists, eco-terrorists, or Osama bin-Laden."

The complete text of the Bennett's letter is below.

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528

Secretary Napolitano:

It is with deep concern that I write regarding your agency's recent report on "Rightwing Extremism" and your subsequent response. I am troubled by your apparent lack of concern over the perception given by the report that a variety of Americans, including those who are veterans, gun owners, and opponents of abortion or illegal immigration, should be labeled "terrorists".

Do you truly believe that our returning war heroes, and all citizens who are gun owners, are not only unpatriotic, but threats to the state? Surely you cannot mean that Americans who exercise their second amendment rights, who also happen to disagree with the current administration's policies, should in some way be identified as a threat on par with narco-terrorists, eco-terrorists, or Osama bin-Laden. It would be a particularly grave mistake to place upon our returning war veterans an ill-advised stigma, a sentiment felt by soldiers returning from Vietnam. Surely our country has learned from those errors of the past.

I am certain that my constituents in Utah, as well as veterans and gun owners across the country, stand ready to support the Department of Homeland Security in its mission to protect and defend our nation. However, we ask that you not use the aforementioned report as a basis to unfairly target millions of Americans, simply because they choose to exercise their rights afforded to them in the Constitution, or discriminate against them because of their service to our country. I ask that you set the record straight on this question.

I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Robert F. Bennett
United States Senator

A copy of the department's April report on "Rightwing Extremism" can be found here: http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf.

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