Right-Wing Extremism

Floor Speech

RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM -- (House of Representatives - April 22, 2009)

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Mr. BURGESS. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

You know, home on the 2-week recess that we just had, you are so busy--recess is a misnomer, you are so busy going from one place to another that oftentimes you don't even have an opportunity to keep up with the current events of the day. And I did what I was doing so often as I drive through my rather long and narrow district, I was listening to talk radio, a subversive station there in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, and they started talking about this report that had just come out from the Secretary. Well, I was so upset about what I was hearing on the radio that I got on my phone and I called the staff up here in the Washington office and I said, we need to get a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, to the Secretary right away. So I am going to read to you a few excerpts from the letter that I wrote last week to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. And Judge, it actually goes back to something that you were saying.

Within the letter, the report states that ``the economic downturn and the election of the first African American President present unique drivers for right-wing radicalization and recruitment.'' The report goes on to connect associations with right-leaning ideology with the Oklahoma City bombing, the murder of law enforcement officials, bank robbery, attacks on infrastructure, racism, and bigotry in general. This report claims that, ``high unemployment leads to alienation, increasing an individual's susceptibility to extremist ideas.''

This report appears to claim that high unemployment amongst Caucasians, Christians, second amendment supporters and Armed Forces veterans has a causal relationship with radicalism and violence against the State. I call into question this underlying assumption and baseless claim. The implication that veterans returning home from serving our country are at risk of becoming domestic terrorists or assassins is sensational at best, but dishonorable and disrespectful of their service.

Profiling based on race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or life experiences is always wrong. I believe the Department of Homeland Security owes an apology to the Americans that are offended by this report, especially to the men and women of our Armed Forces. Furthermore, the Department should rescind this report so that those local, State and Federal law enforcement officials who received it are not compelled to profile individuals as terrorists simply because they associate themselves with conservative organizations. I ask that you enact these recommendations on behalf of the constituents of the 26th District of Texas.

And just briefly, I want to read some lines from a stack of mail that I got from my constituents back home. Some of them are pretty outspoken. A resident from Flower Mound, Texas put it pretty simply; ``Fire Napolitano immediately. The United States is not a police state.'' Another resident wrote, ``The only acceptable response is to fire Secretary Napolitano immediately. No apology should be accepted. Even her resignation should not be allowed. All Americans should demand that the Secretary be fired without delay.''

Another resident from Mound, ``Dear Congressman Burgess: Americans are repulsed by the leaked DHS Anti-Terrorism Security Assessment Summary that clearly targets mainstream Americans as dangerous extremists.''

A resident from Keller, Texas, ``The report issued yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security was reprehensible and insulting to tens and millions of Americans. The statement issued today by Secretary Napolitano standing behind the report is absolutely inexcusable. Secretary Napolitano should resign.''

A resident from Hurst, quoting from the body of the letter, ``I ask you to speak out against this kind of rhetoric, Congressman, and to call for the immediate resignation of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.''

Another resident writing from Hurst said, ``In fact, I am considering calling the Department of Homeland Security and giving them my name and address so they can keep an eye on me and my radical ideas, like a smaller Federal Government, more control back to the States. Maybe we should start a list for them.''

A resident from Corinth, Texas stated, quite simply, ``Fire Janet Napolitano immediately. I viewed her so-called apology on Fox and Friends in the morning on Thursday; that was no apology as she stands by the report.''

Another one writing in said, ``I have spent over 20 years of my life serving my country as an officer in the United States Navy fighting to protect the Constitution and America from the very likes of this. I joined during the Cold War, and I know firsthand how Communists act and what they do to political dissenters. Now to have this said of me and my family, my children, my friends, my neighbors, my church, and everyone else I know by my own government makes me''--I'll use a colloquial term here, I'll just say ``sick to my stomach.''

I demand Janet Napolitano's immediate firing. She has demonstrated she is unfit for service in any capacity in the U.S. governments. Another resident of Flower Mound. ``This is disgusting. Of all the departments and agencies in our government which should be apolitical, Homeland Security is one of the most, if not the most critical, to remain apolitical. They are tasked with defending all Americans. I implore you to call for a congressional investigation immediately. I urge you to call immediately for the resignation of Secretary Napolitano. If she is so concerned with advancing a political agenda, let her go work for ACORN, whoever they are.''

A resident from Pilot Point, ``Warmest regards from Pilot Point. We are former U.S. Army officers. One of us is a West Point graduate. We are both veterans of Desert Storm. Both of our fathers and my grandfather are veterans. My father was a career Army officer and my uncle a Navy fighter pilot. My little brother, a U.S. Army officer, has served tours in Afghanistan and just returned from a tour in Iraq last month.

``Forgive my tedious intro, but in the spirit of full disclosure, I thought you should know that we are biased. We bleed red, white and blue. I cannot find the words to share with you, how repugnant we find the justification of discriminatory governmental directives and a complete lack of rational government demonstrated by the DHS Secretary.

``Someone can be given knowledge, but unless they truly accept and internalize the error of their actions they cannot be taught good judgment. She must be held accountable with a full investigation. Short of that, please demand her resignation.

``There is no apology that will change the discriminatory character that she demonstrates and apparently supports. Please make an outspoken stand on principle. I feel we cannot change her character.''

Well, to the two Army officers from Pilot Point, consider it done.

Resident from Lantana, ``Why have Republicans not been screaming for Janet Napolitano's firing? My employees would be fired in this situation.''

It goes on to say ``I love you, and I went to the Denton TEA party.''

A resident from North Richland Hills, ``Returning veterans are being subjected to unjust scrutiny by the DHS Secretary.''

A resident from Denton, ``Her pronouncements are an insult to every American and probably 95 percent of hardworking citizens. To hear such word from a high-ranking Federal employee, language that denigrates those who defend our country and every patriotic American makes me one that Napolitano, I suppose, would consider a threat even though I have always thought that nothing in my personal life and belief system would so delegate me.''

Well, I have a few more, but in the interest of time, I am going to stop there. Those are some of the most poignant that were submitted to the office.

Certainly this is something that has gotten people's attention and appropriately so. I think, Judge, you are doing the correct thing by having this special hour tonight, giving many of us a chance to come down to the floor and talk about this.

I can't say it any better than my constituents have said it, an investigation, to be sure, a replacement of the Secretary, I think, is certainly in order, and I do have to question the sincerity of an administration that would not undertake these measures after the types of very, very painful words that have been included in that report, and how it has affected those that we have depended upon to fight for us and maintain our freedom.

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