If you believe in the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, traditional family values, supporting our veterans, the right to bear arms or a limited federal government, you might be considered a right-wing extremist by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS has removed the offending April 7, 2009 report from its web site after a public outcry, but has not repudiated its contents. We are protesting the fact that DHS is trying to associate patriotic Americans with individuals who choose to commit violent acts.

      For more details on this issue, read the article following the card samples below. This article was first published in our May, 2009 newsletter, The Liberator.

     If you hold traditional American values like the ones above, George Washington would call you a Patriot!

      As conservative Barry Goldwater famously remarked: "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

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By Anita Staver, President of Liberty Counsel

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot… So then, because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of My mouth." Revelation 3:15-16.

You might be a rightwing extremist if…You think killing unborn babies is wrong…You believe that the right to bear arms is actually in the Constitution…You think that people should not be rewarded for coming to America illegally…You dare to prepare for the global famine and other calamities predicted in the Bible…You believe that local and state solutions are superior to enlarging the federal bureaucracy or…You are a veteran who served your country.

So (with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy) that is my synopsis of a recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recent report. Americans can appreciate a good joke, but this is no laughing matter. Our own government is calling biblical and conservative beliefs dangerously extreme and radical!

The Department of Homeland Security recently issued a report warning law enforcement officials nationwide about the dangers of ''right-wing extremism.'' The most jaw-dropping aspect of this report is that its definition of “right-wing extremist” applies to any conservative or value-centered person!

Amazingly, the report focuses on those “rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority,” including “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

When I first heard about this report, I couldn’t believe it. When it had been thoroughly confirmed to me that it was, in fact, an official release from a cabinet-level federal agency, I concluded it was the most preposterous government document I had yet seen (and that’s saying a lot)!

Honestly, this so-called “intelligence assessment” repeatedly warns about those who exercise their Second Amendment right to bear arms. Why? Because, “possible passage of new restrictions on firearms…could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists.” Is it just me, or does this report seem misguided and paranoid?

This off-base report also declares that the government is monitoring what it calls “rightwing extremist chatter on the Internet” (your emails?) in true “Big Brother” fashion. Further, it expresses concern that “‘end times’ prophecies could motivate extremist individuals and groups to stockpile food, ammunition, and weapons,” and that “disgruntled military veterans” are ripe for recruitment into dangerous extremist groups.

As you might expect, news of the report spread quickly, causing widespread concern. For instance, church leaders are questioning its impact on their public activities. One pastor told me that he is very concerned that his attendance at a “Tea Party” event in support of the concept of limited government might be used to keep him from engaging in his work with secular children’s groups and prison ministries.

And we are hearing that many veterans are becoming nervous about freely speaking out against the current administration’s policies since they now believe they are being “profiled” as potential terrorists rather than being given their rightful place as American heroes.

Facing a firestorm of criticism, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano defended her Department’s actions as necessary to, “monitor the risks of violent extremism taking root here in the United States.” Frankly, her answers to legitimate concerns seem defensive and hollow.

Sadly, Her department’s policies are reminiscent of the Janet Reno era of the 1990’s when the Department of Justice painted pro-life citizens as “domestic terrorists” and tried to ban us from offering any assistance whatsoever to desperate and needy pregnant women.

I’ve come to the conclusion that some government administrators just don’t understand people like us. We are ordinary Americans who love our God, our families, our country, and our freedom! We are not terrorists! We are patriots who expect our government to let us freely honor God and His commandments as this Nation’s founders did.

If believing in the sanctity of every human life and in personal accountability to God makes us right-wing extremists, then let’s be glad that God prefers extremists in His churches (see Rev. 3:15-16). Extremism in the service of God is always a virtue, no matter what the Department of Homeland Security and its misguided Secretary might believe.