Right-wing Domestic Terrorism is a Hot Potato

Anders Breivik (Andrew Berwick)

The tragic attacks on the government of Norway reminded many of us of Timothy McViegh's attack on the Oklahoma City Federal Government Building. The accused terrorist, Anders Breivik, is a right-wing fundamentalist who has written "An European Declaration of Independence" advising Christians to use violence to drive Muslims from Europe by giving advice on building bombs, making poisons, and honing their marksmanship with video games.


Just as in the case of McViegh, if Breivik is found guilty,  it will be a case of a home-grown, right-wing, terrorist who attacked his fellow citizens. In addition, the Norway case seems to add another layer; fundamentalist Christians versus Muslims.


Neither Norway nor the US should be surprised that domestic terrorism is a real threat to the safety of the citizenry. A former Homeland Security terrorism analyst, Daryl Johnson, was the main author of the April 7, 2009 report: "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,"  This document warned us that home-grown terrorists are a grave threat to our security. Unfortunately, once this document was leaked,  the political right went into a fearful rage thinking that law enforcement might consider all conservatives as possible domestic terrorists. (An interesting example of stereotypical thinking.) Following the conservative criticism, the unit that investigated non-Islamic domestic terrorism was reduced from six analysts to just one. As a result, according to Johnson, "We are more vulnerable." (SPCLC Report, Summer 2011).


We, as a country, must face the fact that we have fellow citizens who are racist, xenophobic, anti-Muslim, fundamentalist Christians who think that Government of and by the people is their enemy and are willing to use violence to attack it. We should not, therefore, institute draconian measures to deprive these people of their rights, but we should devote as much of our vigilance to safeguard against them as we do foreign terrorists.


As for conservative Americans, one would hope that they too want to prevent home-grown terrorists from killing innocent Americans.