Obama lays framework for purge of online opponents

Under the guise of curbing the "radicalization" of U.S. citizens and identifying and purging potentially violent persons from the Internet, the White House has initiated the creation of a new interagency working group to address what it calls a growing problem.

The White House issued a fact sheetdelineating the broad objectives of the plan.

The interagency group will be headed by Quintan Wiktorowicz, the current White House senior director for community partnerships on the national security staff. The new group will be called The Interagency Working Group to Counter Online Radicalization and will be charged with the implementation of an Internet safety program to address online violent extremism.

Wiktorowiczs stated,

“Violent extremist groups ─ like Al Qaeda and its affiliates and adherents, violent supremacist groups, and violent “sovereign citizens” ─ are leveraging online tools and resources to propagate messages of violence and division. These groups use the Internet to disseminate propaganda, identify and groom potential recruits, and supplement their real-world recruitment efforts. Some members and supporters of these groups visit mainstream fora to see whether individuals might be recruited or encouraged to commit acts of violence, look for opportunities to draw targets into private exchanges, and exploit popular media like music videos and online video games. Although the Internet offers countless opportunities for Americans to connect, it has also provided violent extremists with access to new audiences and instruments for radicalization.”

If Wiktorowics were referring exclusively to terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, then no red flags would be raised whatsoever concerning the new program. But he never specified nor defined terms such as "violent supremacist groups" or "violent sovereign citizens."

The Obama Administration has already caused the alarm bells to ring on several occasions as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released several internal memos referring to conservative Christians who believe the Bible, pro-life citizens who are against abortion, Tea Party activists, and political conservatives who believe in a strict adherence to the U.S. Constitution as "potential homegrown terrorists."

And in the current gun rights debate, sovereign citizens have gone on the record to oppose the Obama administration's all-out assault on the Second Amendment, vowing to disobey any law that would violate their unfettered rights to keep and bear firearms.

It would be difficult to imagine this administration, with its radical leftwing mindset and agenda, viewing such widespread displays of defiance as anything other than a direct threat to its power, and thus, a perfect motivation for declaring such citizens to be potentially "violent sovereign citizens."

Citizen militias that are formed to counter the administration's push to negate Second Amendment protections of unfettered gun rights would also potentially come under the umbrella of "violent extremist groups," given that these citizens have openly stated that while they would never start a civil war by opening fire on federal agents, they would, in fact, return fire if fired upon first by government forces or law enforcement.

Although the United States itself was born directly from armed and "violent" resistance togovernment tyranny as represented by the British empire at the time, in today's climate such ideas are viewed by elitist educators, historians, and politicians as dangerous extremism.

Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president, would more than likely be deemed a homegrown terrorist in modern America with his well-publicized view that the federal government needs to be purged every generation or so with an armed insurrection aimed at ridding the government of anyone who undermines individual liberty and the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.

Modern patriots who adhere to the philosophy of Jefferson represent a clear, direct threat to many within government who view the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as irritating roadblocks to their plans for complete government power over every sector of life.

America, thus, enters into a very dangerous phase of our history as increasingly it is becoming clear that our own government has set its sights against its own citizens.

http://www.examiner.com/article/obama-lays-framework-for-purge-of-online-opponents

White House

FACT SHEET: Working to Counter Online Radicalization to Violence in the United States
A Starting Point: This is a starting point to tackle the threat of violent extremist use of the 
Internet.  Adopting an Internet safety approach and related tools is key, but the Interagency 
Working Group to Counter Online Radicalization to Violence will be charged with considering 
additional efforts, as appropriate.

Protecting Freedom of Speech:  It is important that we continue to protect civil liberties and 
privacy as we implement an Internet safety approach and that we do not restrict speech. Our 
focus is on providing communities with information for staying safe online from individuals who 
are trying to encourage others to commit acts of violence.  Our concern with protecting civil 
liberties and privacy informed the development of our policy and will guide the efforts of the 
Working Group. 

Addressing the Threat: Violent extremists use the Internet to recruit and radicalize Americans 
to commit acts of violence.  We have seen attacks over the last several years in which 
consumption of propaganda over, and communication through, the Internet played a role in the 
radicalization of the attacker.  The Federal Government will work to make communities more 
resilient to these messages of hate by raising awareness and providing tools.  Informed and 
resilient communities are our Nation’s first and best line of defense against terrorism. 
Resources and Implementation: The resources necessary for implementing this policy will be 
determined by the Working Group.  However, the goal is to integrate these efforts into ongoing 
Federal, state, and local Internet safety programs.  For example, the OnGuard Online website 
hosted by the Federal Trade Commission will begin including information about violent 
extremist use of the Internet in their existing Internet safety materials.  Implementation will be 
coordinated by the Working Group, which will be chaired by the White House National Security 
Staff.  Relevant departments and agencies will participate in the Working Group and collaborate 
to implement this policy.

Collaborating with Industry: The Federal Government will collaborate with industry to 
explore how we might counter online violent extremism while protecting lawful Internet use and 
the civil liberties and privacy of individual users. Many companies have developed voluntary 
measures to promote Internet safety (such as fraud warnings, identity protection, and Internet 
safety tips), and we look forward to hearing their views about how we might apply similar 
measures to counter online radicalization to violence.