YOU ARE NOW A TERRORIST

 

“We have met the enemy and he is us.”

                ---Walt Kelly, creator of Pogo

 

          The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a “National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin” on February 7, 2022.  Summarizing the threat of terrorism, the document’s first sentence warns of a “heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories….”

 

          What are these “narratives?”

 

          “Key factors contributing to the current heightened threat environment include:

          1. The proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions:

          *For example, there is widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19.”

 

          Later in the Bulletin, the DHS gets more specific about the nature of the threat:

          “COVID-19 mitigation measures---particularly COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates---have been used by domestic violent extremists to target government, healthcare, and academic institutions that they associate with those measures.”  (I don’t really remember these violent terrorist attacks on American institutions, but hey, I don’t get out much.)

 

And….

          “Some domestic violent extremists have continued to advocate for violence in response to false or misleading narratives about unsubstantiated election fraud.”

 

          Remember: this is about TERRORISM.  This is the Department of Homeland Security defining, and warning us about, DOMESTIC TERRORISM.  Maybe you thought you were just an anti-vaxxer, or a Biden-denier, or a white supremacist, or a MAGA-hatted loon, or a parent who wanted your kid to be able to take his mask off at school.  Sorry.  You’re a Domestic Terrorist now, Osama.

 

Copyright2022MichaelKubacki