The Department of Homeland Security declassified a document sent out to law enforcement agencies across the country detailing the supposedly rising threat to national security posed by right-wing extremist groups. These groups, faced with growing governmental power, a black man in the White House, disgusted with the rise in immigrants and the like, are reportedly starting to ruffle some feathers. The document even warns of their recuruiters seeking out returning veterans to utilize their combat skills for future conflicts. Couple this with yesterday's blustering about the 10th Amendment in Texas, and you have yourself with the dangerous possibility that this country could fall into a violent culture war the likes of which it's never seen.
But wait, wasn't the Bush administration equally concerned about left-wing radicals? Didn't the right-wingers erect pens to hold protesters in during the Republican National Convention? Wasn't the far-left left simmering with pent-up resentment and fury during the eight years of Republican dominance? There were talks of impeaching the President, effigies were burnt and I'm sure there were a fair share of documents floating around Washington about the dangers of environmentalists raising hell or opponents of Bush trying to pull something.
The right wing is currently up in arms over this document, but they undoubtedly had the same attitude toward liberal groups. The role of the Department of Homeland Security is to analyze any and all threats to the country, domestic and abroad, and you know what? A bunch of radical Republicans, completely dissatisfied with Washington, armed with guns and thinking about using them is a threat, just as a bunch of radical Democrats sipping espresso while brandishing clubs wrapped in Proust, or whatever it is the intellectual elite fight with, is. Why isn't the government worried about liberals? Because they're happy, they have no reason to do much of anything in protest.
It also doesn't hurt that the liberals don't have guns, something which increases the intimidation factor of the far-right, since they readily avow their right to bear arms for the purpose of ... not using them?
Let's face it, most folks get much more antsy when they think of the threat from some well-armed Michigan militia than the threat from a bunch of psuedo-inellectual university types. But it doesn't mean that either is going to be singled out as some sort of terribly dangerous group, the feds are merely putting the far-right on the radar. When the Republicans eventually take back D.C., roles will be reversed and the uproar will come from the opposite direction.