In preparation for the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning citing only one threat to the security of America: domestic terrorism. These “terrorists” targeted for DHS scrutiny were identified as those who openly question the Biden administration’s narrative about the COVID pandemic and those who suggested that voter fraud may have taken place in the 2020 presidential election. The absurdity is that the warning came on precisely the same day that Afghanistan was hit by an onslaught of the Taliban, a terrorist organization the DHS claimed was in league with these “domestic terrorists.” The bulletin exhorted the public to turn in their “domestic terrorist” neighbors to the proper authorities.

DHS bulletin

The DHS issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin on Friday regarding the current heightened threat environment across the United States. The bulletin described domestic terrorists as “racially- or ethnically-motivated violent extremists (RMVEs) and anti-government/anti-authority violent extremists”. The bulleting went on to describe the form these threats would take.

“These extremists may seek to exploit the emergence of COVID-19 variants by viewing the potential re-establishment of public health restrictions across the United States as a rationale to conduct attacks,” the bulletin read. “Pandemic-related stressors have contributed to increased societal strains and tensions, driving several plots by domestic violent extremists, and they may contribute to more violence this year.”

The threat from COVID-inspired domestic terrorists could be exacerbated by federally mandated health restrictions on schools and houses of worship. The sources of inspiration for the domestic terrorists, according to the DHS, were the Chinese, Iranian, and Russian media which were the sources of the “conspiracy theories concerning the origins of COVID-19 and effectiveness of vaccines; in some cases, amplifying calls for violence targeting persons of Asian descent.”

Another motivation for these domestic terrorists listed by the DHS was dissatisfaction with the 2020 presidential election.

“There are also continued, non-specific calls for violence on multiple online platforms associated with DVE ideologies or conspiracy theories on perceived election fraud and alleged reinstatement,” the bulletin stated.

Al Qaeda in league with domestic terrorists

The bulletin noted that Al Qaeda recently released its first English-language copy of Inspire magazine in over four years, suggesting that the Islamic terrorist organization was seeking to “inspire” these domestic terrorists in the US.

This explanation seems a bit bizarre as it coincides with the Taliban onslaught that overthrew the government in Afghanistan. The Taliban is directly linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization that carried out the 9-11 attacks, making the DHS bulleting doubly bizarre. Experts have warned that the establishment of the  Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan by the Taliban increases the threat of Islamic terrorism in other countries, a threat the DHS bulletin does not even mention other than as an inspiration for “domestic terrorism.”

A call for internet censorship and turning in neighbors to police

The bulletin went on to warn that these ”violent extremists may use particular messaging platforms.” The DHS stated that they will work to  “debunk and, when possible, preempt false narratives.”

“The public is encouraged to listen to local authorities and public safety officials,” the bulletin concluded. 

“If You See Something, Say Something,” it added in bold letters. “Report suspicious activity to local law enforcement or call 911.”

Government oversight or government overreach?

NBC News reported on the bulletin’s warnings about domestic terrorism, citing unnamed officials.

“The goal is to build a warning system to detect the sort of posts that appeared to predict an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 but were missed or ignored by law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” the officials said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that the threat from domestic terrorism is large and growing, noting that the FBI had at least 2,000 open domestic terrorism investigations.

It should be noted that in May, the DHS announced that they were implementing a system “to detect the sort of posts that appeared to predict an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.”

The DHS claimed this system was limited to monitoring social media which they are permitted to access without acquiring a warrant. Though this may be true of the DHS, the White House drew shocked consternation last month when spokesman Jen Psaki announced that the administration was coordinating with social media companies to target false health information. 

“We’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation,” Psaki noted. “There are also proposed changes that we have made to social media platforms, including Facebook.”

She cited a 2020 study by the U.K.-based Center for Countering Digital Hate that found 12 people were responsible for almost 65% of anti-vaccine disinformation on social media platforms. 

The White House came under fire for what was clearly a violation of the First Amendment protections to freedom of speech which prohibits the government from controlling the free expression of citizens. In a later media conference, Psaki defended the White House directing the media censorship by saying the private companies made the final decision about what information and what users should be on their platform.

It should be noted that last month, Fox News television host Tucker Carlson claimed that an anonymous whistleblower had informed him that the National Security Agency (NSA) was “monitoring our electronic communications and is planning to leak them in an attempt to take this show off the air.” 

The NSA denied the claim, stating, “Tucker Carlson has never been an intelligence target of the Agency and the NSA has never had any plans to try to take his program off the air.”

Carlson’s claim was ridiculed and labeled as “bogus” by most mainstream media and several Democratic politicians. 

It was soon after revealed that the NSA had lied, leading to an internal investigation of the organization. The NSA’s internal oversight committee announced that NSA had “improperly targeted the communications of a member of the U.S. news media.” An internal investigation was launched though the results have still not been made public.