By Sahil Kapur
Saturday, January 8th, 2011 -- 11:02 pm
Flashback: Conservatives mocked DHS report warning of antigovernment violenceArizona shooter left trail of anti-government screeds on InternetConservatives derided and dismissed an April 2009 report by the Department of Homeland Security warning law enforcement officials of a spike in homegrown "rightwing extremism" fueled in part by "antigovernment" sentiments, which in retrospect appears to have been a chilling omen for the tragic Arizona shooting Saturday.
The report (PDF),
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf which was coordinated with the FBI and titled,
"Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," warned of a rise in violence spurred by the economic downturn and the election of the nation's first African-American president.
Eighteen were shot, some fatally, in the attacks Saturday at a Tucson grocery store, including Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ), who was critically wounded, as well as members of her staff and a federal judge.
The suspected gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, has apparently posted anti-government screeds in videos on YouTube -- first uncovered by Talking Points Memo's Evan McMorris-Santoro -- which include paranoid rantings about the government, mind control and grammar.
more:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/flashback-conservatives-mocked-dhs-report-warning-antigovernment-violence/