Napolitano, Pro-Life Advocates may be Terrorist

Napolitano Defends Putting Pro-Life Advocates in Terrorism Report, Backlash Starts

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 20, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a Sunday interview, the head of the Department of Homeland Security defended including pro-life advocates in a new report the agency produced saying "opponents of abortion" are likely to engage in extremism or terrorism.

The report has caused a significant backlash with some calling for firing DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.

In an interview with CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, host John King questioned Napolitano on the line in the report saying possible threats could come from "groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion."

King asked Napolitano whether the department has active investigations on "anti-abortion groups" concerning potential extremism or terrorism and the Obama cabinet official declined to answer.

She said she would not comment on the activities of the department and claimed that pro-life groups have a "history" of such actions.

Napolitano said that, although "people have different points of view about abortion" and that the Obama administration values free speech rights, some pro-life advocates cause her agency concern.

"On the other hand, at the very edge of the [abortion] debate, at the very edge are the extremist groups that have committed violent crimes," said Napolitano. "They've committed bombings and the like."

"And that is where you cross from constitutionally protected free speech, freedom of assembly, all the rights we cherish, into homeland security and law enforcement. When is that right not being exercised, it's being abused," she added.

Napolitano refused to give any concrete examples of pro-life groups that may cause her agency to include them in a report to police on terrorism, claiming the total number of groups overall on all potential domestic issues were "far too numerous to mention."

Napolitano's comments appear to be a reversal of her initial position backtracking from the report. The Obama official defended the report Thursday, but said the section including pro-life advocates should not have been included.

"If there's one part of that report I would rewrite, in the word-smithing, Washington-ese that goes on after the fact, it would be that footnote," Napolitano said Thursday on Fox News.

The report sparked outrage within the pro-life community and the Thomas More Law Center, a pro-life law firm, is suing Napolitano over it.

Richard More, one of the leaders of the legal group, told LifeNews.com, the report is "a diatribe against those who oppose the policies of the Obama administration."

"It is a declaration of war against the American people and our constitution" and a "prelude" to "hate speech laws targeting Christian churches and others who oppose abortion."

And now LifeNews.com has received emails from several groups, some of them pro-life, calling on Obama to fire Napolitano from her position on his cabinet.

Obama "must immediately fire Janet Napolitano," one email said.

"He cannot allow her to resign. He cannot simply demand that she apologize to the American people. And he most certainly cannot allow her to stay on the job," it added.

Jay Sekulow, the head of the American Center for Law and Justice, another pro-life law firm, told LifeNews.com that including pro-life Americans as potential terrorists is an "outrageous characterization."

"This characterization is not only offensive to millions of Americans who hold constitutionally-protected views opposing abortion – but also raises serious concerns about the political agenda of an agency with a mandate to protect America," he said.

Brewer Wants More Troops on Border

In a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer requested an increase in U.S. military presence on the Arizona-Mexico border. Governor Brewer specifically asked for an increase of approximately 250 troops.

Brewer stated in a news release from her office that "Arizona communities are negatively affected by the impacts of the illegal drug trade and related border violence, and enforcement agencies in all jurisdictions are stretched as they attempt to address the enormity of the problems." Brewer further stated that " Our citizens must be protected from border violence. Arizona and other U.S./Mexico border states continue to be confronted by a number of unique and disproportionate challenges relative to other states and we bear significant un-reimbursed costs in the public, non-profit and business sectors associated with border related challenges."

The Arizona border with Mexico is 350 miles long and the Arizona Department of Homeland Security recently ranked it as the most porous in the nation with the highest rate of interdiction. If Brewer's request for more troops are granted it would bring the total to approximately 400 troops.

Citing the enormity of the growing problem on the border, Brewer emphasized in her letter that Arizona on its own cannot and should not face the prospect of sustaining forces to address what is a federal responsibility. The Governor added that support provided pursuant to Title 32, Section 112 of the United States Code for National Guard activities along the border is both a lawful, justified and prudent step to take at this time.

Mexican Implosion - Secure the Border - NOW

Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Chairman, Joe Lieberman, will be conducting two hearings to examine the national and homeland security consequences of the escalating violence along the Mexican border.

The first hearing will be held in Washington, D.C., on March 25 and a second hearing will be held in Arizona sometime in April.

According to a news release sent out by his office, Senator Lieberman said: "The southern border has always been on our radar screen as an entry point for narcotics and human smugglers, and other who might threaten our homeland security, but the recent escalation of violence along the southern border demands our immediate attention. To deal with the spillover of violence into U.S. territory, we must assess border security programs and plans in place and we must review the readiness of federal, state, and local law enforcement. Ideally, we can eliminate the threats and provide the Mexican government with the support it needs to win this war against the drug cartels and other dangerous actors who threaten our national security."

The news release from Senator Lieberman also reported that Arizona Senator John McCain said: "With Phoenix ranking second only to Mexico City for the largest number of kidnappings for any city in the world, it is appropriate that the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs hold this hearing in Arizona. The violence, crime and drug trafficking in Mexico due to the raging wars among the drug cartels is increasingly coming across the border and threatening the safety of Arizonans and all Americans. I look forward to hosting this hearing in Arizona and working closely with my colleagues, the new administration, and Mexican President Calderon to put an end to the violence caused by the Mexican drug cartels and restoring law and order."

Mexico is in a war with drug cartels and according to Barry McCaffrey, retired U.S. Army general and national drug czar during the Clinton administration, "thousands have been murdered," and "squad size units of Mexican police and soldiers have been abducted, tortured and beheaded." During an interview with NPR news, McCaffrey described the Mexican municipal police as, "quasi criminal organizations." NPR also reported that U.S. Special Forces are training Mexican forces in their war with the drug cartels.

Reuters has reported that Mexico is sending thousands more troops and federal police to it's most violent city, Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. where law and order is on the brink of collapse. This month alone, drug hit men have killed 250 people in Juarez, Reuters reported.

In Arizona, the Mexican government has lodged a protest with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors regarding the treatment of Mexican citizens by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. In a letter sent to the Board of Supervisors by the Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix, the Mexican government reminds the Board of Supervisors that the U.S. is an active member of the United Nations, which adopted the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Has Mexico ever taken a look at it's own treatment of prisoners ?
Mexico is rapidly drifting toward implosion and the Chairman of the Senate Committee concerned with homeland security decides to hold a hearing on what to do at the end of March and Arizona's own senator, John McCain, will host a hearing in Arizona sometime in April.

What to do.

Sending money and arms to Mexico would be foolish, it is almost sure to land in the wrong hands. Mexico is a true culture of corruption, bribery of police and government officials are a common practice, police chiefs and officials that don't cooperate with the drug cartels are asasinated. What can the United States do to help Mexico and protect America ? Put the U.S. military on the border and really secure our border. Make the smuggling of drugs into the United States close to impossible, this would dry up the supply on the American side and reduce demand which would also reduce drug cartel profits. Allowing local U.S. law enforcement to take illegal aliens into custody would also take a big bit out of drug trafficking.

Illegal drugs smuggled across the Mexican border has been destroying American lives for decades and our border should have been secured decades ago. The government should use the full resources of the United States to protect the American people. There is no longer any excuse not to put the military on the border.

Who's Side Is Congress On ?

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has blasted Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for striping E-Verify from the stimulus package.

E-Verify is a federal employment eligibility system operated by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. Participating employers can check the work status of new hires online by comparing information from an employee's I-9 form against Social Security and Homeland Security databases. The system is free to employers and is the best method available to determine employment eligibility.

The availability of jobs for illegal aliens is the magnet that caused the massive illegal immigration problem for America, therefore, ending the availability of jobs for illegal aliens would be a major factor in reducing illegal immigration to the United States.

On Thursday, Senator Sessions attempted to get E-Verify back into the stimulus package and cited studies from the Center for Immigration Studies and the Heritage Foundation that said that several hundred thousand jobs created by the package would go to illegal aliens without E-Verify.

Sessions pointed out that President Obama has already delayed mandatory use of the E-Verify system for federal contractors and that the program was set to expire on March 6 unless there is a reauthorization.

Senator Sessions had this to say about removing the E-Verify program to require that any contractor benefiting from the stimulus package hired only those lawfully allowed to work in United States;

"The purpose of the bill is to put Americans back to work. Is is common sense to include a simple requirement that the people hired to fill stimulus-created jobs be lawful American residents. The Democrats' actions are a clear signal that they want to use taxpayer money to employ people who are in this country illegally. It's ironic that the passage of the final version of the legislation, which will result in a massive expansion of government, could also result in the termination of one of the few government programs that have proven effective and useful."

On Friday the stimulus bill cleared congress without E-Verify protection for American citizens and legal residents and awaits the presidents signature to become law.

In a related development, the unemployment rate for the American worker continues to rise.