Are “right-wing” extremists more dangerous than Al-Queda terrorists? According to CNN’s National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, they are [1]. Bergen wrote that in a commentary that claimed, “U.S. right wing extremists more deadly than jihadists.” He also also happens to be a director for the George Soros-funded [2]liberal New America Foundation. What a coincidence.
Bergen claimed that “white supremacists, anti-abortion extremists and anti-government militants have killed more people in the United States than have extremists motivated by Al Qaeda’s ideology.” He cited a New America study which counted 34 people killed by right-wing extremist acts and just 23 people killed by Al Qaeda [3]-linked terrorism, after 9/11. Why start there? Wouldn’t the 2,977 [4]people killed that day by jihadists skew those findings somewhat?
The study conveniently left out certain key things -- such as the number of prevented terrorist attacks each year and the multitude of jihadist attacks that happen globally. It also avoided the day of the biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Nor did it address the attacks on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi in 2012, which killed four Americans.
The count included “hate crimes” in the tally of “political reasons.” Which is funny considering that Bergen cited the Southern Poverty Law Center in his article. The SPLC which could be accused of a “hate crime” itself for inciting the shooting at the Family Research Council in 2012. Floyd Lee Corkins admitted that he targeted the conservative organization after the SLPC listed the FRC as a “hate group” [5] for it’s “anti-gay” stance on marriage.
The study’s tally seemed suspect as well, considering that they counted domestic disputes where police officers are killed as “hate crimes” influenced by “political reasons.” For example, they included a 2009 shootout in a Pittsburgh home where Robert Poplawski killed three police officers after his mother called the police during an argument. Later it was revealed that Poplawski had anti-Semitic views and was an alleged skinhead.
Again in 2009, two deputies were fatally shot by Joshua Cartwright, as he was being arrested for accusations of beating his wife. Similarly, later reports from his wife and friends said that was disturbed over Obama’s election. Clearly these cases were not political acts, yet New America categorized the shootouts as “deadly right wing attacks [6].”
Furthermore, Bergen claimed that right-wing extremists were far more dangerous than jihadist terrorists because “Al Qaeda has not successfully conducted another attack inside the United States” since 2001. He went on to say, “Al Qaeda-type terrorism is the province of individuals with no real connection to foreign terrorists, aside from reading their propaganda online.”
Yet in this age, the internet is a huge source of criminal conduct for Bergen to dismiss concern over. The internet enabled terrorists to keep past terrorists propaganda active online. Anwar al-Awlaki, who influenced the 9/11 hijackers, Ft. Hood shooter and the “underwear bomber” was killed in a drone attack in 2011. But he has continued to influence jihadists. From 2007-2012, 53 home-grown jihadists were found to “had contact with Awlaki, possessed his propaganda or cited his work,” according to the report.
The New America study also showed 66 jihadists who were trained overseas [3]. The study claimed the jihadists had outnumbered home-grown extremists in nine of the past 13 years. Both arguments that jihadists are a major threat.
The New America study left out important factors, mislabeled unrelated acts as “hate crimes” and ignored the important influence of the social network in making terrorism a viable threat still in America. This kind of analysis that unnecessarily pitted “right-wingers” against jihadists is to be expected from a George Soros-funded organization.
Several notable liberals make up New America Foundation’s board of directors. George Soros’ son Jonathan Soros [7]; executive chairman for Google, Eric Schmidt; Steve Rattner who led the Obama auto industry bailout, and CNN anchor Fareed Zakaria. George Soros has contributed more than $3 million dollars to the left-wing public policy organization New America.
— Kristine Marsh is Staff Writer for MRC Culture at the Media Research Center. Follow Kristine Marsh on Twitter. [8]