Opinion

THE VET ‘THREAT’

HOLLYWOOD and countless professors warned us: Military vets are drooling trailer-trash who beat their wives and, at best, wind up as homeless street people — at worst, as homicidal psychos deformed by war.

Now, thanks to our ever-vigilant Department of Homeland Security, the full extent of the danger has been revealed: Our so-called “war heroes” are rushing back to join right-wing-extremist hate groups to overthrow our government.

Full Report

There is a Complementary left-wing Assessment

Let’s not quibble about little things like evidence. The Obama administration just knows that vets are all racist, Jew-hating crazies waiting to explode. Thank God, DHS has a fearless leader, Janet-from-another-planet Napolitano, who isn’t afraid to call white trash “white trash.”

In this administration’s published opinion, those who’ve served in our military are a menace to society and the state. And DHS’s racist, bigoted implication is that the only danger comes from white, Christian vets (there’s not a whisper about minority violence).

Thanks for bringing us together, Mr. President.

Racism is racism. The left-wing propaganda document published officially by your government under the title “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” may be the shabbiest US Government publication of our time.

The report warns that “the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists . . . carrying out violent acts.”

The document’s evidence? None. It contains no hard data, no statistics. It’s nothing but a racist, anti-military opinion column that might pass muster in The New York Times, but shouldn’t be issued by our government.

The report adds that “rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans” who “possess combat skills.” The point? Our hayseed, uneducated, unskilled, wacko vets aren’t able to think for themselves and will be patsies for right-wing fanatics. Guess that’s how things look from Harvard.

Then the report warns us that “a prominent civil-rights organization reported in 2006 that ‘large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis, skinheads, and other white supremacists are now learning the art of warfare in the armed forces.’ ”

Which civil-rights organization? The Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s? Why not name it? Why accept this bigoted hearsay? Where’s the proof? Where’s the data?

And where are those “large numbers of potentially violent neo-Nazis,” anyway? Last time I checked, American Nazis had trouble mustering a couple dozen overweight losers in Halloween costumes.

Of course, Timothy McVeigh is invoked. Repeatedly. He’s the sole example of a violent anti-government vet the report’s drafters could produce. And there’s no mention of the fact that, when he tried to join Special Forces, McVeigh promptly washed out and soon found his butt on the street. No, McVeigh will serve as eternal evidence that a homicidal nut lurks within every former soldier.

In just 8½ pages of text, the report manages to link our veterans to anti-Semitism, racism, economic failure and those dangerous citizens who think illegal immigration’s a bad idea. Oh, and vets can’t be trusted with firearms.

Your tax dollars at work.

But never fear: Obama’s commissars at the Department of Homeland Security have already responded that DHS simultaneously issued a report on extremist danger from the left. It’s title? “Leftwing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyber Attacks over the Coming Decade.”

Get the point? Left-wing extremists aren’t violent (and right-wingers are too stupid to understand computers). Timothy McVeigh can be invoked, but let’s not mention Bill Ayers, our president’s good buddy (until he became inconvenient) or his murderous wife. Left-wing fanatics might make a little online mischief, but, hey — kids will be kids.

Read both reports. You’ll find that those on the political right (not just vets) are unable to cope with the stress of economic hardship, the real-estate crisis or job loss. Not a word about those issues driving leftists to extremes. They’re just defending animal rights and the environment (honest — read the reports).

Narco gangs aren’t a threat, either. And the real and present danger from Islamist fanatics resident in our country goes unmentioned — even though there’s plenty of data on that threat. The only anti-government violence DHS fears comes from crackers with carbines.

And from chumps so dumb they joined the military.

We’re the threat to our fellow citizens. You and me.

Our first minority president just took a giant step toward creating the most bigoted administration since that of arch-segregationist Woodrow Wilson.

Apologize to our veterans, Mr. President. And send Ms. Napolitano back to the minors.

Ralph Peters is so stupid he served in our military for almost 22 years.