Most everyone would agree that the United States is not as powerful as it used to be. And of course there are a variety of different factors that, more than likely, have led to this situation (e.g. debt, politics, race relations, crime, selfishness, debauchery, and godlessness). However, one area that I see helping to create a "Divided States of America" is the issue of domestic terrorism. Below are some news stories from that help point out the issue that is slowly turning our country against itself. It appears that the focus of international terrorism a la 9/11 has turned into homegrown terrorism a la Jihad Jane, the Hutaree Militia, or the Fort Hood Killer. This fear of homegrown terrorists have created an atmosphere of suspicion and anxiety, so much so that they are trying to regulate the internet and are even creating Smart Phone Apps that will allow you to spy on your neighbor!
NEWS ARTICLES
[Source: Washington Post, February 21, 2010]
Americans who turn to terrorism and plot against the U.S. are now as big a concern as international terrorists, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday...In the last year, Napolitano said, she's witnessed a movement from international extremism to domestic extremism – cases in which Americans radicalized and decided to plot attacks against the country.
[Source: AFP via Breitbart, April 15, 2010]
"Al Qaeda and its affiliates are still committed to striking us in the United States," [FBI chief Robert] Mueller told a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee, pointing to plots to bomb New York City subways and the failed Christmas airline attack. "Home-grown and lone-wolf extremists pose an equally serious threat," the Federal Bureau of Investigation director said, citing the shootings at the sprawling Fort Hood army base in Texas. Experts have warned that a "lone wolf" -- an extremist acting alone, without connections to an established network like Al-Qaeda -- may be the most difficult threat for authorities to thwart. "We have also seen US-born extremists plotting to commit terrorism overseas," such as Mumbai attacks planner David Headley, the US-born son of a former Pakistani diplomat and American woman, said Mueller.
[Source: AP via Fox News, June 18, 2010]
Attorney General's Blunt Warning on Terror AttacksFighting homegrown terrorism by monitoring Internet communications is a civil liberties trade-off the U.S. government must make to beef up national security, the nation's homeland security chief said Friday. As terrorists increasingly recruit U.S. citizens, the government needs to constantly balance Americans' civil rights and privacy with the need to keep people safe, said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
[Source: ABC News, December 21, 2010]
In a rare and wide-ranging interview, the attorney general [Eric Holder] disclosed chilling, new details about the evolving threat of homegrown terror, and touched on topics ranging from Wikileaks to the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. What was uppermost on his mind, however, is the alarming rise in the number of Americans who are more than willing to attack and kill their fellow citizens.
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