Let Me Count The Ways…

..that the government and left (pardon the redundancy) consider me, Mitch Berg, mild-mannered midwestern schlump and father of two, a “terrorist” these days.

  • I am a bitter, gun-clinging Jebus freak: Janet Napolitano has already told the police to be looking out for us.
  • I’m a Second Amendment activist: Because Goddess knows the nation’s law-abiding gun owners are getting ready to start mowing down the innocent.
  • Pro-life!: Fear me, oh innocent!
  • Pro-limited government: I’m a Tenther!  I could start blowing things up to educate people about the reality of enumerated powers!
And now…
  • A “Prepper”:  Yes, that’s right – those of us who store a little food and a few supplies and some other stuff aside in case, say, a hurricane or an earthquake shuts down civil order in our society for a while – unthinkable, and borderline seditious, as it may seem that mother government and her law and order would desert the people – are now on the watch list.
No, really:

“An FBI Denver Joint Terrorism Task Force handout being distributed to Colorado military surplus store owners lists the purchase of popular preparedness items and firearms accessories as ‘suspicious’ and ‘potential indicators of terrorist activities,’” an exclusive report by Oath Keepers reveals.

Essentially, the government is conflating Americans who believe in being prepared for disruptions in normal circumstances with potential domestic enemies who bear scrutiny, and are recruiting those they patronize to spy and snitch on their customers. As potential terrorists. For such suspicious activities as buying storable food. And paying in legal tender.

That’s “terrorist” – as in “one who uses terror to cow people into accepting his agenda”.

Who knew?

When government makes its’ mission to be more onerous to the law-abiding than to the enemy, we are all the enemy.

24 thoughts on “Let Me Count The Ways…

  1. I can’t wait for the FBI campaign to get to Utah and Idaho, where Mormons tend to store a year’s worth of food as a matter of doctrine, if I remember correctly.

    Or is Comrade Obama going to use this as an excuse to sic the FBI on Mitt Romney? Hmmmmm……I’ll think it over while I buy some ammunition.

  2. That’s true, bubbasan! Besides the fact that Glen Beck has been talking about that for years, I do know several Mormons that have shared their practices with me. I guess that the Feds better look at Dingy Harry Reid’s house, too, since he’s a Mormon and would know that the shit is hitting the fan!

    On another note, this is exactly why I avoid surplus stores, except online varieties. In addition, I do a lot of shopping at Sam’s Club and Costco and use my dehydrator almost constantly – because I happen to like jerked meat and dried fruits. Besides, my raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and various herb plants, have been extra bountiful this year.

  3. Is this a surprise? Eric Holder is more interested in suing states like Arizona than stopping the carnage on our border. Janet Napolitano thinks military vets are a potential threat, but Allah forbid she order DHS to check out radical mosques that preach hatred and violence. And don’t get me started on Barry “Citizen of the World” Obama.
    But Mitch’s friend angryclown thinks Republicans are the enemy of liberty and freedom. Orwell would just nod in recognition.

  4. Yesterday I bought some peppered beef jerky at the local convenience store & a black, windowless van followed me all the way home.

  5. “an exclusive report by Oath Keepers reveals.”

    Wow, it’s been awhile. Angryclown wasn’t aware of your move to the bizarre, paranoid-right fringe. Send a postcard back to reality every once in a awhile, won’t you?

  6. bubblehead shrieked: FBI campaign! Comrade Obama! Ammunition!

    bosshogg panicked: The shit is hitting the fan!

    kermit whimpered: Carnage on our border! Radical mosques! Hatred and violence! Orwell!

    terry raved: Black, windowless van!

    Angryclown advised: Lighten up, Francis.

  7. AC you live in NYC right? I dare you to tell victims of 9/11 and their families to lighten up. We face serious threats to our freedoms all over. Go ahead and whistle past the graveyard, just don’t expect any of us to help you if you ever need it. Also, learn to take a joke.

  8. Angry Clown does not fear Janet Napolitano. In fact he loves her.
    Slim Jims are now considered contraband. Also, astronaut ice cream.

  9. Angryclown said: “I know the city is burning. Pass me my violin seltzer bottle.”
    Fixed!

  10. Yeah, I was fairly livid when Napolitano added veterans to the suspicious characters list. That the left tried to blame the right for Loughner and Brevik was unconscionable, and I don’t find it hard to believe that they’d attempt to shift police resources towards policing a surge in right-wing extremism that exists only in their minds.

    Looking at this, I don’t see this is evidence of that happening. The Oath Keepers helpfully included the handout. http://oathkeepers.org/oath/wp-content/uploads/ColoradoFBISurplusStore.pdf

    Buying nonperishables in bulk is one item. Most of what they’re asking people to look for really would be pretty suspicious: hiding identity, missing fingers or chemical odors or stains, violent / racist / extreme religious statements, straw purchase indicators, etc.

    I’m not a fan of the police asking people to report on their neighbors, but no one is forcing them to do so, and if they’re going to they may as well have some idea what to look for and report on.

  11. A religious statement that condones violence? OK. Jesus died on the cross after being scourged. I’m very grateful that He did, because it was for me and my salvation.
    I’m right here in New Hope, MN. FBI, come and get me.

  12. Scooby509 wrote:
    Most of what they’re asking people to look for really would be pretty suspicious: hiding identity, missing fingers or chemical odors or stains, violent / racist / extreme religious statements, straw purchase indicators, etc.
    Those would be meth addicts. Are you sure that there wasn’t a mixup at the printing office?

  13. Most of what they’re asking people to look for really would be pretty suspicious: […], missing fingers […]

    I know a fair number of wood workers and sheet metal workers who will now be profiled.

    In fairness, though, most of them would have fallen under other rubrics like “bitter gun clingers” and “religious nuts” that Janet and company use but don’t like to publicize anymore.

  14. I bought 50#s of rice at costco. Does that put me on the watch list? Or was it just the Costco membership?

  15. These irrational views of “homeland security” aren’t new. Check out the book Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, which tells the story of the Department of Homeland Security’s irrational fears during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

  16. Watch the NRA video about the aftermath of Hurricaine Katrina Leslie.

    Local Police and the National Guard searched people and homes door to door without warrants or suspicion of any crime and siezed leagally owned firearms. Whatever happened to the “Question Authority” wing of the Democratic Party?

  17. Read the Amazon review of the Zeitoun book Leslie. Seems he was arrested by Local Police and the National Guard. Local Police would have reported to the Mayor, Ray Nagin, a Democrat, The LA National Guard was called in (to late) by the only person who could, the LA Governor, I am forgetting the name but, she was also a Democrat.

    Blame Bush all you want but, when the excesses of law enforcement in Katrina were outrageous remember that the people in charge were Democrats and their appointees.

  18. Democrats only question authority when they aren’t in power. Don’t you know they demand blind obedience to the Party, jpmn? Just ask Joe Leiberman.

  19. The one area where Lieberman broke ranks with his fellow dems was his continued support of the Iraq War, a war that John Kerry, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid, Diane Feinstein and many other Democrat senators voted for.
    The most important vote they ever cast. They sent our troops into battle, then changed their minds and declared the war lost when the politics got rough. Utterly despicable.

  20. Leslie Hittner:
    Was the book ghostwritten by Nicolas Kristof?
    Kristof has the habit of engaging in journalism-by-anecdote.
    a) Find person who has some complaint about something.
    b) Uncritically report person’s story as seen from their POV.
    c) Universalize person’s complaint into general failure of society.
    d) Blame this failure of society on your ideological & political opponents.
    Telling someone to read some book to see your POV on a topic or understand some issue is dumb. This ain’t a poli-sci class. If you want to make an argument, make an argument.
    You would understand how wrong you are about everything if only you would bother to read Thos Sowell’s Basic Economics and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism by Kevin Williamson. Please get back to me after you have read these books.

  21. “the LA Governor, I am forgetting the name but, she was also a Democrat.”

    That would be Kathleen Blanco, jpmn. She had a frightened “Shit! What do I do now?” look of panic on her face every time she was on camera. Of course, when she was always shown in the same frames with a panicked, irrationally ranting Ray Nagin, it all gets put into perspective.

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