According to new federal “terrorism” guidance, podcaster Joe Rogan, supporters of former President Donald Trump, virtually all conservatives and many moderates may be considered “threat actors” by the Biden administration.
The guidance, issued Monday in a Department of Homeland Security “National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin,” claims that individuals who spread “false” narratives and “misinformation” are a threat to the United States.
Of course, with this definition, the Biden administration is the body that gets to determine what is “misinformation” and what isn’t.
For instance, the White House recently suggested that Rogan should be censored for discussing dissenting opinions on COVID-19, vaccines and other social issues on his podcast.
“The United States remains in a heightened threat environment fueled by several factors, including an online environment filled with false or misleading narratives and conspiracy theories, and other forms of mis- dis- and mal-information (MDM) introduced and/or amplified by foreign and domestic threat actors,” the DHS bulletin read.
“These threat actors seek to exacerbate societal friction to sow discord and undermine public trust in government institutions to encourage unrest, which could potentially inspire acts of violence.”
So, in its assessment of terror threats, the DHS claims that undermining “public trust in government institutions” is a danger. Does that mean the beliefs underlying libertarianism and conservatism — ideologies in favor of limiting government power — are inherently threatening?
That seems to be what the DHS is saying.
Furthermore, according to the bulletin, in the view of the federal government, there are certain “factors” that increase “the volatility, unpredictability, and complexity of the threat environment.”
Some of these factors make sense to be considered a terrorist threat. Those include “continued calls for violence directed at U.S. critical infrastructure” and “calls by foreign terrorist organizations for attacks on the United States based on recent events.”
The first factor listed in the DHS document, however, applies to over half of the U.S. population — if Biden’s federal government is defining the terms used, that is.
That factor is “the proliferation of false or misleading narratives, which sow discord or undermine public trust in U.S. government institutions.”
“For example, there is widespread online proliferation of false or misleading narratives regarding unsubstantiated widespread election fraud and COVID-19. Grievances associated with these themes inspired violent extremist attacks during 2021,” the bulletin read.
Do you disagree with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which seems to change its COVID-19 guidance every other week? Are you not willing to fall in line with the directives of White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has, time after time, spread misinformation to the American people regarding the coronavirus?
Do you not trust their federally approved “expertise”?
Well, then, according to the government, you believe in “false and misleading narratives.”
If you dare to share those feelings of distrust with others — as Rogan often does with his many right- and left-leaning guests — then the government might determine you are a terror threat.
If the Biden administration is looking for someone to blame for its declining public image, perhaps federal officials should take a look in the mirror instead of pointing fingers at the very people trying to piece back together all of the institutions they have destroyed.