Trump's Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe made a bogus claim on MSNBC Tuesday, that there is no such thing as a "lone wolf" terrorist, and is a phrase President Obama invented to keep America stupid.
I kid you not.
MSNBC's Velshi and Ruhle interviewed Trump's Deputy assistant and the topic turned to ISIS. Gorka said by calling it "radical Islam," we will utterly annihilate the terrorism threat in the world.
This is his expertise at work for you.
Velshi then asked, "People who are committing terrorist attacks who are inspired by as opposed to operationally guided by ISIS, so the fact you destroy ISIS doesn't necessarily have an impact on these western attackers, --- what do you do to fight that?"
Ruhle said, "To get the lone wolf lunatics?"
Gorka replied, "There's no such thing as a lone wolf. You do know that? That was a phrase invented by the last administration to make Americans stupid."
Wrong.
He continued, "That's the definition of victory. When people don't want to become jihadis, that's when we will have won."
His idea of victory is ultimately impossible to know.
Back to reality, Gorky. President Obama did not invent the word "lone wolf." It's been around for centuries and came to the forefront in America in the 1980's and during the 1990's militia/ white nationalism movements.
In our book "Over The Cliff (pg98)," we write:
The lone-wolf concept was popularized in the late 1980s by an Aryan Nations leader named Louis Beam as an extension of his strategy of “leaderless resistance.” Beam observed that the traditional top-down hierarchy favored by the racist Right was actually quite dangerous for insurgents, especially in “technologically advanced societies where electronic surveillance can often penetrate the structure, revealing its chain of command.” In leaderless organizations, “individuals and groups operate independently of each other, and never report to a central headquarters or single leader for direction or instruction, as would those who belong to a typical pyramid organization.”
Rather than issue orders or pay operatives, the function of the organizations’ mouthpieces is to inspire individuals or small, localized cells to take action on their own initiative.
A white supremacist named Alex Curtis even went so far as to develop a “point system” for lone wolves.
In 2009, our own Dept. Of Homeland Security called them the most dangerous threat on American soil:
(U//FOUO) DHS/I&A assesses that a number of economic and political factors are driving a resurgence in rightwing extremist recruitment and radicalization activity. Despite similarities to the climate of the 1990s, the threat posed by lone wolves and small terrorist cells is more pronounced than in past years. In addition, the historical election of an African American president and the prospect of policy changes are proving to be a driving force for right wing extremist recruitment and radicalization.
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Lone wolves and small terrorist cells embracing violent right wing extremist ideology are the most dangerous domestic terrorism threat in the United States. Information from law enforcement and nongovernmental organizations indicates lone wolves and small terrorist cells have shown intent — and, in some cases, the capability — to commit violent acts.
The conservative media (Glenn Beck) went bonkers when this report came out because they feared it linked them to domestic terrorism.
A "lone wolf" is influenced by extremist ideas for sure, but they don't plan operations with other groups because that made it easier for them to get caught. And in this case, if a person is influenced by ISIS, whether online or by other means, that doesn't mean they aren't a "lone wolf."
The only person on this segment trying to keep America stupid is Sebastian Gorka.
Gorka's world view is about as expansive as a pea when it comes to his supposed area of expertise.
Before his appointment, he was not a well-known figure among terrorism experts.
A report in Politico noted that “several experts … puzzled over the gap between the numerous military academic credentials listed by Gorka — a political science Ph.D. who unfailingly uses the title ‘Dr.’ — and their unfamiliarity with his work and views.” This dovetails with a number of reports that raise doubts about his knowledge of Islam and terrorism, as well as about his ties to Hungarian far-right groups — including one, Vitezi Rend, whose members “‘are presumed to be inadmissible’ to the country under the Immigration and Nationality Act”
The biggest concern: Despite casting himself as an expert on radical jihadi ideology, Gorka does not speak Arabic and has spent no time in the Middle East.
As the NY Times writes about Gorka, "The suggestion that Mr. Gorka brings new insight is self-gratifying, grandiose malarkey."
Lawyers, Guns & Money wrote extensively on Gorka's problematic and troubling dissertation.
