CNS NewsIn a speech delivered at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government on Tuesday evening, White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser Lisa Monaco said it could help prevent terrorism if parents watched for “sudden personality changes in their children at home.”
“President Obama has been laser-focused on making sure we use all the elements of our national power to protect Americans, including developing the first government-wide strategy to prevent violent extremism in the United States,” said Monaco, in a transcription posted by the White House.
“At the same time, we recognize that there are limits to what the federal government can do,” said Monaco. “So we must rely on the partnership of those who are most familiar with the local risks, those who are in the best position to take action—local communities.
“Local communities are the most powerful asset we have in the struggle against violence and violent extremism,” she said. “We’ve crunched the data on this. In the more than 80 percent of cases involving homegrown violent extremists, people in the community—whether peers or family members or authority figures or even strangers—had observed warning signs a person was becoming radicalized to violence. But more than half of those community members downplayed or dismissed their observations without intervening.
“So it’s not that the clues weren’t there, it’s that they weren’t understood well enough to be seen as the indicators of a serious problem,” said Monaco.
“What kinds of behaviors are we talking about?” she said. “For the most part, they’re not related directly to plotting attacks. They’re more subtle. For instance, parents might see sudden personality changes in their children at home—becoming confrontational. Religious leaders might notice unexpected clashes over ideological differences. Teachers might hear a student expressing an interest in traveling to a conflict zone overseas. Or friends might notice a new interest in watching or sharing violent material.
“The government is rarely in a position to observe these early signals, so we need to do more to help communities understand the warning signs, and then work together to intervene before an incident can occur, while always respecting our core commitment to protecting privacy and civil liberties,” said Monaco. “During the past several years, that’s what we’ve attempted to do.”
“to intervene before an incident can occur, while always respecting our core commitment to protecting privacy and civil liberties…”
Well, you see, these two are in conflict with one another and this is impossible. To have the government “intervene” is antithetical to protecting true privacy and true freedom.
There are countless families who intervene appropriately in their loved ones’ lives. Preventing “incidents.” Who knows how many “incidents” have been prevented? We cannot perfectly prevent these things (leaving aside for the moment that false flags happen). Strong families are one of the very best preventive measures, because we know each other AND we know how to handle adversity with grace and persistence, until the problem is solved. Supporting families rather than ripping them apart (which is what is happening now) would be a better way to go. But of course this must be way too complicated for our meddling government to figure out. (irony intended: I know it is deliberate)
If only this message could get out better to the well-meaning but misguided “community” who thinks it is their duty to report on their neighbors. To CPS, or to whomever.
Teenagers have some rough years. They need loving shepherding through it, not “interventions” and suspicions about what is normal behavior. These are stages they go through (and didn’t we go through it, too? Have we forgotten?)
I know, this is all part of the indoctrination. To pathologize every bit of normal human developmental behavior. To spank folks every time we do something a little bit creative. To make it so we cannot express our normal emotions freely. To be “concerned” if we produce art which is a little bit “edgy” (oh dear…. better report that….)
I’ve had brushes with government “intervention” and it is incredibly damaging. I’ve had to work overtime to sail this ship through very rough waters — rough not of my OWN making, but the meddling from outsiders.
As my family is “fine” and turned out incredibly well DESPITE the meddling, I am outraged at this kind of soft-pedaled tyranny that sounds so nice and good and concerned and caring, that sucks so many people in.
The “early warning signs” mentioned in the article describe how someone reacts to learning that he’s been lied to all his life by the Zionist media.
The White House can’t have people knowing the truth, and apparently anyone who does is a “radicalized” terrorist.
Hopefully we’ll be able to empty the White House of its traitors real soon, because anyone who doesn’t believe Obama’s lies is an enemy of the state, and Obama does nothing but lie.
Either you’ll immerse yourself in the fantasy world created by lying politicians and the television, or you’re a threat to this nation, and belong in jail. The truth has officially been outlawed, and the White House is now encouraging your TV-brainwashed neighbors to rat out anyone who knows too much.
Spread the truth, or you’ll be buried alongside of it.
That is a really good point, JR, which I hadn’t thought of. Absolutely, how DOES a person act/react when eyes are suddenly opened after a lifetime of buying into the lies?
Speaking for myself, I am not the person I was. I will not say it is a “personality change” because I am still as much myself as I ever was. But I have far less tolerance for nonsense than I used to, and far less trust. You might call me suspicious or paranoid, even. But I question more, and I don’t accept things on their face — I dig very deep, and when I cannot easily arrive at an explanation that “makes sense” that is a red flag for me, that something is greatly amiss.
Yes, I did get reported and investigated. But it was THAT experience that woke me up. I just talked to a friend the other day who had an almost identical experience to mine (we are both middle aged ladies and generally “sweet”) — and she was so ashamed she just didn’t talk about it to anyone, until I opened up about MY experience. And I could see that she was shocked awake, too. So…. all this reporting and investigating may have the opposite effect than intended — wake ’em up!!! 🙂
EE-well said. these people are twisted. All these govt agencies,need ended.
Naturally, we’re all expected to totally ignore the ‘personality changes’ in the so-called ‘government’ over the last several decades (longer, actually).