How long would a people be content to suffer outrageous violations by their rulers before they do something about it? And if they are so moved to take action, what would they do? Thomas Jefferson pursued that line of reasoning 240 years ago when, in the summer of 1776, he penned these words:
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
The student of American history will recognize this as part of Jefferson’s reasoning in the Declaration of Independence. That was 240 years ago. What application, if any, does it have to Americans in the 21st century? Such a consideration requires some thought as to how the people should respond to a government that appears no longer to be acting in their best interests.
How do we know the United States Government is not acting in the best interests of the people? That is the testimony of Philip Haney, a recently retired Federal law enforcement officer of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Haney’s memoir, See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government’s Submission to Jihad, charts the tumultuous ordeal he endured for simply doing his job.
One might expect that an Arabic linguist and professional with decades of experience living among and working with Muslims in the Middle East would be highly capable at recognizing threats posed by radical Islam. One might also expect that the word of such a consummate professional would be taken seriously by law enforcement, intelligence, and diplomatic agencies charged with protecting the United States from such threats. Sadly, this was not always so in Haney’s case. From the moment of his affiliation with DHS at its establishment in 2003, Haney conscientiously applied his knowledge, skills, and experience to the task of identifying Islamist threats to this nation and its allies. His work received considerable praise from superiors and colleagues both within his own agency and other organizations. Haney’s ability to “connect the dots” of terrorist networks and those associated with them was so highly valued that he even received international recognition.
With such credentials one might expect that Philip Haney would be considered a national treasure of sorts, trustworthy to hold a position of great responsibility in the highest levels of DHS. But that is where the expectations run into the harsh reality of contemporary political correctness. Haney began to meet resistance as he charted the agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood, noting its unmistakable goal of expanding the realm of Islam at the expense of Western democracies and all others in its path, and its connection with terrorist networks like Al Qaida and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). That resistance progressed to censorship when the dots he connected revealed a path to Muslim organizations within the United States, such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR. When he refused to back down, Haney became the subject of numerous investigations and career-damaging personnel actions, including a criminal investigation, all designed to keep him from fulfilling his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies foreign and domestic.
It is a testimony to Haney’s character and patriotism that he continued to do his duty as faithfully as his circumstances would allow, believing that at some point someone with common sense would awaken to the existential threat insidiously at work within this nation. Regrettably, it was not to be. Soon after his retirement, he came to this heartbreaking conclusion:
[As] a CBP officer, I targeted the Muslim Brotherhood for nearly ten years, trying to warn DHS management and members of Congress that it was a dangerous movement, while the administration was supporting the Brotherhood at home and arming them in the Middle East. – Philip Haney, See Something, Say Nothing
Can this possibly be true? Are we to take Philip Haney at his word? As his friend and a fellow intelligence professional, I assure you the answer to both questions is yes. My career spanned three decades in the US Army and Federal Intelligence Community. It was in 2011, near the end of my career, that I had the great pleasure of meeting Philip and hearing his story. Over the next four years I observed as he endured the worst of his ordeal. All I could offer him at that time was a listening ear and a bit of counsel at how to handle the assaults thrown at him from those who should have been his greatest defenders. Now that he is able to tell his story, it is my honor and duty to alert the public to this shocking insider account.
What are we to do with this revelation? Much of that is yet to be seen. In this election year of 2016, there is perhaps a chance that an alerted American public may take action to restore genuine accountability to the government at all levels. My friend Philip Haney endured a tremendous ordeal to bring this word to the people of his nation. If that word translates into responsible action by an educated and concerned citizenry, then he would be the first to say that his sacrifices were but a small price to pay.
See Something, Say Nothing: A Homeland Security Officer Exposes the Government’s Submission to Jihad is available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle formats.
