State Dept. Crowdsources ‘The Solution to Violent Extremism’

As if the State Department’s brainstorm to defeat ISIS with a jobs program for would-be jihadis was not funny enough, now they’ve put together a web site to crowdsource “solutions” to the “problem” of Generic Violent Extremism — not the problem most of us are worried about, but the one they feel comfortable talking about.

They even have a colorful logo for it.  This is what it looks like when the community-organizer mindset goes up against murderous totalitarianism:

The website talks about the recent White House Summit To Counter Violent Extremism, quotes Secretary of State John Kerry declaring that the struggle against Generic Violent Extremism is “the defining fight of our generation,” and then solicits the visitor’s ideas.

In addition to being a low-cost exercise in the kind of symbolic hand-holding citizen outreach this administration seems to regard as a substitute for the Constitution and rule of law — you can’t call us heavy-handed dictators if we bolt a suggestion box to the front door of the imperial residence! — this has the effect of making it clear this administration has no idea what to do about violent “extremism,” particularly the version of it they refuse to identify by name.  They will, however, be quick to tout whatever number of responses they get through this website as evidence that they’re working hard on the problem and making great strides.

The responses they have received from Twitter so far indicate that even crowdsourcing a solution to Generic Violent Extremism will result in killjoys highlighting that the federal government should be focusing its efforts on radical Islam, an actual threat facing the country today:

@StateDept Islamic extremists want to take over every country, Kill, convert, enslave all non muslims. How do you fix that?

— Darren Gaskin (@kentuckyrunner) February 20, 2015

~*~*~h0Pe ‘N’ cHaNgE~*~*~ RT @StateDept: We want your input. Share solutions you think are critical to countering violent extremism.

— Kate (@misskathrynhyde) February 20, 2015

@StateDept which type of violent extremism? There are a lot. From militant leftists to the radical I-word.

— Jimmy_James (@JimmyJames38) February 20, 2015

.@StateDept Corgis for everyone in ISIS

— Joe Cunningham (@JoeC_Esquire) February 20, 2015

@JoeC_Esquire @redsteeze @StateDept DON”T YOU DARE! CORGIS ARE SMARTER THAN ISIS.

— TANSTAAFL (@TANSTAAFL23) February 20, 2015

These are the motions we have to go through when the government insists on creating a fiction it finds ideologically palatable, and maybe even politically useful, instead of dealing with the real challenges faced by America and her allies.  We have to pretend this subtle contagion of “violent extremism’ is equally likely to spread through every community, and encourage Lutherans to come up with an action plan to keep their next bake sale from getting rowdy.

Here’s an idea for the State Department: Why not ask the seven hundred people who showed up flashing the ISIS salute at the funeral for Copenhagen shooter Omar El-Hussein if they have any ideas for combating the threat of “violent extremism?”