Joseph Lemieux

February 15, 2105

(ANTIMEDIA) Documents have been obtained by The Intercept describing a rating systems for families based on their chances of developing extremist behavior. The document is marked For Official Use Only, and originated from the National Counterterrorism Center. In the documents are categories to be graded, and they claim these categories could lead to extremism.

The rating system suggests that police, social workers, and educators are to be the main arbiters of this program. They are to rate individuals from one to five in categories such as: “Family Members Trust Each Other,” “Parental Involvement in Child’s Education,” and whether or not “Family Members Know Each Other’s Friends.” This rating system is intended to alert government officials if a family, or individual is at risk for extremist tendencies.

If you score low on any categories in this test, the government will be alerted that you may be a subject of interest. Test givers are urged to plot out a graph of the results, and see where an “intervention” can be achieved to halt the process of extremism.

“The idea that the federal government would encourage local police, teachers, medical and social service employees to rate the communities, individuals and families they serve for their potential to become terrorists is abhorrent on its face,” said Mike German, a former FBI agent. German called the criteria used for the ratings “subjective and specious.”

The guide itself notes that the effects of Countering Violent Extremism programs are “not easy to quantify.”

The U.S. Government is not the only power to exercise these measures within their populace. France has distributed their own flyer to depict personal changes that might suggest extremist behaviors. Even the British government has sponsored programs intended to monitor, and alert officials of radical behavior in Preschool Students.

This system could be abused by the guides, as many involved are not truly trained in counterterrorism. Will this tie in to the many individuals who are wrongly placed on no fly lists due to some obscure counterterrorism program? With a rise is media championed Islamophobia, the demonization of activists and Libertarians, as well as the everyday average citizen, will this program target specific community members?

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