Before the Department of Homeland Security disseminated its Rightwing Extremism report on April 7, 2009, it sent out its Domestic Extremism Lexicon to state and local law enforcement officials.    The 12-page Lexicon was a dictionary that law enforcement could use to conveniently characterize political leanings and behaviors.  Unlike the April 7 Rightwing Extremism report, the March 26, 2009, Lexicon was quickly recalled.   The story behind it is in reporter Audrey Hudson’s May 5, 2009,  Washington Times   article headlined Homeland agency pulled back extremism dictionary.  The introduction to the Lexicon offers this explanation:

DHS/I&A intends this background information to assist federal, state, local, and tribal homeland security and law enforcement officials in conducting analytic activities. This product provides definitions for key terms and phrases that often appear in DHS analysis that addresses the nature and scope of the threat that domestic, non-Islamic extremism poses to the United States. Definitions were derived from a variety of open source materials and unclassified information, then further developed during facilitated workshops with DHS intelligence analysts knowledgeable about domestic, non-Islamic extremism in the United States.

The footnote on the introduction page admonishes the Lexicon’s recipients:

(U) Warning:  This document is UNCLASSIFIED/FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY (U/FOUO).  It contains information that may be exempt from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552).  It is to be controlled, stored, handled, transmitted, distributed, and disposed of in accordance with DHS policy relating to FOUO information and is not to be released to the public, the media, or other personnel who do not have a valid need-to-know without prior approval of an authorized DHS official.  State and local homeland security officials may share this document with authorized security personnel without further approval from DHS.

(U) This product contains U.S. person information that has been deemed necessary for the intended recipient to understand, assess, or act on the information provided.  It has been highlighted in this document with the label ^USPER and should be handled in accordance with the recipient’s oversight or information handling procedures.

Please take the time to read the definitions in the Lexicon.  To whet your appetite, here’s one of them:

(U) alternative media:    (U/FOUO) A term used to describe various information sources that provide a forum for interpretations of events and issues that differ radically from those presented in mass media products and outlets.

Local and state law enforcement recipients of the Lexicon would probably conclude that OpenCdA.com meets the Department of Homeland Security’s definition of “alternative media. ”  Aren’t you reassured?