Trump Declares Atheists are Terrorists

About this video

• Video Title: Trump Declares Atheists are Terrorists
• Channel: Rebecca Watson (Skepchick)
• Speakers: Rebecca Watson
• Duration: 00:11:27

Overview

This video discusses Donald Trump's National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM7), which directs counterterrorism forces to investigate individuals and organizations displaying anti-American, anti-capitalist, or anti-Christian sentiments, or those perceived as extremist on migration, race, and gender. The speaker contrasts this with historical government surveillance of leftist groups during the COINTELPRO era, arguing that NSPM7 represents a more direct and less covert weaponization of national security tools against citizens deemed insufficiently "traditional."

Key takeaways

• Trump's NSPM7: Donald Trump issued NSPM7, a national security directive that reorients counterterrorism efforts to target individuals and groups exhibiting anti-American, anti-capitalist, and anti-Christian views, as well as those with certain stances on migration, race, and gender.
• Historical Precedent: The video draws parallels to the FBI's COINTELPRO program, which historically targeted leftist organizations and activists through covert means, while often being more lenient or less aggressive towards right-wing extremist groups unless they engaged in overt violence.
• Shift in Tactics: Unlike COINTELPRO's covert nature, NSPM7 is publicly announced, signaling a more open and potentially broader application of government surveillance and intervention against perceived dissenters.
• Concerns about "Extremism": The speaker expresses concern that the broad definitions within NSPM7 could encompass a wide range of behaviors and beliefs, potentially targeting individuals who have committed no violent acts but are deemed "anti-Christian" or hold views contrary to "traditional American views."
• Effectiveness of Government Repression: The video touches on research suggesting that while government programs like COINTELPRO had some success in disrupting leftist movements, they were less effective against the Ku Klux Klan due to shared values among agents and Klan members, leading to different strategies of control and infiltration.