Diplomat Jim Patterson and President Obama on Homeland Security

Dear James: Thank you for writing.  As President, my greatest responsibility is ensuring the safety and security of the American people, and my Administration is working around the clock to protect our Nation from the threats we face. At home and abroad, our Federal agencies are improving our ability to detect, disrupt, and defeat terrorism from violent radical groups.  To support this mission, we have expanded information sharing among law enforcement organizations and made massive investments in our capabilities to screen individuals entering the United States.  Each day, my Administration supports communities, private sector partners, and all levels of government in strengthening the resilience of our country.  And we continue to prioritize the protection of our critical infrastructure against both physical and cyber threats. Thanks to the extraordinary service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform as well as our diplomats, law enforcement professionals, and intelligence agencies, we are building strong partnerships with countries around the world to fight terrorist groups that threaten the United States wherever they are located, including leading a coalition of more than 60 partners to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL.  While America must stay focused on defeating ISIL because of the danger it poses to civilians in many parts of the world, we must reject the claim that ISIL threatens our national existence, or that it represents one of the world’s largest religions.  Instead, we must call them what they are—killers and fanatics—and extract these cancers so they do not spread. Moreover, we must prevent these groups from radicalizing, recruiting, or inspiring others in the first place.  That’s why we’re stepping up our efforts to discredit terrorist propaganda, especially online, and why we must confront the political and economic grievances that terrorists exploit.  We recognize that our best partners in protecting the vulnerable from succumbing to violent extremist ideologies are people in local communities, which is why we need to find new ways to amplify voices of peace, tolerance, and inclusion. We must also recognize that it is not only violent extremists that threaten the security of our people, but also the consequences of failing states and pandemics that could reach our shores.  We must use every aspect of our national power to address all threats to our security and defend our people, including our diplomats, and our aid, public health, and intelligence professionals—and we must recognize that foreign assistance is an integral investment in our national security. Thank you, again, for your message.  Our international leadership continues to underwrite the global security and prosperity upon which future generations will depend, and I will not stop fighting to defend our people, our Nation, and our values.  To learn more about what I am doing to protect the American people, I encourage you to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/Issues/Homeland-Security. Sincerely, Barack Obama

Jim Patterson Note: This is a good letter with some good language. First,. we have not yet stopped ISIL from spreading. Second, we have no effective cyber defense against ISIL propaganda. Third, we haven't stopped ISIL from recruiting, radicalizing, and inspiring young U.S. citizens to leave the U.S. and fly to Iraq or Syria to join ISIS. Again, this is a good letter. Find ways to amplify voices of peace, tolerance and inclusion? Like Obama's voice? ISIL members are savages.