An Equal Opportunity to be a Terrorist

In recent times there have been several violent acts committed against American citizens. We have had Timothy McVeigh, 911, the Anthrax mailings, Scott Roeder, the Boxer Bomber, the Alabama professor, and most recently the Kamikaze pilot. All of the acts these people intended to commit are incredibly evil but in the mainstream media there appears to be a reluctance to label white Americans as terrorist while they sling the word around gleefully when the suspects of alleged attempts to cause harm are non white.

To accurately declare someone a terrorist we must be able to clearly define what terrorism is. The United States government defines terrorism as “[An] act of terrorism, means any activity that (A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; and (B) appears to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping.”

Based on the official definition lets examine a few cases and determine if the media has been fair in labeling terrorists. Timothy McVeigh, the alleged Oklahoma City bomber, in an interview with TIME magazine shared his views on our government. Whether it was the feeling of being betrayed when he went to war or the unfair taxation of America’s citizens he displayed his dissatisfaction with the government. If McVeigh is truly guilty of the bombing then one would conclude that his objective would have been to express his angst and coerce the government to change. By definition this would have been an act of terrorism but In 2008 Pennsylvania’s Homeland Security director, James Powers, said that McVeigh is not a terrorist just very angry with the government. The dude just blew up a federal building and killed at least 168 people.

In 2001 many people were afraid to open their mail due to the threat of it being laced with anthrax. United States capital buildings and postal services were shut down for cleaning; I would describe that as affecting the conduct of government. I believe at least 5 people were killed so these mailing were an act dangerous to human life and a violation of criminal law, but the alleged suspect Bruce Ivins was never described as a terrorist. Anthrax is a bio-warfare agent; I still have flashbacks when exposed to white powdery substances
Lets consider Scott Roeder the guy who confessed to killing Dr. George Tiller. Dr. Tiller provided abortions which by law are legal. Mr. Roeder felt the abortions that Tiller performed were unlawful and therefore plotted to kill him to protect children. Roeder considered chopping off Tiller’s hands, hitting him with a car, and even breaking into his home to kill him. Scott Roeder decided to run up a church a shoot Dr. Tiller. Consider the horror the other church members witnessed and the grief Dr. Tiller’s family suffered. Roeder took the life of a man who performed a legal action that he disagreed with. He violated criminal law and intended to intimidate a civilian population and possibly influence government policy relating to abortion; by definition that is terrorism.

Recently an Alabama University staff member allegedly murdered three of her colleagues. Amy Bishop was arrested for shooting her colleagues after learning that she would not be tenured. She also shot and killed her brother when she was 19 and was a suspect in a pipe bombing investigation. She allegedly attempted to bomb a Harvard professor’s home that was evaluating her on doctoral work. She and Dr. Paul Rosenburg were known to not get along. Once again imagine the horror her colleagues that survived witnessed. Imagine the terror Dr. Rosengurg’s family experienced when they discovered the double pipe bombed Bishop mailed. She committed a crime in violation of criminal law and I feel intended to coerce a civilian population with the pipe bomb incident; by definition she’s a terrorist.

On February 18, 2010 Joe Stack decided to burn down his home and fly a plane into an Austin, Texas IRS building. I have read the so-called Kamikaze pilot’s suicide note that was removed from the internet by the FBI. In his letter he discussed his disgust for the government largely due to the unfair taxation of the citizens and lack of representation as well. He went on to share his experiences with the IRS which he blames for his financial misfortune. Joe Stack fundamentally disagreed with the federal government and felt his voice was not being heard. He reached out to his local representatives and felt that he was being ignored. To be heard and possibly impact the government’s policies related to taxation Stack became a suicide bomber by igniting his plane when it crashed into the IRS building. According to the official definition of terrorism Joe Stack is a terrorist.

I must also consider the actions of the Ku Klux Klan in America. When African Americans were given the right to vote Klansmen used many tactics to coerce these citizens not to vote. When African Americans spoke out against the atrocities of the KKK and southern politicians that violated human rights they were terrorized. Lets consider the Birmingham Church bombing, the lynchings, the brutal violence the Klan and other white Americans unleashed on African Americans. The Klan used violence as a means of coercion and violated US criminal laws so by definition these cowards were terrorists.

Why was the mainstream media so reluctant to label these suspects as terrorist? On September 11, 2001 Al Qaeda allegedly flew planes into the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon; they were labeled terrorist. In late December of 2009 Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab allegedly attempted to blow up a flight that landed in Detroit with a bomb in his briefs. The boxer bomber was labeled a terrorist. Even when some people do not cause harm to civilians the press and government officials are swift to label them as terrorists. Lets consider the seven men who were arrested in Miami, Florida in 2006. The FBI said that this group planned to blow up Sears Tower but several raids did not yield any explosives or weapons. Five out of the seven men where US citizens just like, Roeder, Stack, Bishop, Ivins, & McVeigh; the difference is these men did not harm one soul but yet were labeled homegrown terrorists.

I do not intended to determine who is a terrorist and who is not, that is not my purpose. I only intend to present the definition of terrorism, some cases in which American lives were lost, and point out when officials and the media choose to use the term terrorist to describe people. It is overwhelmingly one sided. It appears from my observation that the term terrorist is most often applied to those who are non white. When white Americans terrorize United States citizens they are described as depressed, strange, loners, insane, but seldom described as terrorists. I wish to leave you with a question; WHY?

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