Domestic Terror?

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Domestic Terror?

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

I agree that acts of violence or destruction of property committed for the express purpose to convince others to do things differently or as coercion to adopt a particular viewpoint, philosophy, or agenda are indeed acts of terrorism.

As with anything though, there are degrees. An arsonist who burns down a new housing project or a PETA nut who tosses paint on a fur coat is certainly not the same degree as a someone who chooses to blow themselves up and take out as many with them as they can, but the tactic is still the same... that the unilateral end justifies the means.

I say sic the ecoterrorists on the islamic fundamentalist terrorists and let them duke it out on... hmm, lets say the moon and conveniently forget to send filled oxygen tanks for any of them.

lundbaek · Profuse Pontificator

I'm inclined to draw the line between terrorism and vandalism, for whatever cause or purpose, at the deliberate threat of death or act of killing.

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Slippery Slope! Slippery Slope!

--Ray

PS> Lund, I agree with you, that's why I made the question the way I did... :)

Cat Herder · Understander of unimportant things

All y'alls may think differently the next time you're walkin' down the road in yer multi-thousand dollar fur coat and some smelly, unshaven eco-terrorist tosses paint on ya or they burns down yer multi-million dollar bigfoot housing development to save habitat for the green spotted lawn grub.

American Heritage Dictionary

ter·ror·ism
n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

salesortonscom · Wise and Revered Master

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF) has been destroying car lots, home construction sites, logging operations, medical research facilities, and other places using arson, bombs, vandalism, etc. They are indeed homegrown terrorists not unlike Basque Sepratists in Spain.

Roper · Senior Bucketkeeper

We already have laws against arson. I hate it when any group with an agenda tries to "expand" the definition of terrorism to include whatever they're upset about. The term becomes meaningless when that happens.

Mahonri · Senior Bucketkeeper

A few years ago we had this fellow who would burn down homes being built near the desert preserve to the north of us. He probably burnt down 10 or 12 homes before he was caught and found his way to prison. Did he accomplish anything? I imagine there were a few folks who thought twice about building a home in the areas close to the preserve.

salesortonscom · Wise and Revered Master

I think what makes these enviro terrorists so bad is that they don't care if someone dies in the fires, bombings, or vandalism. Their cause is more important than a few lives.

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

Roper: Do you think that there is such thing as enviro-terrorists? smile

--Ray

Roper · Senior Bucketkeeper

I think this is the best definition of terrorism. From U.S. Army, Field Manual 100-20, Stability and Support Opperations, (Final Draft), "Chapter 8: Combatting Terrorism."

TERRORISM DEFINED

The DOD definition of terrorism is "the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological."

This definition was carefully crafted to distinguish between terrorism and other kinds of violence. The act of terrorism is defined independent of the cause that motivates it. People employ terrorist violence in the name of many causes. The tendency to label as terrorism any violent act of which we do not approve is erroneous. Terrorism is a specific kind of violence.

The official definition says that terrorism is calculated. Terrorists generally know what they are doing. Their selection of a target is planned and rational. They know the effect they seek. Terrorist violence is neither spontaneous nor random. Terrorism is intended to produce fear; by implication, that fear is engendered in someone other than the victim. In other words, terrorism is a psychological act conducted for its impact on an audience.

Finally, the definition addresses goals. Terrorism may be motivated by political, religious, or ideological objectives. In a sense, terrorist goals are always political, as extremists driven by religious or ideological beliefs usually seek political power to compel society to conform to their views. The objectives of terrorism distinguish it from other violent acts aimed at personal gain, such as criminal violence. However, the definition permits including violence by organized crime when it seeks to influence government policy. Some drug cartels and other international criminal organizations engage in political action when their activities influence governmental functioning. The essence of terrorism is the intent to induce fear in someone other than its victims to make a government or other audience change its political behavior.

It's clear that ecoterroism tries to influence government policy. What's not so clear is the intent to instill fear in a larger population. So Ray, I dunno on that one.

rayb · Hot Air Balloon

So what is it called when a person hates his own flesh so much that he would desire that all men be killed (save perhaps a few enlightened souls) in order to preserve a more pristine earth? If their intent is not to create terror but to control an infestation as they see it of an undesirable lifeform called humans.

Clearly there's no influence there in regards to governments other than that they'd prefer there weren't any... Could they be Eco-insurgents? :)

--Ray

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

According to the definitions, it seems to fall into the category of terrorism to me. Although I voted "no" in the poll.

Reminds me of my mission to Indiana. The first month there (1989) I saw two burning crosses. I thought- whoa, I thought this stuff was all over with. There were NO black families in my first area. That seems like terrorism to me... trying to put fear into people for your own reasons... ??