On CNN: Should We Be Calling This An Act of Terrorism?

[StrayKat]

Discussion of whether of the Planned Parenthood attacks should be called domestic terrorism.

At least they're addressing the subject, I guess.

Edit: And. . . it's over. I wasn't expecting much, but getting this idea into the discussion of the general public starts somewhere. They seem to be waiting for 'motive' to declare it terrorism. What motive could Mr. Dear have had that would disqualify it?

[uppityperson]

1. It will be nice when they figure out his motive and we can call it something.

[handmade34]

5. even his co-pastor said

of the slain Officer Swasey "he would have disagreed with the abortion industry... the assumption is strong

[uppityperson]

9. I stand with PP and so far they've said it's unclear why also decrying extremist toxicity

[valerief]

2. Yes! Yes! And, oh, yeah, YES!

Of course, this domestic terrorism shit sure is a boost to their ratings, so why would they want it to end by having it be dealt with?

[handmade34]

3. yah, well, hmmm... no

shouldn't even be up for discussion

[Rex]

4. Why wouldn't we call it terrorism? Oh right...white conservative fundie armed to the teeth.

Yeah the M$M for some reason give white domestic terrorist fundies a free pass. Secular ones not so much.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. We know he's white; I haven't heard anything yet about his religion or politics.

[Rex]

7. Thats okay if you don't have critical thinking skills then just wait for someone to tell you.

The rest of us will keep on speculating using critical thinking skills.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Gosh, I must be so stupid for not *assuming* something about someone.

It would not surprise me in the least if he did turn out to be a conservative fundamentalist. However, he could be something else entirely, like a paranoid schizophrenic who had received messages in his fillings telling him to shoot up a building he believed was the headquarters of the Trilateral Commission. Maybe I lack "critical thinking skills" but I try to avoid assuming something to be true unless I have actual evidence.

You know what they say about what happens when you ASS - U - ME something.

The guy is weird and nasty as hell but so far no info about religion, politics or attitude toward abortion. He's definitely a violent, scary asshole. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/11/28/alleged-planned-parenthood-shooter-robert-lewis-dear-s-history-of-trouble-with-the-law.html

[Rex]

14. I don't really care what you think. Just wait for someone to tell you.

Like I give a shit.

[valerief]

20. Yeah, that's why he was shooting from PP. Cuz it had nothing to do with religion/abortion.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. I'm not saying that wasn't the reason. It probably was.

But the people who knew this guy said he'd never discussed religion or abortion with them, so I'm willing to wait to find out whether he was a fanatical pro-lifer or maybe had something else going on. What's the harm in waiting for some facts to develop?

[valerief]

27. There's no harm in waiting. We've been waiting for YEARS for domestic terrorism to be

discussed in the U.S. What are a few more years?

Sorry, but I won't look away from the obvious. Just because the people they're reporting on say he didn't discuss religion/abortion doesn't mean there aren't other people he discussed it with, especially people ONLINE. We don't know about his internet presence yet, and probably won't for a long time, due to the trial. By then, there will be a gazillion other mass killings by "white lone gunmen" who hate women/women's rights, and it still won't be the time to discuss domestic terrorism, cuz, you know, Jesus.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

28. I can wait a couple more days, though. I'm sure more info will surface.

The guy doesn't seem to have had any kind of online presence (it certainly would have been found by now if he'd used Facebook or any other social media sites), so it will be necessary to get him to offer up a motive, and to talk to the people who know him and have spoken with him directly. Was he a pro-lifer, a woman-hater, a religious fundamentalist, a teabagger, or any or all of the above? Very possibly. We will probably know within the next few days.

[arcane1]

12. And it will remain speculation until the facts are in.

Just because some people are waiting for more info is no reason to act like an ass to them

[Rex]

13. Like I said, more power to them if they want to wait around.

But nobody is going to stop me from speculating and giving my opinion using critical thinking skills. Sorry.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

15. When people act like an ass to me, that tells me who the ass is.

Waiting for more information isn't a bad thing; it's not like anything will change in a few days. I do remember very clearly how the media and others, using their "critical thinking skills," assumed with great certainty that the Oklahoma City bombing was carried out by Middle Eastern terrorists. At least until the angry white guy who actually did it was caught...

[Rex]

16. Sorry that you cannot control what people say and think.

I guess you will just have to have a sadz for life.

[Comrade Grumpy]

19. I can control what I read. And now you're gone.

Too big a jerk to even bother with.

[Rex]

30. Oh noes I was put on ignore, but told first!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. I have no interest in controlling what other people think.

Or in arguing with rude people, for that matter.

[Comrade Grumpy]

17. Wow. What's the excuse for asshole behavior?

[Rex]

18. Don't like my opinion?

Oh well.

[Contrary1]

8. At the risk of living up to my name here...

I'm not sure that those inside of the Planned Parenthood were his intended victims. If it is true that no one inside the clinic was among the injured, perhaps his target was the police officers who responded?

In one article that I read today, a witness stated that he drove up to park, and was immediately shot at. Luckily, he suffered only minor cuts from his shattered windshield.

No doubt we'll be hearing more soon. Just floating another possibility...

[Bluenorthwest]

11. Many of those inside were in secure safe rooms built for just such a need.

So how odd it would be if it was not a chosen target, a place that is so often threatened that they have builtin secure rooms. What are the chances?

[elehhhhna]

21. Prolly just another creep with a fixation against mammography

[meow2u3]

24. You're damn right this is a terrorist act!!!!!

It's time to stop giving gun-toting, right-wing white men with a huge chip on their shoulders a free pass regarding terrorism and start calling them out on it. Enough of the euphemisms when a white man in involved. Enough of the double standards of terrorism that allow white Christianist males to commit terrorist acts with near impunity while the victims of foreign Islamist terrorism are vilified as if they were the perpetrators. I'd like to see Christianist domestic terrorists treated the same way they treat minorities and women, although I'll never see it unless we make an exception to the Constitutional prohibition against bills of attainder.

We also must call the right-wing propaganda machine out on their marked tendency to incite terrorist acts by demonizing liberals, women, and minorities and twisting reality to grotesque proportions. The FCC needs to yank the broadcast licenses of those right-wing rabble rousers and the terrorism mongers radio hosts need to see the inside of a prison cell for their role in inciting and even outright soliciting those acts. Mainstream media must also be brought to account for handling white Christianist terrorists with kid gloves instead of reporting the ugly, inconvenient truth.

[Aerows]

26. Indeed. I'm sick of seeing this

play out month after month, week after week and day after damn day.

[Aerows]

25. CNN, like Fox News

won't be satisfied until we are war with everybody, including ourselves.

[rocktivity]

29. Well, does it meet the legal U.S. criteria?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026872573


rocktivity