Shootings and Terrorism

In the aftermath of yesterday’s tragic shooting in San Bernardino, where three shooters, one woman and two men, wearing fatigues, possible body-armor, and ski masks shot people at random, killing 14 and wounding another 17, officials said the following:

Terrorism cannot be ruled out

How in the world was this not terrorism? We have a word to describe three people committing premeditated mass murder at a facility for disabled people. That word is “Terrorism.”

Maybe it was not Islamic jihadist terrorism, but it was terrorism nonetheless.

The Colorado Springs shooter a few days ago was a Christian. The media didn’t call that terrorism either. Sorry folks. That, also, was terrorism, perpetrated by a Christian. I hate to say it. We have such a thing as Christian terrorism, and atheist terrorism, and batshit crazy nutcase terrorism.

But let’s all agree to calling it what it is:

Terrorism

 

Surefire Way to Create a Terrorist

Nelson Mandela’s passing away has caused a firestorm of news activity. Headlines like “Hero Now, Hated for Years” abound in the U.S. Reagan is on record vetoing bills related to South Africa. Dick Cheney called Mandela a terrorist. That got me thinking about ways to create a terrorist.

Here are, in my opinion, surefire ways to create a terrorist:

1. Subjugate an entire people, a race, based on origin and color of skin, to menial jobs, no rights, including no voting rights, and put the inevitable yoke of poverty on those millions of people, for decades. Subject them to humiliation, brutality by the authorities, rape their females at will without consequence, imprison individuals for decades, and you have a good chance that some terrorists come out of that population.

2. Imprison, without charge of any crime, young men that were in the wrong place at the wrong time sometime at the end of 2001 and beginning of 2002 in the Middle East. Throw them in with legitimate, known, experienced and battle-hardened actual terrorists as their only friends and support. Keep them in an illegitimate prison on a Caribbean island, locked up for ten years or more, without hearings, charges, or trials, and without means of communications to the outside world. Give them no hope and no way out.  My guess is that any young man, who may have been completely innocent other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time, will come out a cunning, committed, creative and motivated terrorist at the end.

3. Fly robotic killer machines over foreign countries and use rocket weapons to blow up houses, vehicles and facilities. Occasionally a bad guy gets hit and killed. Occasionally innocent children get killed or maimed, civilians get slaughtered, hard-earned property gets destroyed without any recourse for the victims. Do that in a consistent campaign in multiple countries around the world for years, and you have yourself dedicated terrorists that will fervently hate your country and all it represents.

There are people today that have the audacity to call Nelson Mandela a terrorist. Hmmm.