James von Brunn (AP Photo/Talbot County Sheriff Office )
Today, an anti-Semitic, anti-government, white supremacist extremist entered the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. and
started shooting. James W. von Brunn, age 88, shot two people, killing one, before he was shot and remains in critical condition. A third person was injured by broken glass and other debris.
Security guard Stephen Tyrone Johns was critically injured in the shooting and died later at a Washington D.C. hospital.
Stephen Tyrone Johns
This is the third domestic terrorist attack committed by American citizens against other American citizens in the last 11 days. The first was Dr. George Tiller’s murder on May 31, the second was Pvt. William Long’s murder on June 1, and today, Security Guard Stephen Tyrone Johns’ murder.
All three murders were committed by extremists on the fringe of society. They may not have been on the same fringe, but they were all on the fringe of those who believe what they believe. In all three cases, the perpetrators decided to use violence and murder to express their disagreement with some other person or group. They were motivated by racism, religious fanaticism, and anti-government sentiments.
I am shocked, saddened, and furious. What the hell is going on in this country? Why are all the nut jobs coming out of the woodwork with loaded guns and full intent to kill people? How are they falling through all the law enforcement cracks? Is law enforcement failing us?
According to many abortion providers and abortion rights groups who follow their opposition are reporting a significant uptick in violent rhetoric, vandalism and other crimes, and violence such as murder.
There was an uptick in the violent nature of rhetoric used, and an increase in the anger of protesters and vandalism when President Obama was elected on November 4, 2008. There was another uptick in angry protests, vandalism and violence when President Obama was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. Since Dr. Tiller’s murder on May 31, there has been a significant uptick in the anger of protesters who are now assaulting and grabbing patients and their escorts as they enter clinics.
Even with U.S. marshal protection, abortion providers are more afraid than ever because they had become accustomed to the increases in violence and angry rhetoric. They were no longer shocked by vandalism or violent rhetoric because nothing further was coming out of it. Until now.
With the change in administration to a pro-choice, centrist, mixed race President, it seems some of the extremists (with a screw or two loose) have decided that the only way to regain control is through fear. Fear imposed on others who believe differently than they do, fear of non-white races being in charge of our government, and violence to stop the wars we are involved in.
While our reputation around the world is improving with Barack Obama as our President, those who fear non-whites, the rule of law and the privacy rights of others, and who hate our military actions have been simmering. Feeling a sense of loss of control seems to be heating the simmering pot to boiling over.
The only way to curb the violence is much tougher enforcement of the laws we have. Better coordination of local, state and federal law enforcement needs to become a priority.
When lesser crimes are committed, those violating the law must be arrested and prosecuted to send a clear message to domestic terrorists and those who set the atmosphere of heightened anger and violence. From stalking to possessing illegal weapons to vandalism to trespassing to minor assault and battery to conspiring to commit crimes, far more arrests that lead to prosecutions and jail time have to be made.
The organizations who oppose others beliefs, actions and the law who are non-violent and don’t condone violence must step up to the plate and take some responsibility. They must start turning in those they know of who are planning serious crimes or have committed lesser crimes. Until the legal, non-violent activists stop tolerating and celebrating violence and murder, they will be linked with the extremists who commit terrorist acts in their names.
We need better law enforcement, more arrests and more citizen involvement to put a stop to these domestic terrorist acts.
Photos:
AP
Yellow Limes Blog
domestic terrorism, James von Brunn, Stephen Tyrone Johns, violence
June 11th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Even though I’m a fairly conservative person. I agree this person (terrorist) needs to be taken out back and shot!
June 11th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
@Homero: I feel the same way, but the problem is some people feel it, think it, and then go out and do it.
We’ve got to get back to a nation of laws, and no one gets taken out back and shot. They must be arrested, prosecuted, convicted and then sentenced. If sentencing is the death penalty, okay. I don’t like the death penalty, but it is legal and an option for punishment.
IMHO, the only justifiable homicide is if someone is directly attacking you and trying to kill you, and if you don’t disable or kill them they will kill you. If your own life or that of someone you are with during such an attack is not in imminent danger, there is no justification for killing them.
June 11th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Just a quick point of order, Von Brunn was not a right-winger, he was just a violent racist. If you read his writings you’ll see that he hated Republicans and capitalism. Why does every race-centered attack automatically get labeled “right-wing”, even if that person’s politics are anything but?
June 11th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
@callisto: noted and I’ll make a correction. I have no desire or intention to read anything von Brunn wrote. I’ve studied early 20th century European history in great detail, and I know enough that anyone who professes Hitler was right about anything or is a role model for anyone is evil and dangerous.
June 11th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
“…anyone who professes Hitler was right about anything or is a role model for anyone is evil and dangerous.”
I agree with that statement 100%.
July 12th, 2009 at 11:46 am
These people may be terrorists. And I dont agree with them, nor are these people good. But they are not evil either.
What I dont get is this: It’s okay for the USA to commit terrorist acts in other countries…. and force their democracy on countries that obviously dont want it, but as soon as citizens pull terrorist acts, everyone freaks out. Double standards are stupid.
July 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Arianne,
U.S. citizens who commit terrorist acts are just as evil as foreign terrorists who do the same thing. I believe we should hold our own citizens to the same standard as we hold any other terrorist or murderer.
It’s not okay that the USA invaded another country and imposed our way of life on others. We had no business starting a war with Iraq. They did nothing to warrant an invasion from us. We had to invade Afghanistan because they harboured the terrorist organization and leaders who attacked the U.S. If someone attacks us, we must retaliate and protect our citizens.
Our previous administration was arrogant. Former President Bush and his administration must be held accountable for the evils they committed in the world. It is becoming clearer that our country committed war crimes, and if we won’t do something about it, I hope Europe will. The previous administration must be brought to international justice and punished accordingly. I am disappointed with the Obama administration for not enforcing the law and investigating, arresting and trying those people. Maybe they will address it soon.
We must learn to respect that other people in other nations have a very different way of life than we do, and we have no business imposing our way of life on anyone. I do believe we should support human rights, and support those who take part in peaceful protest in their own countries, but not with our military. U.S. citizens should be the support citizens of other countries receive when they choose to make changes in their governments and way of life. Our leaders can also use their bully pulpit to encourage support of the peoples of other countries who need it.
And because of Iraq, we didn’t finish the job in Afghanistan and get bin Laden when we had him in our sites in 2002. Had we done that, we could have wrapped up the war there by no later than 2003. We were supposed to get bin Laden and destroy al Quaeda there; nothing further with our military. If post-war Afghanistan needed humanitarian assistance, we should have given that while pulling out our military. Now we’re talking about another 10 years of occupation and we’ve been there 8 years already? I can’t imagine any reason why the U.S. would ever need to occupy a country for 18 years. The last time we escalated a war without a clear mission, Vietnam happened. I fear these wars are getting to be equivalent to Vietnam.
We need to get the military out of Iraq and Afghanistan and send in our nation-building organizations, diplomats and resources. The military is not designed to build nations. The nations that should be built are the nations the people of the country want built. Whatever they need to make their vision of their country a reality is what we should help them build, not our vision of what their nation should be.
America is a powerful nation both militarily and financially. We must not be arrogant and misuse our wealth and power to impose our way of life on other countries.