Being the Change I Wish to See

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.

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

Technorati Tags: domestic terrorism, James von Brunn, Stephen Tyrone Johns, violence

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Two young soldiers who just completed basic training were volunteering at a local recruiting office in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1 when they were shot. Private Quinton Ezeagwula is recovering and Private William Long was killed. Our prayers are with Private Long’s family and friends for his loss and with Private Ezeagwula and his family and friends for a speedy recovery.

The alleged gunman’s name is Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad (formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe) and he had a significant amount of fire power in his car along with a substantial amount of ammunition. He was already under investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force after returning to the U.S. after being jailed in Yemen for using a fake Somali passport.

Rachel Maddow interviews former FBI counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence specialist David Cid:

Many questions remain, such as how does someone under investigation by an elite FBI task force get so much hardware, and was he working alone.

This domestic terrorist attack is very similar to the murder of Dr. George Tiller. It was motivated by religious extremism and the idea that it’s okay to kill people who don’t share your views.

The difference? Muhammad is a Muslim and is being called a home-grown terrorist and something needs to be done about stopping people like him who come from radical Mosques. Roeder is a Christian who is associated with a known radical anti-abortion group, Operation Rescue. These Christian radical anti-abortion groups are known and have been known for decades to incite and commit violence, including murder, against other Americans because they disagree with those other Americans’ beliefs. In other words, they commit domestic terrorism.

Either way, they are all home-grown terrorists, except the anti-abortion movement operates in the open, in full view of law enforcement. If Muslim anti-American terrorists tried that, we would catch them instead of ignoring them.

When are we going to see the violent anti-abortion movement as the same sort of domestic terrorism as we see Muhammad, McVeigh, Nichols and the Unibomber? Roeder is the same as these guys.

The ultimate question is how do we stop this kind of violence and protect our civil liberties and privacy at the same time?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments, but be warned. Inflammatory comments will be deleted. Multiple inflammatory comments or threats will get you banned from this site.

Technorati Tags: Civil Rights and Justice, domestic terrorism, Little Rock Arkansas, William Long murder

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