Anyway, I like what this guy said, especially after seeing all the TV pundits telling us exactly what they want us to think.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-met-kass-0219-20100219,0,5463549.column?page=1

The basic definition of terrorism is the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.

I think the word "systematic" needs to be added to WordNet's definition because I don't believe a single act constitutes terrorism per se. I do think a single act of violence has the potential to become terrorism though if others see it as effective and decide to copy it. We've always had persons willing to listen to the darker side of their personality and do unconscionable things because of it.

School shootings are an apt example. They're terrible events that strike fear in the heart of every parent. But there's no real political, religious, or ideological goal behind them. The notoriety appeals to other attention-starved suicidal kids perhaps, but the act itself is a lone action not coordinated with other similar acts (or at least hasn't been to date).

Flying planes into buildings to get back at the government is currently a lone act - one man's irrational attempt to escape the pain by committing suicide and trying to take some IRS agents on the journey with him. If others start following the example and an underground movement is formed to encourage the act, then the terrorism label would apply. Until then it's just a criminal act of violence.

quote:

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On Thursday, madman Joseph Stack slammed a small plane into a building containing an Internal Revenue Service office in Austin, Texas.

He was angry at the federal government and its tax collectors, at the Roman Catholic Church, at GM, at health insurance companies, at capitalism, you name it.

"I am finally ready to stop this insanity," Stack raved on the Internet in his suicide manifesto. "Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different, take my pound of flesh and sleep well. … Violence is the only answer."

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"When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty." -Thomas Jefferson

He solved his insanity problem, but there in no shortage of crazy people.

Stack was angry at the federal government and its tax collectors, at the Roman Catholic Church, at GM, at health insurance companies, at capitalism, you name it.

He solved his insanity problem, but there in no shortage of crazy people to do something equally as crazy.

I read his letter myself because I didn't want to hear any network interpret for me. He was very specific about the problems he had with the IRS and it parallels what lots of taxpayers have gone through.

I don't really think he was walking around as a crazy person most of his life, but I do think he was eventually driven crazy by his experiences.

There were any number of other choices he could have made to draw attention to his plight that didn't involve killing an innocent person. So, I agree with a lot that's in his letter, but disagree with his actions.

Now there is another aspect of this that comes to mind. When we go to war claiming a country has pushed us to the limit, our actions end up killing innocent civilians by the thousands and displacing millions. Yet, we justify it as "collateral damage" in the name of freedom.

While I totally disagree with what he did, there are people who will say that this guy was fighting back against tyranny and unfortunately there was collateral damage.

I am not one of those people, but then I'm not a warmonger either.

Blairsville, Georgia - home in the North GA Mountains

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