David French:
Let’s begin with a dose of common sense. There is a fundamental difference between mass movements dedicated to peaceful cultural and political persuasion and mass movements dedicated to violence. America is blessed by the former while the rest of the world is often plagued by the latter. Yet even the most peaceful movements can sometimes attract an evil fringe, a tiny handful of adherents who cross the bright line between speech and violence.
Take, for example, environmentalism. America has long been awash in apocalyptic climate-change rhetoric. Leading Democrats describe carbon emissions as a “national-security threat,” and blame them for everything from the rise of ISIS to last night’s rainstorm. A tiny, hardcore subset of environmental activists is so moved to violence that they’ve been repeatedlylabeled America’s top domestic-terror threat by the FBI. Most domestic terrorism is committed by individuals, not groups, but eco-terrorist organizations have been responsible for more domestic-terror attacks than anyone else, and it’s not even close:
Eco-terrorism is on the decline, but even when it was at its height, no one blamed Al Gore for ELF attacks or told environmentalists to shut up lest they further inflame their tiny fringe. The way to combat environmentalist excess is to debate it on the merits and defeat it in the ballot box.
The pro-life movement consists of millions of Americans who fiercely oppose abortion through peaceful speech and protest, and a tiny, evil minority of those who resort to violence. Though the abortion debate is a matter of life and death for hundreds of thousands of innocent children a year, since 9/11 exactly one abortion provider has been murdered, and two clinics have been bombed. That’s hardly a crime wave, and it’s hardly grounds for liberal commentators such as Patheos’s Dan Arel to declare “Christian terrorism is a bigger threat to U.S. freedom than Islamic terrorism.”
Thanks to good police work and changes in the political climate since the upheavals of the Vietnam era, America has enjoyed a dramatic and decades-old decline in domestic-terrorist incidents. True domestic terrorism is shocking precisely because it is so rare. American political discourse may be angry, and its practitioners may be fond of the most ominous rhetoric, but American politics themselves remain remarkably peaceful.
Don’t tell the alarmists that, though. Even before this weekend’s shooting at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic, left-wing sites trumpeted the threat of “Christian terrorists”while minimizing the threat of jihadists. This summer, the New York Times hyped a transparently idiotic study claiming that (mainly right-wing) homegrown extremists were deadlier than jihadists — by excluding from the death toll the almost 3,000 Americans who died on 9/11 and the nearly 7,000 Americans killed — not to mention the more than 52,000 Americans wounded — at the hands of radical Islamists overseas.
Since the Planned Parenthood shooting, leftists have indicted the pro-life movement itself for the actions of a bitter and angry loner with no known connections to any activist organization. The Huffington Post wrote a story noting that Colorado Springs is full of — gasp! — Christians. Buzzfeed published a comprehensive report demonstrating exactly how abortion-rights activists intend to turn the Colorado shooting into a “rallying cry.”
We’ve seen this movie before. Following the dreadful Oklahoma City bombing, many on the left tried to pin Timothy McVeigh on Rush Limbaugh, and despite the fact that McVeigh called himself an agnostic, some leftists still refer to him a “Christian terrorist.” Gabby Giffords’s shooting was somehow blamed on Sarah Palin, and this year’s Charleston church massacre was allegedly an indictment of all white southerners, even those who’ve condemned racism their entire lives.
Shouldn’t the democratic party be on the top of the list seems 80 % of violent crimes are committed by dem voters. They may not be politically motivated crimes but none the less they are democrats. Not a wonder the admin wants to release felons and give them back voting rights, the party is dying and with illegals syrians and felons they could keep the whitehouse.
CSP wants to save jelly?
@kitt: If any party is dying it would be Repubs. Trump nom. would seal the coffin. Yesterday Cruz joined other Repub. candidates in saying “Trump can’t win.”
Up until Roof and the Charleston shootings, EVERY mass shooting since 2008 has been at the gun of a liberal. Perhaps it is a sign of hope that liberals are so ashamed of this fact that they aggressively try to blame conservatives for every shooting.
@Rich Wheeler: Just saying they cant find any better candidates than a self proclaimed socialist and a cackling old rich white woman under FBI investigation, really vibrant choices they have there. Oh there is that third guy, old white whats his name.
@Bill: “up until”– all libs?—how bout Dear?—yada yada– Seems like a lot of unsubstantiated B.S. being posited.
Kitt Agreed Repubs. got some good choices. But what if they some how pick Trump—what does that say? HRC would clean his clock.
It w@Rich Wheeler: It would show what the RNC doesn’t seem to grasp, The conservative leaning voters are tired of all talk and no action. If HRC wins it shows a pile of pathetic robotic sheep that love to be lied to, and will only vote to get free stuff not what is best for the country. I would have voted for Kennedy. How the DNC has changed huh.
How bout those crime statistics? you you 20 %er!
@kitt: Animal Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front terrorists?? HA–Give me a break–tree huggers and animal lovers?? terrorists Guess that makes me a terrorist..
Semper Fi
JFK I’ve been a Dem since I saw his “ask not” speech on that windy day in Jan.61-joined The Marines 2 years later.
@Rich Wheeler: JFK would be hounded out of today’s democratic party. It seems the current mantra is ask what your country can do for me.
@Rich Wheeler: Tree huggers and animal lovers…. with bombs
From our FBI site:
The escalation in violent rhetoric is best demonstrated by language that was included in the communiqués claiming responsibility for the detonation of improvised explosive devices in 2003 at two separate northern California companies, which were targeted as a result of their business links to HLS. Following two pipe bomb blasts at the Chiron Life Sciences Center in Emeryville, California on August 28, 2003, an anonymous claim of responsibility was issued which included the statement: “This is the endgame for the animal killers and if you choose to stand with them you will be dealt with accordingly. There will be no quarter given, no half measures taken. You might be able to protect your buildings, but can you protect the homes of every employee?” Just four weeks later, following the explosion of another improvised explosive device wrapped in nails at the headquarters of Shaklee, Incorporated in Pleasanton, California on September 26, 2003, another sinister claim of responsibility was issued via anonymous communiqué by the previously unknown “Revolutionary Cells of the Animal Liberation Brigade.” This claim was even more explicit in its threats: “We gave all of the customers the chance, the choice, to withdraw their business from HLS (Huntingdon Life Sciences). Now you will all reap what you have sown. All customers and their families are considered legitimate targets… You never know when your house, your car even, might go boom… Or maybe it will be a shot in the dark… We will now be doubling the size of every device we make. Today it is 10 pounds, tomorrow 20… until your buildings are nothing more than rubble. It is time for this war to truly have two sides. No more will all the killing be done by the oppressors, now the oppressed will strike back.” It should be noted that the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in San Francisco has identified and charged known activist Daniel Andreas San Diego, who is currently a fugitive from justice, in connection with these bombings. While no deaths or injuries have resulted from this threat or the blasts at Chiron and Shaklee, it demonstrates a new willingness on the part of some in the movement to abandon the traditional and publicly stated code of nonviolence in favor of more confrontational and aggressive tactics designed to threaten and intimidate legitimate companies into abandoning entire projects or contracts.
@Rich Wheeler: What you are finding are those who use facts to disprove what you are asserting… that we don’t know of Dear’s motive(s) and throwing blame about for a political leg up is nothing but ignorance.
Who is it that torches SUV’s?
@kitt: Seriously Kit–Do those tree huggers or animal lovers–I have met some of these “terrorists” No deaths or injuries caused NONE– scare you? Let’s get after ISIS. Actually KILLING PEOPLE.
Bill What facts disprove what I’m asserting?-Be specific please
Do these tree huggers and animal lovers scare you big guy?
They dont scare me I just looked up facts and presented them. You cant bomb things or burn things it sorta against the law. Leaving threatening letters isn’t nice either.
@Rich Wheeler:
Yeah, from your side of the aisle, like this:
“Democrats have stepped up their defense of Planned Parenthood in the wake of last week’s shooting that killed three people at a Colorado clinic,”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/reid-planned-parenthood-216279#ixzz3t6bMsRHu
Either the author of that piece of spin is so stupid they should be fired, or the article was deliberately misleading. “Three people killed at a Colorado clinic” is a lie. No one at the PP clinic was killed, or even harmed. The shooter killed 3 people who had nothing to do with the clinic. Yet, thousands of left wing morons will read that article and think someone at the clinic was killed. Not to mention that it is blatantly hypocritical for the biggest purveyor of “hate rhetoric”, Harry Reid, to even talk about “hate rhetoric.”
This is the party you support today. It is no longer JFKs party. Now it is the party of the collectivists, the Marxists, the Socialists, the Communists and the baby killers.
@Rich Wheeler: Seems the FBI has its hands full with the wanna be and real terrorists here in US, I just hope that congress can stop more of them from coming in, they are not 3 years old forever.
Oh how fast they
growblow up.@Rich Wheeler:
That’s just it… there ARE no facts available. For instance, how do you assert he is a Republican? Because, at one point, he identified as a woman and Bruce Jenner, who claims to be Republican, also went rouge (so to speak)? How do you assert ANYTHING? We don’t know.
So, while the left asserts that the shooting was caused by inflammatory rhetoric, they (you) go about with inflammatory rhetoric to TRY and make Dear out to be something he may or may not be. Why can’t you simply wait until you can make an intelligent statement on the matter instead of joining the “white, Christian, Republican killer” screamers? That’s what I am doing.
What I have learned is this: practically everything that is stated in these sorts of arguments has to be checked. So, that’s what I do. I have learned that it is quite informative. Back when all the left was screaming about right-wing gun nuts and uncivil rhetoric being the root cause of those mass shootings in the past, someone did some research and discovered, well, not so fast… seems these are mostly killers that support liberal causes.
Does this mean that every killer is a liberal? No, but it DAMN sure doesn’t mean that it is wise to jump to the conclusion each and every f##king time that the shooter is some right-wing Trumpazoid, no matter HOW badly you want it to be true.
And, no one scares me because I am prepared and I am on the look-out. But, it is a proven fact that far-left enviro-fascists do in fact commit acts of terror, despite the fact that you may or may not have once met a mild-mannered tree hugger.
Kinda starting to see the flaws in your train of thought? Just a little? Sorta?
@Bill: You sound like you are yelling at yourself Bill.
For instance I didn’t claim he was transgender wannabee.
and therefore a likely Dem–you did–since debunked.
“White Christian Repub Killer.” I never said that.
I could go on but why bother–
Let the truth come out—Then publish it.
@kitt:
No way, Kitt!
Jams, pie fillings, marmalades, preserves – NOT Jellies!
Lemon curd might be on the line.
(I’d save it.)
@Nanny G:
Righto old girl heres your explosive vest and AK47 I have been wiring the SUV with C4 remember to scream OHMY JAMANDPIE before you trigger it. 🙂
@Rich Wheeler:
No, you simply chimed in with those, such as the idiot Jeff D (oh, the company you keep), making the quantum leap that Dear killed in the name of Christ and is a Republican.
I merely provided the information available showing that there was no confirmation of that since, according to his voter registration, he is not registered as a Republican.
He also SAYS he is a woman. I never said he was a Democrat; I relied on and relayed the actual information available. He claims to be a member of the UAF. It was, in fact, YOU that keeps harping on him being a Republican because your hero Kaitlyn claims to be a Republican.
I am stopping here until, over on the Politics/Rhetoric/Planned Parenthood topic, you confirm if you are calling me a liar or not. That could be a game changer. I recommend you consider your answer carefully.
First and foremost, Obama plots and schemes with terrorists. It started decades ago when he held his political “coming out” party in Bill Ayers’ living room.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/joe-kidd/taking-the-netanyahu-obama-comparison-one-step-further/890079174337972
And when terrorism actually happens, Obama doesn’t acknowledge it. Case in point:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/joe-kidd/obama-and-the-2009-fort-hood-massacre-it-was-terrorism/760509073961650
Obama also has the welcome mat out for potential terrorists.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/joe-kidd/the-building-of-an-army-of-hate/948363355176220
Then there is the issue that people won’t wake up to until it is too late. Obviously Obama’s feckless policy towards ISIS stokes fears of another terrorist attack on the homeland. Whether he welcomes that or not, he benefits from a growing surveillance state with him at the helm. Be certain that Obama loves that! He IS Big Brother.
Scores of federal agencies and a growing number of state and local law enforcement organizations are using Hailstorm (and the older Stingray) to fight terrorism… or track common criminals. These surveillance tools have even been used at political rallies and protests to capture cell phone metadata of those in attendance.
IOW, it’s not just your credit history or browsing history that’s available to the highest bidder — it’s beyond that. It’s the NSA piggybacking telecom trunks; the nano drones; the police departments being militarized.
It’s the non-military federal departments and agencies (Education, Commerce, Labor, Postal Service, EPA, etc.,) that purchased military-style vehicles, weapons and billions of rounds of ammo. What’s up with that? Call it gun (actually bullet) control by another name.
It’s the streetlights equipped with cameras and the license plate-capturing equipment that many people couldn’t recognize if they drove right past it. And it’s tied to a database that allows them to be tracked. It’s also the AI (Artificial Intelligence)-based CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) platforms using facial recognition software.
It’s also the IGs, the Inspectors General, who have been removed without cause — the watchers, if you will. And all the investigative journalists and reporters, all the whistleblowers and good-guy operatives and informants, who have been hacked, threatened, and even silenced. Think John P. Wheeler III (1944-2010).
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-02-22-1Awheeler22_CV_N.htm Rest In Peace, Jack…
Obama has seemingly used the entirety of federal government against American citizens who politically oppose him. He has also blackmailed U.S. states. Then again, history is replete with examples of tyrannical leaders who have used bureaucrats against the people. Hitler comes to mind…
FWIW concerning “eco-terrorism” — see “ECOTAGE” links at end of this Note:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/joe-kidd/arson-is-a-weapon-in-a-terrorists-arsenal/802354623110428
@Bill: EXCUSE ME EXCUSE ME—in my best Donald Trump–I did not chime in–don’t confuse me with other Dems. and I won’t confuse you with o5—deal?
Kitt debunked the transgender thing–you claimed by all odds that would make him a Dem-I merely pointed out Jenner–“my hero”– what kind of BS is that Bill?– is a Repub.
You seem very angry and confused Bill–agreed it’s time for a break—Out
@Rich Wheeler: You tell me if you were calling me a liar…. DEAL?
Any comment on Mr.Dear’s day in court. Anyone still think he wasn’t motivated by hatred for Planned Parenthood?
There was even an FA’er that suggested that Dear just happened to wander into the PP facility to escape the law—just a coincidence. You can’t fix stupid.
@Rich Wheeler: What did that reveal?
@Rich Wheeler: I found an article at buzzfeed, He had outbursts in court declared he was guilty, it did seem he could be mentally unbalanced. He murdered 3 people I don’t give a Sh*t if he is batsh@t crazy he is guilty and needs either to be put to sleep or locked up away from civilized humans for the remainder of his life. Do not give him a liberal sentence of 2 tor 8 years in a nuthouse to then be declared cured and set loose. The outbursts in court as reported had no religious content. CNNs reporting sucked as usual.
@Billre#24: I’ll bite.. What?
Kitt Agree with your #25 No religion involved–He was out to get “the baby killers.” killed 3 innocents on his quest. Hated PP
@Rich Wheeler: I see. I thought you had something to offer. My error.
@Bill: Dear said in court 12/9 “I am a warrior for the babies..” “You’ll never believe the amount of blood I saw in that place.” “Planned Parenthood and my lawyers are in cohoots because they don’t want the truth out.”
This guy killed 3 and wounded many more people—-
Thoughts
@Rich Wheeler: My thoughts are this: now is the time to address whether or not this was a Planned Parenthood shooting… not immediately after it happened. Furthermore, it represents neither an ongoing threat by Christians or white males. It mostly represents what a nut might do if provoked by left wing denial of facts.
He killed no Planned Parenthood workers. As far as I can tell (details are ambiguous, intentionally, I believe) the only person killed IN the Planned Parenthood facility was the unarmed officer that rushed in. The others were killed or wounded outside.
I see nothing going on here that rationalizes what dedicated jihadist radical Islamic terrorists are doing or threatening to do.
@Bill: Do you think that based on his recorded statements there is any chance he just happened into the PP building to escape the law? Do you think his avowed hatred of PP practices led him to commit this violence?
@Rich Wheeler: No and possibly (we should get more information). Do you think he represents all white male Christians? Even those that disagree with Planned Parenthood’s documented practice of extracting living babies and cutting them up for parts sales?
@Bill: I do not think he represents all male white Christians.
Do you know we have a poster who believes it was simply a coincidence that Dear surrendered in a PP building—wasn’t his intent to go in there.Would expect an honest person to admit they were wrong now that the truth is out. We’ll see
@Rich Wheeler: What was said, well before any details were know (rather than exploiting this as “the Planned Parenthood shooting” without any facts), was that it was possible that he ducked into the Planned Parenthood. This still seems credible since he did most of his shooting and killing OUTSIDE. Why would a shooter dedicated to slaughtering Planned Parenthood employees sound the alarm by beginning his shooting spree next door in a parking lot?
Unless, of course, he was just a crazy killer who had no idea what he was doing. It is not possible to be “wrong” if you don’t commit to scenario before the facts are known… a fact liberals would do well to learn.
@Bill:
Let’s change the scenario up a bit. Let’s say this guy was shooting at people and then went into a Catholic Church on Main Street. He didn’t shoot anyone in the Church, but shot 3 people out on the street, including a cop who had been called to the scene. Then when arrested he shouted “I am a Christian.”
Do you think the left would be calling this the Catholic Church Shooting? Or would they be calling it the Main Street Shooting? My guess is the left would be calling it the Main Street Shooting and not placing any import on the Church except for labeling the shooter a rabid Christian.
But there is a political agenda labeling this as the Planned Parenthood shooting. Dear shot no one inside PP. He killed people outside PP. Why was that if he was so upset about what PP does? Why didn’t he kill the people responsible for the deaths of babies?
It’s the same scenario as when the guy flew his plane into the IRS building in Austin, Texas. The left wing media immediately labeled him a Tea Party radical and rabid right winger. But oh, my, the guy left a manifesto and he was anything but Tea Party and anything but right wing. The story quickly died after that.
The whole purpose of calling this the Planned Parenthood shooting is to advance the meme that there is a war on women. Really, the war is on babies that mother’s don’t want.
@Bill: In court on 12/9 Dear said “I am a warrior for the babies.”
“You’ll never believe the amount of blood I saw in that place.”
“Planned Parenthood and my lawyers are in cahoots because they don’t want the truth to get out.”
You seem a relatively rational guy. You think it a coincidence he surrendered to police in a PP. facility? Seriously.
Don’t get me wrong–I’m not saying this guy is dealing from a full deck.
@Rich Wheeler: He appears to be crazy as a sh@t-house rat. You find some significance to society in his “statements”?
@Bill:
Isn’t it ironic how the left can determine that someone who is obviously batsh!t crazy (have you seen the guy’s eyes?) shoots and kills 3 people outside a Planned Parenthood facility, although not killing anyone inside the PP facility, and it’s labeled an attack on Planned Parenthood but let a guy kill 14 people at an Army base all the while shouting “Allah Akbar” and the left calls it workplace violence until it is absolutely proven that the shooter was a radical Islamist committing jihad?
The real issue is there is not a worldwide problem of christians strapping themselves with bombs and showing up at the mall walking into the food court and committing suicide. Offending islamic jihadists should be the least of our concerns, being sweet and kind to them hasn’t changed their ideology. I would love to shut down every PP clinic but I dont think I should FORCE my ethics and views on others, as they should not do that to me, should I be compelled to help fund it, the liberals say yes, do I have any say as to operational guidelines, such as admitting rights for the doctor at a hospital within 30 mins of the clinic? The pro-abortionists say No. They must have a mamogram machine at least 1 per county or state, No not that either. Hey when did an abortion get the definition of health care. Is it healthy like vitamins.
@kitt:
Do you believe that a society does not have the right to determine its own social norms? If a bunch of unelected judges decided that pedophilia was legal, would you say you shouldn’t be able to force your views on others? Do we not also have a right to vote on a referendum that puts such limits on abortion?
Americans are supposed to be a society that governs itself in the form of its elected representatives. When did we vote on abortion, or gay marriage, or even polygamy? When did our elected officials write legislation and vote on making abortion legal?
For far too long, history has been replete with atrocities because people decided it wasn’t their place to speak out against the actions of their government. Perhaps if citizens were forced to watch videos of actual abortions we would quickly see an end to such a heinous practice.
@retire05: Many states did vote on moral issues passed laws and the Supremes forced their agenda on us, not that they were ever given the power to legislate they just took it. Every single time the GOP brings an issue to the supreme court it is their way of saying,” I give up, let the libs/dems have their way” Lifetime for Supremes, more than 2, 6 year terms for senators or 16 years total for congressmen is ruining the country, they make too much money when there not giving them any incentive to go back to real life.