SHOULD AMERICANS FEAR URBAN TERRORISM
As long as there are American based militia groups, there will be the threat of Americans being attacked by other Americans. Even the majority of the membership in radical right-wing organizations finds the thought of terrorizing their fellow American citizens absurd. But when you have these types of organizations there is always a chance that a few personalities will turn to extreme measures to gain the attention of the media and the public’s mind. Until every radical right-wing organization discloses their goals and methods of achieving those goals are disclosed, there will be a threat of future urban terrorist attacks.
Experts estimate that about 200,000 Americans are active in the hate groups of the Patriot Movement, and that an additional 1 million citizens are sympathizers. The SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center) lists 602 groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, racist skinheads, black separatists, freemen, and militant abortion foes (Reich 89-90). These various organizations were developed and have flourished under the current constitutional rights to the freedom of speech. The messages that these organizations are trying to spread may not necessarily be widely accepted; but under the laws of free speech, the message is spread. The problem with totally eliminating these groups is that the American public is not willing to give up the rights that have been enjoyed under the Constitution.
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A few years ago, my mother told me something thought provoking: we had once lived on the same block as the leader of the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. That had been in Charlotte, North Carolina, around 1994. The Ku Klux Klan, according to Blaine Varney in Lynching in the 1890’s, used to “…set out on nightly ‘terror rides’ to harass ‘uppity Negroes’….” They are far more infamous, however, for their “lynching”—nightly “terror rides” that included murder—of African Americans. Varney tells us lynching levels reached their pinnacle in 1892, with 161 recorded murders that year. In modern times, most Americans would agree that the Klan, along with any form of white supremacy, has no place in society—and pointing out its survival is a good way to imply that we, as a people, are still not perfect.
The main people targeted for hatred and violence are Jewish people, Hispanics, Asians, blacks and people who are Catholic Christians. The more well-known groups are the Ku Klux Klan, the Neo-Nazis, and the Skinheads. The reason why the Ku Klux Klan is separate from the Neo-Nazis and the Skinheads is because the Ku Klux Klan's hatred and violence is aimed more towards blacks rather than the Neo- Nazis and the Skinheads, whose hatred is aimed more towards the Jewish people. The Neo-Nazis, sometimes called White Aryan Resistance, is a group that follows under Adolph Hitler's philosophies, which targets Jewish people. Unlike the Ku Klux Klan, the Skinheads do not join because they believe in the cause.
The population of African Americans from 1865 to 1900 had limited social freedom. Social limitations are limitations that relate “…to society and the way people interact with each other,” as defined by the lesson. One example of a social limitation African Americans experienced at the time is the white supremacy terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK. The KKK started as a social club formed by former confederate soldiers, which rapidly became a domestic terrorist organization. The KKK members were white supremacists who’s objective was to ward off African Americans from using their new political power. In an attempts to achieve their objective, Klansmen would burn African American schools, scare and threaten voters, destroy the homes of African Americans and also the homes of whites who supported African American rights. The greatest terror the KKK imposed was that of lynching. Lynching may be defined via the lesson as, “…public hanging for an alleged offense without benefit of trial.” As one can imagine these tactics struck fear into African Americans and the KKK was achiev...
Hooded Americanism: The First Century of the Ku Klux Klan: 1865 to the Present by David Chalmers records the history of the Ku Klux Klan quite bluntly, all the way from its creation following the civil war, to the early 1960’s. The author starts the book quite strongly by discussing in detail many acts of violence and displays of hatred throughout the United States. He makes a point to show that the Klan rode robustly throughout all of the country, not just in the southern states. The first several chapters of the book focus on the Klan’s creation in 1865. He goes on to discuss the attitude of many Americans following the United State’s Civil War and how the war shaped a new nation. The bulk of the book is used to go through many of the states, and express the Klan’s political influence on both the local and state governments. The author starts with Texas and Oklahoma, and goes through the history of the Klan geographically, finishing with New Jersey and Washington. The author stresses that the KKK did not just commit acts of violence towards minorities, but also carried political power. He continues to discuss the impact of the Klan on Civil Rights movements in the 1960’s, and various other important political controversies between the 1920’s and 1970’s. Towards the middle of the book, David M. Chalmers focuses on portraying the feelings of governments and state legislatures, as well as normal citizens towards the Klan. To do this more effectively, the author uses excerpts and quotes from editorials and newspapers, along with several dozen pictures. The conclusion of the book was used mainly as an overview of all of the major incidents and deaths involving the Klan, and how their persistence has allowed them to still exist today despite a lack of resources and support.
Our nation seems as if it is in a constant battle between freedom and safety. Freedom and security are two integral parts that keep our nation running smoothly, yet they are often seen conflicting with one another. “Tragedies such as Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombings may invoke feelings of patriotism and a call for unity, but the nation also becomes divided, and vulnerable populations become targets,” (Wootton 1). “After each attack a different group or population would become targets. “The attack on Pearl Harbor notoriously lead to Japanese Americans being imprisoned in internment camps, the attacks on 9/11 sparked hate crimes against those who appeared to be Muslim or Middle Eastern,” (Wootton 1). Often times people wind up taking sides, whether it be for personal freedoms or for national security, and as a nation trying to recover from these disasters we should be leaning on each other for support. Due to these past events the government has launched a series of antiterrorist measures – from ethnic profiling to going through your personal e-mail (Begley 1). Although there are times when personal freedoms are sacrificed for the safety of others, under certain circumstances the government could be doing more harm than good.
Because it is a Constitutional right, the concept of freedom of speech is hardly ever questioned. “On its most basic level [freedom of speech] means you can express an opinion without fear of censorship by the government, even if that opinion is an unpopular one” (Landmark Cases). However, the actions of Americans that are included under “free speech,” are often questioned. Many people support the theory of “free speech,” but may oppose particular practices of free speech that personally offend them. This hypocrisy is illustrated by the case of Neo-Nazis whose right to march in Skokie, Illinois in 1979 was protested by many, but ultimately successfully defended by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The residents of this predominantly Jewish town which contained many Holocaust survivors were offended by the presence of the Neo-Nazis. However, then ACLU Executive Director Aryeh Neier, who...
Right now, there are many active hate groups in the United States such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazi, Skinheads, Christian identity, Black Separatists, etc. These hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, which is one of America’s oldest and more feared, use violence and move above the law to promote their different causes. Another example is a group called Christian Identity, who describes a religion that is fundamentally racist and anti-Semitic; and other are the Black Separatist groups, who are organizations whose ideologies include tenets of racially based hatred. Because of the information gathered by the Intelligence Project from hate groups’ publications, citizen’s reports, law enforcement agencies, field sources and news reports, many people know about these hate groups. Many people know how these groups act and think and most of the American people agree that these hate groups are immoral and should not be allowed to exist neither in the United States nor on the rest of the world.
These days, America is filled with those people who disagree with our system of government. Most times, these people suffer silently, expressing their opinions through their votes, or within the discussions that they hold in their own private homes. When these people act upon this anger, and their disagreement, the feelings are brought beyond the point of normal behavior to vigilantism and violence. This animosity, when pushed to these limits, often results in tragedy, a tragedy that we call domestic terrorism.
Terrorism represents a continuing threat to the United States. It is the most significant threat to our national security. Terrorist attacks have left many concerned about the possibility of future incidents of terrorism in the United States. Since the events of September 11, 2011, Americans and much of the world have been afraid. Americans are at war with terrorism and no longer feel comfortable.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (2015) “A domestic terrorist differs from a homegrown violent extremist in that the former is not inspired by and does not take direction from, a foreign terrorist group or other foreign power”. The Department of Homeland Security also states that home grown extremists are not bound by borders unlike domestic and international terrorism. Homegrown violent extremists may commit acts that would normally be considered terrorist actions, but are not connected to any terrorist group. Home grown violent extremists are motivated by foreign terrorist ideals but have no direct connection or support from any foreign or domestic terrorist organization. Examples of home grown violent extremists would be the Fort Hood shooter who shared beliefs and ideas of violent radical Islamic terror groups but had no known direct connection to any terror group. It is believed the Fort Hood shooter planned and conducted his attack solely on his own, and thus he is a home grown violent
This is not to say that neo-Nazis or skinheads do not partake in criminal hate activities. By far the largest determinant of hate crimes is racial bias, with African Americans the group at greatest risk. In 1996, 60%, were promulgated because of race, with close to two-thirds (62%) targeting African Americans. Furthermore, the type of crime committed against this group has not changed much since the 19th century; it still includes bombing and vandalizing churches, burning crosses on home lawns, and murder. Ethnic minorities often become targets of hate crimes because they are perceived to be new to the country even if their families have been here for generations, or simply because they are seen as different from the mainstream population.
Societies will always have problems that cause some sort of reaction from individuals who believe that their social stability is being endangered. There have been a number of moral panics which have captivated society in terror and more often than not, owing to unfamiliarity. This essay will discuss the perception of a moral panic and will look at the case of the September 11th Terrorist attack against the United States of America, which triggered a colossal conflict of morality within modern day society. This essay will also analyse terrorism as a perceived deviance, the role of the moral entrepreneur and folk devil, in order to develop a level of understanding to the causes of this particular moral panic and its effects on society.
The First Amendment is known as the most protected civil liberty that protects our right to freedom of speech. There has been much controversy regarding hate speech and laws that prohibit it. These problems have risen from generation to generation and have been protested whether freedom of speech is guaranteed. According to our text book, By the People, hate speech is defined as “hostile statements based on someone’s personal characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.” Hate speech is a topic of issue for many people and their right’s, so the question is often proposed whether hate speech should be banned by government.
Terrorism will happen again regardless of how prepared the U.S. thinks it may be. This means that it is the country’s job to ensure that there is a continuation of measures that should be taken to fight against terrorism. Others believe that the U.S. is fully prepared for another terrorist attack and that enough has been done. The question at hand is, should the U.S. still be concerned about terrorism. The United States needs to be concerned about terrorism to prevent tragedies like 9/11 from happening again, to address problems with domestic terrorism, and to improve homeland security.
The most well know terrorist attack is the attack on the twin towers in New York City, New York on September 11, 2001. Since the first initial attack, America has fallen victim to twenty seven attacks on the nation’s soil, this number has gotten out of hand. In addition to massive terrorist attacks, mass murders are also considered a dangerous issue. A mass murder is defined as the killing of four or more people, and while there were many murders since the beginning of time, the first major mass murder is recorded on September 6, 1959, when Howard Unruh went on a killing spree and murdered thirteen people in his neighborhood over small arguments such as the property line. Another recent issue in America’s society are riots. While riots in the civil rights era started out as peaceful sit-ins, riots since then and throughout history have evolved. From the peaceful sit-ins, they began to get more violent, such as burning churches, and now they have tried burning whole cities. America’s rights should stay in tact and they should always be able to keep them. American’s freedom of speech is compromised on a daily basis in schools and in the public eye. It should not matter if a student has her nose pierced or is wearing a tank top. Or if there is a big riot. It is the American people 's right to be in the middle of everything and try to