Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, August 14, 2017
Charlottesville Attack Was Domestic Terrorism
By IPT News @ 9:04 PM :: 4863 Views :: National News

Charlottesville Attack Was Domestic Terrorism

IPT News, August 14, 2017

The Investigative Project on Terrorism long has criticized those, like President Obama, who refuse to use terms like "radical Islamic terrorism" in the wake of jihadist violence. By the same logic, President Trump's refusal Saturday to specifically condemn by name those Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazi white supremacists also was morally deficient.

He spoke of "hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides." Both sides did include people who showed up armed and looking for a fight, but only one side suffered death and severe injury. Moral equivalency did not belong in that moment. For proof, just read the reaction of white supremacists on social media: they thanked the president profusely for not condemning them by name.

Monday's statement condemning Saturday's racist, white supremacist provocateurs in Charlottesville seemed begrudging. Yes, he finally did condemn "the egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence" at the "Unite the Right" protests, and condemned "the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups" involved as thugs. But starting off by citing economic gains was a non-sequitur that appeared to minimize the evil of Americans killing Americans over political differences.

We believe that the deliberate decision to drive a car into a crowd of protesters was an act of domestic terrorism and the end product of the pure hatred spewed by white nationalists. As the Simon Wiesenthal Center leadership said, "This murderous attack, resembles car rammings in Israel and Europe perpetrated by terrorists associated with ISIS and Hamas. It should be treated as a deliberate act of domestic terrorism."

It was clear even before 32-year-old Heather Heyer was struck and killed. Friday night, torch carrying bigots marched on the University of Virginia, making Nazi salutes, chanting "Jews will not replace us" and taunting counter-protesters with racist slurs.

James Alex Fields, Jr.,20, is in custody, currently charged with second-degree murder and other counts. He reportedly self-identified as a Nazi. He allegedly saw a group of people who oppose his ideology and floored his accelerator. That's political violence. That's terrorism.

Conservatives were justifiably outraged when the Obama administration called Nidal Hasan's 2009 Fort Hood massacre an act of "workplace violence." Most were equally offended Saturday, when President Trump could only bring himself to condemn the "violence on many sides — on many sides."

The president needs to disabuse white supremacists of the notion that they have friend in the White House, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News Sunday. "I don't know why they believe that, but they don't see me as a friend in the Senate, and I would urge the president to dissuade these groups that he's their friend."

When he wants to, Graham added, the president can speak with great clarity. "He needs to be clear here."

Actions speak louder than words, however. Thankfully, Attorney General Jeff Sessions already has made it clear that the attack "does meet the definition of domestic terrorism in our statute," and is being investigated with an eye toward "the most serious charges that can be brought because this is unequivocally an unacceptable evil attack."

It is an argument for another day, but worth a brief mention that those on the left who are outraged by the president's reluctance to name racist, white supremacist bigotry as the cause for Saturday's bloodshed would be well-served to ditch the "Islam has nothing to do with it" talking points the next time a jihadi kills.

To defeat evil, you have to confront it honestly and clearly and call it out by its name. The president finally condemned by name on Monday the evil of neo-Nazis and their racist, white supremacist followers brought to Charlottesville Saturday.

His daughter Ivanka managed to immediately find the proper moral clarity the first thing Sunday morning when she wrote, "There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis."

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT