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Comments on Commentary
Terrorism: We have met the enemy... and he is us
Nearly all terrorism — in Oslo, OK City or Tucson — is domestic
Posted Jul 23, 2011
Roberto De Vido politicomix
The bombing and shooting attacks in Norway that killed more than 90 people and injured nearly 100 were initially suspected to have been the work of foreign terrorists. But nearly all terrorism — whether it's in Oslo, Oklahoma City or Tucson — is homegrown.
Whats your point? Terrorism is terrorism no matter where it originates. If you are trying to chastise people for looking at usual suspects, cut it out. As the facts present themselves almost all people take a realistic measured view. Stockholms bomb blast was jihadist. You have overlooked many foreign terrorists acts around the world….. Pogo was a possum hmmmn. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have been swallowing immigrants for years. Multiculturalism has been a dismal failure in France, Germany, Britain, & Scandanavia.No excusing terrorist Breivik,he should be executed.
Breivik is a mass murderer by slaughter of the innocent - children and young people; he is also a political mass-murderer by an act of terrorist bombing. Norway has no death penalty, even for such ilk as he. Breivik was the bomber as well as the slaughterer - not some hazy Moslem jihadist consortium. It may comfort those who have singularly convoluted world views to believe otherwise, but to classify Breivik as a jihadist is a 180 degree stretch from what he is, in reality- a domestic “Christian” white supremacist insular xenophobic terrorist.
Since Norway does not have the death penalty, I hope the Court imposes upon him the legal limit of incarceration of 21 years for each and every person he killed, injured or maimed, as individual sentences, to be consecutively served. That monster’s bones would be dust before he would be outside prison walls. I also hope he serves this protracted sentence with no access to mail, or the media; solitary confinement is legal for incarcerations in Norway, albeit limited, predicated upon direction of the Court. We can only hope that the white supremacist xenophobes of the world - and the United States- will not use Breivik as their rallying cry. To limit contact with him seems the most reasonable way to curtail this.
The world is too small for lack of tolerance and non-acceptance of “multi-culturalism”.
Buddhaboy- In rereading your comments, I note you mix the Stockholm Sweden bomb blasting of 2010 with your commentary. You do not directly ascribe Breivik with jihadism.
Regarding the motivation of the Norwegian attacks by Breivik, the ANI notes the following:
The Norwegian man charged Saturday with a pair of attacks in Oslo that killed at least 92 people, has left behind a detailed manifesto calling for a Christian war to defend Europe against the threat of Muslim domination.
My point, buddhaboy, was that “people” and “the media” should wait until the facts HAVE presented themselves to take their “realistic measured view”.
Which is exactly what does not happen. The current 24/7 global news environment puts pressure on news outlets to report instantly, and in fact through social networks people on the scene often upload still and video imagery within seconds of an incident. Few politicians and fewer publishers/broadcasters have the courage to say, “We don’t have all the facts yet.”
Why does it matter? You wrote that “terrorism is terrorism”, but I don’t have any idea what that means. Terrorists aim to instill fear, and it seems to me that never in history have more people been afraid than now. The best weapon against fear is information – accurate information that allows people to assess risk and take precautions, if appropriate.
As for multiculturalism, you may believe it has been “a dismal failure” in the countries you cite, but I’d guess it would be mostly right-wing xenophobes who’d agree with you. Immigrants have made significant contributions to all those societies, and the majority of people recognize it.
In the United States there are myriad examples of immigrants who have achieved success and made invaluable contributions to society, but only minimal knowledge of history is required to know that generation after generation of new immigrants have faced all sorts of ugly discrimination.
As for multiculturalism, you may believe it has been “a dismal failure” in the countries you cite, but I’d guess it would be mostly right-wing xenophobes who’d agree with you. Immigrants have made significant contributions to all those societies, and the majority of people recognize it.
If one looks objectively and historically at patterns of emigration- or migration- We are ALL emigrants- throughout the world, whatever our claimed ethnic identity. There is no so-called purity of race or ethnicity or culture, although twisted neo-Nazi rightwing factions may believe otherwise.
With the European Union, emigration and immigration are quite common and relatively easy processes with it’s 27 country membership, other than the systematic displacement of those persons of Rom (Gypsy) ethnicity from numerous countries, such as France.
Norway is the singular Scandinavian country NOT belonging to the European Union, so it seems evident that one would not lump Norway in with the other Scandinavian countries, since they do not share the same laws for emigration.
Given the flux of all current economies, there is certain to be much more flow of migration from one country or area to another, as available jobs become even more scarce.
Our world is too small and too fragile to withstand the supposed need to protect racial, ethnic and cultural purities. If/As economic stabilities become even more precarious, mediation, compromise, mutual accommodation, tolerance and respect for rights of freedoms and law will become even more essential.
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5 comments on this story
Whats your point? Terrorism is terrorism no matter where it originates. If you are trying to chastise people for looking at usual suspects, cut it out. As the facts present themselves almost all people take a realistic measured view. Stockholms bomb blast was jihadist. You have overlooked many foreign terrorists acts around the world….. Pogo was a possum hmmmn. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have been swallowing immigrants for years. Multiculturalism has been a dismal failure in France, Germany, Britain, & Scandanavia.No excusing terrorist Breivik,he should be executed.
Breivik is a mass murderer by slaughter of the innocent - children and young people; he is also a political mass-murderer by an act of terrorist bombing. Norway has no death penalty, even for such ilk as he. Breivik was the bomber as well as the slaughterer - not some hazy Moslem jihadist consortium. It may comfort those who have singularly convoluted world views to believe otherwise, but to classify Breivik as a jihadist is a 180 degree stretch from what he is, in reality- a domestic “Christian” white supremacist insular xenophobic terrorist.
Since Norway does not have the death penalty, I hope the Court imposes upon him the legal limit of incarceration of 21 years for each and every person he killed, injured or maimed, as individual sentences, to be consecutively served. That monster’s bones would be dust before he would be outside prison walls. I also hope he serves this protracted sentence with no access to mail, or the media; solitary confinement is legal for incarcerations in Norway, albeit limited, predicated upon direction of the Court. We can only hope that the white supremacist xenophobes of the world - and the United States- will not use Breivik as their rallying cry. To limit contact with him seems the most reasonable way to curtail this.
The world is too small for lack of tolerance and non-acceptance of “multi-culturalism”.
Buddhaboy- In rereading your comments, I note you mix the Stockholm Sweden bomb blasting of 2010 with your commentary. You do not directly ascribe Breivik with jihadism.
Regarding the motivation of the Norwegian attacks by Breivik, the ANI notes the following:
My point, buddhaboy, was that “people” and “the media” should wait until the facts HAVE presented themselves to take their “realistic measured view”.
Which is exactly what does not happen. The current 24/7 global news environment puts pressure on news outlets to report instantly, and in fact through social networks people on the scene often upload still and video imagery within seconds of an incident. Few politicians and fewer publishers/broadcasters have the courage to say, “We don’t have all the facts yet.”
Why does it matter? You wrote that “terrorism is terrorism”, but I don’t have any idea what that means. Terrorists aim to instill fear, and it seems to me that never in history have more people been afraid than now. The best weapon against fear is information – accurate information that allows people to assess risk and take precautions, if appropriate.
As for multiculturalism, you may believe it has been “a dismal failure” in the countries you cite, but I’d guess it would be mostly right-wing xenophobes who’d agree with you. Immigrants have made significant contributions to all those societies, and the majority of people recognize it.
In the United States there are myriad examples of immigrants who have achieved success and made invaluable contributions to society, but only minimal knowledge of history is required to know that generation after generation of new immigrants have faced all sorts of ugly discrimination.
Well said, Roberto de Vido.
If one looks objectively and historically at patterns of emigration- or migration- We are ALL emigrants- throughout the world, whatever our claimed ethnic identity. There is no so-called purity of race or ethnicity or culture, although twisted neo-Nazi rightwing factions may believe otherwise.
With the European Union, emigration and immigration are quite common and relatively easy processes with it’s 27 country membership, other than the systematic displacement of those persons of Rom (Gypsy) ethnicity from numerous countries, such as France.
Norway is the singular Scandinavian country NOT belonging to the European Union, so it seems evident that one would not lump Norway in with the other Scandinavian countries, since they do not share the same laws for emigration.
Given the flux of all current economies, there is certain to be much more flow of migration from one country or area to another, as available jobs become even more scarce.
Our world is too small and too fragile to withstand the supposed need to protect racial, ethnic and cultural purities. If/As economic stabilities become even more precarious, mediation, compromise, mutual accommodation, tolerance and respect for rights of freedoms and law will become even more essential.