We have all heard this word, especially in the past two decades. Sadly it is a word that I don’t think people truly understand the meaning and implication of.
When you hear the word terrorism, most people immediately think of some foreigner with a bomb strapped to their chest or mad gunmen taking over an office building. And those are terrorists. But what of the terrorists here on American soil?
I don’t mean Orlando or San Bernadino, or the Boston Marathon. Those were definitely terrorist attacks. But I mean the other terrorists here, Dylan Roof in South Carolina and his massacre at the church. That was terrorism. How about the Baltimore, Ferguson, Berkeley and D.C. riots?
Those were acts of terrorism too. Don’t think so?
Let’s look at the word first:
ter·ror·ism
ˈterəˌrizəm/
noun
-
[mass noun] the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.
Okay, so now we know how say it and what it’s definition is. And by this definition, those citizens that rioted, destroyed property, blocked traffic, assaulted innocent civilians that had different political and societal views; these are all acts of terrorism.
Just as strapping a bomb to your chest to kill innocents that don’t believe the same as you is terrorism; so is destroying cities via rioting to push your political objective.
This means protesters all over the country that are burning down businesses and assaulting people, andblocking traffic… are Terrorists too and should be arrested and tried as such.
(Photo Credit: JSTOR Daily)