Why do we feel the need to label extremism? Left-wing, right-wing, Islamic, etc. Why not just call it what it is: terrorism? Just because someone has connections to a certain group doesn’t mean they act on behalf of said group.
I do find it odd that everyone wants to talk about right-wing extremists, like the guy that killed Dr. Tiller, but they refuse to cover left-wing extremists, such as ELF (Earth Liberation Front). Each one is just as despicable as the other, yet more coverage is devoted to so-called right-wingers. The people in California trying to stop animal testing (I don’t remember what they call themselves) are ramping up their terrorist activities, such as setting scientists cars on fire, trying to burn their houses down, destroying their labs, etc. But the only place I’ve seen that covered is on Reuters.
Yet with the recent shootings, the Holocaust Museum, George Tiller, etc., all anyone wants to talk about are those right-wing extremists. James Von Brunn is not a right-wing extremist. He’s a crazy idiot filled with enough hate to go around for everyone. He hates Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, Obama, black people, Jews, etc. So why is he labeled “right-wing”? The murderer of George Tiller (whom I despised as a person but never condoned the killing of) was a lone gunman acting on his own behalf because of how he felt. Yet Bill O’Reilly was cast as the guy who drove him over the edge. Why? Because of how he reported on Tiller’s activities. Does that mean that the New York Times is responsible for ELF’s actions? Of course not. When we start blaming someone for the actions of others, we take away all personal responsibility.
Why was the murder of Private Andy Long barely covered by the MSM? Is it because he was killed by an Islamic extremist convert who didn’t see his act as murder? Was it because the murder of Dr. Tiller was higher profile? Was Tiller’s life more precious than Private Long’s? Or is it because they want us to focus on the rise of “right-wing” extremists instead of the others?
This reason, and this reason alone, is enough for me to do away with extremist labels. Why don’t we just start calling them terrorists? I’d even settle for homegrown terrorists, because that’s what they are.
Total Randomness 