Our opinion/Real terror threat in America coming from white American extremists

We must do more to prevent political violence in the US

Following the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, there has been a major rush to demonize Syrian refugees in this country this despite evidence piling up that Syrian refugees were not responsible for them. But moreover we’ve had several reminders recently that the only ones spreading terror and gun violence in America are white male extremists. Lately they are the real threat to us all right in front of us all over America.

It’s an absurd notion to shoot and kill your political opponents because you disagree with them but it’s one that has become far too common in this country. The attack on the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado by anti-abortion extremists and the shooting of Black Lives Matters protesters in Minneapolis are attacks on us all and attacks on what makes America great. These were people doing free and legal things, some of whom just doing their jobs and were injured or killed just because someone didn’t like what they are doing. Yet following them we don’t see votes in Congress like we do with calls to halt Syrian refugees, we don’t see pushes to send ground troops anywhere like we are seeing with Syria. We are not saying we need to go to war with anyone or ban anyone or send ground troops to Alabama but it’s amazing how those solutions are so quickly applied when dealing with Muslim foreigners.

What happened to war fatigue? We saw a poll recently which stated that 50% of Americans support sending ground troops to Syria. Do they have any idea of the expense and time that would result if the US did that action? Can they not look at history and see it’s never a quick proposition? Do they not realize we are still in Afghanistan as a result of a direct terrorist attack on our soil (Syria has never directly attacked us and never mind the fact that we created ISIS the very people we are preparing to fight) and it has solved basically nothing and has no end game in sight. Billions of dollars, thousands of lives lost and nothing solved. If anything it has probably made the situation worse. Yet some of you want to do it all over again. Because some European radicals used fake Syrian passports to attack France, a country we used to hate because they didn’t support our last war with Iraq. Remember freedom fries?

The facts are this--you are 7 times more likely to be killed by a right wing extremist in America than a Muslim terrorist. We need to start calling these shootings and attacks what they are, terrorism. The definition of terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. How else can you describe someone who shoots and kills or attempts to kill workers and patients at a Planned Parenthood clinic or Black Lives Matters protesters upset about police shooting of an unarmed black male? Is this the new normal in America where we are going to accept people attacking violently those whom they disagree with? We need to call out those who seek to explain and justify these attacks with weak statements in their wake like pretty much every one of the Republican candidates for President. How sick is it that they can’t even condemn those responsible for this terror because they are so beholden to the political brothers in arms of these extremists, pro-lifers and white supremacists?

It seems we are taking a backwards step in this country if we are going to accept these actions or just allow them to happen without a response. Many of us thought it was almost like a time warp back to the 1960s with the shooting of the protesters of Minneapolis police and lack of proper response from media and law enforcement. Of course we knew there are white supremacists everywhere but it’s shocking when their violent actions aren’t met with a more swift and retributive response. When that doesn’t happen, it almost makes you think those in power are supporting it or allowing it to happen.

If what’s happening is as bothersome to you as it as it is to us, you need to make your voice heard. Even if it doesn’t work, it is well worth trying. Because by all accounts the other sides however small are screaming louder and it appears your member of Congress, Democrat or Republican, is listening. They are all very concerned about the war on terror and what to do with Syria and Syrian refugees but haven’t called any votes to do with white extremists or gun violence. And most want no changes to any gun laws because they are beholden to the NRA despite an almost daily or weekly occurrence of gun violence in this country caused a lot of the times by people who shouldn’t have been allowed to own or possess one. We must not accept this as the new normal, we must do more and not allow these extremists to have victories in using violence to silence and intimidate because they can’t change policy through normal political means. If we are going to demonize Syrian Muslim extremists for basically doing nothing to us directly, how about we do something about the white American extremists killing our fellow citizens right in front of our eyes?