Elections have consequences and so do words. We all believe in the freedom of speech. But it needs to be responsible speech. Through Obama's campaign, inauguration and governing, we have witnesses myriad examples of irresponsible speech hurtled by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Dick Cheney, Randall Terry and Newt Gingrich. Whether it's justifying torture, opposing a supreme nominee or abortion rights, the rhetoric continues to get more intense.
On Sunday, May 31, 2009, there was another terrorist attack in America. Join me below for the discussion about the homegrown terrorist cells.
He wasn't a brown-skinned man with a funny name. He wasn't trained in a distant land. But on Sunday, May 31, he committed another terrorist attack on America and our freedoms.
With all of the hateful rhetoric directed at doctors and pro-choice groups, it's no surprise that the hateful rhetoric turned to action. Many want to run away from this action, cloaking themselves in non-violent language. They take no responsibility for the tenor of the debates of the day. They talk about stopping people with whom they disagree. There is no difference between Osama Bin Laden and them. They both preach a certain type of hate that could drive someone into action for the cause.
There are new categories of homegrown terrorists that should be created.
It's these homegrown terrorist cells that we should be worried about.
Christian terrorists, political terrorists, broadcast terrorists and racist terrorists are given access to our airwaves and newspapers to demonize others who disagree with them. Their main weapon is hate speech. As we learned on Sunday, their occasional weapon is a bullet.
Below is a list of homegrown terror cells that exist in the United States. The organizations are listed because of their rhetoric and in some cases, calls to action, that could/would lead their listeners to acts of violence all in the name of their particular persuasion.
Christian Terrorists
Randall Terry
Operation Rescue
Political Terrorists
Newt Gingrich
Karl Rove
Tom Tancredo
Dick Cheney
Broadcast Terrorists
Rush Limbaugh
Sean Hannity
Ann Coulter
Glen Beck
Bill O'Reilly
Racist Terrorists
Ku Klux Klan
Aryan Nation
Neo Nazis
Any given day, the groups or members of these groups are given a platform to spew their hateful rhetoric. They take no responsibility for the action of their followers and hide behind free speech and freedom of the press. Their denouncements of violent acts are disingenuous. They rush to the bottom to compete for the most incendiary language possible to win the war for headlines and airtime.
Through their name-calling and support of individual rights when it suits their causes, they rein supreme through conservative talk radio, Fox News and other cable outlets.
Rarely is their a debate about ideas based on facts. It's usually an ideological argument featuring incendiary words that becomes a competition for who can make the lead news story on the next news cycle. That's the measurement and the broadcasters and publishers provide the means.
We are constantly told to be vigilant every day. We are focused on keeping an eye out for the brown-skinned terrorists from a distant land with the funny name.
On Sunday, May 31, 2009, the terrorist was a white man, an American, a follower of the anti-abortion movement who carried out his terrorist attack in a church. Sound familiar?