I can’t help but think of the three men who were attacked, and murdered here in Portland- Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, Ricky Best, and Micah Fletcher. They were, and are three men who are an example of what makes Oregon a home for outcasts, weirdos, and those who are looking for respite from the world. Portland is far from perfect, but usually it is worlds away from the rest of the country. Ricky, Taliesin, and Micah did what I have done, what many of us do, and will still do here in Portland when we see people in pain, or struggling. At different times walking around town some of the things I have interrupted were street fights, stepped in when a woman was being berated by her boyfriend and, one time in downtown I found a young girl passed out overdosing on the sidewalk, and across the street was an ambulance with two drivers in it eating lunch. The whole scene was rather surreal. To the ambulance driver’s defense, there was a car blocking their view of her. The biggest kicker in the whole situation was watching people step around her. She was blue around the lips, and fingers. They had to give her two injections of narcan before she woke. I drive my husband and family nuts with my willingness to step in. Why? I was attacked and almost raped in 1999. I fought off my attacker who whispered in my ear if I didn’t stop yelling he would “bash your fucking brains out on these rocks bitch”. I fought harder and got away. I ran up to the busy road covered in dirt, blood and ripped clothes. No one stopped. I will never be silent. I didn’t have the privilege of justice, but that is another story. This story does not have that complication. The acts of extremist right wing terrorist Jeremy Christian are easy to discern- to cause terror and fear in our community. The purpose of that fear? Extremists want people to be frightened-cowed into letting them act with intimidation, and manipulation to force compliance with their agenda of hate. The consequences then imposed by the state- well, you judge. In each case, I mention remove extremist right wing terrorist and insert radical Muslim terrorist, and ask if the consequences would be the same.
According to a 2015 article in the New York Times there have been 11 acts of terror that resulted in death of eleven people who were dedicated to the cause of a woman’s right to choose. (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/29/us/30abortion-clinic-violence.html?_r=0) That does not count fires and bombings, bomb threats, attempts on doctor’s and other staff’s lives, protests that include violence, threats of violence, and a need to buzz people in when coming for a simple pelvic exam. Each of these acts of terror were meant hasten the end to a woman’s right to control their body. Their acts were meant to frighten women from making that choice. Meant to frighten staff and doctors from doing their jobs. Meant to frighten volunteers, and patients who need Planned Parenthood’s other services.
The first anti-choice terrorist to perform an execution was in 1993. From that point forward these unholy, ungodly individuals made the killings more and more horrific. In a sad ironic turn these fanatics show what happens when one becomes consumed to a point of being unbalanced- they become what they hate. One dedicated Christian terrorist sunk to the point of gunning Dr. George Tiller down in the foyer of his church in 2009. According to the usher when radical Scott Roeder came in to the church’s foyer he “put the gun to the doctor’s head, and pulled the trigger”. Before his death in his church Dr. Tiller lived through a first attempt by Shelley Shannon. While in custody Ms. Shannon, the woman who carried out the first attempt, was found to have been responsible for other acts of terror- clinic burnings, bomb threats, etc. She was never charged as a terrorist. Destruction of property- yep. Attempted murder-sure, but she is no terrorist. Even after she stated that she believes that radical means need to be taken to stop abortion- nope not a terrorist.
The denial about the violence caused by any white American is so deep that not even the terrorist who bombed the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta was charged with acts of terror. He was caught when he bombed a women’s health center that provided the abortion procedure. After they had evidence and his confession that he intended to effect policy, with the bombings, including the Atlanta Olympics, they finally charged Christian right wing extremist terrorist Eric Rudolph with “five counts of malicious use of an explosive device”. We have been told time and time again that a terrorist is a person who uses violence and intimidation to achieve or influence policy in political, cultural, or economic arenas, but the American Department of Justice and Homeland Security sees no terrorism here. It would probably be seen much, much different if Rudolph was trying to disrupt the prescriptive choice of Viagra. I mean just like God giving women the natural ability to carry and incubate is a signal that she has no choice but to be pregnant. So, does that mean losing the ability to get and maintain an erection is God telling a man that his time to procreate is over? (NOTE: Wouldn’t that make Viagra an abomination? So, maybe we should ban that if the right to choose is taken away? Isn’t sex about procreation, and waste seed like that- right?)
Readers will be happy to know that there are some white people who have been charged with terrorism. In 2000, John Luers was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for setting fire to three SUV’s and was charged as a terrorist. After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security ranked eco-terrorists right next to religious extremist terrorists. The practice of extremist terrorism inspired by religion has killed hundred of thousands of people the world over, while eco-terrorists have caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to property. Eco-terrorists seem to have killed no one. I could not find information about death caused from eco-terror. The closest thing I found was Ted Kaczynski aka, the Unabomber. During his era of terror Kaczynski was known for his radical environmentalist perspectives, and the violence he used to hold CEO’s and other business people responsible for the destruction that they perpetuated upon the natural world. Before he was arrested Kaczynski had caused three deaths, and nearly two dozen injuries. (https://www.unl.edu/eskridge/ecoterrorism.html) While the three deaths and injuries he caused are horrific, and the destruction of property is wrong, outside of the Unabomber most participants in radical environmental actions do not aim to kill. These radical activists are and were far from 9/11 perpetrators and Scott Roeder who walked into a church to kill a doctor. Somehow though. on the spectrum of political terror eco-terrorists end up closer to Al-Qaeda than Anti-Choice. Is that what we want American justice to be? Is that what you think American justice is? Really?
There is a segment of the movie Jesus Camp where the pastor who runs the Christian summer camp is describing her goal in the big picture. She goes on for about three or four minutes and basically communicates her belief that she is creating a generation of Christian followers who are as dedicated to Christianity and its values as the young Islamic people that are so dedicated to their faith that they are willing to strap bombs to themselves. When she talks about it her face lights up, and she seems so energetic- happy and pleased with her purpose. The kids who were in that film are about to be in their twenties, and some already are there, and probably voting Trump. There are entire towns in the mid-west that have been taken over by white supremacists, and others espousing their ideas. We need justice, and equality now more than ever. If we allow Jeremy Christian to just be charged with aggravated murder, as he has been, our government will continue their support of right wing extremists. We need to call him and label him for what he is A FUCKING TERRORIST! The American government is setting up for the authoritarian kleptocratic revolution to continue. I mean for CHRISTS SAKE A GROUP OF ARMED RIGHT WING ACTIVISTS TOOK OVER A GOVERNMENT OFFICE, HELD IT, AND WERE FOUND INNOCENT! What if Black Lives Matter took over the rural sheriff’s department in the backwoods of Alabama? Or what if the NoDAPL activists took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Vermillion,SD? Would the jury have been so lenient?
I hope you read this and are struck by the injustice. Think about these inequalities, if we are going to fight terror and extremist lets fight terror and extremists, but let’s do it with equality and justice. We are still a democracy. Elected, and even appointed leaders swear to uphold the Constitution. Unfortunately, men who think that lying, cheating, manipulation, degradation, and brute power are the path- might is right. That is a part of who we are, but that is not all we are. Simply, we cannot continue to let these people run roughshod over our rights and our Constitution! If we are fighting RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS then LET’S DO IT! We cannot have these right-wing nuts getting away with killing us or we should just get ready for what happened May 26, 2017 to happen with more frequency. If you don’t believe me just look at what some of the #ProudBoys happen to be saying about this and decide if that is the America you want.
CHARGE RIGHT WING CHRISTIAN TERRORISTS FOR THE CRIMES THEY COMMIT!!!!
(NOTE: Still room for improvement, don’t get to big a head on you PDX!!! Trust me we still are a bubbling cauldron of privilege, white saviors, and passive/aggressive expression of –isms- both obvious and hidden deeply within. It’s easy to feel an inflated remember this is America: Trump Heights Version we are comparing ourselves with so, you know being above average..)
Saturday, Jun 3, 2017 · 7:09:41 PM +00:00
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stonebraker23
There was a story in the AP this week where they said that Eric Rudolph was convicted of “numerous” terror charges. I immediately looked it up and there was no mention of actual terrorism in the charges. There was no real official label given to Rudolph for his acts of terrorism. This needs to stop.
Tomorrow a group of alt-right trolls gathering in my home town, in my backyard- in Portland. They are supporting Jeremy Christian. He is in the jail less than a block from there. He will hear their support. He will hear any violence, and he will feel empowered and will feel that he is right, and that his actions of terror were justified. That cannot happen Portland.