Gord's Notebook : Racist Rape Hoax !!! Sarah Palin & McCain On Terrorism

Were the media especially FoX News and others all too willing to believe this sort of stereotypical story-line. Is racism still a major factor in America.
Rachel Maddow: McCain campaign worker admits attack HOAX!! 10/24/2008

Sanchez Slams FOX & Media That Fell For McCain Volunteer's Mutilation Hoax

Another disturbing story is that of Sarah Palin having trouble defining " Terrorism ". It appears that her own religious and political views make it difficult for her to view any & all attacks on innocent civilians which is done to spread fear among a particular group in society as a " Terrorist" act . She's not comfortable calling an attack on an Abortion Clinic or its staffers as an act of terrorism. She may think it's illegal but not so sure of the " terrorism " label.

As per usual the Ultraconservatives and the Religious Right define the term terrorism along partisan views and causes. Because they are against abortion they refuse to call an anti-abortionist who assassinates a doctor or blows up an abortion clinic as terrorist. In the old days when whites lynched blacks or blew up a black church or school they were and still are not referred to as terrorists by those whites who were or are still against desegregation which they believe was forced on the individual states by the United States Federal Government and the actions of uppity blacks such as Martin Luther King Jr.

As usual Palin refers back to Bill Ayers but the point is anyone using violent actions against innocent civilians that is non-combatants and their intention is to " terrorize " .

For example at About.com one can find a number of definitions of terrorism . These definitions for the most part are in agreement with one another and there is not the sort of confusion or ambivalence about the definition of Terrorism as Sarah Palin might claim. Blowing up an abortion clinic is an act of terror equal to that of blowing up a church or Synagogue or Mosque or some animal rights group blowing up a research lab which uses animals or killing a researcher who uses animals- these are all by definition acts of " Terrorism ". But there is a long history in America of calling friendly terrorist " Freedom Fighters ". So Sarah Palin isn't alone in making these false distinctions.

Sarah Palin should do a quick search on Google and look up the US Statutes on Terrorism rather than just making shit up.It took me a minute or two to find these definitions.

Sarah Palin and those not sure about what constitutes " Terrorism " should just GOOGLE IT !!!

The FBI defines terrorism as:
The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a Government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

League of Nations Convention Definition of Terrorism, 1937
All criminal acts directed against a State and intended or calculated to create a state of terror in the minds of particular persons or a group of persons or the general public.

The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military Terms defines terrorism as:
The calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological

The United States Law Code:
(1) the term “international terrorism” means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than 1 country;
(2) the term “terrorism” means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents;
(3) the term “terrorist group” means any group, or which has significant subgroups which practice, international terrorism;
(4) the terms “territory” and “territory of the country” mean the land, waters, and airspace of the country; and
(5) the terms “terrorist sanctuary” and “sanctuary” mean an area in the territory of the country—
(A) that is used by a terrorist or terrorist organization—
(i) to carry out terrorist activities, including training, fundraising, financing, and recruitment; or
(ii) as a transit point; and
(B) the government of which expressly consents to, or with knowledge, allows, tolerates, or disregards such use of its territory and is not subject to a determination under—

Part of what Sarah Palin is doing is confusing acts of terrorism with " International Terrorism" . An individual within a group I.E. anti-Abortionist who commits a particular form of violence is a terrorist. If the group to which the person is a member condones this violent action then this group is a " terrorist Organization". If any group condones such actions can be called " Terrorist Organizations "- preaching hate and physical violence against certain targeted groups for example the KKK is a terrorist organization ,

In Palin's world as in Bush's someone who attacks innocent civilians is not a terrorist if the motive is to terrorize a Communist Nation or any Nation which is seen as an enemy of America such as Cuba. For instance Posada Carriles, a former CIA agent, in 1976 bombed a Civilian Cuban airliner, killing all 73 persons aboard.

But we are told he was on the side of America, God & Capitalism so he is forgiven for killing innocent civilians.. Posada Carriles we assume according to McCain and Palin was or is not a "Terrorists " since his victims were Cuban Civilians and Cuba is a Communist country. Anyone living in a Communist country I guess is fair game for being shot or blown to pieces by those who disapprove of that regime. This is just typical American Hypocrisy . One has to remember that US administrations have had a long history of supporting terroists in various countries to maintain a friendly government in power ( using "death squads" etc. ) as with Pinochet in Chile or the Shah of Iran etc. or to oust a government which they do not approve of by backing extremists anti-government forces the Contras in Nicaragua or anti-Castro extremist in Cuba or Cuban exiles even working out of Florida.

As we have seen McCain for instance supported a ruthless terrorist group RENAMO in Mozambique in the 1980s .

see: Alleged anti-Castro terrorist Posada arrested Wanted in Venezuela for 1976 downing of Cuban airliner From Susan Candiotti CNN Tuesday, May 17, 2005

and : LUIS POSADA CARRILES
THE DECLASSIFIED RECORD
CIA and FBI Documents Detail Career in International Terrorism; Connection to U.S.

Washington D.C. May 18, 2005 - The National Security Archive today posted additional documents that show that the CIA had concrete advance intelligence, as early as June 1976, on plans by Cuban exile terrorist groups to bomb a Cubana airliner. The Archive also posted another document that shows that the FBI's attache in Caracas had multiple contacts with one of the Venezuelans who placed the bomb on the plane, and provided him with a visa to the U.S. five days before the bombing, despite suspicions that he was engaged in terrorist activities at the direction of Luis Posada Carriles.

In the longer version of this interview McCain & Palin just go on about Bill Ayers suggesting once again that Obama's motivation for becoming President is suspect. And McCain goes on to explain that somehow the Weathermen are different from militant anti-abortionists organization. The actions of the Weathermen were premeditated actions not spontaneous acts. Though McCain at one point makes the assertion that any such attacks no matter what the motivations or beliefs of the individual are reprehensible acts. Palin appears uneasy about such an assertion.

Palin on Terrorist Anti-Abortionist Killer Eric Robert Rudolph vs. William Ayers by Adam Blickstein at Huffington Post Oct. 24, 2008

Sarah Palin's contradictory and nonsensical answer on what constitutes a terrorist is being thoroughly fisked online. Her claim that William Ayers is a terrorist but an abortion clinic bomber is not leaves a lot to be desired intellectually, which begs an important follow-up: what would her view of someone who has a record of targeting both abortion clinics and non-natal personnel and infrastructure? I'm talking about Eric Robert Rudolph, the "Olympic Centennial Park Bomber" who was also convicted of attacks on two abortion clinics and a lesbian nightclub. He was a far worse "terrorist" than William Ayers ever was, in both scope of physical damage (Rudolph left a trail of destruction that left 2 people dead, and 120 injured), national psychological trauma (a five-year manhunt shrouded in uncertainty that led to Rudolph's arrest in the North Carolina mountains) and eventual prison sentence (Rudolph got life, Ayers' case was dismissed). The Olympic bombing was undoubtedly one of the most audacious acts of international terror during the 90's, not just for the human toll, but also the psychological and visual effect which left Atlanta and the international community on edge for the rest of the games. I'm not defending Ayer's actions or involvement in the Weather Underground, but the context and breadth of impact matters here. Rudolph was indeed, as Attorney General John Ashcroft said in 2003, "the most notorious American fugitive on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list," a stature Ayers never even came close to. As to whether abortion clinic bomber Rudolph was a terrorist, I'll leave that characterization to Alberto Gonzalez:

"The many victims of Eric Rudolph's terrorist attacks in Atlanta and Birmingham can rest assured that Rudolph will spend the rest of his life behind bars," said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. "The best interests of justice are served by resolution of this case and by the skillful operation that secured the dangerous explosives buried in North Carolina."

The overarching question for Sarah Palin is: would you consider the Olympic Park Bombing an act of terror but the abortion clinic attacks in Birmingham and Atlanta as well as on the nightclub as simply ordinary acts of violence? Would this make Rudolph only a quasi-terrorist?

Terror is terror, no matter what the target. And to create special carve-outs to the definition of terrorism in order to placate a political constituency further calls into question Palin's fitness to truly put country instead of politics (not to mention common sense) first.