Domestic terrorism
I tend to think terrorism is terrorism, whether it comes from a skinhead bastard or a fanatical Muslim bastard, so I found the reference to domestic terrorism odd. Maybe we should just call it general bastardness. Regardless, a local guy was going to try to blow up the local guard armory and a synagogue:
FBI Agents arrested 20 year old Ivan Duane Braden of Knoxville Thursday after they say he planned to blow up the National Guard Armory in Lenoir City, and kill a Sergeant Major. He planned to do this Friday.
Agents say he also threatened to blow up a synagogue, wanting to get close to a rabbi and children.
A search of his house and car turned up pipe bombs, knives, Neo-Nazi literature and plans for a suicide vest to put bombs in.
They say Braden told a mental facility counselor and a Knox County sheriff’s deputy he had bombs and planned to kill.
Scary stuff. These are the guys I worry about more than the Muslim variety. After all, how much of the government’s resources are going after white terrorists compared to the olive skinned kind?
October 15th, 2004 at 9:25 am
That’s disturbing to be certain…I am glad he got popped before hand. I must respectfully disagree with you though on your more pressing worry about native terrorists. The three major local nutjobs McVeigh, Rudolph, and the Unabomber that are considered to be at the top of the list of domestic terrorists have in total killed I believe less than 300. Al-Queda kill ten times that number in one morning. Muslim terrorists seem to have the ability to export their craft overseas, making them more dangerous in my opinion. The IRA is a notable exception. Clearly terrorism is just that, regardless of skin color and I hope our powers that be don’t drop the ball with any of them. Does anyone remember the name of the National Guardsman that converted to Islam and was caught by the FBI in contact with Muslim terrorists? He was a white fellow as well I believe. When I look at that example, John Muhammed the sniper, Johnny Taliban I still can’t get past the central common theme of their faith.
October 15th, 2004 at 9:30 am
I don’t think we’re disagreeing. I should have been more clear. My point is not that they worry me due to levels of carnage, but concern me because i doubt they’re being looked for as thoroughly.
October 15th, 2004 at 9:53 am
are you aware of the theoris linking timothy mcveigh to al queda.
they are possible, but there is a lack of concreate supporting evidence, but there is opptutity for the claims to be true
October 15th, 2004 at 10:25 am
The three major local nutjobs McVeigh, Rudolph, and the Unabomber that are considered to be at the top of the list of domestic terrorists have in total killed I believe less than 300. Al-Queda kill ten times that number in one morning.
This is silly logic. If we were having this conversation on Sept. 10, we would be saying that the only that Muslims have done domestically is let off a bomb in the WTC garage that only killed a handful of people. We have to be vigilent for all types of terror because we really don’t know what some of these other terrorists are capable of.
Lets not forget that one nutjob was caught with chemical weapons a year or two ago. Those certainly could have done some damage if used properly.
October 15th, 2004 at 10:38 am
Covering Terror
This is disturbing:FBI Agents arrested 20 year old Ivan Duane Braden of Knoxville Thursday after they say he planned to blow up the National Guard Armory in Lenoir City, and kill a Sergeant Major. He planned to do this Friday….
October 15th, 2004 at 10:46 am
Silly logic? No sir, silly logic is saying “if we were having this conversation 9-10″…well we aren’t.
Muslim terrorism over the last three decades is the rule, not the exception.
October 15th, 2004 at 11:20 am
Silly logic? No sir, silly logic is saying “if we were having this conversation 9-10″…well we aren’t.
I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Tomorrow we could find out that some “local nutjob” has denotated a chemical weapon in a large city. 9/11 showed what terrorists are capable of period.
Muslim terrorism over the last three decades is the rule, not the exception.
The rule of what? That all brown guys are evil, rule, but white nutjobs aren’t? We’ve had two Muslim attacks domestically, but many more by local nutjobs which don’t even include all the ones that we’ve stopped over the years. If you are talking worldwide, you are clearly forgetting about the IRA.
October 15th, 2004 at 12:49 pm
Brian Arner asked (more or less) why we should be any more worried about this guy than about Al Qaeda. Here’s the answer I posted at his site:
There’s nothing in the story to indicate that Ivan Duane Braden was anything but a lone nut. Lone nuts are scary, but large international terror organizations are much more scary, owing to the fact that they have lots of cash, many members, recruiting programs to garner more members, and are being harbored by rogue governments.
October 15th, 2004 at 1:46 pm
Manish, I think it is provincial and narrow to use the word domestic. We have had the Cole bombing, a US warship with US lives…our property…we have the embassy bombings in Africa, embassy being considered our soil and all kinds of other attacks against our interests.
It wasn’t the Swedes, or say Presbyterians who did this. Do I need to list the terrorist attacks, bombings, or hijackings over the last 30 years to prove my point? I will if I have to. That’s the rule. White disgruntled guys are small by comparison, although certainly should be viewed as terrorists when their actions demand it, are the exception.
Let me know when whitebread Neo-Nazis or those sheet wearing clowns export their deadly product, till then I will call a spade a spade.
October 15th, 2004 at 1:47 pm
Les, you’re almost right, but you are overlooking one thing. In body count, Tim McVeigh is #2 in the USA, and there was no organization or money behind him. As far as I can tell, he differed from the lone nuts only in that he could find a friend (and maybe a few more friends than just Terry Nichols) weak-willed enough to follow his lead for a while. Aside from the grunt labor to load and mix the fertilizer and fuel, McVeigh didn’t need any help.
OTOH, I don’t see what the cops can do to catch someone who’s got no connections to radical groups. Harass everyone they consider weird?
October 15th, 2004 at 2:05 pm
Markm: you’re right that McVeigh managed to kill a lot of people all by himself, but once he was caught, that was the end of his reign. Lone nuts don’t have any depth, and lone nuts with a buddy or two don’t have much more.
In contrast, Al Qaeda lost 19 guys in one day and still had hundreds in reserve, with more recruits in the pipeline.
October 19th, 2004 at 4:49 pm
well, it doesn’t disturb me in the least, because they said that he had already checked himself into the hospital when they arrested him.
besides, I know him.