Man Intentionally Flies Airplane Into Government Building in USA...

[nemo]

But don't worry, apparently it 'did not appear to be an act of terrorism.' (don't you yearn for the days when people knew what the word terrorism actually means?)

BBC News - Texas pilot air attack on US tax office

And I'm sure that in much the same way as they encouraged and rejoiced in the death of Dr George Tiller, I'm sure Limbaugh, O' Reilly, Beck, Coulter et al are getting ready to celebrate Joseph Stack as a libertarian hero right about now.  I guess the only danger they face is that if they come out too strongly in his favour and we get a whole wave of Kamikaze attacks on the evil socialist state, the Republican party might just, quite literally, kill off its own support base before the 2012 elections.

In all seriousness, leaving aside the utter insanity of this whole situation, and the fact that the Republican party seem to be increasingly growing some sort of militant paramilitary insurgency arm kinda like the IRA but with even better funding behind them: how, and in what world, does what this guy did not constitute an act of terrorism?  I know my first paragraph probably seems a bit sarky, but I do see this sort of thing as the almost inevitable consequence of the way the party and its chief media promoters have conducted themselves since losing the November '08 elections.  Thankfully only 1 person (the terrorist himself) died in this incident, but come on, you can't go around doing that sort of shit.  Or can you?

[2NaFish]

good on 'im. he saw something that he didnt agree with and decide to make a violent struggle against oppression in a way that is competely incomparable.

it makes me think of the Blackadder episode where he's a spy hunter...

Captain Darling: So you see, Blackadder, Field Marshall Haig is most anxious to eliminate all these German spies.
General Melchett: Filthy hun weasels, fighting their dirty underhand war!
Captain Darling: And fortunately, one of our spies...
General Melchett: Splendid fellows, brave heroes risking life and limb for Blighty!



Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Sean]

Hero > Terrorist

maybe I'll make a website for this guy and sell t shirts

[2NaFish]

Thankfully only 1 person (the terrorist himself) died in this incident, but come on, you can't go around doing that sort of shit.  Or can you?

Slightly playing devil's advocate, but i'd imagine you agree witht the principle of public disobedience? Obviously this is on the extreme end of the spectrum, but thats because you probably find his cause pretty silly. I'm sure in this guys mind he was storming the bastille...

[anythinggoes]

I read that two people died, one being the terrorist hero pilot

[nemo]

Slightly playing devil's advocate, but i'd imagine you agree witht the principle of public disobedience? Obviously this is on the extreme end of the spectrum, but thats because you probably find his cause pretty silly. I'm sure in this guys mind he was storming the bastille...

Of course, but i don't agree with public disobediance through attempting to kill innocent people in their place of work, otherwise I would have thought Timothy McVeigh and the IRA were just fine and dandy as well.

I'm just confused as to how it works that when a couple of British Asian dudes drive a car into Glasgow Airport carpark, set themselves on fire and hurt no-one else except some ned who became a jumped up national hero on the back of breaking his foot by kicking one of them in the balls it's an international terrorist incident, yet when a white guy flies a plane into a government building (there is a parallel there with a couple of other rather worrying incidents in 20th century history that we might remember), after setting his own house on fire and leaving his wife and child homeless it's potentially gonna be viewed as a legitimate act of political protest.

To me that's double standards.

And yes, as Anythinggoes says, the news is now reporting that he did manage to kill at least one other person.

[2NaFish]

And yes, as Anythinggoes says, the news is now reporting that he did manage to kill at least one other person.

kinda. I've just watched the bbc news at one. Ten minutes on afghanistan, five on the economy, five on East-bloody-enders. Nothing on this; i cant imagine if this was a muslim that it  would be ignored. Put simply, a white terrorist doest fit the media's understanding of terrorism - it doesnt fit the storyline - and the white house cant admit that its at terrorism otherwise they would have to declare war on their own people.

[nemo]

Yeah, kinda my point in the first post when I highlighted that they were saying it didn't appear to be an act of terrorism.  I actually heard an interview with someone the other day, discussing terrorism, and in an attempt to vary their vocabulary a bit and stop using the same word over and over again they would occasionally substitute the word terrorist for 'muslim'

It seems almost to be an accepted turn of phrase these days that 'not all muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are muslims', even people like Christopher Hitchens are helping promulgate that idea.  I just wish people would remember what terrorism is and realise that just because someone isn't from the middle east doesn't mean that theirr actions weren't a serious terrorist incident.

[antonyrose]

Yeah, this happend right by my house..  Looked like someone just ripped the front of building off. 

[2NaFish]

Yeah, this happend right by my house..  Looked like someone just ripped the front of building off. 

and where were you at the time of the incident, sir?

any thoughts the issue?

[Sean]

This seems not to be some plot by a group or anything like that.  I mean maybe you are getting hung up on its an airplane.  He could have walked in with a gun and shot the place up. That isn't a reason to call it terrorism.   more like disgrunted people pushed over the edge.

Now if this was a planned attack by a group then yes I would use the T word for local terrorism.

[2NaFish]

This seems not to be some plot by a group or anything like that.  I mean maybe you are getting hung up on its an airplane.  He could have walked in with a gun and shot the place up. That isn't a reason to call it terrorism.   more like disgrunted people pushed over the edge.

Now if this was a planned attack by a group then yes I would use the T word for local terrorism.

are al-quaeda not 'disgruntled people pushed over the edge'?

the fact that this guy appears to be a lone nutter is totally irrelevant when it comes to it being terrorism or not.

[anythinggoes]

are al-quaeda not 'disgruntled people pushed over the edge'?

the fact that this guy appears to be a lone nutter is totally irrelevant when it comes to it being terrorism or not.

he didnt have a rag on his head, thats why its not terrorism

[antonyrose]

and where were you at the time of the incident, sir?

any thoughts the issue?

Thankfully I was on the other side of town at work....  As for my thoughts, I guess I can understand the mans frustration, but what I can't understand is him taking a cowards way out..  And it still is a act of terrorism.