Friday, November 21, 2003

The other kind of terrorists

To hear right-wingers tell it, the most immediate threat of terrorist violence to Americans is from Al Qaeda. Uh-huh.

Of course, as 9/11 showed, international terrorists are indeed capable of inflicting a great deal of harm. But the ongoing threat is from our own homegrown crowd:
Suspected abortion clinic bomb plotter arrested

This guy wasn't just a fat fantasist. He was a former Army Ranger, and he clearly meant business.
On Tuesday, Jordi and an FBI source bought gasoline cans, flares, starter fluid and propane tanks -- including a large one filled with propane gas, the affidavit said. The source also provided Jordi a .45-caliber pistol, silencer and empty magazines in exchange for $200, the affidavit says. Jordi was arrested later that day.

The affidavit said Jordi had discussed with an FBI source possibly using C-4 plastic explosives, propane tank bombs or pipe bombs and had studied bombing methods throughout the fall.

According to the Miami Herald, he was an admirer of abortion-doctor killer Paul Hill, as well as Eric Rudolph:
Initially, the informant said Jordi told him he was willing to take his time, praying and preparing -- for years, if necessary -- before waging a bombing campaign.

But later, the FBI says, Jordi seemed anxious to act quickly, talking about bombing abortion clinics, gay bars and churches that weren't strongly opposed to abortion, as well as trying to assassinate President Bush and former President Clinton.

... Estranged family members have said that Jordi became increasingly impassioned about a bombing campaign after the capture of Eric Rudolph in late May. Rudolph, who is accused of orchestrating a bombing campaign against abortion clinics, gay bars and the Atlanta Olympics park, disappeared into the Appalachian Mountains for five years before law enforcement officials finally caught him.

How many more guys like this are out there? Hard to tell for certain, but they are outr there.

Of course, right-wingers also have been telling us that the real anti-Semites these days are antiwar protesters. Uh-huh.
Fire destroys Holocaust museum: Arson suspected in Terre Haute blaze

The cowards are clearly from the extremist right:
Fire investigators have not concluded that the fire was arson, but Kor is convinced it was. "Remember Timmy McVeigh" was spray-painted on a wall at the entrance to the one-story brick building.

McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber, was executed at a federal prison outside Terre Haute in 2001.

"These are hateful people, people who have nothing to contribute to society except destruction. What a pitiful life, that people get up in the morning to go out and destroy. They are cowards," said Kor, 69, who lived through the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

Hours after the fire, Kor visited the charred building. The heat had melted some of the more than 1million pennies schoolchildren had collected over the years in remembrance of the Holocaust's estimated 6million Jewish victims.

Check out the second photo accompanying this story, which shows the grafitti clearly.

[A tip o' the Hatlo Hat to Maia Cowan.]

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