What's in a Name?

What's in a Name? :
The Various Shades of Terrorism

Paul Scott




What's in a name?


I have heard Joseph Stack, the guy in Austin Texas who slammed his plane into the IRS building, called many things today; angry, suicidal, PO'd.

Funny, the term "terrorist" has not been used too much, as media outlets were quick to point out that the crash was not linked to any terrorist organizations.

I don't remember hearing about too many red or orange alerts, either.

Also, the images of the smouldering IRA building have not dominated the news. There was much more coverage of the guy who blew up his Hanes trying to blow up an airplane a while back, as that story dominated the news for weeks.

So, I guess while the airport security people were busy searching suitcases for Qur'ans, Stack, quietly, revved up his plane and jetted off.

If Stack's last name would have been "Abdul" or his middle name "Hussein," you could have kissed tonight's coverage of the Olympics, goodbye.

See the media have there own special way of defining folks:

Black = "gangbanger"

Latino= "illegal allien"

Muslim = "terrorist"

Those are the images that they pimp to the public. So when the Tim McVeighs and Joseph Stacks come along the Right Wingers don't call them "terrorists," at worst they are considered "patriots with slight anger management issues."

If Stack would have had a name that sounded in anyway "Middle Eastern" you can bet that the Right Wing talking heads would have been burning the midnight oil trying their best to blame the Obama administration.

Heaven forbid if somebody on the Left has the audacity to suggest that the climate of hate that the Tea Party and others is creating could inspire a Joseph Stack to take such desperate measures.

If the web reports of Stack's Manifesto are accurate, I do agree with him about one thing,

"The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

"The capitalist creed: From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed."

Karl Marx couldn't have said it better....


Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283