This was not a terrorist attack.

[dorkulon]

This was not a terrorist attack. Neither was the USS Cole, or the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.

These are surprise attacks on military targets. Even assuming that Hasan was a Muslim and was ideologically motivated and not just a crazed rampager, that's not terrorism, unless you define terrorism as any attack by a Muslim on white people.

Terrorism entails an attack on civilian targets. Attacking a military target is by definition not terrorism.

It's a horrible thing, and I'm not trying in any way to defend or justify what happened. But IT IS NOT TERRORISM. That is all.


Edited to clarify.

[HipChick]

1. I agree...I think he just snapped...I've know 2 people who were deployed

who upon their return, after a few months killed themselves..

[dorkulon]

4. My point is that terrorism implies an attack on a civilian target.

Attacking a military base is by definition not terrorism.

[Liberation Angel]

11. A friend of mine and her baby were killed by her Gulf vet boyfriend

right after he got back.

He killed his own baby.

I had known her since she was a little girl .

Her baby was just a year old.

She was 20 and in classes at the community classes.

Whatever motivated this man, it is clearly caused by the war started by Bush and Cheney

Obama needs to get us the fuck OUT of those countries and TRY to find some middle ground for peace.

[EFerrari]

2. Thank you.

[Cali_Democrat]

3. Well said. n/t

[demosincebirth]

5. What ever. It was one crazy fucker. Twelve G.I.s are dead and many wounded.

[dorkulon]

7. I'm not trying to diminish the tragedy.

Not all tragedies are the result of terrorism.

[exboyfil]

9. Soldiers were targeted so I agree it is not terrorism

if you define terrorism as the targeting of civilians (not the collateral damage from targeting combatants but also killing civilians).


Are the following terrorist acts:

1. Hijacking, murdering some of the crew and flying a civilian aircraft into a skyscraper filled with business people (yes).
2. The same but hitting a military target instead (the Pentagon). A closer call but because the underlying action (hijacking of a civilian aircraft led to the deaths of the civilians then it is terrorism). Remotely flying a private plane into the Pentagon would not be considered terrorism. (It could be considered a war crime and the individuals involved could be executed because they were not under uniform and not participating in a declared war under the Geneva Convention).

Hypotheticals -

Flying a private plane into the White House (not terrorism because the primary target is the Commander in Chief)

Flying a private plane into Congress (??? don't know)

Flying a private plane into a manufacturing facility which builds both civilian and military trucks (???)

[HipChick]

10. 13 dead now...12 + him...

[CTyankee]

6. While I don't really know either, I tend to disagree in a way...

Please read Christopher Dickey's book "Securing the City". It is about how the NYPD's special terrorism unit fight any future terrorists plots in New York. It describes the infiltration of very small groups of 2 or 3 people by those of their own ethnicity who have been recruited as NYPD cops. Once they foil their plots, the word goes out that you can't do this so easily because NY has all these undercover plots by people of their own ethnicity and who speaks their language, a unique thing that exists in New York and not in any other city in the U.S. I think there is some real truth to their thesis here...

[MinneapolisMatt]

8. Several panelists

on the different media shows are just ITCHING to call this a terrorist attack.

[Recursion]

12. Terrorism as defined by the DoD:

Violence or the threat of violence by personnel without an order of battle to effect religious, ideological, or political changes.

This may or may not apply to the shooting; we don't know yet.

Terrorists do not have to target civilians; they just have to be civilians (partisans and guerrillas at least notionally have an order of battle, but that line gets all too fuzzy all too fast).

[Ahpook]

13. Yes, my mother is already on the "Muslim" shit

I guess her fucking friend called her before I talked to her tonight. He digs calling her and spreading the filth. He can't wait to do it:(