With the recent shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota, a lot of attention has gathered around a single issue. Is it illegal immigration? Nope. Is it federal tax dollars being stolen by foreign scammers? Not at all. Is it, dare I speak it, the proliferation of buttons at the Golden Globes? Yes, but also no.
The focus from both sides of the political shitshow is on domestic terrorism. The Left is pointing at ICE and saying, “See? We told you they were domestic terrorists!” The Right is pointing at anti-ICE protesters and saying, “See? We told you they were domestic terrorists!” And meanwhile back at the Hall of Justice, we have people like me scratching our heads. Mostly because of dandruff in my case, but also because I’m having a hard time understanding how both sides can come to the same conclusion from two different points of view, and yet be completely wrong about it.
Consider this my therapy session. You’re welcome?
domestic terrorism
What the Left thinks it means – right-leaning individuals in the government who are attacking average people without cause
What the Right thinks it means – left-leaning individuals against the government who are attacking ICE to try to prevent them from doing their jobs
What it really means – a term that’s waaaaaaay overused these days
American politics has never been a weak person’s game, although you wouldn’t know it by looking at current Congresscritters like Eric Swalwell or previous Congresscritters like Adam Kinzinger. I mean, we’ve had people duel over political differences, as Alexander Hamilton’s family can attest.
Having said that, today’s version of American politics is a different breed of cat altogether. To say people are on edge is like saying water is wet, fire is hot, and Al Gore is boring. People are willing to die (or in some cases let others die) for an ideological movement so they have a rallying cry. And, without even a hint of irony, they call anyone opposed to them domestic terrorists because, well, that’s how the game is played anymore.
Being a word guy, I take a different approach to word usage than most people. The impact of some words can throw a flaming tanker truck onto the world’s biggest pile of hay drier than the drinks at a Mormon strip club. And let me tell you calling someone a domestic terrorist kinda fits that bill.
Granted, each side has their own idea of what constitutes a domestic terrorist. The Left thinks it’s anyone whiter than Edgar Winter at an outdoor picnic at Ice Station Zero and more to the right than Pat Buchanan. The Right thinks it’s anyone whose hair colors don’t match anything remotely close to natural and have opinions so far to the Left they would make Karl Marx look like Ronald Reagan. Whether you’re MAGA or Antifa, you’re a dangerous extremist to someone.
And therein lies the problem.
With a political landscape so toxic, it gets frightfully easy to demonize your opponents, which ramps up the heated rhetoric. It’s not enough that your opponent disagrees with you; they are your blood enemies. And it even works within the ideological sides, as any Leftist kicked off Bluesky and any Rightist who isn’t 129,000,000% MAGA will tell you, as can your humble correspondent. I’ve been kicked out of so many ideological groups I have boot marks on my ass. Or was that from the time I spent in a sex dungeon in Amsterdam?
Never mind.
The point is when everybody can be seen as a domestic terrorist by one person or another, it dilutes the meaning of the term and makes it harder for us to recognize actual domestic terrorists. Yes, the Left and the Right have their extremists nuttier than squirrel shit, but for the most part they wouldn’t fall into the category of terrorism until they commit acts of actual terrorism.
Which brings us to the “what does that mean” section of the Lexicon entry. And, yes, I realize you ask that question all the time while reading my rants, but this is different. The good folks at Dictionary.com define terrorism thus:
1. the unlawful use of violence or threats to intimidate or coerce a civilian population or government, with the goal of furthering political, social, or ideological objectives.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism.
3. a terrorist method of governing or of resisting a government.
4. intimidation or coercion by instilling fear
So…that’s neat.
What this means in the context of our current political shitshow is there are a lot of people on both sides (albeit on the extremes) that subscribe to the notion their terrorism is freedom and other people’s terrorism is terrorism. But if you’re using the same tactics, it doesn’t matter if you’re red or blue; you’re a fucking terrorist.
This is why it’s important we don’t lump all of the Left and all of the Right under the same domestic terrorism umbrella. Not everyone is going to pick up arms and start shooting up a Congresscritter’s house. That’s reserved for people hired by Governor TIMMAH Walz.
Seriously, though, we’ve seen how absurd this approach is just by looking at some of the people caught up in the January 6th situation. Yes, there were some assholes in the crowd (I’m looking at you, Nick Fuentes), but not all the assholes got caught, and some of the people who were caught weren’t of the terrorist variety. Of course, that didn’t stop the Left from painting them all as domestic terrorists. Because as we all know grandmas are the real domestic terrorists, amirite?
Actually, I’m not right, in the head or otherwise.
The reason both sides throw the domestic terrorism label around like a football at a barbecue at Tom Brady’s place is because it allows the “otherization” of their perceived opponents. And, yes, Leftists, I see you doing this all the time with your “MAGAt” talk. Not that the “Libtard” calls coming from the Right are any better. Even so, there is a large difference between “MAGAt” and “Libtard” and actual domestic terrorism, but neither side wants to make that distinction because, well, it’s easy, fun, and doesn’t hurt anybody.
At least, not until the guns start firing.
And where we are right now, it’s only a matter of time. All it takes is one asshole to take it upon himself or herself (still two genders, by the way) to take matters into his/her own hands and strike a blow for his/her side. Then, we all become domestic terrorists unless we decide to take a different path.
The first step? Not calling the other side domestic terrorists unless they are domestic terrorists.
The second step is a little harder to accomplish, but it’s no less important. Call out the motherfuckers who are causing all the chaos and tell them to shut the fuck up. I don’t care if you’re Democrat or Republican, socialist or capitalist, a New England Patriots fan or wrong, we have to be brave enough to take on the more vocal provocateurs on our own side. For all of their bluster, there are more of us than there are of them, and judging solely by the idea the loudest voices are often the most chicken shit, they will run for their little hidey-holes the second someone tells them to take a seat.
Then, we get to step 3: realizing both sides of the political divide are people, not ideologies. Granted, some of those barely qualify as sentient let alone human, but we still need to try and find some common ground. I will speak for myself, mainly because I’m the only one who knows me best, but I try to remove the politics from the person and look for something we agree on and go from there.
I love Samuel L. Jackson for no other reason than he has perfected the use of the word “motherfucker.” He and I don’t see eye to eye on politics, but we can groove together on movies. Once you find that common denominator, ideology takes a back seat to fandom. And last time I checked, there has never been a world war started because of a fandom.
Now, online, on the other hand…well, let’s just leave it alone.
But you see the point, I hope. Neither side is comprised of only domestic terrorists, nor should we assume they are. I quote the great philosopher Dave Mason:
So let’s leave it alone
‘Cause we can’t see eye to eye.
There ain’t no good guy.
There ain’t no bad guy.
There’s only you and me, and we just disagree.
And if we can’t trust someone who gave us “Ooh, oh-oh-oh,” who can we trust?
Tag: domestic terrorism
Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week
There are a lot of things to worry about in today’s world. Inflation more out of control than Lindsey Lohan and Charlie Sheen going on a bender with Dennis Rodman in Amsterdam. The potential for international war. Having to decide between paying for food or paying bills. The possibility of another “Scary Movie” sequel. It’s enough to drive one insane!
In my case, it’s closer to a walk around the corner than a drive, but the point remains.
One of the concerns the Left has had on its hivemind recently has been domestic terrorism. In the aftermath of January 6th, Leftists have sounded the alarm bells to watch out for sketchy men and women attempting to derail the country, threaten our democracy, and be general nogoodniks. Without the proper context, though, one cannot begin to grasp the issue. Unfortunately for Leftists, someone has been paying attention.
domestic terrorism
What the Left thinks it means – a movement motivated by hate and a desire to ruin our country through violent means
What it really means – a term that’s being thrown around more than a football at a Brett Favre barbecue
Politics, by its very nature, is an ugly, spiteful thing. In years past, Democrats and Republicans were divided on policy, but united in their desire to bring out the best in America and face any crisis together. As the statesmen of the past gave way to the current crop of short-sighted, reelection-minded egomaniacs with the morals of an alley cat, politics has gotten uglier, more spiteful, and a lot more personal. It seems as though even basic concepts, like, oh I don’t know…not talking about sex to kids still eating their boogers, are grounds for controversy, passionate screaming matches, and general bad behavior.
This eventually leads to asshats deciding to take matters into their own hands, often botching the effort to change public opinion. Anyone heard from Astroturf…I mean Occupy Wall Street lately? Unless they’ve decided to hitch their shopping carts to movements like Black Lives Matter or Antifa, they’re pretty much irrelevant and invisible these days. But their stench lingers…
What could be relegated to a few loud cranks you’ll find in just about any organization is now quickly becoming the unifying core of swaths of the population looking to change the status quo. This leads to an “ends justify the means” approach to political discourse, which opens the door for domestic terrorism.
Before we dive any further, we should define what terrorism is. There are a few variations on a theme depending on where you go to look up the definition, but there’s a unifying concept: the use of fear as a coercive agent. When you really think about it, fear is a powerful motivator. Just look at the caterwauling that has come since the leak of a memo suggesting the US Supreme Court would look to overturn Roe v. Wade. It was the leak that launched a thousand donation requests. And with the recent attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, it also seems to have launched a lot of evil.
Yet, the actions of the attempted assassin are not seen by the Left as an example of domestic terrorism because…the end justifies the means. Leftists are fighting to protect the “right” to kill a baby in the womb, so they will get as dirty as they want to make it happen.
That brings us to a little pro-baby death group called Ruth Sent Us. They sprouted up after the aforementioned USSC leak and sought to protest for abortion rights by showing up at certain Justices’ homes, namely conservative Justices. And they went so far as to publish these Justices’ addresses, creating an element of intimidation or, dare I say it, fear. If you get a chance to read up on Ruth Sent Us, I suggest keeping a barf bag handy because they’re nucking futs.
Compare that to the January 6th protesters. To listen to the Left talk (and, really, why would you), these people were mere microseconds away from destroying the country by protesting an election they felt was stolen from then-President Donald Trump. Some protestors broke the law (which is bad enough as it is), but all of them are being painted as domestic terrorists. Whether they are is a matter of debate or, in the case of Leftists, incessant screaming.
Maybe it’s me, but it seems we don’t have a firm grasp on what constitutes domestic terrorism. The same Leftists who have their collectivist panties in a wad over January 6th are the ones excusing/justifying what Ruth Sent Us did (and screaming bloody murder over the threats being sent at the members of Ruth Sent Us for being degenerate fuck-knuckles). By viewing it through a partisan lens and taking on the same “ends justify the means” mentality, groups on both sides of the political spectrum are making things worse.
And, yes, I am “both sides-ing” here because it’s true. Several studies done in the past few years show at least some Democrats and Republicans believe force is necessary sometimes to protect their interests from outside forces (namely their ideological opponents). That’s sketchy in and of itself, but when you consider how creative people can get with the rules when they lack even basic standards, we’re entering a whole new level of clusterfuckery.
One that has the potential to be deadly.
That’s the part that really scares me. I’ve had a lingering dread for the past several years that America is one major manmade tragedy away from coming apart faster than the seams of an extra-tight dress worn by Melissa McCarthy. And with the possibility/likelihood of government law enforcement agents infiltrating some groups with the express intent of getting them to act up, that incident may be coming sooner rather than later.
That’s why it’s important we understand what domestic terrorism looks like and agree upon what constitutes it. Partisanship has no business in this process because it blinds us to the facts. Whether it’s a Leftist or a Rightist, domestic terrorism is a non-starter with me and is a tacit admission you have no legitimate arguments to speak of and, thus, can be disregarded.
Now, here’s the part neither side who advocates for the use of domestic terrorism for political ends realizes. If you justify it against others, it can be justified against you on the same grounds. And if you bitch about it when it’s done to you, you become a flaming hypocrite. At least, if I have anything to say about it and access to a flamethrower.
Be glad I don’t have the time to fill out the necessary paperwork to get the flamethrower permit.
In the meantime, we should be aware of the depths some people will go to score a political or ideological ends and not succumb to the temptation to give in. If something feels wrong, it probably is, and you shouldn’t do it. Because a) it will lead you down a path you won’t like, and b) eventually I will have the time to complete the paperwork.
And you wouldn’t like me when I have a flamethrower.