Terrorism

Terrorism is defined in Webster's New World Dictionary as, to use force or threats to intimidate, etc., especially as a political policy. Intimidate is similarly defined as, to make afraid, as with threats. Threats is a common word used in both definitions and when people are threatened, they feel terror therefore they are terrorized. Terrorism doesn't always come with the stereotypical Russians or Middle Eastern rebels that want to attack the US. Terror can come from all ages, races, political beliefs, and countries. An example of each can be: ages-school shootings, races- KKK, political beliefs-Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing or (anti) abortionist supporters, and countries-Iraq. Terrorism can come in all shapes and sizes of bombs, people, and verbal threats. I will try to touch on each of these subjects throughout the paper. A survey of politically motivated crimes since April 1995 reveals a dramatic increase in terroristic activities. At least thirty-nine cases have been documented. Many have not been as sever as the federal building bombing, but they have been in the forms of pipe bombs, police stand-offs, bank robberies, attacks on abortion providers and many others. (Terror from Within-MSNBC) However, some terrorist attacks are not preformed by Americans. An example of one of two documented cases of outside terrorism attacks on the United States is the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993. (The Centre for National Security Studies, April 26, 1995) The US is now a big target for outside terrorism and we always will be as long as we are a powerful nation with a large amount of pull. People in other countries see what America has to offer and want us to be eliminated to make their country the most powerful. The people that do plan and act out on these terrorist acts usually have a

psychiatric problem. We watch the movies that glorify the hero going into a foreign land and fighting the bad guy. James Bond is a perfect example of glorifying terrorists' lives.

He travels all over the world to stop the villains from blowing up England. He makes it all look fun and exciting while doing his job. Austin Powers is another example of terrorists. Austin Powers is a totally different view of the subject, but the idea is still fun. We sometimes glorify terrorists' lives in movies by making them rich and highly respected by their employees and contacts with other powerful people. We, the audience, see these movies and fantasize about being the hero or villain. Cops and Robbers is a perfect example of good against evil, but foreign terrorists have an aura or certain mystique quality. We want to have the power and wealth they do and we also want to have the cunning actions of the hero. International terrorism, to me, is very mysterious and full of wonder. It is very frightening but it makes me wonder of the life behind the ringleader of the terrorist groups and his entourage. The part I don't understand is how important national security is to the US. I take the military and government for granted and thank them very much for doing their job. School shooting are another form of terrorism. We send our kids to school thinking that they are in a safe environment. We send them there to learn and grow up to be responsible adults. We try to teach our kids to the best of our abilities, but sometimes there are some that fall through the cracks and become the bad apple. Just like the old adage, one bad apple spoils the whole bunch, it can become so very true and real. Columbine High School recently commemorated the first year after the shooting. I remember watching CNN Headline New and MSNBC

while the students were being rushed out of the school. A few other shooting occurred recently and I was worried about if any students were hurt I the events unfolding before

my eyes. In the beginning, I assumed nothing happened but soon found out otherwise. I think why this story touched me a little bit more is because I watched all the events

unfold that day and the media hype to follow. We grieve for the victims and some even learn to forgive Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The shooters' parents also feel remorse for what their terrorist sons did to the school, the community, the state, and the country. The parents of the terrorists seem to be caring and are struggling with the loss of a child like the victims' parents. We have not heard much about these families and with good reason. The parents didn't see it coming and most likely would have stopped it if they knew. (Rocky Mountain News.com, Lynn Bartels, April 15, 2000) Attacks on schools aren't happening just recently. A bombing on a school in Bath, Michigan happened in 1927 and forty plus students and teachers were killed. Most of the students in the wing were of kindergarten age. A demented farmer and electrician with access to dynamite decided to blow up the west wing of Bath Consolidated grade school. His motives were not clear. A. E. Kehoe killed his wife, the treasurer of the school district, outside their home before going to the school. Kehoe apparently had been planning this scheme for months and could have leveled the whole school if all the dynamite fuses were timed together. Kehoe was seen running to his car parked on the curb moments before the blast. He also ended up dying along with the school's principal, the village postmaster, and an unidentified man in an explosion that wrecked Kehoe's automobile. After the explosion

had hurled helpless, young victims through the air, another explosion rocked the school and sent the walls and ceiling into the air and on top of the already injured children. The

dust most likely muffled the sparks of the dynamite for the west wing, and as a result, the spark never reached the dynamite to cause it to explode. The west wing was saved due to

rubble and faulty technology. If his plan had been carried out correctly, he would have killed two hundred sixty students. Police found a note on his barn door that stated,

Criminals are made, not born. (Boulder News.com, collection of stories compiled on April 25, 1999) School attacks are not new. As long as we have those crazies out there, terrorism in the schools will be there. We don't know where or when it will happen, but it will. Just a few months ago in Champaign, a guy that was irritated with his parents chased his mother into a school. Thankfully no one in the school was hurt and his motives were not to kill any children. That example is precisely my point. We don't know who will be the next target and whose school it will be. Judging by what I hear from experts, they say it is hard to tell which students are the ones most susceptible to being influenced by others or lashing out on people at any time. Certain characteristics of the