Word: mcveighs
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...Suicide bombers vs. McVeigh...
...Terrorism is not an independent phenomenon. It's a ghastly political tactic used by quite different movements throughout history. Morally, we should make no distinction between Timothy McVeigh and the Passover suicide bomber - both made innocent civilians the target of their rage. But if we're to be effective in stopping such outrages, we have to understand and address the very different circumstances that created each one. And this goes beyond simple police work or military action...
...McVeigh may have deluded himself that he was a "patriot," but his actions were abhorred even by most of the fringe elements who supported his political views. But the suicide bomber has become part of the Palestinian mainstream, precisely because that society has lost any hope in achieving its national objectives through peaceful channels. So while nobody followed in McVeigh's footsteps, there are thousands upon thousands of young Palestinians waiting to emulate the Passover suicide bomber. And nobody seriously believes Israel's current offensive will change that reality...
Imagine that Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols had not been acting alone but had instead been part of a vast right-wing, antigovernment, terrorist militia with an ideology, a network and a commitment to carrying out attacks throughout America. Would there have been any objection to singling out young white men for special scrutiny at airports and other public places? Of course not. And if instead, in response to the threat posed by the McVeigh Underground, airport security began pulling young black men or elderly Asian women out of airport lines for full-body searches, would we not all loudly...
...happens, the suicide bombers who attacked us on Sept. 11 were not McVeigh Underground. They were al-Qaeda: young, Islamic, Arab and male. That is not a stereotype. That is a fact. And there is no hiding from it, as there is no hiding from the next al-Qaeda suicide bomber. He has to be found and stopped. And you don't find him by strip searching female flight attendants or 80-year-old Irish nuns...