Reality Check

Terrorism, according to various entities:

    * is defined by the US Department of Defense as "the unlawful use of — or threatened use of — force or violence against individuals or property to coerce or intimidate governments or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives."

    * Defined by the US Department of Defense, International terrorism is terrorism conducted with the support of a foreign government or organization and / or directed against foreign nationals, institutions or governments.

    * The FBI defines terrorism as "the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

    * Webster’s University Dictionary defines terrorism as the systematic use of violence, terror, and intimidation to achieve an end.

No matter how you define terrorism, who defines it, or how they define it it comes down to simple murder of innocent people.  I’ve heard terrorists themselves try to define the U.S. military and our actions in Afghanastan as acts of terrorism.  However, there is a difference.

When you are the bully and you punch the kid with glasses on the playground, you throw the first punch.  When the kid with the glasses picks up a stick and pounds the hell out of your head, he is defending himself.  When you’re the kid who was picked on first and you defend yourself in this day and age, in American schools, you wind up getting in as much trouble, sometimes more, than the kid who started the bullying.

Therein lies the problem with American politics, and the American Psyche.  I grew up in a time, in Detroit, when my father would say to me, "If someone picks on you, let them. If they hit you, defend yourself.  They might hurt you, or beat you up, but you need to leave them more injured than yourself."  In those times, if someone kicked me in the lunch line, I usually kicked back.  But since I left High School many years ago, and have personally had to deal with these sorts of issues watching my children grow up, I saw a change.

This change has permeated society.  It’s a kind of thinking that really bugs me.  Schools have adopted this ridiculous "Zero Tolerance" concept that if a child defends himself against another child who starts a fight, then he is just as wrong as the bully.  This is carrying over into society.  

Now we hear that defending ourselves against terrorism is wrong.  In fact, in the past few weeks several incidents have occurred throughout the United States, including an attack on the Jewish Center in Seattle, Washington.  The media, the local authorities and even people in the area all appeared to conspire to say, "This was not terrorism, nothing to see here, move along!"

Last evening, in San Francisco, California a man named Omeed Aziz Popal driving an SUV or a truck, crashed into some people and then deliberately drove away.  At least fourteen were injured, including at least one child. Some are in critical condition.   Authorities said they believe Popal was the same driver who ran over and killed a 55-year-old man walking in a bicycle lane in Fremont, at Fremont Boulevard near Ferry Lane, just after noon. That crash scene is just blocks from Popal’s Fremont address, where he had most recently been living.

When I first saw the story, I quickly wrote it off as an accident. Upon further reading, it becomes crystal clear that this is a terrorist attack.  Here’s some more information:

In San Francisco, the attacks began around 1 p.m., but it was unclear in what order:

• Two people, one of them a child, were critically injured around by a sport-utility vehicle on the 3500 block of California Street in Laurel Heights.

• Three people were hit at California and Fillmore streets. Witnesses said they included a man with a broken hip and a woman with a gashed head.

• Two people were seriously hurt at Bush and Pierce streets and one person was seriously injured at Bush and Buchanan streets, police said. One person suffered minor injuries in an incident at 1850 Fillmore Street.

• Two other people suffered minor injuries when they were hit at Pine and Divisadero streets, and another two were hit and suffered minor injuries at Divisadero and Bush Street.

• One man was walking north on Fremont Boulevard in the bicycle lane when he was struck from behind and knocked several feet into a field. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man has a name that appears to come from the Middle East. He is a young male, around 25 years old.  We do not know much more about him yet, but I’m sure the authorities will work on finding out what they can.  However, I believe they will not rule this as a "terrorist" attack because they do not want to panic the population.  It’s time, in my opinion to stop coddling Americans.  

Tell it like it is. If this fella has ANY dealings with the Muslim Community then I think they need to step up to the plate and say so.  Tell the truth.  If he has been out of this country, then thrown the book at him.  He’s going to stand trial for murder most likely, but are there extenuating circumstance? Has he been to Afghanastan? Is he FROM Afghanastan?  As I write this, Fox news is reporting that his family "has an excuse".  More to come.

30 August 2006 1230 - Colorado time  — I just got this from NEIN regarding the story above.

–Exclusive: Suspect has at least two Arabic aliases and recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan.

–Exclusive: "…there is a suspicion that Omeed could have received some type of orthodox indoctrination while in Afghanistan…the bride’s family did not want Omeed to return to the US, and attempted to exert pressure and influence against him to abandon his ‘westernized ways.’”- Federal agent, speaking on condition of anonymity

–The driver struck two people in front of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco on California Street, just blocks from where the rampage ended. IDENTIFIES HIMSELF TO POLICE AS TERRORIST.

– A very special "Thank you" is extended to the highly respected Internet Blogger Hugh Hewitt for his rapid exposure and coverage of this incident.

Investigative Report by Douglas J. Hagmann, Director
director@homelandsecurityus.com