DOMESTIC TERRORISM

Domestic Terrorism and Extremist Groups

Domestic Terrorism and Extremist Groups

Introduction

There have been several terrorist acts committed in the United States of America, not by terrorists that live in other countries and despise the American ways and ideas, but by our own citizens who live and work in the United States of America. Domestic terrorism is done by a person or group of persons who reside here, who are not acting on behalf of a foreign power, and who may be conducting criminal activities in support of terrorist ideas and whose acts are aimed at elements of the U.S. Government or population. Those objectives range from distrust of the government, to hatred of a specific type of person or people or their beliefs. They organize around civil rights, war, feminism and other political themes.

Thesis Statement

The threat to the United States from domestic extremists is even more serious than that of foreigner terrorists.

Discussion

The Oklahoma City Bombing

This was brought to light on April 19, 1995, when Timothy McVeigh and accomplice Terry Nichols detonated a massive truck bomb that destroyed the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It was the second most deadly terrorist act to occur on American soil. It has still not been completely determined if McVeigh and Nichols acted on their own or were part of a form of terrorism committed by small groups or individuals to exert pressure on a specific group or the government to grant recognition to a larger group with whom they relate or identify with.

The 9/11 Attacks

Domestic terrorism was again visited after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World trade Center in New York when anthrax attacks occurred in Washington, New York and Florida. Top FBI and CIA officials believe that the anthrax attacks on Washington, New York and Florida were likely the work of one or more extremists in the United States (Woodard, B., Eggen, D., 2001). And the FBI said in June 2004 that eco-terrorism -- acts of violence, sabotage or property damage motivated by concern for animals or the environment -- was the nation's top domestic terrorism threat.

The attacks on the United States and its people by its own citizens, has shocked many Americans. Americans feel that after 911, the sense of patriotism and support for the government should have been at an all time high. However, strict government reforms and new laws that have tightened and, what some feel, interfere with some of our freedoms since 911 have drastically upset many of the extremist groups and militias. Militia members have intense hatred or fear toward the government and believe that there are federal conspiracies in which the government is planning to disarm its citizens. Hatred for the government grows out of these faucets as it faces these groups with opposition and attempts to expose them. Anti-government extremists are a large part of the radicals that cause a lot of the domestic terrorism. They are driven by their strong beliefs and goals and believe that they are correct in their thinking and the ...