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Terrorist Bombs In The US Essay Research

Terrorist Bombs In The U.S. Essay, Research Paper


Although the people of the United States are still


concerned with the threat of international terrorists attacking


our land and citizens, there has been an alarming increase in


domestic terrorism that has raised the nation?s concern about


this problem. This increase in terrorist activity has not been


imported from other countries but has had it?s start within our


nations boundaries. This increased violence seems to be aimed


at influencing governmental policy and public opinion. ?The


recent increase in domestic violence is said to be associated


with the rise of anti-government sentiment and the


proliferation of self-styled militia and paramilitary groups -


some of which take extremist positions on race, religion,


federal authority, gun control, or taxation (Fisher 1998).?


One of the most devastating and well known forms of


terrorism are bombings. Most of the violence associated with


anti-governmental attacks takes this form. According to a


recent Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) report,


bombings or attempted bombings increased from 2,098 in 1990 to


3,199 in 1994 (the latest year available), a 52% increase.


Property damage from bombings rose to $7.5 million, with 308


people injured and 31 killed. This does not take into account


the tragic Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Some ATF experts


believe that it is the ready availability of materials and easy


access to instructions and explosives information on the


internet that has been the reason for this increase of


bombings.


There are several theories in the class text that help to


explain the justification behind the actions of these local


terrorist in our country. H. H. A. Cooper (1977) describes one


called the ?doctrine of necessity.? He believes that these


terrorist cannot accept the world as it is and they also reject


the possibility of peaceful means for social change. This is


why they become terrorist. Cooper feels most of the terrorist


do not enjoy the thought of random violence and murder but that


they are driven by their utter hatred of the social status quo.


He believes the first step in being a terrorist is the violent


rejections of normative society. Although most terrorist do


not enjoy violence or wish to adopt terrorist methods, Cooper


feels that they are forced toward violence. Violence becomes


necessary because there is no other alternative for correcting


the injustices of contemporary society. This doctrine of


necessary violence, according to Cooper, justifies acts of


terrorism. This theory of Cooper?s can be seen in an example


from the Arson and Explosive Incident Report by the ATF.


October 11, 1995, The Arizona Desert. Unknown terrorists derail a passenger train


60 miles southwest of Phoenix. One person was killed and 80 injured when the


Amtrak train jumped the track and plunged over a bridge. Saboteurs had removed a


section of track and bridged the gap with wire to disable the electronic warning system.


Notes found at the scene referred to the federal siege at Waco and to Ruby Ridge. At


least one note was signed ?Sons of Gestapo,? a group unknown to terrorism experts.


These terrorist ultimate hatred of the status quo might


have pushed them to do this deed. They made sure to leave some


kind of item behind in order for the emergency personnel to


know what the reason was for this meditated action. It might


be possible that this incident is race related also, due to the


fact the Gestapo were German military police during the


Holocaust.


Frederick J. Hacker (1976), was a physician who developed


an expertise in terrorism and hostage negotiations. He found


that terrorists seek reinforcement based on their orientation


to life. There are three types of terrorists according to


Hacker; criminals, crazies, and crusaders. Crusaders are the


type of terrorist that seem most related to the bombings that


are occurring in our homefront. According to Hacker?s theory,


crusaders make up the bulk of political terrorists. He


describes the category as people who are using terrorism to


change society. These terrorist are similar to Cooper?s


doctrine of necessity in that violence is accepted and


justified in the name of the cause. Crusaders feel that they


must be violent for society to change for the better according


to Hacker. This can be seen in another example from the Arson


and Explosive Incident Report.


November 13, 1995, Muskogee, Oklahoma. A self-proclaimed ?anti-government


prophet,? Ray Willie Lampley and three others are charged with plotting a series of


bombings against abortion clinics, homosexual gathering places, welfare offices and


offices of the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. The


four members of the Oklahoma Constitutional Militia were arrested before any of their


plans were carried out and charged with conspiracy to manufacture and possess bombs


to blow up federal offices in several cities. Lampley and two others were found guilty


of the bomb charges in April 1996.


This group of terrorist seemed to have been unsatisfied


with the way society has changed in recent years. They do not


like things that are common in our society now like abortion


and homosexuality. It can be inferred that they are unhappy


with how society has become and wants society to change by any


means necessary. In this case, bombs would have made a


devastating and deadly point.


One final theory that I felt was very important to the


matter of bombings that were occurring domestically was the


Social Conditions Justification. Richard Rubenstein (1987)


agreed that terrorists must ultimately justify their acts, but


he argues that instead of terrorist being psychological


misfits, social and economic conditions cause terrorism to


occur among this group. This, Rubenstein believes, is used to


justify acts of violence. An example of this occurring here in


the United States can be seen by looking again to the Arson and


Explosive Incident Report.


December 18, 1995, Reno, Nevada. Two unemployed and heavily indebted


construction workers, Ellis Hurt and Joseph Bailie attempted to bomb the Reno,


Nevada, office of the Internal Revenue Service. The pair placed a bomb made of about


100 pounds of fertilizer and kerosene with a lit fuse in a parking lot nest to the IRS


building. However, the triggering mechanism failed and the bomb did not ignite.


Authorities on the scene believe that many deaths and injuries would have occurred had


it gone off. Bailie was described by an assistant U. S. Attorney as a man obsessed with


the IRS, who has boasted that he had not paid taxes since 1985. Hurst testified against


Bailie and was sentenced to 10 years. Both were convicted of conspiracy, attempted


destruction of a government building, and the use of an explosive device while


committing a violent crime. Bailie received a 36-year sentence.


Because these two men were poor and in debt, they may have


felt severe frustration and hopelessness with their situation


and needed someone to blame for their plot. The Internal


Revenue Service seemed like a good idea because they were the


ones who were constantly taxing them and taking away their


money. This frustration caused these men to act out against


the IRS.


In order to learn more about the problems that our


occurring on our homestead and if bombings were the most


prolific avenue of destruction, I went to interview someone in


the Metro Police Department in order to gain some insight into


what is going on with terrorism

in our city and how it is


handled. After making several phone calls, I was finally able


to reach the terrorism division of the Los Angeles Police


Department (LAPD). But to my disappointment, the officer on


the other line told me that he was not able to discuss any of


the information they had concerning terrorism and their tactics


with the general public. Because of this reason, I had to


settle for a detective in the police department.


I first asked Detective John Doe what position he held in


the police department, what he did, and how long he had been


working at it. I learned that John is a detective in the Los


Angeles Police Department, Metro division and his basic duties


is to figure out what happened at a scene of a crime and who


that person/s was that committed the crime and even how it was


committed. This ranged greatly from murder, stolen vehicles,


robberies, vandalism, and even missing persons. He said he has


been a detective for about ten years and a police officer for


about 16 years.


Have you ever been involved with any cases dealing with


terrorist activities? John said that he had been called to the


scene of several bomb threats and suspicious packages that were


laying around. He also said that he had reported to many


crimes scenes where things were either blown up or burned, but


he did not really consider them terrorist activity necessarily


but more rather vandalism and arson.


Where did most of these bomb threats occur? Mostly at


places such as abortion clinics and churches with specific


races such as Black and Jewish. I found that this was quite


interesting because it falls into the model of Cooper?s idea


that terrorist are driven by their utter hatred of the social


status quo.


How does one get involved with terrorism and what kind of


training is involved? Everyone in the Police Department must


first enter the Police Academy where everyone receives the same


basic training. This includes the physical and mental. You


have to be in shape and you have to learn how to handle certain


situations that normally people are not faced with. After the


Police Academy you can pretty much decide which area of law


enforcement interest you and lean toward that direction. There


are several ways to get involved with terrorism though because


there are so many different aspects of terrorism. There is the


bomb squad, SWAT team, hostage negotiation, and even airport


security. It is pretty easy to get involved if there is an


interest because there is definitely a need.


What type of policies are there on terrorism? There are


several general policies that we follow. But, probably the


most important one is to never take any threat lightly. This


is the reason why even if we do not believe that a bomb threat


is real, we will still evacuate the building and check because


there is always that 1% chance that it is real.


Where do you get your information on terrorism from?


Everywhere. There are many different city and federal agencies


that are involved with terrorism and information is shared


between these agencies. We also have many specialist and


experts that range from doctors to engineers who specialize in


terrorist activities. Their research and studies gives us a


lot of information. We also get information from the internet.


The internet is probably the most easily accessible holders of


vast amounts of information. We also have people just like you


that might see or learn of something that is going around in


their community.


What kind of preventative measures are taken? There are


only so many things that can be done such as metal detectors


and such at the airports but the best preventative measure that


we have is to be very alert of any suspicious or abnormal


behavior. This includes purchases of large amounts of


gasoline, ammunition, or firearms. Our best help are people


that are out there being alert. This guideline helps to


educate people on what to look for. Any of the following


events might mean danger and should be a reason for an


immediate report or for seeking advice from security or law


enforcement officials:


Anonymous tips, phone calls, or notes of a threatening


nature which may identify groups or carry extremist


messages.


Surveillance by suspicious persons of federal offices or


federal employees performing official duties.


Unidentified or unattended packages, cans, or other


containers left in or near government offices.


Unattended and unoccupied vehicles parked in unauthorized or


inappropriate locations, particularly those in close


proximity to buildings or other structures.


Requests for plans, blueprints, or engineering specification


for federal buildings or commercially-owned buildings that


house government offices, by those who have no official


reason to have them.


Unauthorized access even to unsecured areas by unknown or


unidentified persons who have no apparent reason for being


there.


Packages or heavy envelopes which arrive in the mail from


unknown senders or which have a peculiar odor or appearance


- often without a clear return address.


Confrontation with angry, aggressively belligerent, or


threatening persons by federal officials in the performance


of their official duties.


Extremely threatening or violent behavior by co-workers who


indicate that they may resort to revenge against a group,


company, or government agency.


When a bomb threat or bombing occurs, who is first on the


scene? The police are usually the first to arrive because they


are the ones that are out on the street. Then it is the


emergency medical and fire that arrives next. The police


usually try to control the situation and make sure people are


safe from danger. Medical and fire personnel take care of the


human and non human damages. If it is a threat, they are there


on standby to be ready. Then after these two agencies have


arrived, the more specific departments are called in such as


the bomb squad, SWAT team and some federal agencies (FBI and


ATF) if necessary.


How is it coordinated? Once the necessary agencies


arrive, a command post is usually set up in an empty parking


lot or such. This usually involves a mobile office vehicle


that we have that has communication devices, computers, and so


on for the incident. It kind of looks like a mobile home.


There are usually people who are in charge of specific


responsibilities that order things to happen. Traffic control,


media, ground assault, surveillance, air, security and so on.


By speaking with this officer, I learned that there are


many aspects of terrorism. Even though many terrorist events


have not happened here in Los Angeles, there are agencies and


people that have training and are prepared just in case some


thing were to happen. There are many things that can be looked


for that alert of possible terrorist threat. This terrorist


threat is very real here in Los Angeles because of the society


involved in Los Angeles. As in the theories discussed earlier,


there are people who have bad social conditions in Los Angeles


and there is also a proliferation of different races. This


could cause some friction. Also there are many who believe


that Los Angeles has many morally corrupt people such as gays


and lesbians. It is important to understand these theories of


terrorism in a practical way in order to help save lives and


understand and prevent terrorism.


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