Exposing White Terrorism in the USA

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Did good ole white girl, Sarah Palin incite domestic terrorism according to the law? Sarah Palin put 20 Democratic members of Congress in her crosshairs, and Sarah Palin bragged that 18 are now gone, leaving Rep. Giffords and Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia. Hmmm, if she were Muslim, she’d be a Guantanamaran. Whiteness, a social construct and a source of privileges for whites around the world affords a spokes-model for white is right supremacy such as Palin, forms of free speech not allowed non-whites, such as the president. The privileges of whiteness even include whining about and then legislating against people of color attempting to reverse racism by claiming reverse racism. In fact, the speech of whites in Arizona now privileges the conquerors version of history to the exclusion of the studies of ethnic truths.

What about the alleged Tucson attacker? Why is corporate media not using the terrorist designation for this white man? Race, creed and ethnicity are consistently mentioned in corporate media when discussing the crimes of red and yellow, black and brown folks but white people remain invisible in the landscape of terrorism. What keeps white supremacy alive and in the Western world and specifically in the "wild West" of the USA? Have we been blinded by the lights?

I live part time in Arizona as both the blessing and curse of an inherited house. Because my skin color is white many Arizona whites often assume I am racist, like them. This means countless interactions wherein I must explain to folks that their racism is unwelcome in any conversation with me. This, in turn means altercations sometimes daily to the point that I hesitate to leave my house to avoid these wearisome conversations. The latest interaction was with a white shuttle driver who after talking miles of smack about Muslim terrorists and the Middle Eastern threat to America asked me why I was not giving him a tip at the end of our trip to the airport. Perhaps he may think twice about what he says in the future but probably not, because, membership does have its privileges.

Yet, when some whites transgress and become race traitors by being liberals, democrats or worse, radicals and revolutionaries, they join the ranks of those who must be killed to preserve the "white way". Sadly, this happened to those supporting a liberal democratic white congresswoman in Tucson this past weekend. White makes right, and the right will support violence against other whites as examples to keep other ideologically incorrect whites from transgressing over the borders be they social constructs of race; linguistic borders of English only zealots; religious or ideological constructs denying whites privilege such as, gasp, social justice; or, lines drawn in dirt that so many whites consider sacred their national boundaries.

Remember the white man who flew his plane into an IRS building? He was not a terrorist either; he was called, "desperate". Yet, if terrorism is: The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property in order to coerce or intimidate a government or the civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives. Than why are these white folks not disappeared to Guantanamo, or Poland or Romania and kept in permanent detention like Muslims? Or, at the very least sent to a super-max prison here in the USA.

If the definition of "terrorism" means the systematic use of terror, including speech that supports and incites violence to achieve political goals, than why aren’t all of FOX pundits and fundamentalist gun toting T-baggers not rounded up as terrorists? Where’s the liberal hysterical rhetoric about white terrorism? It doesn’t exist because whiteness is invisible and a majority of political liberals are white.

If, the targets of terrorism include government officials, identified individuals or groups, and innocent bystanders, as fundamental to the definition then it follows that under this definition the alleged attacker in Tucson is a terrorist, not some delusional lonely white guy who is a hero for FOX propagandists. If, terrorists seek to overthrow or destabilize an existing political regime, then most white right-wing whiners on corporate media are terrorists. In fact, according to these definitions since the US government also uses terror to maintain power, we must designate the government, media and its militaries and para-militaries as terrorists (and majority white terrorists at that).

Time has come to give the white supremacist and the white racist their legal punishment for they are the real terrorists in our midst with sleeper cells aplenty. The white supremacists are the real threat to peace and the evolution of the planet. If we are to follow the laws they have passed and for which they admit support, they must be punished and banished, perhaps even tortured for that too, is the only thing they understand. In their own words, nuke em to kingdom come.

juneterpstra.com

June Scorza Terpstra, Ph.D. is an activist educator and university lecturer in Justice Studies, Criminal Justice and Sociology. She has founded numerous programs for homeless, abused, youth and oppressed people in the USA.