Legal Commentary

Palin Defines Terrorism

By TChris

When Brian Williams asked Palin whether she would classify an abortion clinic bomber as a terrorist, her typically convoluted answer came down to "no."

There’s no question that Bill Ayers by his own admittance was one who thought to destroy our U.S. Capitol and our Pentagon. That is a domestic terrorist. There is no question there. Now others who would want to engage in harming innocent Americans or facilities that it would be unacceptable to, I don’t know if you’re gonna use the word "terrorist" there.

At the end of the linked video, Palin reaffirms her understanding of the "terrorist" label: [more ...]

I would put in that category of Bill Ayers anyone else who would seek to campaign to destroy our United States Capitol and our Pentagon and would seek to destroy innocent Americans.

Given the "vast variety" of magazines and newspapers that have "been in front of" Palin "all these years," it's surprising she is unaware of Republican dogma: any crime committed against an American business interest (except an abortion clinic) is an act of terrorism. Environmental or animal rights activists who damage property belonging to the timber or fur industries have been "the nation's top domestic terrorism threat" under the Bush administration.

If Palin can find a way to argue that an animal rights activist who tears down a fence is a terrorist but an abortion clinic bomber isn't, she has depths of intellect not yet revealed. If she continues to maintain that terrorism is only violence directed at government targets, perhaps she can explain whether she views 9/11 as an act of terrorism.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on October 24, 2008 (boomark / email).