Eric Robert Rudolph vs. William Ayers
Sarah Palin's contradictory and nonsensical answer on what constitutes a terrorist is being thoroughly fisked online. Her claim that William Ayers is a terrorist but an abortion clinic bomber is not leaves a lot to be desired intellectually, which begs an important follow-up: what would her view of someone who has a record of targeting both abortion clinics and non-natal personnel and infrastructure? I'm talking about Eric Robert Rudolph, the "Olympic Centennial Park Bomber" who was also convicted of attacks on two abortion clinics and a lesbian nightclub. He was a far worse "terrorist" than William Ayers ever was, in both scope of physical damage (Rudolph left a trail of destruction that left 2 people dead, and 120 injured), national psychological trauma (a five-year manhunt shrouded in uncertainty that led to Rudolph's arrest in the North Carolina mountains) and eventual prison sentence (Rudolph got life, Ayers' case was dismissed). The Olympic bombing was undoubtedly one of the most audacious acts of international terror during the 90's, not just for the human toll, but also the psychological and visual effect which left Atlanta and the international community on edge for the rest of the games. I'm not defending Ayer's actions or involvement in the Weather Underground, but the context and breadth of impact matters here. Rudolph was indeed, as Attorney General John Ashcroft said in 2003, "the most notorious American fugitive on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' list," a stature Ayers never even came close to. As to whether abortion clinic bomber Rudolph was a terrorist, I'll leave that characterization to Alberto Gonzalez:
"The many victims of Eric Rudolph's terrorist attacks in Atlanta and Birmingham can rest assured that Rudolph will spend the rest of his life behind bars," said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales. "The best interests of justice are served by resolution of this case and by the skillful operation that secured the dangerous explosives buried in North Carolina."
The overarching question for Sarah Palin is: would you consider the Olympic Park Bombing an act of terror but the abortion clinic attacks in Birmingham and Atlanta as well as on the nightclub as simply ordinary acts of violence? Would this make Rudolph only a quasi-terrorist?
And what would she say to one of Rudolph's victims who survived the deadly 1998 bombing at the New Woman All Women Health Care in Birmingham:
Before, his wife could see through both of her blue-green eyes to read, her favorite pastime. She could go for a long walk with her dogs, Cassidy, Eska and Tex; she could put in five miles on a treadmill. In the morning, she'd put on her colorful scrubs because she could go to work as a nurse. At the end of the day, she could look in the mirror and see Emily Anne, not a plastic eye and countless scars and pockmarks and skin grafts and other reminders of an explosion she doesn't remember."I look in the mirror and it's not really my face," Emily says. "You think, 'Who's that? Who have I become?' "
The answers are nothing this soft-spoken 46-year-old woman with long, draping brown hair could have ever imagined: A cause celebre for the abortion rights movement but also a symbol, a person, for extremist abortion protesters to aim their words of disdain. A woman honored as a heroine with awards for courage but one who would gladly go back to a life of anonymity. A victim of a domestic terrorist now overshadowed by an international war against terrorism.
Terror is terror, no matter what the target. And to create special carve-outs to the definition of terrorism in order to placate a political constituency further calls into question Palin's fitness to truly put country instead of politics (not to mention common sense) first.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
I'm listening to McCain saying Obama went to Joe the Plumber
s house when the video sjows Joe in a crowd coming forward to pitch Obama,
Ity's an outright lie and yet the CNN anchors don't point it out!!!!
How can we point out the huge amount of lies McCain and Palin are uttering???
Eliminate greed/money. You know, the "deadly sin" that all these Christian's are guilty of?
That's a simple, wishful answer.
But unfortunately, money is the issue.
It's up to us. Start local, and hopefully it will spread.
Now I see why she doesn't care about the plight of Polar Bears, she's taken up with their arch-enemies - the Pander Bears!
Now Adam..why did you in your blog cut off the Governor's statement on what constitutes a terrorist? Being an Independant Conservative many of you liberals frighten me....well...maybe not actually frighten me considering I am a 200 pound ex-Marine who has no fear of anything but you definitely concern me as to your mental states!
There was only one answer to Brian Willams' question. "Yes, bombing an abortion clinic is an act of domestic terrorism." Any other answer amounts to "No, it's not."
by letting us know you are a 200lb ex-marine, are you trying to instill fear into us?
are you a terrorist? or maybe just insecure.
;)
so what did you get dishonorably discharged for
My Dad was a 200 pound former Marine, he taught me how to safely and correctly use various types of firearms, so you don't scare me at all.
Did you have a point to make, something constructive or informative to add to the discussion, or did you just pop in to attempt to insult and intimidate us?
BTW, as the Marine Corps tells it, there are NO ex-Marines, so I'm not really believing your claim. Please fill in the blanks: From the halls of _________, to the shores of _______, we will fight our country's battles on ____ and ___ and ___. First to fight for _____ and _______, and to keep our _____ _____, we are proud to claim the title of ______ ______ _______.
a proud member of the Marine Corps League Auxiliary and Pro-American Progressive.
Since threatening someone now falls under the new, corrupt definition of "terrorism," a timely warning: Don't threaten.
As a matter of fact, I'd be careful about threatening to threaten, which your above post could well be interpreted as an example of.
If you think I'm over-reacting, just read the roster of Acts churned out by the Republican Congress and our current sitting President. Nearly ANY breaking of laws, or even the interpreted possibility of such behavior, could be taken as "terrorism." Not only that, but YOUR president reserves the right to define anyone as a terrorist; and needs to state no reason at all for it -- You are a terrorist if George II says you're one.
True, this doesn't look much like the America you were born into, but it's the America you Conservatives have helped create.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-dinges/mccain-meets-a-bloody-dic_b_137422.html
mccain has his ter*rorist friends.
Ayers never kil*led anyone.
I live in birmingham, and remember the bombing. Not a terrorist. I don't think so. the panic the city felt. It isn't the first time Birmingham has had to deal with bombs.
the little girls in the church, the judge in his kitchen.
also was working the 1996 olympics, and it was a huge problem to get into venues after that bombing.
We had a company, and our equipment included aluminum tubing.
We spent hours at security checks, as they looked through every peice of pipe.
The definition of a terrorist. To create terror, and disrupt peoples lives .
Rudolph will rot forever in jail. Or did he get the death penalty. to bad they retired old sparky.
The Federal Death Chamber is located in Terre Haute Indiana. They use the 'lethal injection' method there. At least that's how they executed Timothy McVeigh.
Ayers is a rich man's kid, whereas McVeigh was poor. Thats the difference.
The main objective of the neo-cons is to divide the people and create havoc so that they can continue to rob and pillage the world at the expense of the poor.
an interesting footnote to the rudolph case. as a prisoner captured and tried in the eastern part of the country, he would normally be incarcerated in marrion. however, he has been conveniently assigned to florrisant, colorado, just down the road from, among others, james dobson and focus on the family!!!!
walks --
That IS interesting. How convenient for him.
She was probably "annoyed" about another "Gotcha" moment and, umm, "chose" to give a non-answer
in a way that you "may not like" but allowed her to speak directly to the "American People" - her American People that is, however many there are, wherever they are, poor fools.
Palin and McCain have "pal'ed" around and done business with more actual terrorists than Obama has ever seen. Ayers has moved on to a constructive life. The terrorists of the McCain/Palin camp are still in the business of terror. Then you've got the so-called "right-wing pundits" who are attempting to incite violence. There clowns are not terrorists? Give me a break!! Ayers is a non-issue, but wrong-wing hatred IS.
Perhaps you'd list all of the admitted or convicted terrorists that Palin is or has palled around with? I don't seem to recall a single one!
Semper fi
Did you know that one of Rudolph's victims who died at the clinic was a cop? So palin doesn't believe a cop-killer is a terrorist? BTW, Ayers was never convicted of anything, so Obama doesn't pal around with convicted terrorists. Semper this!
While they may not have been convicted (please someone go after them for war crimes!!!), I would definitely consider George Bush and Dick Cheney to be domestic and foreign terrorists, and also her husband... who as we all know has been involved with the Alaskan Independence Party. Wanting to succeed from the United States may not necessarily be enough to be considered a terrorist, but it's obviously "Anti-American", which is what she (and all the other Republicans on her side) has been focusing on and pointing fingers about. Also, the last time there was any sort of succession in the United States (i.e the Civil War), I clearly remember a domestic war, that involved quite a few civilian/American deaths... While this may have been many, many years ago... technology has advanced, and had her husband continued on fighting the "good" fight for the AIP, bombs may be used, thus linking him to you guessed it "Domestic Terrorist" status. Not to mention, if she were to get into office, what sort of personal agenda would she work towards? She and her husband have already admitted to working together on political lines, all the while he's just "Todd the Fisherman".
I just have to sum up her finger pointing in three words, "Smeller the Feller".
Sarah Palin is a frightening,ignorant and horrible woman. I cannot imagine what it would be like for her to have more power than she does now.
Please, please, PLEASE stop using the right-wing term "abortion clinics." They are NOT "abortion clinics." They are WOMEN'S clinics that, among many other services, also happen to offer abortions. I have seen this over and over again, on progressive blog after progressive blog. Stop.
You're right. We let the right wing frame issues and name things, and after constant repetition we start using the corrupt names ourselves. New rule: no more "abortion clinics."
Agreed.
The services these clinics provide actually DECREASE the number of abortions by offering family planning and birth control type services...
Check out - McCain voted NO on legislation to hold people who attacked abortion clinics accountable with prosecution more than current laws had allowed.
McCain is dangerous.
Exactly why do abortion clinics need more prosecutorial protection than, say, your local seven-eleven? Or, your local bank? Or your local Pizza Hut delivery person? Why should McCain have voted for abortion clinics to have more protections?
Semper fi
If some group, say Fried Fish Rights, starts targeting Pizza Hut then yes, the Pizza Hut delivery people need extra protection.
You seem to have a lot of anger. Did you acquire it in the Marines?
I can sense your overwhelming cognitive dissonance, sir. Military indoctrination is a mighty force to overcome. May your healing include the application of your well-developed logic not only toward views which you oppose, but also toward the way our military has been used as pawns in the last 60 years. Perhaps you will view Ayers in a different light.
Berettasskeeter:
Perhaps because the people who visit these health facilities are exercising their right to privacy. You know, the type of personal liberty that is protected by the Constitution?
And because we have witnessed certain extreme fringe elements take it upon themselves to try and divest people, primarily women, of their right to exercise that freedom.
If your local Courthouses were picketed and attacked daily, by people who do not believe in the right to receive a fair and speedy trial, would you not support heightened police protection for those facilities? This is not rocket science, you know ...
If you are truly asking this question in earnest, then I apologize that I do not have the time to educate you further as to how an abortion clinic is different from a delivery driver, a bank, or a 7-11.
I have to operate on the assumption however that you are intentionally obfuscating this issue and are simply being obstinate.
Semper fool.
The "I don't know if I would call that terrorist" line is particularly execrable because in all other instances she seems to present herself as an expert on what to call "terrorist" or not. Ditto "American."
Ayers was indeed not tried or convicted of a crime because,as the former prosecuting atty.wrote recently,the Atty.Gen.under Nixon,that great republican president, violated soo many parts of the Constitution(That BLEEPING piece of paper)that the case was thrown out. Now,how about McBush's connection to the central american death squads and iran contra and that piece of dung, Liddy.Somewhere the truth seems to get lost in the struggle to lie to us.
The investigation was found to be unconstitutional, not the prosecution (FBI, Mark Felt (Deep Throat)). The finding left the prosecutors with no evidence.
I'm sorry to have to point this out to Ms Palin, but, gosh darn, golly gee, there really is a legal definition of terrorism as mandated by Congress, so the definition of terrorism is a matter of law, not opinion. Just because Bush, McCain, and Palin ignore it to further their own interests (and feather their nests and get us into the occasional war) doesn't make it acceptable or (dare I say it?) LEGAL. As for the abortion issue: Palin's views are consistent with those of the Bush Administration. FYI: The Bush data was edited to include less than 1% of known anti-abortion related terrorist events and excludes references to 82% of those killed and 98% of those injured in anti-abortion related attacks to date. Outrageous? You betcha.
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
