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Excerpt, minor edit for TIN by Carolyn Bennett
From the author of The
Newest Explosions of Terrorism: Latest Sites of Terrorism in the 90s and Beyond;
and Strategic Terror: the politics and
ethics of aerial bombardment
Beau Grosscup spoke this week with FAIR's "CounterSpin" and soon after the
Boston Marathon incident, he discussed the politically convenient and
dangerously irresponsible, loose labeling “TERRORISM.”
U.S. President Barack Obama, Beau Grosscup writes, first
called the Boston Marathon incident “a ‘tragedy’” and after this labeling “was
roundly criticized by the political right,” the president “a day later” declared
the incident “‘an act of terrorism.’”
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What appears to be mere semantics, Grosscup continues, “are real
power politics at work.”
B
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oston bombing facts
The FBI says it does not know who
was responsible or how many were involved.
The FBI defines ‘terrorism’ as ‘the
unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or
coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof in furtherance
of political or social objectives’; but then adds the operational criteria that
for an act to be called terrorism a conspiracy of two or more must be
established.
“In the past,” Grosscup says, “this definitional requirement
has allowed the FBI to say ─
Domestic violence directed at the
family planning community, black churches, LGBT community, environmentalists is
not terrorism because they cannot find a conspiracy of two or more
people.
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Yet, to the FBI, the Unabomber, a
lone individual, was a terrorist.
“In short,” he comments, “the Boston bombing is only the
latest example of the CONSISTENT INCONSISTENT application of the
terrorism label for political purposes.”
Political convenience: Mind-Managing the masses
“Terrorism,”
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he says, “is such a politically emotive concept that
politicians around the world use it or not when they consider it politically
convenient to do so.
“In the current contrived ideological context of ‘WE DON’T
DO TERRORISM, OTHERS (THEY) DO’ -- add the voice of President Barack Obama.
DITTO
chemical weapons political consistent inconsistency
T
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oday’s news
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| U.S. in Afghanistan Civilian, children dead |
“U.S., allies setting stage for Iraq-like invasion of Syria,”
Press TV reporting: “The United States and its allies are stepping up pressure
on Syria by accusing Damascus of using chemical weapons against foreign-backed
militants.
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| U.S. in Middle East families destroyed refugees flooding region |
“Analysts believe that the war rhetoric against Syria is
very similar to the media propaganda launched by the U.S. and its allies ahead
of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“On Friday, the U.S. President Barack Obama claimed the
world cannot stand by and permit the use of chemical weapons in Syria, calling
for an investigation into the issue,” April 27, 2013,
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/27/300562/us-allies-setting-stage-against-syria/
Syrian minister responds
“U.S., UK chemical arms claim barefaced lie,” Press TV
reporting: “Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi says claims by the U.S.
and Britain that Damascus may have used chemical weapons against foreign-backed
militants are a ‘barefaced lie.’
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“‘First of all, I want to confirm that statements by the U.S.
Secretary of State [John Kerry] and British government are inconsistent with
reality and a barefaced lie,’ Zohbi told Russia Today (RT) television network
on Saturday.”
He added
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| Might makes right Global domination |
“The remarks came after the U.S., Israel and Britain claimed
that the Syrian government may have used chemical weapons against the
militants. Zohbi, however, accused anti-Damascus militants of using chemical
weapons.” April 27, 2013, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/27/300549/us-uk-chemical-arms-claim-mere-lie/
Sources and notes
Beau Grosscup
A college professor in International Relations (U.S. Foreign
Policy, Politics of Terrorism, Political Economy of Post-Industrial Societies),
Beau Grosscup is author of The Newest
Explosions of Terrorism: Latest Sites of Terrorism in the 90s and Beyond;
and Strategic Terror: the politics and
ethics of aerial bombardment
He took his doctorate in International Relations at the
University of Massachusetts (Amherst) and his research has focused on
contemporary terrorism (Cluster Munitions and State Terror and militarization
of North American society), http://chicowiki.org/Beau_Grosscup
Beau C. Grosscup is a member of Political Science faculty of
California State University – Chico, http://webapps.csuchico.edu/directory/people/bgrosscup
“Beau Grosscup on Defining Terrorism, Hugh Kaufmann on Texas
Explosion,” http://fair.org/counterspin-radio/beau-grosscup-on-defining-terrorism-hugh-kaufmann-on-texas-fertilizer-explosion/
Linked on CounterSpin April 23, 2013, “Use of Terrorism," Institute for
Public Accuracy (4/17/13), http://www.accuracy.org/release/use-of-terrorism/
“Use of ‘Terrorism,’” April 17, 2013 (BEAU GROSSCUP,
bgrosscup at csuchico.edu), http://www.accuracy.org/release/use-of-terrorism/
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