Cable News Network or CNN is a network that broadcasts current news stories from around the world 24 hours a day. This article, written by CNN journalist Sumit Galhorta, was published in 2012 right after the Aurora theater attack and the Sikh temple attack in Wisconsin. Galhorta beings by making a clear statement that domestic terrorism is just as much as a threat as foreign terrorism but is often over looked by the U.S. government. He explains that “9/11 has set a threshold for what terrorism is in the minds of many Americans.” Throughout the article, he pulls direct quotes and opinions …show more content…
However, in 2010 he left because of frustration but the article did specifically state what frustration. The author clarifies the FBI’s definition of domestic terrorism, which is “Americans attacking Americans based on U.S.-based extremist ideologies.” Between the years of 2004 and 2011 there has been 35 terrorist attacks, 25 were linked to domestic terrorism. One of the big issues with domestic terrorism is that it is difficult to track and if it is caught in the court of law, the case is often tried under an array of other statutes. They do not fall under anti-terrorism laws or statutes. There are two basic ideologies groups behind domestic terrorism, left-wing and right-wing. On the left-wing, there are “anarchists and some Communist factions.” On the right-wing, there are “white supremacists and sovereign citizens.” The author states that the right-wing group is more of a threat because of the weaponry that they tend to collect. Furthermore, Johnson stated that “counterterrorism efforts should be proactive rather than reactive” but currently the U.S. government is using a hands-off approach, at the same time cutting resources devoted to counterterrorism. Also, there is not an official list of domestic terrorism organizations and …show more content…
This article was in response to the Charleston church shooting that happened in June of this year. Dylan Roof entered the church and joined African Americans in a group study for an amount of time before shooting and killing nine of them. As of July, it was unsure whether Roof would be charged under a hate crime or an act of terrorism. Former US attorney, Donald Stern, classifies domestic terrorism as “some act of violence with some political purpose designed not just to harm or kill the intended victims, but intended for a larger purpose; intended to instill fear or something like that in a larger community.” However, officials at the White House and FBI were reluctant to use the term terrorism in connection with the Charleston shooting. FBI director James Comey stated that an act of terrorism is based more on a political act and what Roof did was not politically based. A Northeastern law professor argues that the definition of domestic terrorism varies, but in his opinion, Roof is a terrorist because his actions were meant to intimidate African Americans and influence government policy in race relations. Furthermore, the author argues that the weapon of choice has an impact on whether Roof is considered a terrorist. Because he used a 45-caliber handgun and not a bomb or weapon of mass destruction, it