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Posted: 3/12/2002
Home Grown Terrorism
by Michelle (SapphosPlace.com)
Terrorism: the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. This is Webster’s official definition of terrorism. The definition for the word terror is a : one that inspires fear b : a frightening aspect c : a cause of anxiety : and d : an appalling person or thing.
Now what would be the most proper definition for a group of people that would picket the funeral of a hate crime victim? According to the dictionary and any sane person’s perception...this is terrorism. Because the definition of terrorism is the systematic use of terror as a means of coercion, let’s use the 700 club as an example to illustrate this point. For those of you who don’t know, the 700 club is a television show run by Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson is the same man who, along with Jerry Falwell, publicly blamed homosexuals and pro-choice advocates for the World Trade Center attacks. Now, the 700 club airs on a daily basis and Pat preaches the “Word of God” to anyone who tunes in. In his little show he often preaches against homosexuality. Of course, Pat uses the main terrorist tactic in his anti-gay rants: instill fear. As Pat will tell you, if you are a homosexual you are going straight to hell...unless of course you repent, praise the lord and send the 700 club some cash just to be a good Christian.
“The systematic use of terror especially as means of coercion”: Well, it certainly is systematic because there is a whole television show and multi million dollar organization based around it. It attempts to instill fear but not only do you have to fear in THIS life, you have to fear eternity. If that’s not an attempt to terrify then I don’t know what is! Last but not least we have the coercion part. Pat and his cronies would like to convert and coerce you into their strange little belief system. Pat Robertson is a terrorist, Fred Phelps is a terrorist, The Religious Right are terrorists and gay bashers are terrorists. Why aren’t they in prison? Apparently our government has created their own one sided definition of terrorism.
So ok, these people are ignorant and they do try to instill terror but are they dangerous? Are they threatening human life? Yes they are. They are preaching terror and damnation and they are trying to destroy basic human rights. Their acts of terrorism are derived from religion just as our worldwide acts of terrorism are derived from religion. The Christian Coalition is on their own holy war and they are trying to destroy innocent lives in the process. I want to know what separates them from the suicide bombers. How many teenage gays and lesbians have committed suicide as a result of the guilt and terror they had instilled upon them? How many gay men and women have been killed because the murderer thought it was “ok” because they were gay? How many gay clubs throughout the world have been bombed? How many gays have been “converted” to a heterosexual lifestyle by the Christian ex-gay movement? Add them all up and these are some pretty hefty figures. These are all lives lost because of a religious belief, an ignorant belief system, instilled guilt and instilled terror.
Fred Phelps has a web site called God Hates Fags. Fred Phelps is also the same man who picketed the Matthew Shepard funeral. What is the difference between him and Osama Bin Laden? Bin Laden preaches his twisted belief system that Americans are evil and a group of people listen to him and go out and destroy human life. Phelps preaches a twisted belief system that gays are evil and people listen to him too. The anti-gay movement did not just fall from the sky. It was carefully and systematically executed by religious fanatics who transferred their beliefs into our culture.
So in the midst of all of the talk about fighting terrorists, why don’t we start fighting terrorism in our own country? Lets get out there and do what we can to promote the sanctity of our rights to live and love that the “Land of the Free” promises us. Protest the 700 club and other movements similar to it. Let’s point out the solid fact that we have more terrorists in our own country than we do overseas. In a society that has been corrupting itself over the past one hundred years, it is highly impossible that they will ever see the truth...but for what it’s worth, we have to do something soon.
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