DU this poll,..."Was Chapel Hill incident a terrorist attack?"

[Liberal_Andy]

I don't know where most DUers stand on this, I just think it was a guy with a problem, (bad problem, probably more than one) but not al qaeda. Thoughts?

http://www.fmtalk1011.com/

It's at 92% yes now.

[xultar]

1. What about the Alabama church fires. I was terraised. I don't see

no one saying anything about that.

Ohhhhhhh white people or christians don't do terra. Ahhh I get it.

[genie_weenie]

2. I think that is a bit of a stretch and fallacious, too.

Those 3 "youths" are going to be tried, probably under some "hate crime" legislation.

And I believe the gentleman charged with the Chapel Hill attack is Iranian by descent. Since he's most likely a believer in Shia Islam, they tend not to get along with UBL and AQ...

[Oceansaway]

3. Done...n/t

[Buzz Clik]

4. 84% consider it a terrorist attack? gawd

One really pissed off guy hits a dozen people with a rented SUV and turns himself in, and that's terrorism?

Jesus. This country forgets real fast what terrorism is really like.

[Poiuyt]

5. Just because it wasn't Al Quaeda doesn't mean it wan't terrorism

Remember Timothy McVeigh?

I'm not saying this act should be considered terrorism or not. I don't know.

[Xithras]

7. McVeigh was a terrorist.

No doubt about it. He blew up a building and killed people to push his political viewpoint (that the US government should be destroyed). His goal was to scare people enough so that federal workers would stay away from their offices, and citizens would avoid dealing with the federal government.

[Lex]

8. On the other hand, is a man beating his wife 'terrorism'?

Where does one draw the line on the term?

The "al queda" brand of terrorism is what most people think of nowdays when it's mentioned.

[Xithras]

6. I'm not familiar with the incident, BUT...

Terrorist attacks are like hate crimes....the designation lies in the intent and motive, not in the action itself. A terrorist attack is ANY attack designed to terrorize people into conforming to your social, political, or personal ideal.

Terrorist attacks don't need to be from a large organization to be labelled as such...they just need to be damaging and intended to scare people into conforming to an otherwise unpopular ideal. Very, very similar to hate crimes.

[mdmc]

9. of course it is terrorism

[mdmc]

10. the KKK has terrorized America for decades, perhaps over 100

years.

[Walt Starr]

11. He admitted it was a terrorist attack

Sorry, but this one is a slam dunk if they want to charge him with terrorism.

terrorism - n. The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

When he admitted on tape that "it was retribution for the treatment of Muslims around the world", he admitted to committing an act of terrorism. If eh feds charge him, conviction is a slam dunk.

[Liberal_Andy]

12. and in his mind it was...

poorly conceived and executed, but terror just the same. I'd classify it as attempted murder, and likely the act of a person with mental health issues, but while it was intimidating, I doubt he coerced anyone (to do what?), or intended to. I think he's a nut. A little criminal.

Now it's 76% yes, 24% no.