Lone Wolves in the USA (new title)

[AmericanPride]

Bill,

I think you're right with regards to the copy cat syndrome. The media plays a major role in this although there is a fine line between free speech and responsible reporting (which can be a code word for self-censorship).

Just out curiosity I viewed recent shooting news for 5 cities, and over well over 30 people have been shot in the past 24 hours in those 5 cities alone, so needless to say we have a high level of violence in some segments of our society. If those shootings stay in certain segments of society, then America largely turns a blind eye. I think we do so at our own risk, moral and otherwise, since we are allowing this norm to perpetuate into the future, yet none of this is newsworthy because it is so common.

That's part of the problem. And violence is not limited in "some segments of society"; it affects every segment of society. But it's normalized, as you've mentioned, through a mainstream narrative, at least when it fits into those preconceptions about which "segments" 'deserve' the violence visited upon them. Where does a workplace beheading fall into narratively speaking? The narrative about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism or the one about workplace violence?

Now what's interesting to me about terrorism in the United States is just how widely the media actually ignores self-proclaimed terrorism. Militant right-wing populism has been the largest source of violence in the U.S as far as terrorism is concerned. Just recently, a self-proclaimed survivalist targeted police officials, killing one of them, in the mid-West somewhere I believe. This did not receive widespread media coverage, however. These kinds of acts have all the conventional components of a terrorist attack, including most importantly a political agenda (what's the OK attacker's political agenda?). As we've seen in Iraq and Afghanistan (and in previous terrorist campaigns), the aim is not always a spectacular attack to scare the public at large. But often is directed at local officials and institutions with the aim of subverting government authority.

So if we're to be concerned about terrorism in the U.S., let's focus on the actual perpetrators of terrorism in the country.

[AmericanPride]

Just some statistics of terrorism in the U.S. from the Global Terrorism Database between 2006 and 2013:

Year: # of attacks (# of deaths)

2006: 6 (1)
2007: 9 (0)
2008: 19 (2)
2009: 11 (18)
2010: 17 (4)
2011: 9 (0)
2012: 13 (7)
2013: 15 (7)

Of the 99 attacks, 68 (68.69%) were conducted by individuals or an unknown group. of the remaining 31 attacks with a known perpetrator, 7 (22.58%) were conducted by anti-abortion activitists, neo-nazis, the KKK, or a militia. And of the 68 individual/unknown group, 21 (30.88%) were directed at the government or abortion providers. And out of general interest, of the 99 total attacks in the time period, 20 (20.20%) involved firearms while 62 (62.62%) involved incidenaries or explosives. Only two attacks were conducted by an Islamic group (AQ or TTP).

The top five deadliest incidents:
o Fort Hood shooting (13)
o Sikh temple shooting in Milwaukee (7)
o attack on church in Knoxville, TN (2)
o attack on a Mexican family (2)
o Plane crashing into IRS building in TX (2)

Of the 15 (15.15%) attacks that caused a fatality, 12 (80%) were perpetrated by firearms.