Homegrown terrorists
To the editor:
They are called Phineas Priests, (Book of Numbers 25:6-13) and they can lurk within our neighborhoods. Who are they? What do they do? What motivates them? The motivation is fueled by ideology.
They first came to light in 1991 when Byron de la Beckwith was given a second trial for the killing of Medgar Evers. One of the witnesses was terrified of testifying for fear of becoming a target of the Phineas Priests. His remarks, “You don’t know when they’re going to strike. There is nothing quite so dangerous as a religious fanatic who thinks he’s doing the Lord’s will.”
The domestic variety could best be illustrated by the actions of Timothy McVeight and Terry Nichols perpetrators of the Oklahoma City bombing in April of 1995. Although they were not members of an anti-government group, they were however, in sympathy with them and attended various meetings with different groups. For revenge of the federal involvement in Waco, Texas, they bombed the federal building in Oklahoma City.
But they were the domestic examples.
The current threat comes from the followers of the Islamic terrorist groups. These home-grown terrorists vary in numbers. They can be a single terrorist or a small discreet group. This is what makes them difficult to identify. Whereas they may be immigrant Muslims, this need not be the case, witnessed by most recent revelations, of our own home-grown ISIL supporters.
Both the domestic and foreign groups use violence to defend their God’s law. One is a Phineas Priest by taking action that is in sympathy with the cause. Richard Reid, the shoe bomber, fits the model nicely. Usual actions undertaken by them are assassinations and bombings. The street bombing in New York City many would recognize as a prime example. However, a Google search will provide the dozens of entries.
How vulnerable are we?
Look around. We are a target-rich society. We are very trusting in many ways and that is a poor ingredient to possess for these matters. Where will they strike? When will they strike?
The question is “who will come forth to “out” them?
Joseph Kibitlewski
Cape Coral