Home Grown Terrorists

Many worry about the issue of home grown terrorists in the United States. The Jihad Jane brings the issue to the forefront again.

The media and others jump and holler that domestic terrorism will infect the nation or poses the greatest threat to American soil.

While they are right to some degree, I can't help but remind them that homegrown terrorism runs deep in the fabric of American society. The threat from Islamic terrorists may be newest threat but certainly not the first.

The attacks of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols still sear my brain. Up to the Sept. 11th attacks, those two perpetrated the largest terrorist attack on American soil.

Ted Kaczinski aka the Unabomber also comes to mind. He carried out 18 attacks from 1978 to 1994 that took three lives and injured several people.

Before there were other were domestic terrorism groups like the Ku Klux Klan. They only intimidates, lynched and burned crosses and houses of blacks.

To a smaller degree the Symbionese Liberation Army qualifies as a domestic terrorist group.

Up in the woods and hills there are many Neo-Nazis or anti-government types running camps to dislodge the U.S. Government.

My point is that there will still be homegrown terrorist talent and we must be vigilant against it. Yes, Al-Qaida and radical Muslims want to attack the United States. We must continue to monitor those groups. However, remember that domestic attacks by the homegrown people aren't limited to Islamofacists. If you the historical data on U.S. soil attacks, Al-Qaida pulled of the largest more complex operation but there are still some homegrown plots brewing. Historically those attacks have been by American's own and haven't been religious based.