I felt compelled to look up the term “terrorism” in my handy-dandy, dog-eared American Heritage Dictionary.
I found this: “Terrorism, (n): the political use of violence or intimidation”
Fascinating, yes? I think it is.
We just went through a weekend in which we commemorated the bloodiest act of terrorism ever committed on U.S. soil. The 9/11 attack in reality was an act of war and we responded initially in righteous anger.
Then came the events of 1/6, an insurrection committed against the U.S. government by a riotous mob of traitors who stormed the Capitol and sought to prevent the certification of a duly conducted U.S. presidential election.
Both events, while different in their scope and level of carnage, had one thing in common. They both were “political” acts that used “violence and intimidation” against their victims.
So, when we refer to the 1/6 attack on our government, let’s be sure to understand what it was and what it intended to do.
It was a terrorist act meant to frighten government officials into doing something they weren’t empowered to do.
And to think that the assault came at the behest of an individual who took an oath to protect and defend the very government he later would attack.
