* What is Terrorism? Terrorism is crime committed by an individual or group to influence public policy. Other perfectly good words exist to describe heinous acts, like murder, arson, unjust war, mass murder, war crimes, etc. Terrorism is not work place violence, unjust domestic or foreign war waged by nations, revenge against a school, or a family murder-suicide, regardless of the weapons used or the number of victims. Such criminal and unjust behavior terrorizes people, but is not terrorism.
* Obama is Trying, but He Just Doesn't Get It: In no way mitigating his grave wickedness, still, Obama is finding the courage to use the "t" word. Regarding the Boston Marathon bombing Barack Obama said, "Anytime bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror." That's wrong, and on a matter of national security which requires the utmost of clarity, it serves to confuse the nation's understanding. The bomber who terrorized Illinois churches wasn't a terrorist but a criminal. On the other hand, five-year-old Danielle Shefi was killed in her parents' bedroom in Israel by a terrorist using only a gun (NPR, who's science host once sued Bob Enyart, identified the little girl as an "Israeli settler"). Terrorism doesn't require the targeting of many people, nor any type of systematic behavior, nor the use of weapons of mass destruction, but only the commission of a crime (including threats) to influence public policy. Google's automated definition is accurate. While clarity may save lives, those who define terrorism, though, like Merriam Webster, in a way that includes rapists and omits the public policy factor, cause confusion.
* Boston Strangler vs. Boston Bombers, Terrorists vs. Criminals: The Boston Strangler was a criminal, the Boston bombers were terrorists. Terrorists include Osama bin Laden, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and the Tsarnaevs. Criminals include the Columbine murderers, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy.
Today's Resource: Have you seen the Government Department at our KGOV Store? We are featuring Bruce Shortt's vitally-important book, The Harsh Truth about Public Schools. And also, check out the classic God's Criminal Justice System seminar, God and the Death Penalty, Live from Las Vegas, and Bob on Drugs DVDs, and our powerhouse Focus on the Strategy resources!
Flashback #1: In a related story, Court TV interviews Bob Enyart regarding Scott Peterson's death sentence.
Flashback #2: Courthouse Burning of O.J. Simpson's Jerseys: Now that Simpson is imprisoned, remember that the Bob Enyart Live audience helped Bob and Doug McBurney burn O.J. Simpson's most prized sports memorabilia at high noon on the steps of the L.A. courthouse the day after purchasing at auction his Hall of Fame Induction Award and the two jerseys hanging in his home. (At 360 N. Rockingham Avenue in Brentwood Simpson had framed the jersey that he signed thirty years earlier, "Heisman '68" and his favorite self-autographed Buffalo Bills jersey.) Normally, it would be all but impossible to get through the red tape to get permission to light a fire on the steps of the Los Angeles city and county courthouse. However, when the county's fire marshall and the chief justice realized that we were going to burn O.J. Simpson's prized possession, they both eagerly gave authorization. The online home of Bob Enyart Live, which is KGOV.com, was launched with the intensive media coverage garnered for burning O.J.'s memorabilia on the steps of the L.A. courthouse. One of the favorite BEL "just-a-system" quotes which we used at that press conference still widely circulates today.
Flashback #3: Justice System is Just-a-System: The quote we repeated at our Simpson press conference was picked up by The Quote Garden which includes it with other insightful quotes about justice from:
- Earl Warren, Learned Hand, Fredrick Bastiat, Justinian I, Aristotle
- Robert Frost "A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer"
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. "This is a court of law, young man, not a court of justice"
- Bob Enyart "It's no longer a justice system, now it's just a system"
- J. Edgar Hoover "Justice is incidental to law and order"
- Lenny Bruce "In the Halls of Justice the only justice is in the halls"
- African Proverb "Corn can't expect justice from a court composed of chickens"
- Welsh Proverb "The houses of lawyers are roofed with the skins of litigants"
- Ambrose Bierce "Lawsuit: A machine which you go into as a pig and come out of as a sausage"
- H.L. Mencken, Edmund Burke,Henry David Thoreau, Mae West, Bertrand Russell, Marcus Aurelius
- Charles Evans Hughes "The United States is the greatest law factory the world has ever known"
- Tacitus "the more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws"
- Law-tzu "The greater the number of laws... the more thieves and robbers there will be"
- Frank Zappa "The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced"
- Lord Halifax "If the laws could speak for themselves, they would complain of the lawyers in the first place"
- William Shakespeare "The jury, passing on the prisoner's life, may in the sworn twelve have a thief or two guiltier than him"
- Will Rogers "We don't give our criminals much punishment, but we sure give 'em plenty of publicity"
- Jonathan Swift "Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through"
- Edmund Burke "It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do"
- The ACLU's evolutionist Clarence Darrow "There is no such thing as justice."
Flashback #4: Aurora Massacre and America's Murder Epidemic -- Causes and Solutions: On the day of the Aurora mass murder, Bob Enyart and Will discuss the unfortunate and distracting clichés, then the actual causes, and the solutions to America's murder epidemic. Like the Columbine massacre, the horrendous mass murder at a theater in Aurora, Colorado was not far from the Real Science Radio studio. Bob and Will ask God for wisdom so they can help bring clarity to this effort to think through public policy regarding criminal justice.
Flashback #5: Bill Clinton Raped Juanita Broaddrick: As also documented at ShadowGov.com, Bill Clinton's rape of Juanita Broaddrick was an event that "in fact took place" wrote the Wall Street Journal. Hear also Bob Enyart's worldwide exclusive interview with Juanita Broaddrick and Bob's interview with nurse Norma Rogers, her friend who found Broaddrick wounded and in tears shortly after the assault.