Terrorism, act of terrorism, terrorist act (the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear).
If there is any doubt about the terrorists among us, let’s just have a recap, then let's talk about how to calm the situation down and return to the world of polite disagreement.
They follow charismatic leaders who enable them in their coercion and train them in intimidation tactics:
http://www.cbsnews.com/...
http://thinkprogress.org/...
http://www.dailykostv.com/...
http://www.dailykos.com/...
They stage rallies to disrupt and drown out opposition speech:
http://www.motherjones.com/...
They kill people who do things they are opposed to:
http://www.cnn.com/...
http://www.knoxnews.com/...
They kill people who work for the government:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
They kill people who are not like them:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
So we are dealing with terrorism. What do we do about it?
Even though I grew up a Reagan republican in east Texas back in the 80s, frankly, I am not sure how to talk to people who think that offering healthcare to all Americans is synonymous with genocide. There used to be a time when I could talk to republicans about policy, and though we might disagree, we could come to terms with our disagreements and try to devise a plan that would work for all of us. During the first inklings of my liberalism, whenever I would visit my hometown, I would take long walks with a friend of mine—a staunch republican—and try to hammer out the best path for the nation. These were, in retrospect, woefully uninformed discussions which hinged more on philosophy and anecdote than reasons and evidence, but the intent was honest and genuine. And that’s what I really miss. I mean, we NEED opposition and we NEED contention, because the best ideas are forged through that process: I neither want to live in Somalia nor Cuba, and we must work together to better both. I have to hope that if we honestly believe in what we are fighting for—on both sides—and not just merely electing politicians who enrich themselves at our expense, then one day we will arrive at a place where no too many of us suffer and no too few of us are prosperous. But the elevated rhetoric of the right wing is totally out of synch with that hope, and I have no idea how to get them to stop throwing tantrums and have a conversation. Any ideas would be helpful because the way we are headed now leads to violence and wounds that cannot be salved.