Valley Truth Pages

Discussion on various topics kept hidden from public perception.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

"Terrorist/ism" as defined by Alabama Training Module

The Alabama Department of Homeland Security has a terrorism awareness and prevention training module on their website (as do many other governmental departments). What is notable about this site is its explicit definitions and categorizations of groups. The site encourages citizens to participate in "their own security" through a variety of means, but does not encourage "spying on neighbors."

The module states that there is no clear definition of terrorism but highlights the FBI's version:
"THE UNLAWFUL USE OF FORCE OR VIOLENCE AGAINST PERSONS OR PROPERTY TO INTIMIDATE OR COERCE A GOVERNMENT OR CIVILIAN POPULATION, OR ANY SEGMENT THEREOF, IN FURTHERANCE OF POLITICAL OR SOCIAL OBJECTIVES." (Sounds a bit like US foreign policy?)

According to the website the terrorists goals include:
-Creating fear and panic
-Causing disruption
-Demoralizing citizens and shocking them into inaction
-Intimidation
-Mistrust
-Embarrassing our government (they display a photo of Card whispering into Bush's ear while he reads a book about a goat)
-Media attention

The module further describes WMDs, international, and domestic terrorists. For domestic threats they lump many diverse groups together:

Hate Groups (based in Alabama)
Anti-Government Groups
Anarchist Groups (the site states: The theme is always the same. Big is bad. Rich are using the poor to stay rich. Our government in particular is using its power immorally.)
Separatist Movements
Single Issue Extremists (the site lists: Environmentalists, Anti-GE Activists, Animal Rights, Anti-Nuclear, Anti-War, and Gay Rights Activists)

This is just one example, there are probably thousands of others...

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home