(06-15-2016, 04:59 PM)Danilynn Wrote: How about not speculating on my reasoning? And let me explain my reasoning behind the choices of Oklahoma City and 9/11.The question was do you see this as a terrorist attack like 911 or a rampage like Virginia Tech? This entire response argues from an assumption that it is obvious that it is an act of terrorism, and so the focus is on why you chose 911 or Oklahoma as specific examples of terrorist events to which Orlando can be compared. Not addressed is the original question, why is an act of terrorism and not a rampage?
Oklahoma city: That attack was carried out by a small disjointed group of 2, I still believe there were more that just were not caught, and done in such a way as to maximize impact on the populace by American Born several generations back American Born radicals. This attack in McVeigh's own words was supposed to have ignited more lone wolf attacks against the Government and the population to turn against the government. Chaos. Mayhem, and unrest. Innocent loss of life was just collateral damage. The main target wasn't a lifestyle, so much as an attack on the government.
9/11 Was an attack and a message about our way of life, our financial heartbeat and importance in the world. It was carried out by Saudi Nationals, who laughed from things I have heard and read that we gave them their Visas and flight training that allowed them to do things they did with some aircraft. The middle East has made no bones about their opinion of our "immoral Western culture" Western Culture represents Soddam and Gomorrah to them. Or whatever the muslim version is. (Don't know, don't really give a rat's ***, so if you know just know I don't care.)
This attack seems a hybrid of the two to me, a couple of lone nutbags bent on sending a message to other nutbags in the hopes of causing chaos and mayhem.
Terrorism implies a political motive on the part of the terrorists. Rampages like Virginia Tech or Sandy Hook have no motives intelligible to a sane observer, any motives the perps may have are crazy. Rampage killers are nutbags. The 911 actors were no more crazy than kamikaze pilots during WW II. Like the kamikazes, they were following orders given by a higher authority. There is no evidence of a controlling authority behind Orlando nor is anyone speculating on this.
Of course the Oklahoma and Bath bombings had no higher authority either but there were still political motives behind them. McVeigh was striking against a government he hated. The Bath bombing was an anti-tax protest, like the guy flying a plane into an IRS field office a few years back.