Homegrown Domestic Terrorism

[Norquist Nemesis]

This news story is absolutely chilling. Rockford's not too far from me and as far as any local (or national news) picking this up...nada. I ran across it referenced from a blog.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-rock22.html

Rockford man accused of plotting deaths of government officials

<snip>
Police came upon Breit after an anonymous caller reported a gunshot going off in his apartment Sunday night.

When officers arrived, Breit told them, "I screwed up."

He explained he accidentally shot off his AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle in his home, blowing a hole through his door frame.

Breit agreed to a search of his house and car, according to the complaint.

The search turned up several hundred rounds of ammunition, components for pipe bombs, shotguns, more than 700 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, a cannon fuse and a recipe for dynamite.

The search also turned up a list of federal officials, political and public figures with the word "marked," next to the names. Breit told agents it meant "marked to die," because the people were liberal, opposed to gun rights or opposed to the current government.

Police also found a note that reads: "I will die for my cause, for it is just. I won't put my hands up and surrender -- I will not rest till I purge these United States from the treasonist (sic) parasites."

The names of those on the alleged hit list were not disclosed by authorities.

Breit is charged with illegally receiving explosive material and receiving the material with the intent to kill or harm someone.
<snip>

[Failure]

1. remember that KKKouple found in Texas with

Over 1 million rounds of ammo. TNT, and enough Cyanide to kill potentially Thousands of people if were to be detonated indoors?

They had white supremecist propaganda in there...left-wing loonies? I think not.! Why was that only a blip on the radar screen? was it because these wackos were from shrubby's home state?

[yella_dawg]

4. You mean that bunch just up the road from me?

Shit. Around here, they aren't considered wackos. They're considered idiots for getting caught.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. That received national news attention

...then :shrug: I guess Koby and Michael are more important.

[DBoon]

2. Next time someone accuses us of being paranoid

I will remember this. The violent rhetoric from the right DOES lead to violent actions.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Right! But "WE'RE" the angry ones.

It just doesn't make any sense!

[slackmaster]

3. Normally I'd congratulate the police on a job well done

But Breit is such an idiot he made himself easy to catch.

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. Shooting an AK-47 does give a heads up

But it also makes you wonder about investigations. Isn't this part of the stuff Patriot Act was enacted for? How did this guy manage to amass such weapons and be under the radar?

[slackmaster]

12. Referring back to the original post and the source article

luburl asked:

Isn't this part of the stuff Patriot Act was enacted for? How did this guy manage to amass such weapons and be under the radar?

None of the items mentioned in the article are monitored by any government agency, nor is there infrastructure in place to easily do so.

AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle...

A mish-mash of terminology, but very likely perfectly legal even in Chicago as long as it isn't illegally in a pre-1994 configuration (making it a federal crime).

The search turned up several hundred rounds of ammunition,

Perfectly legal according to available information. I shoot for recreational purposes on occasion and probably have close to 20 thousand rounds of ammunition in my home at any given time. I buy it by the case to save money. Several hundred rounds doesn't amount to squat.

...components for pipe bombs,

Otherwise known as "plumbing supplies". I may have enough pipe nipples and end caps in my garage to make several pipe bombs if I was so inclined.

...shotguns,

Perfectly legal.

...more than 700 rounds of AK-47 ammunition,

Subset of the first item, also perfectly legal.

...a cannon fuse...

Perfectly legal.

...a recipe for dynamite.

Perfectly legal.

And from the source article:

And he said he needed his stash of black powder to make pipe bombs "in case something happened, like another revolution," according to a criminal complaint.

AFAIK there is no limit on the amount of black powder a person can possess as long as it's intended for lawful purposes like shooting black powder firearms. By blabbing that he planned to use it for bombs he busted himself for conspiracy to MIS-USE the plumbing hardware, black powder, and fuse.

[SemperEadem]

13. he wasn't brown-skinned...

it's ok for white supremacists to do this, cuz they're just being 'good ol' boys' and boys will be boys. It's ok.

Reminds me of the other night I was surfing past something on msnbc and this white dude was bitching about how airlines aren't allowed to pull more than 2 of one race out of a crowd for spot pat-downs... he was mad because, I think, one of his sons or someone he knew was pulled out of line.

I was like "Timothy McVeigh looked just like you, and hundreds of people and children in OK were slaughtered over his 'boys being boys' mentality, which people like this person talking somehow refuse to acknowledge exists.

We have just as much to fear, if not more, from unhinged white males in this country than we do brown skinned people with accents.

[NewJeffCT]

8. According to law, only foreigners can commit terrorism!

Homegrown people are not considered terrorists by the government! According to the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act passed in late 2002, terrorism can only occur if it is done by foreigners.

See their definition below:

SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.
In this title, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) ACT OF TERRORISM-
(A) CERTIFICATION- The term `act of terrorism' means any act that is certified by the Secretary, in concurrence with the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General of the United States--
(i) to be an act of terrorism;
(ii) to be a violent act or an act that is dangerous to--
(I) human life;
(II) property; or
(III) infrastructure;
(iii) to have resulted in damage within the United States, or outside of the United States in the case of--
(I) an air carrier or vessel described in paragraph (5)(B); or
(II) the premises of a United States mission; and
(iv) to have been committed by an individual or individuals acting on behalf of any foreign person or foreign interest, as part of an effort to coerce the civilian population of the United States or to influence the policy or affect the conduct of the United States Government by coercion.

I added the bold text
http://www.terrorism-insurance-risk-management.com/implications_of_tria.html

[Norquist Nemesis]

9. Thanks for the link but I think that's International Terrorism

A quick look at your link had this:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) categorizes terrorism in the United States as one of two types--domestic terrorism or international terrorism.

Domestic terrorism involves groups or individuals whose terrorist activities are directed at elements of our government or population without foreign direction.

International terrorism involves groups or individuals whose terrorist activities are foreign-based and/or directed by countries or groups outside the United States or whose activities transcend national boundaries.

http://www.terrorism-insurance-risk-management.com/terrorism_info.html

[NewJeffCT]

10. True, but the act only applies to foreign terrorism

It specifically defines terrorism for the act as foreign terrorism and leaves out domestics. I listened in on a phone seminar about this and the TRIA expert specifically said that the TRIA Act did not include the likes of Timothy McVeigh (sp?)

[Moderator]

11. liburl

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.


DU Moderator