“Vicious and despicable” but not “terrorism”?
Obama says the shootings are a “vicious, calculated and despicable attack on law enforcement,” but he carefully avoids calling the attack terrorism. Even though it seems to fit the definition of terrorism, being an organized attack against the state for the purpose of some political or ideological goal. Surely if a group of white nationalists had committed some sort of attack like this, it would have already been called terrorism.
* * *
On the other hand, breaking news, one suspect told police that he acted alone, and his motivation was to kill white police officers. A single suspect makes him more like a black Dylan Roof, but with a more clearly defined ideological agenda. I personally don’t consider Dylan Roof to be a terrorist, but there are people who called him a terrorist, and I bet those same people are not going to call the Black Lives Matter shooter a terrorist (assuming it turns out that there was really only was a single shooter).
If there was only one shooter, and he’s alive and talking to the police, then who was the guy that the cops killed last night?
Lion of the Blogosphere 
Right-wing extremism is the single greatest threat facing our nation today.
shiva1008
July 8, 2016 at 9:20 AM
It is plausible that there was only one shooter. With all the high rise buildings in the area, gun shots echo off all the buildings, making it very hard to determine how many shooters there were. This was only a couple of blocks from where JFK was assassinated and most of the eye witnesses to the JFK assassination were convinced there were multiple gun men.
The suspect who is now dead (killed by a police bomb) is apparently the same person that CNN had video of shooting at police from street level. There may not have been any gun men shooting from elevated locations.
From the reports I have seen the three other suspects are a woman who was taken into custody in the garage where suspect was eventually killed. The man who shot the video of the shooting from the hotel balcony made no mention of a woman being with the suspect, so she may have just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
There are two men who were seen running with a backpack and fled the scene in a Mercedes. They were arrested some distance away. Everyone was trying to flee the scene, except for the police. These men may have simple fled the scene in a suspicious manner or they could have been involved in something unrelated, like selling drugs.
If the shooting really was a single individual, he obviously was heavily armed. He had a number of high capacity magazines. He had probably been thinking about this for a long time. I would not be surprised if he did not have military training.
mikeca
July 8, 2016 at 9:31 AM
A terrorist target civilians. Are police civilians? (The killing of a British soldier by two Muslims was murder, since the attackers were not lawful combatants.)
Anthony
July 8, 2016 at 10:47 AM
Police may not be civilians. But neither are they military combatants in a war zone. Regardless, there’s nothing about the definition of terrorism that excludes the shootings of police in Dallas.
destructure
July 8, 2016 at 2:43 PM
The IRA targeted police as well.
Mike Street Station
July 11, 2016 at 8:00 AM
Lynch told a press conference, “I want you to know that your voice is important. Do not be discouraged by those who would use your lawful actions as cover for their heinous violence. We will continue to safeguard your constitutional rights and to work with you in the difficult mission of building a better nation and a brighter future.”
BLM supporters call for the murder of police. Which some BLM supporters are now doing. And Lynch doubles down by speaking out in support of BLM. She doesn’t deserve air.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/loretta-lynch-dallas-shooting-225296
destructure
July 8, 2016 at 8:34 PM