Juan Cole of Informed Comment blogs about the recent arrest of Miami men on terror charges and their purported intention of attacking select U.S. sites including the Sears Tower in Chicago. A brief scan of the net and various political blogs/websites has turned up little on this group, their connection to international networks, or the reasons for their activity. I post Cole’s piece not because I agree with all his points but more from the lack of discussion elsewhere on this case.
-RX
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From Informed Comment:
Whereas most terrorism is a form of educated, middle class politics, this particular group clearly grew out of the grievances and resentments of race and class inequality in the United States.
The sister of one was just on MSNBC saying that he deeply resented Bush spending money to drop bombs on poor people who could not defend themselves, while depriving the poor in the United States of any support. “We are not capable,” she said. This is a theory of class war, connecting the poor of Kut with the poor of Miami’s inner city. The city, by the way, has horrific levels of unemployment.
The position of the poor and workers in particular is deteriorating in the US, as more and more of the privately held wealth is concentrated in the hands of a white, privileged, few. The unions have been gutted, the minimum wage is inadequate, and racist attitudes are reemerging on a worrisome scale. Cities such as Detroit, New Orleans and Miami continue to witness enormous strains coming mainly from racist attitudes. In this case, the best counter-terrorism would be more social justice.
Juan Cole of Informed Comment is trying to separate the Miami group from other terrorists based on class, but I don’t think his argument stands up. I think many terrorists are “responding to grievances.” But that doesn’t mean that their response are *only* reponses. And it doesn’t mean that their actions are *only reactions.* Often they are bound up with oppressive ideologies — racist, patriarchal, anti-Semitic, or otherwise anti-egalitarian. Terrorists often are “responding” to grievances, just as the Right Wing is. I think that our efforts need to not only respond to capitalism, oppression, and the like, but also to the bad analyzes and bad responses of terrorists, fundamentalists, and other Right wingers.