“the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
By this definition it is easy to label the attacks in Paris as terrorism, but what of the dozens of mass shootings each year in schools and other public places? And what of the shooting this weekend in Colorado at a Planned Parenthood Clinic? It seemed that some of our political leaders hesitate to use the term terrorism with regards to these domestic crimes committed by United States Citizens.
Robert Dear, the suspect in the Colorado shooting, launched his attack due to his feelings against the actions of Planned Parenthood... a hugely politically charged issue. He use violence in order to intimidate people to change behavior or take a certain action... this seems to fit nicely into to definition of terrorism. Why then did it take two days for some of our leaders to label it an act of terror?
Are these types of shootings terrorism, or do we now only label violent acts committed by religious extremists, specifically Muslims, as terrorism? And if so, why?