In the real world, the deliberate targeting of clinics where women seek to exercise a constitutional right is called terrorism. In the world of Fox News contributor Kirsten Powers, it is not (h/t Media Matters):
Just b/c the bombing suspects were Muslim, that doesn’t make it ‘terrorism’ any more than a crazy abortion clinic bomber is a terrorist.
– Kirsten Powers (@kirstenpowers10) April 19, 2013)
And, as Media Matters points out:
The intent behind this tweet isn’t immediately clear, but the message it conveys — that an anti-abortion zealot who sets off a bomb inside of an abortion clinic is not a terrorist — is absolutely false. The FBI treats attacks against abortion service providers as acts of terrorism and anti-abortion movements that resort to violence as terrorist groups.
Here is how the FBI defines terrorism in its above-linked report:
There is no single, universally accepted, definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as “the unlawful use of force and 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” (28 C.F.R. Section 0.85).
Does the Boston bombing fit these criteria? We are not completely sure yet, and must wait for more evidence to come in, but it seems highly likely all things considered.
Do attacks against abortion service providers and abortion clinics fit these criteria? They most certainly do. There is force and violence being directed against individual citizens for the sole purpose of preventing the exercise of constitutional rights. That is terrorism.
I would say that I’m shocked by all this, but considering the garbage we’ve seen on Fox News throughout the years it’s pretty hard at this point to be shocked.
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