Domestic Terrorism Issues the Turner

Domestic Terrorism Issues

The Turner Diaries and Racist/Anti-Government Groups:

William Pierce published the Turner Diaries in 1978 in which he presented a fictionalized account of the radical overthrow of the U.S. federal government. The principal ideas promoted by Pierce were the Nazism-based ideology that the Jews are responsible for destroying the United States and corrupting international relations among nations. The Turner Diaries inspired several major acts of radical domestic terrorism, including extensive robberies, other for-profit schemes, and the bombing of synagogues perpetrated by The Order. Timothy McVeigh also promoted the book before his infamous 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma federal building.

Christian Identity Beliefs and Philosophy:

In general, the Christian Identity movement espouses the same virulent anti-Semitic and racist philosophies promoted by William Pierce. Specifically, they believe that Jews are the offspring of Satan and that the non-white races are all subhuman. The Christian Identity movement includes many radical domestic terrorist organizations such as the Phineas Brotherhood, Posse Comitatus, Aryan Nations, The Order, Aryan Brotherhood, The Covenant, The Sword, and The Arm of the Lord.

The Decline of Radical Patriot/Hate Groups:

The four main reasons for the decline in radical domestic patriot/hate groups are: (1) the increased risk of criminal prosecution; (2) new legislation at the state level that criminalized many hate group and paramilitary activities; (3) the retirement of many original members and leaders in the community and a shift to online media for hate groups; and increased risk of civil liability for acts of racial violence and liability for the violent incitement of others.

The Continuing Threat of the Racial Right Wing:

The modern era of radicalism and domestic terrorism is less centralized and more dependent on independent groups, which complicates law enforcement infiltration and intelligence-gathering efforts. The use of high-tech technologies and the Internet widens the reach of such groups in propagandizing large numbers of potential new recruits. Increasingly, domestic terror groups have adopted apocalyptic philosophies that, in conjunction with the procurement of weapons of mass destruction and a disregard for their consequences, could threaten large population centers. The coordination between domestic terrorism and international terrorists further magnifies the potential risks.

The South Poverty Law Center: