Terrisom in Our Oun Backyard

Terrorism in our own Backyard

America is said to be the strongest nation in the world with a passion to provide a culture full of opportunities, freedoms and a land free of terrorism! Recently, we've all watched in horror as our country's dignity was compromised. The 9-11 acts of terror will always be remembered not only for the number of lives that were lost and for the damage done, but because our safe haven was invaded and that is unimaginable for most Americans. Now more than ever, security measures and extreme precautions are being taken to avoid further attacks on America, but are we over-looking the terrorism that is happening everyday among American to American?

Terrorism is defined as the "unlawful use or threatened use of force; violence by a person or organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating." We often think of the word terrorism as an act of violence against America by another country, but as you can see terrorism can be done by anyone at any time, anywhere.

Terrorism can be traced throughout history. An innocent man, beaten and then hung on a cross was an act of terrorism. Millions of Africans, kidnapped from their homes and brought to America could be considered an act of terrorism. The use of foul language intended to intimidate and the use of bodily harm on another because of their race or religion is an act of terrorism. Terrorism happens in our homes between family members, in our schools among our children, in the workplace among the workers and on

our streets. These examples show that the harmful act of terrorism is human and not just a cultural influence. What kind of a world can we expect to live in if we model this behavior and teach our children these ways? Where there are people, acts of terrorism can be found as an extreme method for making a statement, but there are other ways of accomplishing this task. Humanity has had its ups and downs, but we have overcome those downs by pulling together and standing up for what is good and true and passing that on to the next generation. We must take this responsibility seriously if we desire to go in a positive direction as a country.

America's leaders are trying to figure out the true motive behind these senseless acts of local terrorism. They are doing extensive research to try and determine if this behavior is caused by a traumatizing past, such as divorce that caused the child to be torn between two bickering parents, or an abusive father or mother. Another suggestion is that some of this behavior may have resulted from hate that as accumulated over the years possibly from being teased as a child or teenager. They are also researching the theory that there may be a chemical imbalance in their brain that results in more violent behavior, resulting in hate crimes or acts of terrorism. In recalling the events