I doubt that all political violence is "terrorism".
It does seem, however, if you admit a category of crime/criminal called "terrorism"/terrorist, because it is crime that is "politically motivated", then you really do have to admit a category of crime called, loosely, "hate crime".
There is no conceptual way around it. One cannot simply not draw a distinction where one can be made. So much is a logical distinction, neither conservative nor a-conservative.
Someone should tell Andrew Sullivan who is intensely thick on the topic, even to this day.
The fact that there are certain categories and characteristics that inform the penalty phase of the law seems to be commonsense, not specious reasoning. In fact, the obvious choice of these characteristics is precisely the kind of appeal to practical reason that really cuts across both progressive and conservative political conceits.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Clouded in desperation not to be a victim
