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16/ But there is no doubt in my mind that, if needed, I could kill other human beings efficiently. Tactically. Without hesitation.
17/ I havenât worn a uniform in almost six years, but it would be like riding a bike. Itâs ingrained. I doubt itâll ever go away.
18/ Thatâs the point of military training: muscle memory, acting without hesitation, resorting to a part of your brain on autopilot.
19/ In April 2009, Homeland Security released a report warning of the recruitment of veterans by radical groups: https://fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf
20/ Noted as catalysts for a heightened national security risk were basically what weâve seen come to fruition eight years later:
21/ Predictably, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano was derided as disrespecting the troops. She was forced to issue several apologies.
22/ Never mind that Napolitano had only ever demonstrated the utmost respect for women and men in uniform.
23/ Never mind that a 2008 FBI report identified 203 military veterans in white supremacist terrorist groups: https://cryptome.org/spy-whites.pdf
24/ Never mind Charlottesville and the mix of military vets among the little boys playing soldier:
25/ Never mind that a Marine killed JFK or that an Army infantryman was behind the Oklahoma City Bombing.
26/ Or the higher rate of violence against women (in this case: IPV) among Active Duty military and veterans versus civilians:
27/ Or that the higher rate of IPV in the military is linked to PTSD and traumatic brain injuries: https://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/esp/partner_violence-REPORT.pdf
28/ Orâand this is importantâthe well-established relationship between mass shootings and violence against women.
29/ A great piece on that subject by @rtraister can be found here: https://www.thecut.com/2016/07/mass-killers-terrorism-domestic-violence.html
30/ Surely, that link between violence against women and subsequent mass shootings must count as evidence of terrorism.
31/ This is how the FBI defines domestic terrorism: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/terrorism
32/ Not sure why a mass shooting inspired by hatred of women doesnât qualify as terrorism⊠unless, maybe, we donât respect women as people?
33/ Not exactly the most comfortable truth in the national discourse, particularly in a sea of âas a father of daughtersâ statements.
34/ The other side of that coin is white maleness. A political system and media dominated by white men isnât eager to be self-reflective.
35/ Why would I examine a system of white supremacy that gives me unearned benefits and being forced to recognize theyâre unearned?
36/ Why would I admit, despite all evidence, that my white maleness protects me from all sorts of threats and accountability? Scary stuff.
37/ A brown âMuslimâ man killing several with a vehicle is terrorism, but a white male killing 27 w/ a gun out of sexist rage? âLone wolf.â
38/ All these are connected: white male entitlement, mental illness, racism, sexism, violence against women, terrorism. Rinse, repeat.
39/ White men see a loss of power, feel victimized, have that entitlement radicalized through propaganda, and commit acts of terrorism.
40/ But because theyâre white and not shouting âAllahu Akbarâ, theyâre dismissed as "nuts", or more charitably: ânice guys gone wrong.â
41/ To admit to âterrorismâ by ordinary white men would require asking deeper questions of ourselves, especially those of us in power.
42/ To admit to âterrorismâ by military veterans would require a vast reworking of our systems of recruitment, training, and mental health.
43/ Instead, we grant an access of powerful weaponry to those most trained to use it and most likely to do so in brutal acts of terrorism.
44/ An irony of all this is that though we fall back solely on the excuse of âmental healthâ to wave away acts of terrorism by white menâŠ
45/ âŠwe neither 1) attempt to comprehensively address mental health in our country nor 2) effectively restrict access to weapons due to it.
46/ If your takeaway from ANY of this = a hatred of white men, the military or guns, then youâre a moron who lacks critical thinking skills.
47/ And if your takeaway is a bizarre, insecure notion that Iâm putting women and folks of color on a pedestal, that also makes you a moron.
48/ I'm a white male, and I have no reason to hate that about myself. I love my country. I'm proud of my military service. I'm a gun owner.
49/ And even I can see there are deep, deep issues here weâre ignoring. And theyâre not going away. This will happen again and again.
50/ We need to stop pretending that military service is the grand seal of moral rightness. Itâs not. We can be grateful w/o being stupid.
51/ We need to stop allowing patriotism to be co-opted by white supremacists preaching a nationalist agenda driven by fear and hatred.
52/ We need to call terrorism in this country for what it is and recognize how white men are often radicalized.
53/ We need to recognize the link between misogynist power structures, violence against women, and white male terrorism.
54/ We need to respect the 2nd Amendment by restricting access to guns from those who donât (or canât) respect gun ownership.
55/ Legally owning and using a gun in this country should be harder than legally owning and using a car. Why is it the exact opposite?
56/ Why am I bio-scanned every time I fly, but itâs totally fine in many states if I waltz down the street open-carrying a powerful firearm?
57/ Why am I more likely to be killed by a white male terrorist with a gun in this country than a brown terrorist who claims to be âMuslimâ?
58/ We should all want answers to these questions and elected officials with the courage to address them. We should want that NOW.
59/ Iâm tired of the carnage, and I want to believe weâre better than this. Prove to me, prove it to yourself, that we are. /thread
