Clinic fire deemed arson

[CornField]

http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20050111/topstorie...

Federal investigators have found evidence that Sunday morning's fire at an Olympia clinic where abortions are performed was started intentionally, and they now are searching for the culprit.

They have a few suspects, but none is in custody, Olympia Fire Capt. Kate McDonald said.

The person or persons responsible so far have not been linked to any organization that opposes abortion, said Scott Thomasson, a special agent with the Seattle office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which is investigating the arson.
...
The arson is a federal crime, however, because the Eastside Women's Health Clinic is a federally funded health care center, the ATF agent said. The arson does not constitute an act of domestic terrorism, and the FBI, which was investigating the crime Sunday, is no longer involved, Thomasson said.

(more, including what it is like to be targeted by anti-women groups)

[wtbymark]

1. hmmmm

sounds like domestic terrorism to me, burn down a woman's clinic so they are AFRAID of showing up at that, or similar, places. It is an intimidation tactic isn't it?- or attempted murder. Next these freaks will be strapping bombs to their chests- but they still wouldn't label it as 'terrorism'. ????Gov't sponsered terrorism?????

[Just Me]

3. I caught that! Definitely premature to determine whether domestic terror.

I am really curious why an ATF agent would even make that remark. Is he just stupid or trying to cover-up or what?

21. But notice...

That whenever houses are set ablaze in large numbers the Earth Liberation Front is almost invariably blamed and there is no problem on the part of authorities to call that terrorism. There is a serious double standard with regards to how the term is used.

[thinkingwoman]

23. yes--definitely a double standard

When extremists on the left burn things down, it's terrorism.

When extremists on the right burn things down, it MIGHT be a felony...if they can find out who did it.

sigh.

[denverbill]

2. And it's not terrorism...why?

I'd really like to see the rationale behind that statement.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. there is no oil involved?

[livinginphotographs]

20. The new-and-improved English language.

Haven't you heard?

Terrorist - people who use violence to achieve things we don't agree with.

Liberator - people who use violence to achieve things we do agree with.

So, you see, this wasn't "terrorizing" a women's clinic, it was liberating it! Yay!

[Ripley]

4. How is this NOT terrorism?

Haven't they used that label for gang members and US Muslim charities that raised money to send to Palestine?

I wondered how much time would pass before the newly emboldened Bush loving Army of God nutjobs would carry out their fucked up violence. I guess they just couldn't wait for the coronation.

[arcane1]

6. it was probably committed by white christians

thus no terrorism... it's not like brown muslims were responsible, after all

[Ripley]

14. Yeah, like Tim McVeigh.

Never heard him referred to as a "terrorist" AND LOOK AT WHAT HE DID!

When I brought that up to a winger, the response I got was "well he's dead now." Uh, yeah you moronic twitfucker! That isn't the point now is it?

We have become a nation of Parrots who squawk out nonsensical PC labels (non-white feriner = terrorist, white dude = indiscretion; Iraqi fighters = insurgents, white dudes = freedom fighters and Founding Dads).

[Just Me]

24. Actually, the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism

was created as a result of the domestic terrorist act by McVeigh.

I haven't checked out the "updated" site which tracks both domestic and international incidents of "terror".

However, last year, I was able to pull up their stats which demonstrated that there are 23X more incidents of domestic terror on American soil than terror inflicted by those outside our country!!! I found that a revealing stat,...in this day and age of the neoCONimperialists' "war on terror".

On edit: here's the site http://www.mipt.org/

[arcane1]

5. "The arson does not constitute an act of domestic terrorism"

and why the hell NOT???

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

7. Ummm, because Arabs did not do it, I guess.

[arcane1]

9. lmao, I just had the same thought

[arwalden]

10. Like You... I'm Astonished At That.

[ck4829]

8. This isn't terrorism?

I wonder what they would call this arson if (hypothetically) a Muslim is found to be the culprit?

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

13. "It's not terrorism when we do it." (nt)

[davidinalameda]

16. then it would be terrorism

what knobs

this fits the basic definition of terrorism--try to scare people from using the services there and shutting them down so the services aren't available any longer

[ck4829]

11. On a better note - This Terrorist Act Failed to Terrorize Anybody

"They didn't accomplish anything. They didn't bring us down," she said of the arsonists. "Our patients shouldn't feel afraid. We will create a safe environment."

[Walt Starr]

12. TERRORISM!!!!!!

Plain and simple, this is TERRORISM!!!

start asking what will happen to these TERRORISTS!!!!

[jukes]

17. i'm absolutely convinced

that this was an act of god...

[RebelOne]

18. An abortion clinic fire deemed arson? Duh!!

[Ripley]

19. This is SICK how these women have to live in fear!

snip>>

"(My mother) wore a bulletproof vest to work," said Shively's daughter, Allison Wolfe. "She carried a Glock (handgun) in a fanny pack."

Wolfe recalled a weekend when every clinic worker had a pet die or nearly die -- they think someone poisoned them. She recalled a death threat her mother got and a day someone set fire to a piece of paper on the front door of their home.

"She worked late, and there were a lot of times when people would throw rocks at the windows (of our house)," said Wolfe. "We would lie on the floors scared."

snip>>

And let's not forget this is a god damned blue state.

22. Has anyone seen that horrible new commercial on Abortion? nt

.

[Hobarticus]

25. Call it terror, and round up the usual suspects....

The Bushites gave us the tools, let's put 'em to use....