Terrorists are among us

We have a problem in this country. You see, right or wrong, the laws of our land protect the ability of women to choose to have an abortion. And, some people who strongly disagree with this practice believe that their God wants them to use any means necessary to prevent women from having this choice. As these individuals have been unsuccessful in utilizing our legislative and judicial systems, they have resorted to terrorist acts of violence.\nOne such act of terrorism occurred on July 29, 1994. On that day, Paul Hill, a former minister and pro-life advocate, went to a medical clinic with a shotgun and killed Dr. John Bayard Britton and his volunteer escort, retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Herman Barrett.\nHill was executed for his brutal crime last Wednesday by the state of Florida.\nOn the eve of his death, Hill told a group of reporters, "I expect a great reward in heaven," (Wednesday's Washington Post).\nDoesn't that sound familiar? Didn't the terrorists who hijacked those planes two years ago make the same claim?\nThe sicknes continues. \nThere is a fear that the death of Hill may have martyred him, generating a swell that may result in violent reprisals against abortion clinics and those affiliated with them.\nThis fear may be justified.\nHill's last words were, "If you believe abortion is a lethal force, you should oppose the force and do what you have to do stop it. May God help you to protect the unborn as you would want to be protected" (he Associated Press, Thursday).\nTo give strength to the fear and an edge to Hill's words, followers of Hill's ideology have sent threatening letters to several officials connected to his case. These letters were accompanied by rifle bullets.\nHill and his lunatics have plenty of company.\nDo you remember Eric Rudolph? That's right, the guy facing federal charges for the bombing of the 1996 Olympic Games. Rudolph also faces charges for the 1997 bombing of a downtown Atlanta gay club, a suburban family planning clinic the same year and the 1998 bombing of a Birmingham, Ala., family planning clinic.\nRudolph was associated with Christian Identity, a reactionary association of Christian churches, political organizations and survivalist groups. This group is a terrorist threat.\nAs you can see, we do have a problem. Our country is crawling with psychopaths. Our terrorist problem is not limited to fundamentalist religious groups. It is much deeper than that.\nHere, in Bloomington, we too have had problems with terrorists. No, they were not the religious kind. They have been the environmental kind. The Earth Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for a few acts that have destroyed the property of developers who were trying to do their jobs.\nAnd, let us not forget the white supremacist who murdered IU student Won-Joon Yoon, as he was trying to enter the Korean church on Third Street. Don't forget, local white supremacist Matthew Hale is still out there preaching his filth (although he may be spending the next several years in prison due to his allegedly trying to have a federal judge killed).\nThe bottom line is this. There are people, all around us, who have become so engulfed in the passion of their beliefs that reason has no room to co-exist. These people are dangerous. These people scare the hell out of me.\nThe PATRIOT Act is not the answer. But, Hill tells us we need protection. So, help me, readers, because I don't know how to solve this problem.