The Patriot Post® · Leftist Feint Against 'Right-Wing' Terrorism

If we want to have a national conversation about terrorism committed by sovereign citizens and white supremacists, then the Left needs to rethink the terms it uses. The Charleston massacre is the deadliest attack by a white supremacist since 9/11, the seminal event that made terrorism a primary political issue. With that attack, “right-wing” terrorism has killed nearly twice as many people as jihadist terrorism since 9/11, according to data from the think tank New America. But in using the words “right-wing extremism,” the Left demonizes conservative philosophy. Sovereign citizens disregard Rule of Law. White Supremacists’ dream of an all-powerful state telling its citizens how to behave is nothing like the views held by conservatives. And most important, Nazis and neo-Nazis weren’t and aren’t “right wing.” Instead, the Left uses the term to attack the Right, to say that our affection for the Second Amendment and our belief in limited government is some kind of threat. Furthermore, in explaining its methodology, New America says, “The data on non-Jihadist extremists is less developed than the data on Jihadist extremists but where available it is included to provide a comparison across ideologies.” Yes, a fear of jihadist terrorism has governed U.S. policy for years. Despite how insidious his beliefs may be, the government would not ship the man with a SS bolts tattoo off to Guantanamo Bay. But New America needs to dig further into terrorism guided by left-wing ideology, like the shooting of an oil worker in April.