Bell And Gurr Domestic Violence Research Paper

1362 Words6 Pages
David Guzman Terrorism 4322 Dr. Ethridge November 23, 2011 Chapter 13 Domestic Violence Nixon’s National Advisory Commission H.H.A Cooper and coauthors produced a presidential report on the political context of domestic terrorism. Combining the examination with work on civil disorders, Cooper and colleagues demonstrated the need to prepare law enforcement departments and other supporting agencies for emergencies. They presented a series of recommendations for emergency response. Although the report of the Task Force on Disorders and Terrorism is three decades old, the standards of performance it suggests remain valid, especially in the wake of September 11. The report focused on the police role in responding to terrorism.…show more content…
In the article written with J. Bower Bell, Gurr argues that terrorism is a tactic used by the weak to intimidate the strong and, in turn, used by the strong to repress the weak. In this sense, America’s history is filled with terrorism activities. Labor violence was not the only source of early United States terrorism. The frontier had its own special form of violence. As people moved west, the laws of the United States trailed far from behind. Settlers developed their own brand of makeshift justice. At times, this type of justice spilled over into vigilante activities. Bell and Gurr believe that some vigilante actions equaled terrorism. In more recent times, the actions of the Ku Klux Klan are an example. Although America has had a long period of political violence, Bell and Gurr separate modern American history terrorism from its historical precedents. In the 1960s they argue, that the character of domestic terrorism began to change, becoming rooted in radical politics, nationalism, and the international community’s experience with terrorism. The use of terrorism to maintain social order was forgotten in the modern setting, and domestic terrorism was defined as a radical…show more content…
Hate crime is a relatively new term defined by federal law and dozens of state statutes. It has a legal definition, not a manifestation of terrorism. The issue of hate crime complicates the understanding of domestic terrorism. A group of teenage Jewish boys are walking down a street somewhere in a large American city. They spot two Arab immigrants and begin taunting them with racial taunting, this most likely would be a hate crime. It is not terrorism. As the Arabs try and walk away, several adult members of an anti-Semitic neo-Nazi group see the boys. They fold their arms in a neo-Nazi stance and stare at the Jewish teenagers, and their intent is to intimidate and threaten violence. This too can be a hate crime if the jurisdiction has outlawed nonverbal threats based on race, religion, sexual orientation or

More about Bell And Gurr Domestic Violence Research Paper

Open Document