Branding Is Everything

A big part of the problem that certain people have with domestic terrorists is that they tend to come from certain countries and look a certain way and adhere to a certain religion. It would be unseemly, in this ultra-civilized age, to even approach using the broad brush, so said certain people bend over backwards to avoid mentioning things like nationality, appearance and religion, when discussing domestic terrorists.

Wouldn’t it be useful if there was a symbol that we could all agree on that accurately branded these fanatics? Something that represents the brutality, fanaticism and totalitarian philosophy that they stand for? If we could come up with such a symbol, and attach it to them, perhaps certain people could get over their squeamish avoidance of admitting that we have enemies – deadly enemies – living among us.

Let’s give it a shot:

h/t: My bro Stosh

Irvine CA resident Hesham Mohamed Hadayet. Killed two and wounded four in a shooting at an El Al Airlines ticket counter, July 4, 2002.

Derrick Shareef of Rockford: charged with plotting to use hand grenades and a pistol to kill shoppers at the CherryVale Shopping Center. December 2006.

Jose Padilla (aka Abdullah al-Muhajir), a Brooklyn native and Chicago resident, was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to build and explode a dirty bomb in the US. August 16, 2007

Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed and Youssef Samir Megahed, Egyptian students studying at University of South Florida, found carrying pipe bombs in the their car near a Navy base in Charleston, SC, and were later indicted for terrorist-related activities. August 2007.

Arkansas resident Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammed, formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe, arrested for killing one soldier and wounding another outside a US Army recruiting office in West Little Rock. May 2009

Detroit resident Luqman Ameen Abdullah, killed in a gunfight he initiated with federal officers attempting to charge him with conspiracy to commit federal crimes, including illegal possession and sale of firearms. October 28, 2009.

Ohio residents Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi, and Wassim I. Mazioum sentenced for conspiring to commit terrorist acts against Americans overseas. October 22, 2009.

Sudbury Massachusetts resident Tarek Mehanna charged in federal court with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. October 21, 2009.

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid of New York linked by federal authorities with Najibullah Zazi of Colorado, with whom he was accused of plotting an attack on New York’s mass transit system. October 14, 2009.

A 29 year old Decatur, Illinois man, Michael Finton, [aka "Talib Islam"] arrested in a plot to detonate a car bomb in front of the Illinois state capitol. September 24, 2009.

DC Sniper and self-proclaimed jihadist John Allen Muhammed, executed after murdering at least ten people. November 10, 2009.

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