Overview of terrorism as political violence. Focus on both the U.S. and overseas. Initial introduction only.

1. The Rhetoric, Symbols, &
Socio-Psychology of Fear:
Historical Cases of Terrorism as a
Tool of Extremist Political Violence in
the U.S.
“Terrorism, Violence, & the Law”
OLLI
Spring 2023
Sonoma State University
Dave McCuan
david.mccuan@sonoma.edu

2. Session ONE, Spring 2023:
Why and How Political Violence &
Terrorism…Matter!
• “The BIG Picture:” How Conflict, War, & Violence have
changed?;
• Why these changes are consequential for explaining what
“political violence” looks like and how it differs;
• Next, we build on our previous discussions of
“Radicalization” and “Extremism” & examine “Waves of
Terrorism Activities” among States, Sub-States, & Non-
State Actors
• We look at “general explanations for Terrorism” to include:
• Rational / Rationalist Approaches;
• Cultural Approaches;
• Socio-Psychological Approaches
• Structural(ist) Approaches
• Other Competing Approaches as laid out by Sageman; Hoffman;
Combs

3. For Reports, Data, &
Analysis of ”Terrorism” see:
• https://www.start.umd.edu/
and
https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/

4. What is the Utility of Violence?:
Radicalization? Extremism?
Terrorism?
• “Radicalization:”
“the process by which a person comes to support terrorism and
forms of extremism leading to terrorism.”
• “
• Extremism:”
“Vocal or active opposition to fundamental democratic, shared
values, including democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and
mutual respect and tolerance of different faith and beliefs.”
• “Terrorism” (loose; various components):
“Violence/property damage/endanger life/disrupt electronic systems;
Designed to influence government or intimidate the public &
civilians;
Purpose to advance a political, religious, racial or ideological cause
of extremism leading to terrorism;
Premeditated / planned;
Needs an audience / ”The CNN Effect.”
Internet / Resources (see “The Thug Shaker” server via “The Empty
Wheel”)

5. Recall What We Know of Terrorist Tactics
• Bombings
• Attacks on infrastructure
• Assassinations
• Hostage-taking; Kidnappings
• Hijacking
• Arson
• Biological/chemical attacks
• Hijacking of aircrafts
• Mail/package bombs
• Suicide bombers
• See: https://www.start.umd.edu/ and
• See: https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/

6. 6
Terrorism in the U.S., the Domestic Experience
• Political Violence and Terrorism in United States (left “terror”/ ‘right’
terror & US political violence in context).
• Civil War era
• First Klan and Federal (Union) Occupation of South.
• Labor Mobilization and Anarchist Organizations
• Haymarket Riot 1886 Chicago.
• Echoes with Days of Rage 1969 (Weather Underground)
• Frontier Violence
• Vigilantes / Vigilante-ism
• Settler vs. Indian/Native American
• World War I Era:
• Anti-War/Pro War Violence
• American Protective League
• Bureau of Investigation (predecessor to FBI) engaged in anti-
radical sweeps
• WWI violence and counter-violence
• Second Klan

7. 7
Terrorism Waves, U.S., 1954-2000

8. 8
• Political Violence and Terrorism in United States, cont’d
• WWI - World War II
• COMINTERN debate re: defeat fascism or communism
• Spanish Civil War Abraham Lincoln Brigades
• Communist Party at height of power 1930s
• Korean War
• McCarthysim
• Non-CP left begins to develop
• Vietnam War/Civil Rights
• Mass mobilization
• Frustration, repression (internal security operations), and
polarization
• Weather Underground, Black Panthers/Black Liberation
Army, monkey wrenchers
• Reagan Era – 2005
• Antiwar, civil liberties, counter-cultures, anti-intervention

9. 9
Civil Disorders & Terrorism Spikes in the 1970s
United States - Annual Violent Events
Civil Disorders and Terrorism 1830-1998
Source: Erickson Dissertation 2004
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350 1830
1834
1838
1842
1846
1850
1854
1858
1862
1866
1870
1874
1878
1882
1886
1890
1894
1898
1902
1906
1910
1914
1918
1922
1926
1930
1934
1938
1942
1946
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
Data Source 1
Data Source 2
Data Source 3
Index

10. 10
Civil Disorders & Terrorism Spikes in the 1970s
United States - Annual Violent Events
Disorders and Terrorism 1900-1998
Source: Erickson Dissertation 2004.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1
9
0
0
1
9
0
3
1
9
0
6
1
9
0
9
1
9
1
2
1
9
1
5
1
9
1
8
1
9
2
1
1
9
2
4
1
9
2
7
1
9
3
0
1
9
3
3
1
9
3
6
1
9
3
9
1
9
4
2
1
9
4
5
1
9
4
8
1
9
5
1
1
9
5
4
1
9
5
7
1
9
6
0
1
9
6
3
1
9
6
6
1
9
6
9
1
9
7
2
1
9
7
5
1
9
7
8
1
9
8
1
1
9
8
4
1
9
8
7
1
9
9
0
1
9
9
3
1
9
9
6
Data Source 1
Data Source 2
Data Source 3
Index
5 per. Mov. Avg. (Index)

11. 11
USG, FBI Activity, 1956-1971
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
FBI - COINTELPRO by Target 1956-1971.
Source: Erickson 2003; From"Exhibit 22" (US Senate. Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations. 1976f, 408).
CPUSA
SWP
White Hate
New Left
Black Nat

12. The US Domestic Terror Experience:
Left & Right Wing Extremism

13. Nationalist Terrorism
• Lolita Lebron of
Puerto Rican
Nationalist Party
• Attack on Blair
House 11/1/50
• Attack on U.S.
House of
Representatives
3/1/54

14. Weather Underground
• Bernadine Dohrn • Bill Ayers

15. Modern Extreme Right
• A combination of Naziism +
• Klan-type segregationists +
• Christian Extremism +
*Key variables to examine here?

16. Oklahoma City, April 19, 1995

17. Extremist Links & Inspirations
• Timothy McVeigh • Terry Nichols

18. Atlanta Olympics, 1996

20. Anthrax Cases Fall 2001

21. Mail Contamination

22. Extremist Group Examples
• The New Order home page
• Aryan Nation hone page
• KKK home page
• Many group Members “chat” here
• The ADL, Extremism in America Webpage
‘Extremism in America” Project
• Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) project
on tracking hate groups

23. Extremist Group Examples, Cont’d
• Compendium of organizations believing in
Christian Identity (from SPLC)
• An example of the “theology”: Kingdom Identity
Ministries, Arkansas
• The Covenant, The Sword, The Arm of the
Lord now defunct group that inspires many
religious extremist groups and robust
information available on the FBI’s FOIA
”Vault” website
• Army of God, militant anti-abortion group with
national and international networks and
affiliated members.

24. Leaderless Resistance
• Is this a ‘franchise model?’
• Or, an “inspired by…” model?
• Louis Beam’s essay from The
Seditionist, #12, 1992 (written in
1983)
• Music, poetry, odes, & ballads

25. Waco, TX
• David Koresh • April 19, 1993

26. Sovereign Citizen Movement…History
• The “Sovereign Citizen" movement is a
loosely organized collection of groups and
individuals who have adopted a right-wing
anarchist ideology that adherents believe that
virtually all existing government in the United
States is illegitimate and they seek to
"restore" an idealized, minimalist government
that never actually existed.
• Estimate is today the Movement
is 300,000+ strong.
This is a precursor, affiliate to Q-Anon

27. Sovereign Citizen Movement…History
• Sovereign Citizen Movement is a
subculture that has its roots in hate
groups like the KKK or extremist groups
similar to the Posse Comitatus of the
1970s.

28. Sovereign Citizen Movement…History
• Sovereign Citizens wage war against
the government and other forms of
authority using "paper terrorism"
harassment and intimidation tactics, and
resorting to violence; particularly
directed at police officers and judges.
• The FBI lists them among the
nation's top domestic terror threats
and as “inspirational” to emerging
groups.

29. Sovereign Citizen Movement…History
• In the mid-1990s, the IRS estimated that there
were approximately 250,000 such tax
protesters in the U.S., not all of whom were full-
blown sovereign ideologues.
• Since the late 1990s, an abundance of
evidence suggests that the sovereign citizen
movement's growth has been explosive,
although there have been no more recent IRS
estimates because Congress in 1998 prohibited
the agency from tracking or labeling those who
file frivolous arguments in lieu of paying their
taxes.

30. Sovereign Citizen Movement…History
• It is difficult to say precisely how many
sovereigns there are in the United States today,
in part because there is no central leadership
and no organized group that members can join
— instead, there are a variety of local leaders
with individualized takes on sovereign citizen
ideology and techniques.
• The sovereign citizen movement has a presence
in every state in the country, and is particularly
active in California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri,
Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania and
Washington.

31. Sovereign Citizen Movement…Figures
• The most noted "guru" is Alfred Adask,
who stated in one of his writings:
“We have the right to keep and bear arms in
order to shoot our own politicians. We have
the right to keep and bear arms to shoot the
police, to shoot your local government
officials, your state officials, your president,
your congressman, your senators…"

32. Sovereign Citizen…Ideology
• The Sovereign Citizen Movement argues that
if you closely study the Constitution, you can
prove that federal laws are illegitimate—
leaving you free to choose not to, say, pay
taxes or follow traffic laws.
• In their view, the minute you get a Social
Security number or driver's license, you enter
into a contract giving up your sovereignty.

33. Sovereign Citizen…Ideology
• Sovereign Citizens are anti-government extremists who
believe that even though they physically reside in this
country, they are separate or “sovereign” from the
United States.
• As a result, they believe, they don’t have to:
Answer to any government authority, including courts,
taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, or law
enforcement.

34. Sovereign Citizen…Ideology
• At its core, the current sovereign belief
system is relatively simple and is based on a
decades-old conspiracy theory.
• At some point in history, sovereigns believe,
the American government set up by the
Founding Fathers — with a legal system the
sovereigns refer to as "common law" — was
secretly replaced by a new government
system based on admiralty law, the law of the
sea and international commerce.

35. Sovereign Citizen…Techniques
• Participants in the Movement argue under English
Common Law, they are ‘individually sovereign,’ in
opposition to "federal citizenship," where citizens have
unknowingly forfeited their rights by accepting some
aspect of federal law.
• Over the last thirty years then, there have been hundreds
of Sovereign Citizens promoters packaging different
combinations of forms and paperwork, attempting to
perfect the process of this ‘individual sovereignty.’
• While no one has ever succeeded,, they know with a
religious certainty of those like true cult believers that
they're close to perfecting the legal status & arguments.
All it will take is the right combination of words, say the
promoters of the “redemption scam.”

36. Your Questions, Comments,
Concerns…
Thank YOU!!
Email:
david.mccuan@sonoma.edu