Ignoring The Real Danger To Satisfy Bigotry

This nation has had two major terrorist attacks in recent years (and a bevy of smaller attacks). The major attacks are the Oklahoma City bombing on 4-19-1995 and the attack on New York City on 9-11-2001. Both of these were terrible tragedies, and it is understandable the House Committee on Homeland Security would want to investigate terrorism in this country. What is not understandable is how the committee investigation is being conducted.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Peter King (R-New York), is not investigating all of the terroristic threats to the United States. It is, thanks to the myopia of chairman King, only investigating the muslim community. Why is this happening? Well, here is what Rep. King recently said in a Fox News interview:

. . .the fact is even though Muslims are 1 percent of the population, almost 90 percent of the terrorist crimes are carried out by the Muslim community.

King is either the most misinformed member of Congress, or the most outrageous and bigoted liar in that institution. Not only was the Oklahoma City bombing not done by a muslim (but by a right-wing christian nut), but a quick perusal of the chart above shows that most of the terrorism in this country since 1995 was done by right-wing groups -- not muslims.

In fact, 56% of those terroristic acts have been done by right-wing terrorists, and another 30% were done by ecoterrorists. Only about 12% were done by muslims (and the remaining 2% were by anarchists). By concentrating on muslims, Rep. King has his committee ignoring 88% of the terroristic threat to this country.

I find it difficult to believe that a congressman, especially one chairing the Committee of Homeland Security, could be this misinformed. I'm sure the FBI would be more than happy to provide him with the truth (and probably have done so). That leaves only bigotry as the reason for the committee's faulty investigation.

Rep. Peter King has the stench of religious bigotry all over him.