Right Wing Meme Of The Day: Attacking Obama On Ft. Hood

On the day that President Obama is in Texas to pay homage to the dead at Fort Hood, right wingers are attacking him for (in their view) not responding appropriately, something they’ve been doing since the moment the tragedy occurred. In spite of the fact that he immediately invoked thoughts and prayers for the families as a result of “a horrific outburst of violence”; in spite of immediately calling for flags to fly at half mast through Veterans Day.

But were these Bama-Bashers critical of George W. Bush for his reaction on September 11?

Obama is accused of giving a “shout out” to someone in an audience he was addressing before discussing the tragedy at Fort Hood last week, but did they object when George W. Bush bragged, “Now watch this drive!” playing through after giving a nod to terror?

Oh, and Katrina…where was Bush? Oh, yeah, viewing it from an airplane:

Obama is also  being accused of “ignoring a terror threat” by not immediately labeling it “terrorism,” even though all the facts are not in.

What is “terrorism,” anyway?  Tina Nole at Air America puts it in perspective:

Webster’s defines terrorism as: “the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.”

Dictionary.com defines it this way: “The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.”

And if we label it “terrorism” do we react differently?

What exactly is to be gained by labeling the act of a lone gunman, who happens to be Muslim, a “terrorist?” Do we act differently in response to this than to the shootings at Virginia Tech or the loner who killed six people and then himself in Seattle a few years ago or the ex-postal worker who killed six people and then herself in 2006? Are any of these individuals “terrorists?” And should we then round up the loners, the Asians, the Muslims and the women and label them “terrorists” so we can keep a more watchful eye? If we have a name for it does it make us more safe? Or if we don’t, less so?

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.