RE: The Klan & American Terrorism

Steve responds to Behethland:

I'm going to have to say I agree. I'm not sure how the civil rights movement could be connected to terrorism. Certainly the riots associated with that time were not, strictly speaking, acts of terror.

There is a difference between organized terrorism and random acts of intimidation by individuals in the fringe elements. As such, the United States, as a political entity, doesn't have a history of terrorism. Individuals have committed acts of terrorism, but that is a far different animal than the organized efforts of groups like Al Qaida or Hamas. Certainly the Klan was a terrorist organization, but it was never sanctioned or supported by any legitimate government entity.