Startling Trepidation – Terrorism

 ‘Terrorism’ as a word first emerged at the culmination of the eighteenth century in post-revolutionary France when it was used by the Dictionnaire de l’Académie françaiseto describe ‘a regime of terror’. Ironically given its usage today, the term originally referred to a legitimate system of government which used terror to assert itself. Its muse was the fearsome la Terreur which devoured revolutionary France under Robespierre’s condemned command between 1793 and 1794. A century later, Paris became the scene of a further development in the history of terrorism: hostage taking. In the spring of 1871 during the transitory reign of the Paris Commune, the concept of hostage taking, now a commonplace attribute of current day terrorism, was born.
Somewhere along the line, however, the theory of terrorism experienced an overhaul in its definition. Nowadays it is commonly perceived as an act of aggression committed by a non-state group for the purpose of undermining a national government, with the intention of kindling terror amongst the people.
Events of the past undertook a new meaning in the light of this new definition, and England’s notorious Catholic conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot, for example, began to be viewed as some of the nation’s earliest terrorists. Religious conviction has a habit of inspiring terrorist activity. Today terrorism has repeatedly manifested itself in the form of Islamic fundamentalism; however this association is by no means topical. I believe terrorism is not in any way allied to religions, dogmas or philosophies. It is probably cut down to oodles of genres- The terms "terrorism" and "terrorist” carry strong negative connotations. These terms are often used as political labels, to censure violence or the threat of vehemence by certain actors as immoral, indiscriminate and unjustified or to convict an entire segment of a population. Those labeled "terrorists" by their opponents rarely identify themselves as such, and typically use other terms or terms specific to their situation, such as separatist, freedom fighter, liberator, revolutionary, vigilante, militant, paramilitary, guerrilla, rebel, patriot, or any similar-meaning word in other languages and cultures. Jihadi, mujaheddin, and fedayeen are similar Arabic words which have entered the English lexicon.
Terrorists are chiefly prominent figures that enthuse me to take  up a research . I always wondered how could there possibly be someone without remorse, fear, pain, humanity and love- summarizing that they were ‘emotionless’. This prompted me to study the lives of a few terrorist and conclude it’s the lack of emotions that make them a terrorist– Only an impassive person can fathom the schemes of terror and associate them to unimaginable things only to prove that their act does make sense!
Here are three terrorists devising diverse turfs of implication:-
Timothy James "Tim" McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) Oklahoma City bombing
 Timothy James "Tim" McVeigh  was an American domestic terrorist who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Commonly referred to as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the attack killed 168 people and injured over 800. It was the deadliest act of terrorism within the United States prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
McVeigh, a militia movement sympathizer, sought revenge against the federal government for its handling of the Waco Siege, which had ended in the deaths of 76 people exactly two years prior to the bombing, as well as for the Ruby Ridge incident in 1992. McVeigh hoped to inspire a revolt against what he considered to be a tyrannical federal government. He was convicted of 11 federal offenses and sentenced to death. His execution took place on June 11, 2001 at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier were also convicted as conspirators in the plot.

Tim McVeigh

McVeigh was born in Lockport, New York, the only son and the second of three children of William and Mildred "Mickey" McVeigh. His parents divorced when he was 10 years old and he was raised by his father in Pendleton, New York. McVeigh claimed to have been a target of bullying at school and that he took refuge in a fantasy world where he imagined retaliating against those bullies.  At the end of his life he would state his belief that the United States government is the ultimate bully. Most who knew McVeigh remember him as being withdrawn, with a few describing him as an outgoing and playful child who withdrew as an adolescent. McVeigh is said to have had one girlfriend during his childhood, later stating to journalists he did not know how to impress girls. According to his authorized biography, "his only sustaining relief from his unsatisfied sex drive was his even stronger desire to die.”

Adolf Hitler 

Adolf Hitler

A decorated veteran of World War I, Hitler joined the German Workers' Party (precursor of the NSDAP) in 1919, and became leader of the NSDAP in 1921. In 1923, he attempted a coup d'état, known as the Beer Hall Putsch, in Munich. The failed coup resulted in Hitler's imprisonment, during which time he wrote his memoir, Mein Kampf (My Struggle). After his release in 1924, Hitler gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles and promoting Pan-Germanism, antisemitism, and anti-communism with charismatic oratory and Nazi propaganda. Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 at the Gasthof zum Pommer, an inn in Ranshofen,[9] a village annexed in 1938 to the municipality of Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary. He was the fourth of six children to Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl (1860–1907). Adolf's older siblings – Gustav, Ida, and Otto – died in infancy. When Hitler was three, the family moved to Passau, Germany.[11] There he acquired the distinctive lower Bavarian dialect, rather than Austrian German, which marked his speech all of his life. Hitler took singing lessons, sang in the church choir, and even considered becoming a priest. In 1898 the family returned permanently to Leonding. The death of his younger brother, Edmund, from measles on 2 February 1900 deeply affected Hitler. He changed from being confident and outgoing and an excellent student, to a morose, detached, and sullen boy who constantly fought with his father and teachers
Hitler is considered to be a terrorist for the use of genocide and mass murders. When I think of Nazi killing, genocide immediately comes to mind, particularly that of "6,000,00 Jews." But they also murdered for reasons other than race or religion. For one, the Nazis slew those who opposed or hindered them, whether actually or potentially. This was why Hitler assassinated hundreds of top Nazi. As high as this human cost of the Nazis was for the Germans, it was higher for the countries they invaded and occupied, particularly in the East. Not only did the Nazis eliminate actual critics and opponents as a matter of course, but they also prevented any serious potential opposition by simply exterminating the top leadership, intellectuals, and professionals. Besides Jews, the Germans murdered near 2,400,000 Poles, 3,000,000 Ukrainians, 1,593,000 Russians, and 1,400,000 Byelorussians, many of these among the best and the brightest men and women. The Nazis killed in cold blood nearly one out of every six Polish or Soviet citizens, including Jews, under their rule. Moreover, the Nazis murdered as an administrative device. They used terror and mass reprisals to maintain their control, prevent sabotage, and safeguard their soldiers.
Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski  born May 22, 1942), also known as the "Unabomber"
An American murderer, mathematician, social critic, anarchist, and Neo-Luddite.[2] Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski engaged in a nation-wide bombing campaign against modern technology, planting or mailing numerous home-made bombs, killing three people and injuring 23 others.
Kaczynski was born in Chicago, Illinois, where, as a child prodigy, he excelled academically from an early age. Kaczynski was accepted into Harvard University at the age of 16, where he earned an undergraduate degree, and later earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. He became an assistant professor at theUniversity of California, Berkeley at age 25, but resigned two years later.

Theodore John Kaczynski.

The Unabomber was the target of one of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's costliest investigations. Before Kaczynski's identity was known, the FBI used the title "UNABOM" (UNiversity & Airline BOMber) to refer to his case, which resulted in the media calling him the Unabomber. The FBI pushed for the publication of Kaczynski's "Manifesto" which led to his brother and his wife recognizing Kaczynski's style of writing and beliefs from the manifesto, and tipping off the FBI.  Kaczynski tried unsuccessfully to dismiss his court appointed lawyers because they wanted to plead insanity in order to avoid the death penalty, as Kaczynski did not believe he was insane. When it became clear that his pending trial would entail national television exposure for Kaczynski, the court entered a plea agreement, under which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. He has been designated a "domestic terrorist" by the FBI.
One an anti-government, second A political activist and third a tagged psychotic bomber. One palpable fact is that all the three led tough lives as broods. They were bullied and had parents with either a bad or wrecked marriages. These glum episodes of their lives made them feel dejected the only way they saw to give it back to those people who hurt them was posturing to terrible violence and overdoing every power –Firing up a new legacy, they used imprudent terminologies to justify their offences. I believe such emotional flux has amplified in an alarming rate in the world; our lifestyle may leave many children with this weird dilemma!
Now my question to you is should we make a change, If yes then How?
How can we stay confident of not encouraging the new generation to crime –Unknowingly or not?
Terror– What is it? Can you redefine it? Feel free to comment and let me know your views I will pick the best ones and illustrate them next week.