California Attack Has US Rethinking Strategy On Homegrown Terror (nytimes.com)

JoeyRox writes: The recent terror attack in California reflects "an evolution of the terrorist threat that Mr. Obama and federal officials have long dreaded: homegrown, self-radicalized individuals operating undetected before striking one of many soft targets that can never be fully protected in a country as sprawling as the United States." With this new type of terror risk, authorities may begin relying more heavily on citizens reporting suspicious behavior of others. The attack is also expected to renew the debate over privacy versus security for software encryption. President Obama will be addressing the nation tonight to discuss the attack.

Comments

Homegrown? Come on

[Anonymous Coward]

If Obama attempts to label this as a "homegrown" terrorist, it truly conveys that he has NO grip on the situation at all, and is only looking to monopolize on the situation to further his agenda and gain political favors and to further "his legacy". Make no mistake this man was a American born citizen, however his wife was of Saudi Arabia and has just as much to do with the attack as anyone else and was done in collaboration with terrorist contacts he had external to this country. Yes there are domestic elements to it, but to go about it and treat it solely as a "domestic" incident would be stupid.

Re:Homegrown? Come on

[amiga3D]

Your argument is badly flawed. I have almost nothing to fear from foreign terrorists. The true threat is my own countrymen and always has been. I'm much, much more likely to be shot stopping at a local convenience store than by any terrorist home grown or not. I avoid areas around town that are known to be "combat zones" and when I travel to Atlanta I always pack heat but really I have virtually no fear. My most likely means of demise will be either cancer or heart disease just like most Americans. Cancer due to the exposure to chromium and other substances in my job in the aviation industry and heart disease because I eat too fucking much. Terrorists make for good TV but if anyone stops to think about it they'll realize that they're just an annoyance.

How many people were killed?

[Bruce66423]

This latest one was little more than a bad weekend in Chicago. Given that Chicago can't be controlled, the belief that a far more diffuse threat can be seriously challenged is the security state looking for a funding rise. Let's just be grateful that they've stayed low tech so far.

So, ponder this...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dec 2nd, 2 baddies kill 14 people in CA = CNN says "assault weapons" for 12 straight hours.

Oct 3rd, An AC-130 gunship and crew of 13 rain 211 shells on a hospital in for nearly an hour killing 63 patients and international volunteer doctors = CNN barely mentioned it, and somehow failed to categorize the gunship loaded with 211 shells an "assault weapon"

Why didn't the pres address the nation over this one?

Re:So we're not going to over-react this time, rig

[quintessencesluglord]

I see you missed the part about the Moroccan restaurant being firebombed. Somehow that wasn't labeled terrorism.

And so does your victim-blaming narrative fit there too?

Let's not forget that ISIL is a very, very recent development. I wonder if anyone can point to any recent events in that part of the world?

Or do you really want me to believe that for over 200 years Islamic people have had little beef with the US, but over the course of the last 30 have developed a hard-on of epic proportions.

And it was just out of nowhere, and not reactionary to US foreign policy.

Really?

As I said, just a rehash of discussions after 9/11. Thank you for playing your part.

Re: I like how they lie and call this homegrown

[sumdumass]

It's not the visit to Saudi Arabia that concerns me. Its all the spying that turned out to be useless. The same happened with the Boston bombers who were warned about by Russia and found that members of a mosque they went to warned the FBI.

It seems that the spying is only harassing honest citizens who not only do nothing wrong but aren't even realistically suspected of doing anything terrorist related.

Re:My prediction....

[Anonymous Coward]

Whatever happened to, "Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself"?

I don't want to trade liberty for security. Am I in the minority here with my wanting to have my civil liberties?

Re:Who is this person who claims to speak for the

[Zontar The Mindless]

Quotation marks = "I'm quoting someone else".

URLs = "Here's where I got this info".

Submission != "Plagiarism".

You're welcome.

Re:I like how they lie and call this homegrown

[fustakrakich]

The government, through Saudi Arabia, is an ISIS supporter. And then, after ISIS, you will hear about ISIS 2.0, or is it Al Qaeda 3.0? Either way, the war is coming home to roost.

Re:Because the shooter was an American?

[Mr. Slippery]

The vast majority of casualties in 2015 (about 400) come from ordinary "I just felt like it" shootings.

No, they mostly came from "ordinary" criminal violence, largely gang-related. Shootingtracker.com is a source of noise: there have not been hundreds of mass shootings this year, unless you re-define the term.