Overview Of Homeland Security And Domestic Terrorism

There is a constant threat to the United States and its citizens in the form of terrorism. Taking the proper steps is crucial to ensure the Homeland stays protected as well as the people that rightfully live in it. There are still many terrorist organizations that have explicitly spoken and wrote about having their ultimate goal to inflict terrorism on the United States. These organizations are being constantly monitored with professionals and counterterrorism agencies. The National Counterterrorism center is one of the leading agencies in gathering intelligence and reporting on potential terrorism activity. This agency folds all the information they gather and acquire and dispenses reports and analysis to send to other appropriate agencies

Terrorism has not made a lasting impact on Americans until September 11, 2001. Since 9/11, research on terrorism has been increasing and it had been determined that terrorism is a complex area. So law enforcement needs to be educated on the different aspects of terrorism. Since September 11th, local, state, and federal law enforcement have made changes to become more effective in detecting terrorists and deterring attacks. They have adopted new methods, expanded on their equipment, and even extended communication to other agencies. Law enforcement in federal, state and local levels have been preparing, getting educated and learning new ways to protect the community from terrorists.

Domestic terrorism refers any forcefulness act exerted on the civilian population or the infrastructure of a particular nation. Mostly domestic terrorism is done by the citizens of the nation with the intention of coercing, intimidating the national policy. A lone wolf terrorist is a situation where a citizen performs a forceful act supporting or basing on ideology and beliefs of certain movements or groups. One person alone without any command or assistances does a lone terrorist from the group.

I wanted to learn about domestic terrorism incidents and what separates domestic terrorism from international terrorism. The term of domestic terrorism seems to have changed in recent years from those with anti-government views like Timothy McVeigh and the Weather Underground to include those with beliefs of international terror groups such as the Boston Marathon Bombers and Fort Hood shooter. I felt somewhat unsure as to if suspects like the Boston Marathon Bombers fit the category of domestic terrorism or international terrorism, and I now feel as if I have a much better understanding of terrorism terms. I would have liked to explore more topics related to how we can better detect and prevent possible domestic terrorists and homegrown violent

Many acts of terrorism still happen today. Terrorism is the use of violence against a person's property. In the 1800's, John Brown was against slavery and fought for what he believed in, but his actions were violent and he terrorized many people. Even though terrorism can be defined in many ways, John Browns actions at Harpers Ferry and Pottawatomie Creek were acts of terrorism, which justify him as a terrorist.

America has gone through difficult times with war, but has gone through harder times with the war on terror. Terrorism is defined as the use of terror or threat. The war on terror became a big deal on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by hundreds of Japanese fighter planes, but has been a bigger deal since that attack on the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.. The bombing of the Twin Towers and to the Pentagon was like a Pearl Harbor but for the 21st century. Terrorist turn to violent means such as killing and bombing of the government.

A bomb explodes outside of the FBI building in Oklahoma City. Over one hundred people were killed, the side of the building was blown open, and no one knew who did such a malicious thing. A few days later, people know Timothy McVeigh was the terrorist who blew up the FBI building. People like Timothy McVeigh don’t just blow up buildings just because they feel like it. Timothy, like the many other people after him, is called a terrorist because of the reason behind his violent doings. Terrorists all want a change in society according to their beliefs and thoughts of order by protesting with violence that terrify people.

In addition to these components directly supporting the DHS, there are other key agencies working with DHS to address a wide variety of issues. These agencies include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Education, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice, Department of State, Department of Defense, and many others. Individual State and Local Agencies also work closely with DHS.

The Patriot Act is an antiterrorism law that allocates powers to the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Security Agency, and other federal agencies. The law authorizes roving wiretaps, “sneak and peek” warrants, business record searches, and surveillance of individuals suspected of terrorist-related activities not linked to terrorist groups. This authorization is in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which says that “the people shall be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects from unreasonable searches and seizures, and that that security can only be violated by a search warrant issued by a neutral judge and based upon probable cause of crime.”

In Florida, the School shooting took place on Feb 14 2018. At Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school Nikolas Cruz a 19 year old man, set off fire alarms to get kids to run in the hallways so he could open fire on the students with an AR-15 assault rifle. In addition, Cruz noxiously killed 17 people and injured over a dozen others. To escape, he dropped his weapon and blended in with the crowd of students, although, Cruz was later captured in Coral Springs at 3:41 p.m.(Farber, "Florida School Shooting Timeline"). Since the 2012 school shooting at Sandy Hook there has been 142 school shootings in America.(Carissimo, "There Have Been 45 School Shootings in the US This Year"). Terrorism is the illegal use of violence mainly towards civilians,

The primary mission of these organizations is being prepared to handle array of natural and human disasters. Homeland security is a concerted national effort to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks, protect against man-made and natural hazards, and respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. Reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and key resources, essential leadership, and major events to terrorist attacks and other hazards. Provide grants, plans and training to our homeland security and law enforcement partners. We have taken significant steps to create a unified and integrated Department that will enhance our performance by focusing on accountability, efficiency, transparency and leadership development. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the final weak link in the then-existing confusing chain of command. FEMA 's head, Wallace E. Stickney, had no apparent experience in emergency management or disaster response (Franklin, D. 1995). In response to the criticism by victims, officials, and the media of the delayed FEMA response, the Department of Defense (DoD)

In order to decipher whether a violent act is one of terrorism the definition of terrorism must be clear. Most individuals would describe it as “the unlawful use of threat of violence against persons or property to further political or social objectives.”(Taking Sides). In the case of the massacre Brown and his group of men attacked those who were pro slavery and saw his views as radical. The group broke into multiple people’s homes and took these unarmed men to the woods to kill them. (Trial of John Brown). The main goal of these attacks was to instill fear into others in order to bring their goals of complete abolition to light.

There are related goals to the key elements mentioned above to which the department works in order to make sure that they provide a safe environment to the citizens of the country. The operations of the department help in achieving the mission of the department by conducting joint operations, coordinating activities, employing efficient use of department resources and by collecting the right information from the federal, state, local and private sector agencies.

The primary mission of intelligence agencies is to collected information outside and inside the borders of the United States, by using people and technology. Intelligence is used to protect the community and the citizens from a horrific incident. The United States cannot afford another 9/11, so that why increase the intelligence efforts in counterterrorism. The terrorist want to harm the United States by any means necessary by learning and readjusting their post 9/11.

Terrorism causes fear all across the world. People are terrified because of what happens in these attacks. There are many different kinds of fear caused by terrorist attacks. Some react to these attacks differently than others. Many react to these attacks in a constructive and rational matter, this helps to not give the terrorists what they want. If we can do this we can minimize these attacks across the world. So, are you with me? Will you help to minimize this problem?