I’m becoming increasingly concerned that we’re on our way to creating an environment that will breed domestic terrorists and enable foreign ones.

First and most importantly, we’re creating an environment in which people are marginalized. This is exactly the mechanism that has spawned numerous splinter groups and terrorist organizations in the Middle East and Northern Africa. These groups have certainly exaggerated and publicized their marginalization to bolster their own agendas, but there’s a germ (or more) of truth in many cases.

The current Republican Presidential candidates and many Republican Governors have rushed to deny sanctuary to the virtual handful of Syrian refugees that the President has proposed accepting, to say nothing of advocating registration of Muslims, deportations and reconnaissance or closure of Mosques. These shameful positions are un-American and can only lead to marginalization. In addition to becoming fodder of use to extremists to use to reinforce the message that the US is their enemy, they will certainly make the round trip back here where they may influence people predisposed to radicalization, such as the couple that perpetrated the San Bernardino assault. At this point, we can try to make a case that tolerance and equal rights prevail here but current discourse is undermining this notion.

We can build walls and implement all the security infrastructure we want but it isn’t possible to prevent ideas, however false and misguided, from making their way to people here that might act on them. The Great Wall isn’t really working in China and nothing remotely similar to it would be accepted, much less be effective, here. If people susceptible to radicalization come across postings and videos romanticizing jihad and emphasizing our mistreatment of minority populations at the same time that political rhetoric and short-sighted policies are being propounded, more events like those that have been in the news lately are probable.

It’s quite possible that this has already resulted in multiple shootings. Leaving Islam and the Middle East out of it entirely, look at the shootings at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston or Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs. Bellicose and coarse discourse and false and contrived videos and postings almost certainly contributed to the mindset of the people who perpetrated these shootings.

Finally, there is the issue of the availability of guns. Congress recently failed to enact a no-brainer law that would prevent people on the no-fly list from purchasing guns. Why? If the gun lobby is concerned about the rights of existing gun owners, they should be a little more concerned about who those people are. In the long run, the more people who have firearms that we would rather not, the more pressure will build up to scrutinize all gun owners. I don’t know what this may turn into but if it is found that prospective terrorists are purchasing assault weapons, it will certainly have the potential to push the legislature past whatever boundaries exist today.

Have no misconceptions, I don’t believe that the answer to guns is more guns and I think that a lack of certain common-sense controls, which we seem to be unable to even discuss rationally, is a dangerous disservice to the US public. Other people may disagree.

So, are we germinating the seeds of more attacks on US soil? I fear so. If our political leaders persist in demonizing people based on their backgrounds or religious beliefs, we will alienate them. If we continue to enable them to obtain guns, some of them will act on their alienation, anger and fear of persecution.

Bio:

Howard M. Wiener is President of Codiscent Americas, a New York-based company that implements software Better, Cheaper and Faster using proprietary Model-Driven Generative Engineering and Reverse-Engineering technology. Mr. Wiener holds an MS in Business Management from Carnegie-Mellon University and is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional.  He can be reached at:

howardmwiener@gmail.com
howard.wiener@codiscent.com
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