Michael Paul Williams: Lawmaker's 'terrorist' claim reckless

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/member-center/share-this/print/?content=ar1751932

So Richmond is the home of a terrorist cell? Who knew?

No one, it appears, other than Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment.

Norment, a Republican from James City County, made the terror allegation Wednesday while defending the appearance of police in riot gear at a rally for women's rights at the state Capitol. He said several of the Saturday rally's participants were members of the Occupy Richmond movement and The Wingnut, an anarchist collective whose members live in a home in Southern Barton Heights.

"That is what raised the level of concern," Norment said, calling The Wingnut "an identified anarchist, armed terrorist group."

Yes, members legally own firearms, says the Wingnut's Mo Karn. But terrorists?

"Really? Identified by whom?" Karn asked Wednesday.

By Norment, it appears.

The Richmond Police Department and The Wingnut have had their differences. But on Thursday, Maj. Steve Drew said he didn't know what Norment was referring to.

"The Richmond Police Department does not look at the Wingnut organization as a terrorist organization," Drew said.

Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, said the agency "cannot and does not designate any group as a 'terrorist organization.'"

Asked Thursday for the source of Norment's "terrorist" information, Jeff Ryer, a spokesman for the Senate Republican Caucus, cited "some information (Norment) had received given an incident at VCU … involving a van and some tires and some other stuff and photos of them with arms."

In February, former Wingnut member Jeremy Hawthorne was convicted of felony property damage for puncturing seven tires on four Virginia Commonwealth University vehicles, including two police cars, on Aug. 23. That's not the sort of crime that lands you on a terror list.

Ryer said Norment received his information from the Virginia Capitol Police. He also cited the group's website and said it's unusual for an organization to identify itself as an anarchist collective.

"One person's anarchist might be another person's terrorist. … Senator Norment is standing by the comments he made on the floor," Ryer said.

Virginia Capitol Police Capt. Raymond Goodloe said his agency is aware of The Wingnut but hastened to add: "We haven't characterized anyone as a terrorist group, and it's not our job to label anyone as a terrorist group."

But label Norment did, apparently based on a photo and a misguided assumption that an "anarchist" and a "terrorist" are intrinsically one and the same.

In an email Thursday, Karn said none of the collective's three remaining members attended Saturday's rally, though "some friends of ours and former members of our collective were involved, and some folks we really like were among those arrested."

"It's easy to feel upset about being called a terrorist," she said. "It's pretty widely known how the government treats people after it starts calling them terrorists, so having a fairly important politician call you a terrorist is a lot like a threat."

But the collective is not going to let Norment's comments get to them, she said, because that "is giving him what he wants, which is to distract from the bad behavior of his side. It isn't The Wingnut that wants to legislate away women's rights in order to score cheap political points. It wasn't The Wingnut that sent armed, masked men to face down peaceful protesters."

Yes, Norment wants to change the conversation from the state's unpopular and heavy-handed intrusion into women's health. Still, it's hard not to feel outrage when powerful people level reckless accusations at vulnerable citizens. History has taught us such actions are dangerous to ignore.

Calling someone a "terrorist" in 2012 is not unlike calling someone a "communist" in 1952. Such an accusation chops off rational debate at the knees. When cooler heads don't prevail, a single word can ruin a life.

There is another word — one we'd like to consider anachronistic — that no decent person should want to be associated with. That word is McCarthyism. Norment should be more careful.

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