On New Year’s Day, two acts of terror took place that rattled the American public.
In New Orleans, police say Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a rented truck down crowded Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring 35 people. The FBI reported that an ISIS flag was recovered from Jabbar’s vehicle.
Hours later in Las Vegas, another rented pickup truck exploded outside the Trump Las Vegas Hotel. The driver was identified by the Las Vegas Police and Clark County Coroner as Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, an active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces intelligence sergeant. His choice of a Tesla may have proved a poor one, as the Cybertruck evidently contained much of the blast, and Livelsberger was the only casualty.
Any attack on American soil — and especially during a season of celebration — worries Americans. The loss of life in New Orleans is especially tragic.
But Americans are also rightfully worried about their government’s response. To even the most casual observer, an ISIS flag points to a radical Islamist ideology. Likewise, a Tesla exploding outside a hotel with the president-elect’s name on it isn’t exactly subtle.
Yet, the FBI was quick to bungle the New Orleans attack, sending out Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan to a disastrous press conference where she declared, “This is not a terrorist event.”
Numerous commenters online couldn’t believe their ears.
Equally rushed was the mainstream media’s early takes: “New Orleans attack and Vegas explosion highlight extremist violence by active military and veterans” trumpeted Newsday. “New Year’s attacks fuel fears of extremism in military” scribbled The Hill.
Yes, both men had U.S. military experience and both were even stationed at Fort Liberty. Are readers meant to infer that somehow the U.S. military is radicalizing its soldiers to carry out these horrific acts of violence?
What utter fear mongering.
According to the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) at the University of Maryland, 730 people with some ties to the U.S. military committed criminal “extremist” acts in the U.S. from 1990 through April 2024. An estimated six percent of Americans have ties to the U.S. military, or approximately 20.4 million people. The alleged military extremists represent .003 percent of those who have served.
Yet facts never seem to hinder the Biden administration from running down the military. It has been that way since he took office. Quick to call the January 6 Capitol rioters “insurrectionists” and “domestic terrorists,” President Joe Biden ordered a military “stand-down” in one of his first acts as commander-in-chief. Members up for extra scrutiny from the Department of Defense? Christians and Republicans.
After more than a year of study, Rand found that support for extremist groups and ideology among U.S. military members was less than that of the general public. The study concluded: “There was no evidence to support the notion that the veteran community, as a whole, manifests higher rates of support for violent extremist groups or extremist beliefs than the American public.”
Your nation’s active and former military members are far more likely to save your life and property than take it. Sadly, you won’t hear that from our current commander-in-chief or his media parrots.
In times like this, instead of leaping to smear, a more competent administration would assure the public that a thorough investigation is underway. A more competent media might ask the FBI and Biden himself what steps they are taking to protect other large-scale gatherings and celebratory events (like, oh, an inauguration in two weeks).
Until we return to competence, Americans have every right to be jittery.
Morgan Murphy is military thought leader, former press secretary to the Secretary of Defense and national security advisor in the U.S. Senate.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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