SYCMU: Runnin' Rebels

Old Chip has been talking about gun control lately. Following is a "SYCMU" story that should give pause to even the most pro-gun nuts among us. Apparently a sextet of unreformed racist rednecks from Alabama planned to drive down the road to the sleepy hamlet of Remlap and start a-shootin'. One of the guys is actually named Michael Wayne Bobo. That's right -- Bobo. His father's name is Bobby. No, really.

ATF: Alabamians plotted to machine-gun Mexicans

Were these boys serious? Oh yes...

"Authorities said agents during the raids last week recovered 130 homemade hand grenades, a grenade launcher, about 70 hand grenades rigged to be fired from a rifle, a machine gun, a short-barrel shotgun and 2,500 rounds of ammunition in the raids."

Since the plot didn't come off, and since it exemplifies just about every single backward-redneck-southern-racist-cooter stereotype, I decided I can include it in my SYCMU series. It's certainly good news that authorities caught on to these guys -- the thing to remember is that it is exceedingly rare for such yahoos to be as well-organized and disciplined as Timothy McVeigh.

But here's a pretty profound question, I think: Did you think about this as a terrorism story? Because we usually don't think of a cell of whacked white racists as terrorists, precisely. But that's exactly what they are: The goal seemed to be to terrify Mexican immigrants and keep them away. If they had carried out the plan and killed even a handful of victims, it surely would have been effective.