Why are United States officials so hesitant to label acts of domestic terrorism as such?

The Planned Parenthood attack in Colorado was and should be labeled as terrorism. A man came into the facility and began attacking those in the building. The man killed three people and wounded nine last week. This man had an agenda. According to a story on Yahoo! News, the gunman told investigators “No more baby parts” following his arrest.

Many citizens have assumed his reasoning to be religious in nature, although nothing is known for certain.

Is it because this man is a white male that he isn’t called a terrorist? If a person of color would have done the same exact thing in the name of Christianity, the person would have been immediately demonized by most mainstream media outlets. People would dawn Ku Klux Klan hoods and torches, chasing down the “outsider.” Is the Colorado Springs shooter exempt from this type of ridicule because he benefits from white privilege? Is the American Criminal Justice system so flawed that this man is not going to get the punishment he rightfully deserves for inciting terror?

Charleston, South Carolina shooter Dylan Roof killed nine churchgoers due partly to the fact that they were a different race than he was. Roof murdered African American men and women simply for the race, something they did not choose and do not have any control over.

Many claim Roof was treated too well by police, who ended up getting the murderer fast food prior to his arrest. Is this another result of white privilege? Why has Roof not been labeled a terrorist? Better yet, why has the government not proclaimed this shooting an act of terrorism?

Is white America too caught up in a utopian vision to actually admit that there is a problem among members of their own race? Mass shootings committed by people of color are few and far between.

These criminals who brought terrorism into our borders should face time representative of their crimes. Long enough have those who benefit from a corrupt system gotten away with barely a scratch. The tables need to be turned.