Good Law | Bad Law - Is the NRA a terrorist organization? A Conversation w/ Erik Schechter
10/04/19 • 43 min
How do we draw the definitional lines on what is, and what is not, domestic terrorism?
Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Erik Schechter, founder of Red Phantom Public Relations and a defense and security affairs specialist, to discuss the notion of terrorism, as well as his recent NBC op-ed on the topic, “September 11 was terrorism. The NRA and Antifa are not.”
In today’s conversation, Aaron and Erik talk about terrorism, both domestic and international, focusing on the particular ways in which we (as people, as governments, as societies) talk, think, and classify terrorism and terroristic acts. Erik explains the dangers of loose definitions and the theoretical consequences that could result by expanding these thresholds. Erik and Aaron contemplate San Francisco’s recent decision to brand the NRA as a domestic terrorism organization and the potential issues that may arise because of it, such as constitutional conflicts, expanding the power of the state and demonizing political opponents.
A former military correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, Erik experienced terrorism first hand in 2004 when a suicide bomber exploded on a bus he was riding. Throughout the episode, as well as in his article, Erik talks about how this experience scarred him and how it continues to shape his views and definitions on what should, and should not, be considered terrorism. Aaron and Erik talk about gun control and recent mass shootings, the Patriot Act and subsequent legislation, the context and comparisons of warfare and more. How should we be thinking about domestic acts of violence? What should the distinctions be? Are these definitions warping the way we think about these ideas?
Erik has written for such publications as Aerospace America, C4ISR Journal, Monocle, Training & Simulation Journal and more. He previously worked as a PR professional for Spector & Associates, handling defense and hi-tech industry clients and covering security-related issues for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. In addition to covering advances in military technology and tactics, Erik has also written on issues involving international humanitarian law, such as the post-disengagement status of the Gaza Strip and controversial interrogation methods used on suspected terrorists.
To find a copy of Erik’s NBC op-ed, please click here.
Host: Aaron Freiwald
Guest: Erik Schechter
Follow Good Law | Bad Law:
YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law
Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw
Website: https://www.law-podcast.com
How do we draw the definitional lines on what is, and what is not, domestic terrorism?
Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Erik Schechter, founder of Red Phantom Public Relations and a defense and security affairs specialist, to discuss the notion of terrorism, as well as his recent NBC op-ed on the topic, “September 11 was terrorism. The NRA and Antifa are not.”
In today’s conversation, Aaron and Erik talk about terrorism, both domestic and international, focusing on the particular ways in which we (as people, as governments, as societies) talk, think, and classify terrorism and terroristic acts. Erik explains the dangers of loose definitions and the theoretical consequences that could result by expanding these thresholds. Erik and Aaron contemplate San Francisco’s recent decision to brand the NRA as a domestic terrorism organization and the potential issues that may arise because of it, such as constitutional conflicts, expanding the power of the state and demonizing political opponents.
A former military correspondent for The Jerusalem Post, Erik experienced terrorism first hand in 2004 when a suicide bomber exploded on a bus he was riding. Throughout the episode, as well as in his article, Erik talks about how this experience scarred him and how it continues to shape his views and definitions on what should, and should not, be considered terrorism. Aaron and Erik talk about gun control and recent mass shootings, the Patriot Act and subsequent legislation, the context and comparisons of warfare and more. How should we be thinking about domestic acts of violence? What should the distinctions be? Are these definitions warping the way we think about these ideas?
Erik has written for such publications as Aerospace America, C4ISR Journal, Monocle, Training & Simulation Journal and more. He previously worked as a PR professional for Spector & Associates, handling defense and hi-tech industry clients and covering security-related issues for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. In addition to covering advances in military technology and tactics, Erik has also written on issues involving international humanitarian law, such as the post-disengagement status of the Gaza Strip and controversial interrogation methods used on suspected terrorists.
To find a copy of Erik’s NBC op-ed, please click here.
Host: Aaron Freiwald
Guest: Erik Schechter
Follow Good Law | Bad Law:
YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law
Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw
Website: https://www.law-podcast.com
Previous Episode
Good Law | Bad Law - From Jailhouse Lawyer to the Supreme Court: A Conversation w/ Professor Shon Hopwood about His Remarkable Journey
From jailhouse lawyer to law professor and criminal justice reform advocate . . .
Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Shon Hopwood, an attorney and law professor at Georgetown Law, to discuss his remarkable life story and how it brought him to understand the need for profound reform in our criminal justice system. After Shon’s story was featured on a recent episode of “60 Minutes,” he graciously agreed to come on Good Law Bad Law to share his story and the reforms he believes are so urgently needed.
Shon served 11 years in federal prison for a series of armed bank robberies he committed in his early 20s. After securing a job in the prison law library, Shon discovered that he had quite the knack for the law and legal thinking. After failing to get his own sentence reduced, he turned to helping other inmates with their cases. Against all the odds, Shon wrote a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court asking for review of a fellow inmate’s conviction and the appeal was accepted. This brought Shon into contact with former Solicitor General Seth Waxman, who agreed to argue the appeal. Then . . . well, you just have to listen to the episode to hear the rest of Shon’s incredible journey and his views on in-prison rehabilitation services, mandatory minimum sentences, and re-entry training and services.
A graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, and a Gates Public Law Scholar, Shon’s research and teaching interests include criminal law and procedure, civil rights, and the constitutional rights of prisoners. He has served as a law clerk for Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. And his legal scholarship has been published in the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties, Fordham, and Washington Law Reviews, as well as the American Criminal Law Review and Georgetown Law Journal’s Annual Review of Criminal Procedure.
To find more information on Shon, visit his Georgetown web page here.
Host: Aaron Freiwald
Guest: Shon Hopwood
Follow Good Law | Bad Law:
YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law
Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw
Website: https://www.law-podcast.com
Next Episode
Good Law | Bad Law - Bourbon Law: A Conversation w/ Brian Haara
What is whiskey law? … And how has it impacted America’s history?
Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by Brian Haara, author and an attorney at Tachau Meek, to discuss his recent book, Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped America.
Bourbon and the law might seem to be connected in only a few, and negative ways, but the real history of bourbon, hidden beneath the surface, “is the foundation of American commercial law and its relation to American history as a whole.” Relying on actual case reports and trial records, Brian recounts the history of Kentucky’s most famous spirit and the families who developed one of America’s first major industries to trace important developments in U.S. business law in areas including branding, trademarks, environmental law and other aspects of business dealings.
In today’s episode, Aaron and Brian analyze how historical laws about bourbon have impacted, and continue to impact, the law today. Drawing clear connections, Brian and Aaron talk about commercial law, trademark law, environmental law, competition law, and more. Brian shares the origins of “branding,” explaining that the history and roots of brand-name come from bourbon law. Aaron and Brian talk about our country’s earliest consumer protection legislation, including the crucial Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. Brian and Aaron discuss a wide-range of whiskey topics as well, such as the differences between whiskey and bourbon and the definitions and the criteria each spirit is held to, as well as the importance of whiskey tax to our nation and how Kentucky became the epicenter for bourbon production.
Brian is a public speaker, legal writer, and co-managing partner of Tachau Meek, PLC, a business litigation firm in Louisville. A University of Kentucky Law graduate, Brian primarily serves the trial and litigation needs of clients in the financial services, insurance, and bourbon industries. As part of his practice, Brian represents both individuals and businesses, handling commercial litigation matters such as contract claims, trademark disputes, retail banking and UCC claims. Brian regularly litigates non-compete, unfair competition, trade secret, and breach of fiduciary duty cases, including injunction hearings, in state and federal courts in both Kentucky and Indiana. Brian has also been consulted in restrictive covenant matters in numerous other states.
A self-described whiskey enthusiast, Brian found a way to combine his love of bourbon and history with his passion for the law. Bourbon Justice is a fascinating look at our country’s heritage through the lens of bourbon. “Tracking the history of bourbon and bourbon law illuminates the development of the United States as a nation, from conquering the wild frontier to rugged individualism to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit to solidifying itself as a nation of laws.” More than just a true bourbon history, this book analyzes key moment’s throughout America’s past, identifying important milestones that continue to influence our laws and society today.
To purchase a copy of Brian’s book, please follow the link here.
To learn more about Brian and his book, please visit his website here.
Brian’s blog, Sipp’n Corn, can also be found on his website, please click here.
To learn more about Brian’s law firm, Tachau Meek, please click here.
Host: Aaron Freiwald
Guest: Brian Haara
Follow Good Law | Bad Law:
YouTube: Good Law | Bad Law
Instagram: @GoodLawBadLaw
Website: https://www.law-podcast.com
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