A California man named William Celli was arrested for threatening to kill Muslims and possession of an explosive device. Amazingly, he only spent a mere 90 days in jail for what is essentially an act of terrorism!
Celli was arrested outside of the Islamic Society of West Contra Costa County in Richmond, California, after making a scene by screaming "I AM GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!" After his arrest, law enforcement officers did indeed find and detonate an explosive device at the man's home.
This is a precarious time in our Nation's history. There is a lot of rhetoric being spread by political candidates as well as the general public. In the wrong minds, this vitriolic speech can spread like a disease.
We are all on edge because of terrorism. But every terrorist, whether Muslim or not, must be treated equally in the eyes of the law; and 90 days for threatening to kill a group of people, while you also have a bomb at home ready to use, is NOT a fitting punishment for terroristic threats. By comparison, Albanian Muslim immigrants were sentenced to Life in prison, plus 30 years, for allegedly planning a terrorist attack. I'm not saying these immigrants should have received a lesser punishment, I'm merely pointing out the disparity between the sentences.
A terrorist is a terrorist, no matter what his/her religious faith or ethnicity.
Please join me in asking lawmakers of California to enact stronger penalties for threats of terrorism!
Dear Governor Brown,
We (the undersigned) are disturbed that a man making terrorist threats, with a bomb, was sentenced to a mere 90 days in jail. Every act of terrorism, no matter what the person's ethnic background, should receive a punishment equal to his/her threats.
When we allow a non-Muslim to make threats on the lives of Muslims, with what amounts to a slap on the wrist as punishment, we could be creating a new breed of terrorism; a breed who is undeterred because history proves they will get away with it in the eyes of the law.
Please introduce and pass legislation ensuring that ALL potential terrorists are treated with equally strict punishment.
Sincerely,
