Because I do it with one small ship, I am called a terrorist. You do it with a whole fleet and are called an emperor.
~ A pirate from St. Augustine’s City of God circa 410 AD.
Terrorism : killing civilians with the intent of changing their political affiliation.
~ Caleb Carr (1955-08-02 age:62), military historianI would modify that definition slightly. I don’t think nuts who act completely on their own should count as terrorists. I think they need to be associated with an organisation to count as terrorists.
Any action constitutes terrorism if it is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a Government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act.Thus terrorism includes:
~ Kofi Annan (1938-04-08 age:80) secretary general of the United Nations
Terrorism: the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objectives This definition includes three elements:FBI
- Terrorist activities are illegal and involve the use of force.
- The actions are intended to intimidate or coerce.
- The actions are committed in support of political or social objectives. (FEMA-SS)
The term international terrorism means activities that:In short terrorists are people who kill civilians to browbeat them into changing their politics.~ Findlaw.com
- involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State;
- appear to be intended:
and
- to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
- to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
- to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping;
- occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States, or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum.
Note there are no execeptions to being considered terrorism when white Christians kill Muslims, when Americans kill Iraqis or when god-fearing people kill evil-doers, or when the people killed hated the killers.
That makes them terrorists, whether you approve of that action or not. This makes the American soldiers in Iraq international war criminals and also criminals under American law. Had Hitler won WWII (World War II), prosecuting he Nazis would have been much delayed. Similarly, since America is so militarily powerful, it will be hard effect mass prosecution. Only a few lesser lights who stray outside the protection of the USA will be nailed to start. Germany has already started prosecuting. Consider that some Nazis were not prosecuted until they were in their 90s. The political balance of power could change substantially over the next 70 years. American involved in the terrorism cannot count on perpetual protection.
Iraqis have killed American soldiers in Iraq. They are not terrorists. Killing soldiers is ordinary warfare, not terrorism. You can argue that killing in defence of their own country is wrong by Christian morality, but it is still not terrorism.
Iraqis have killed mercenaries and various support people in Iraq. All of these people were present in Iraq to support the invasion and occupation. There were not bystander civilians. They are aiding and abetting the terrorism against the Iraqi people and are thus also international war criminals. Killing them does not count as terrorism. It is ordinary resistance warfare. It has nothing to do with whether you support or condone such killing. It is simply a matter of the definition of terrorism.
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