OK Hog, I'll play! I think a terrorist is a tactitian who targets defenseless civilians solely for the sake of targeting civilians to strike fear in the hearts of them and through them influence the actions of their goverment (the perceived enemy). There can be a VERY fine line drawn between the actions of our own country and terrorists. We created a firestorm over Dresden and Frankfort in the Ruhr Valley of Germany in WWII in an effort to cripple the Nazi war machine. We were NOT however trying to strike fear into the populace, but rather trying to curtail the production of ball bearings without which airplanes, guns, tanks and other equipment necessary to wage war could not be made. The civilians just happened to work at the factories where they were produced, and were "collateral damage". I for one do not condone the attack on the USS Cole, but at least they were attacking the US military, and not several thousand innocents who were doing nothing even indirectly threatening to Al Queada. I look at my ID card and see I have a "geneva convention category" listed on it. I beleive that makes me a 'legal target' for someone who has an axe to grind with the US. I can deal with that, I knew that the enemies of my country would want to eliminate me when I raised my hand and took the oath. But to see cowards bypass the "complaint department", and go straight for the men, woemen and children that I'm sworn to protect, that makes my blood boil! The North Vietnamese showed how effective a guerrilla campaign can be against a traditionally organized force. But even they did not travel into our own land and kill our women and children. Yes, we have traveled to foreign lands and killed women and children, but we were not TARGETING them. In the first Gulf War, Saddam tried to keep his Scud launchers in close proximity to bomb shelters full of civilians, daring us to take them out. Whose fault was that? But there were no primary targets in close proximity to the WTC, the field in Pa. or the Pentagon (not a base, just a big office building) no direct threats, just defenseless, helpless targets. So I think that the practice of targeting innocents with no military value pretty well distinguishes the terrorists for us. I am glad they are so ready to meet God, I'ld like to introduce as many of them to Him as possible!
