X-Message-Number: 17633 From: "George Smith" <> References: <> Subject: What is a terrorist? Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 12:10:58 -0700 In answer to Raphael Haftka's posting (#17618) I will help give a FUNCTIONAL definition of terrorism and a few other relevant terms. (Don't look to your dictionaries. Look to your newspapers and history books). TERRORISM is the murder of unarmed civilians (including women, children and the elderly). Murder is a crime. WAR is the legal killing of combatants in the effort to secure a military objective (victory). Those who actively support murder are considered to be accessories to the crime. Military members who intentionally kill NON combatants are considered by the civilized (non criminal) world to be war criminals. Being "poor", the "underdog" or "oppressed" does NOT make murder legal. INTENTIONS do not justify murder. And ACTIONS define murder. The Nuremberg Trials found guilty of war crimes those whose defense was simply "I was obeying orders." All members of the U.S. Armed Forces are instructed in the understanding of what constitutes a lawful order and what does not. It is the legal duty of all U.S. military members to ONLY obey lawful orders. Otherwise they can be found guilty of war crimes. Terrorists are criminal murderers. Those who actively support them are accessories to criminal murder. The people who attacked the World Trade Center are criminal murderers. All people who actively support such actions are accessories to the crime. Those who hold that terrorism is a legitimate means to a political end are in support of murder and are therefore opposed to civilization. Terrorists lack the courage to only attack military targets but intentionally blow up hotels, schools, churches, and business centers. They kidnap, rape and torture innocent civilians. Their acts are criminal. Civilization relies upon the restraint of crime. This is much more than just my opinion. It is fact. George Smith Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=17633