Terrorism is defined as...the use of force or threats of force by one group of people to intimidate, terrorize, coerce, or destroy another group of people, in order to secure some advantage for the group committing the terrorism or in order to seek revenge for some past grievance or both.

By that definition, the terrorists are: Al Queda, Israel, the Taliban, the Northern Alliance, the USA, Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, India, the Palestinian bombers and snipers, the Serbs, the Kosovars, the Chinese, the Tamils, the Sri Lankans, the British, and just about anyone else you could care to mention, with the exception of some small countries like Denmark, Iceland, Lichtenstein, and so on...and with the exception of most of us private citizens everywhere who are just trying to quietly live our lives in peace.

Who are the most effective terrorists? Powerful national governments and their military forces. They have the most firepower by far and are best organized to use it.

Police forces come next (not all police forces, but many of them in many places).

Then come scattered groups of non-governmental forces, guerrilla fighters, saboteurs, criminal gangs, etc...right down to those you might call the "small fish"...schoolyard bullies. They all have much less firepower than powerful nations do, but they are generally considered more heinous because their fighters aren't in uniform. This is mere convenient hypocrisy...the same kind that ensures that a rich man normally gets better legal help in court than a poor man does.

National goverments and great imperial powers have routinely practiced terrorism on their chosen enemies throughout history, while calling it something else, and with or without the formality of a declaration of war.

Hypocrites, hypocrites, hypocrites. The "War on Terrorism" is itself being fought by some of the world's foremost terrorists...against some other terrorists. To find general agreement on who threw the very first stone would at this point be an exercise in futility.

- LH