How do you define the line between fighting terrorists and becoming them?

Answer 1

Exactly. This is a question we should be asking more often. I don't think it's just a matter of "intentionally" targeting women and children. If you're being negligent and creating a situation where you allow many civilians, including women, children, and the elderly to die or be mutilated, isn't that just as bad? Especially when it's tens of thousands of more deaths than occured from the terrorist attack that prompted the war?

Bottom line, war is terror. I don't see how you can fight a "war on terror."

Answer 2

There's not just a line between the they are in completely different universes.First terrorists kill to make people scared.People fighting terrorism fight to protect people.You could say it is like the difference in an obgyn doctor and an abortion doctor.There is that more clear now?

Answer 3

Excellent point, a terrorist is what the big army calls the little army. Can the US ever claim to have not hurt women and children? The US assumes it has moral ascendency but often this is not the case, try looking at issues from a non US standpoint.

Answer 4

The really isn't much of a difference, sometimes in terriorism if one person commits an act of terrorism, then the whole country is thought of as terrortits. But the same can be said for some soliders.

I had a teacher who once said, "Terrorism is to the Muslims, as the KKK is to Christianity."

Answer 5

Easy. If you intentionally target the innocent, you're a terrorist.

If you use women and children as human shields, you're a terrorist.

Need more?

Hey, LHFP - see? You and I agree. We all need to start focusing on what we have in common, instead of tearing each other up all the time. I think the politicians love it - we're too busy fighting with each other to pay attention to what *they're* doing.

And then Argle comes along and blows that out of the water. Oh well.

Answer 6

Wow...very good question....personally...I like much of the rest of the world think George Bush is the biggest Terrorist on the Planet...and he isn't even getting his hands dirty. However this doesn't mean that he is clean by any means. He is corrupt and rotten to the core.

Answer 7

It's kind of hard to engage in warfare without creating terror. Perhaps if you arm your troops with squirt guns, you could avoid causing terror on a battlefield.

Answer 8

fear, that's the difference.. terrorist use fear purposefully as a tool.. as long as we don't do that we aren't terrorists.. that doesn't make everything we do right.. but we definitely aren't terrorists.

Answer 9

It's very simple: do you use terrorist tactics in your fight, or not?

EDIT: I quite agree, my dear!

Answer 10

Looking at it from the Cons perspective, They'd say it's the difference between wrong and right - Allah is wrong and Jesus is right.....