Terrorism: act of war or act of crime?

[question everything]

It appears that the RWers are trying to run this kind of distinction and assigning the first to Bush and the second to Clinton.

I have not followed this line of debate. Why does it matter? Does it matter?

[Solly Mack]

1. criminal

when a country attacks then it's an act of war

when a gang/group (whatever) attacks then it's a criminal act

[CaTeacher]

2. to me the distinction is fuzzy---after all in

Bin Ladin's video tapes they CLAIM that he declares war on us, so from his point of view it is a war.

But to me--it doesn't really matter what we call it? A rose is a rose---no matter what we call it, it is what it is.

[Solly Mack]

3. Matters to me how it's defined and it matters to nations...has for years

one of the reasons we have things like the law of land warfare is

because definitions matter.


they aren't the same

[mike_c]

5. so the resistance fighters during WWII were criminals...?

By your definition all partisan irregulars are "criminals."

[Solly Mack]

6. Uh, no they follow under an entirely different category

and a quick read of the history of war would tell everyone this

and it's NOT my definition

resistance fighters are just that, btw. so labeled because they are fighting an invading force or maybe even an illegal govt...but the illegal govt. aspect is an iffy thing since mussolini was legal as was hitler...making them "insurgents" to hitler and mussolini...and "resistance fighters" to the allies....now, as to france...they were illegally invaded...ergo..see above....illegal invasion AND illegal govt.

you can wage war internally and it's labeled as treason if you lose (even if you don't lose)..for example...had britain won, the founding fathers would have been put to death for treason...and were guilty of treason since the law of the land was england

[question everything]

7. Thanks. I think that this is one angle of attacking Clinton

that he did not "declare war" on terrorism and did not invade Afghanistan or Iraq.

[Solly Mack]

8. They are attacking him...but Bush is the one in the wrong

as I think everything has shown...from torture, to torture memos...to "illegal combatants" to "pow" and "detainee" definitions they played hard and fast with...that Bush is wrong and Clinton was correct

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

4. I once read that only a country

or agents of said country can carry out an act of WAR, but if they are just operating independently it is a crime, an act of murder.

[killbotfactory]

9. crime, unless it is sponsored by a specific gov't

otherwise, armed robbery would be considered terrorism.