I've been through a number of grinding discussions on this board on what exactly is the definition of "terrorism." I long ago arrived at the concept of terrorism being the deliberate and planned targeting of innocent non-combatants for killing and maiming, with no military goal even remotely connected to it.

Blowing up a bus full of school kids is terrorism. Blowing up a house next to a military facility by accident is not. Blowing up a pizza house is terrorism. Blowing up a military munitions dump is not.

I've been listening to cable news for a while, and I think the word "terrorism" is being tossed around a little too lightly.

While I am of course on the side of our forces, I feel that calling individual sneak Iraqi attacks on barracks, military facilities, and headquarters units "terrorist" is stretching the term to the breaking point.

We are at all-out war with Iraq, by any definition, and if an Iraqi military person sneaks into a compound and blows something up, or rolls grenades into a military headquarters building, this is IMO legitimate combat tactics. I hope to hell somebody shoots their heads off before they can manage it, but "terrorism" it ain't, any more than any resistance movement against active and aggressive military targets is "terrorism."

If the Palestinian suicide bombers were blowing up IDF armored tanks instead of buses and cafes, I would still be on Israel's side, but the terrorism issue would be a whole different story.