Definition of Terms

[House of Mustard]

Aha!  I see what I did -- I just posted the terms, implying what they meant, but didn't post the definitions.  According to Gus Martin (I think it's funny that an academic is named  Gus -- he sounds like a gas station attendant), "unrestricted terrorism" is defined as "indiscriminate force against noncombatant targets".  That probably clears this up a little.

[Skar]

Yes.  That's a fine term.  The actual word "unrestricted" is misleading but tolerably so, English being as imprecise as the next language...

Of course calling someone an "unrestricted terrorist" would be even more misleading, the most likely interpretation being that that particular terrorist or terrorist organization was "at large" but now we're into pure semantics, not where I want to go.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

because there's no restrictions that we place on those terrorists. They're able to get into the places where only all-access passes get to go. Darnit. I'm going to be a terrorist so I can meet Britney Spears back stage.

[Skar]

Sigh...

*Skar, regretfully, sets SE on fire

[Skar]

Level 10, yeah BABY! Woot!

Edit:  Aw, man.  That sucks.  And it presupposes that students of warfare are cons.  I protest.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I deserved that. But I'm feeling terrorized.

[House of Mustard]

I can imagine Bin Laden putting out an album called "Osama: Unrestricted".  That'd be sweet.

[Skar]

I'd buy it.  And then I'd jump up on stage and set him on fire at one of his concerts.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

He could do an album with 2 Live Crew.

[Nicadymus]

Wouldn't "Osama: Unrestricted" be somewhat inappropriate since he belongs to a variant of the muslim religion that is highly restricted?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

sure, if you actually think Osama believes any commands of God applies to him other than "Kill them all"

[House of Mustard]

Oooh -- can that one apply to me too?

[Archon]

Of course, after all, what is a paladin if not someone who kills in God's name?

[Oseleon]

According to Gus Martin (I think it's funny that an academic is named Gus -- he sounds like a gas station attendant), "unrestricted terrorism" is defined as "indiscriminate force against noncombatant targets".  That probably clears this up a little.

But then we are back at the academic’s secret code issue...
If we just take the term as it is given, w/o knowing who the hell Gus is, or what he has to say, we will assume that "unrestricted Terrorism" means something else... My first impulse is to say it means "Terrorist acts committed in a permissible climate" (Like a large number of nations IN THE UN)
As an example, if an Israeli interest was bombed in Syria and the Syrian government ignored it.... I would call it "unrestricted terrorism" Completely unaware that Gus had already chosen that term for something else.  

There IS a growing disconnect between academia and the lay-man, it’s as vast as many of the other polarizations in this country.  We should be encouraging the Academics to come half way, not draw the gap wider


sorry I was out for most of this discussion, work expected me to.... work.  THE NERVE!

[House of Mustard]

But Oseleon, the only alternative that you have suggested is that we should completely redefine terrorism to refer ONLY to a subset of terrorism.  It's like changing the word 'fruit' so that it only refers to apples.

Besides that, I don't think the laymen are as stupid as you seem to think they are.  When people think of groups that burn down fur farms, or bomb abortion clinics (without killing people), they (these stupid, stupid, anti-academic people) probably still associate them with terrorists.  Not everyone -- not even most people -- probably not even a large group of people -- think that a requirement of terrorism is killing civilians.