Since we are obviously subject to this raging-imperialist "war on terror" I've been curious to find out what it ACTUALLY means and the implications of it.

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"[an] act of terrorism, means any activity that {A} involves a violent actor an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the united states or any state, or that would be a criminal violation if commited within the jurisdiction of the united states or of any state; and {B} appears to be intended (I) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of government by assassination or kidnapping."

(United States Code Congressional and Administrative News, 98th Congress, Second session, 1984, oct. 19, volume 2; par. 3077, 98 STAT. 2707)
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This does seem fairly comprehensive but it is only when you look into the legislation surrounding it that it starts to look suspicious.

the legal criteria for designation as a targetted terrorist organisation by the united states war on terror

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1. The organisation must be foreign
2. The organisation must engage in terrorist activity as defined in Section 212 (a)(3)(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
3. The organisation's activities must threaten the security of U.S nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.
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The organisation must be foreign ?? WTF? Now why would the u.s possibly ONLY target foreign organisations? Could it possibly be due to the fact that through their own legislation it would implicate and criminalise the C.I.A whose terrorist activities include (as one example) organising the beirut carbombing which they had carefully timed so that their was a maximum number of civilian casualties. Because it would criminalise the u.s armies efforts to set up nicaraguan terrorist army whose sole intention (as straight out of the mouth of the state department) was to attack "soft targets"; civilian ones.

The organisations activities must threaten the economic interests of the united states ? That means any country who doesn't 'roll over and die' in the interests of corporate globalisation and american economic interests can be classed as a terrorist at will by the u.s state department.

The U.S is the ONLY country in the world to be charged with international terrorism and be ordered to desist and pay reparations -with which it reacted with contempt- by the world court.

Sources:

The book "911" by Noam Chomsky,
"necessary illusions" by Noam Chomsky
"western state terrorism" by Alex George

Last edited: Friday, March 10, 2006 at 2:51:13 PM

Great stuff, Pablo. More fuel for the fires of hypocrisy. Now, on to defining "war"... Is this thing in Iraq really a war?
"War is when the armed forces of one country attack the armed forces of another country."-Molly Ivins.
Guess not.
W00t, Noam, btw! He really HAS written some great stuff about politics.
"Without Noam, the whole political-band movement from the Clash on wouldn't exist." -Serj Tankian

Noone coming in for an argument?

I'll try.

I disagree.

(this bumped the thread anyway)

^^^ You get Molly Ivins too? Yyyyyesssss!