Off-Topic: Politics (or "Fear will keep the local systems in line."

So, I am going to diverge slightly from my normal self-help/self-improvement discussions to discuss, briefly, the attack on the Malaysian Airlines plane. I mean to discuss the tragedy in political terms, and address a broader problem that started with U.S. President Bush and was exacerbated by U.S. President Obama, Ukraine President Poroshenko, and various talking heads.

While listening to the news of the attack last night, I was shocked at how many people called it an act of Terror. A quick Google search shows this video of the crash and accusations of terrorism.

An airplane flies through an active war zone between separatists (rebels) and Ukraine. This is not an act of Terrorism. And an act of tragic stupidity on the part of Malaysian Airline pilots and traffic controllers.

. It's an act of war. One side in the Ukraine civil war shot likely shot down the plane, and in realizing they shot down a passenger jet, refuses to acknowledge it for fear it will delegitimize their cause in the public forum.

It's not terrorism, it's war with a Twitter feed. 

There is a problem with the definition  or Terrorist. A quick jaunt over to the FBI website tells us that a terrorist. Let's look at  the "international terrorist" definition:

• Involve violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
• Appear to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
• Occur primarily outside the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S., or transcend national boundaries in terms of the means by which they are accomplished, the persons they appear intended to intimidate or coerce, or the locale in which their perpetrators operate or seek asylum.*

Pay attention now. the  parts that are important are number 1 and 2. Acts that are dangerous to human life and violate the law (of the US) and intimidate and coerce the civilian population.

All definitions of  terrorism maintain those two qualities. An illegal act, dangerous to human life, that is intended to coerce civilians.

Every crime is terrorism.  Every act is terrorism. Robbing a bank is now domestic terrorism. Mugging is terrorism. And in the US terrorists lack fundamental rights. If  a US citizen  is labelled a terrorist, they lose the protection of the constitution.

Fascists believe anything that creates civil unrest harms the state, and anyone engaged in civil unrest that harms the state is not a part of the state, nor granted the rights of a member of the state.  Disagreement with the state causes civil unrest.  Can we see how language here is being manipulated?

And let's not even discuss the terror of Drone strikes. They cow entire nations into acquiescing to the US.

I am not saying we shouldn't take a hard stance against terrorism or crime. But I think our broad definition allows those in power to take advantage of it for social capital.  In the case of the plane, it's clear the intention was to shoot down a plane. Perhaps it happened by mistake - they thought it was a fighter or bomber, perhaps on purpose - what kind of damn-fool pilot flies through a contested militarized zone?

War is inherently terrifying  and chaotic, especially to the civilian population. Does that mean war is terrorism?

I guess the point I try to make is that we make everything terrorism when we label everything as terrorism.And that is dangerous, especially for a nation built on freedom from the government for those governed.