Are we getting sloppy with our use of the word "Terrorism"?

For one, I know this'll be way popular, I'm not entirely convinced that it's always a negative thing considering available alternatives. Often a group is left with little recourse other that acts of "Terror"/Rebellion/Insurgency. Can the IRA beat British tanks and other weapons of State Terrorism head on? Can the Chechens take on the Soviets, er, I mean Russians head on? No, look at Grozny http://www.fotograaf.com/wessel/gr05.htm

IIRC didn't we, the US, call the Viet Cong "Terrorists" and their attacks on us, an occupying force, "terroristic"? I suppose that the Nazis considered the French Resistance "Terrorists" as well. Oh and the Brits may have well called our Revolution a Terroristic Act.

And they WERE!

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=terrorism&x=2...

Main Entry: ter·ror·ism
Pronunciation: 'ter-&r-"i-z&m
Function: noun
: the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion
- ter·ror·ist /-&r-ist/ adjective or noun
- ter·ror·is·tic /"ter-&r-'is-tik/ adjective

4 : violence (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands <insurrection and revolutionary terror>

Obviously the status quo is not always an acceptable state of affairs, as evidenced by the limitless number of rebellions and insurgencies over the ages, and I would guess that most of those in Power would consider their "unworthy" adversaries "Terrorists".

I guess that my point is that the word is insufficient and generally misunderstood. That our sensationalist media, and culture, is too self absorbed to give it any objective consideration.

The more I hear it used lately it reminds me of the mentality that utters the ridiculously simplistic, and dangerously polarising, "You are either with us or against us".

When we call anyone a terrorist because they don't have uniforms and apache helicopters we are way sloppy..

This is mainly hardcore freepers who do, and I hate it. In their new vocabulary ANYONE and I mean ANYONE fighting someone else by blowing up civilian buildings etc are a terrorist nomatter what the circumstances are.

EDIT : In my opinion we are getting very sloppy with alot of words, stuff like nazi, anti semite etc are really losing their meaning

...considered the same.

Dresden might be another good example.