It might sound stupid but the average military base in the US does not have hundreds of armed guards walking around looking for evil doers. They have what is basically a police force. If they could get in and get to a barracks or something with chemicals or explosives then they could do what they wanted to do. If it was on a timer they could even get away. Only a few bases get the kind of super security you are likely thinking about.

What a bunch of losers. I hate Jihadists and I hope they are tortured and sentenced to death. All Jihadists are huge loser dummy dumb dumbs.

I hate religion for making people want to kill each other. Jihad, crusade, inquisition, and abortion clinic bombing are all the same to me. As much as I hate all forms of religious violence (and non-religious violence), I have to confess though that I can't call it terrorism when it's a valid military target.

I can call them illegal combatants and murderers, but not terrorists. To me terrorism involves the deliberate targeting of civilians. Old style warfare of bombing cities may actually be included in this definition. So, Hiroshima and Nagasaki may be included in my definition as well.

Anyone want to help me come up with a properly refined definition of terrorism?

By the way, had the terrorists on 9/11 targeted only the pentagon and not used a civilian aircraft as a weapon, I would not have been able to call that terrorism either. The pentagon is a valid military target.

Unprovoked acts of war by illegal combatants are just a small notch away from terrorism in my mind. However, there is still a distinction in my mind.

Before we get wrapped up in commenting on this, remember the story just broke today. It's my observation that the first information is usually substantially wrong. I'm also aware that this was released by the New Jersey US Attorney's office, the same one that announced incumbent Democratic Sen. Menendez was under investigation just in time to threaten his reelection, and then dropped the whole thing with the election over. I'm also thinking of how it seems these arrests get announced at convenient times for the bushies.