ELF terrorists or not?

Ted Rall claims he is going by the dictionary in stating that Earth Liberation Front activists are not terrorists.

Rall doesn’t defend actions of theirs, such as burning 4,500-square-foot pseudo-green McMansions (and yes, Al Gore could do more than just buying carbon credits for his own mega-McMansion) in exurban Seattle.

But, contra to BushCo propaganda, he claims that while they are arsonists and vandals, they’re not terrorists. No people have been threatened. In fact, ELF tells activists to “take all necessary precautions against harming any animal —human and non-human.”

While Rall may be right that the use of the word “terrorist” diminishes its legitimate use, nonetheless, Merriam-Webster doesn’t fully agree with him. It lists violent or destructive acts.