What does it mean to be a Terrorist?

There are many conflicting and contributing factors that make up what I believe constitutes the title of "Terrorist" for an individual or a group of people. While researching the various types of terrorism, both domestically and internationally, as well as contemporary versus historical terrorism, I was surprised by the information that is available and spread on the internet about this controversial subject. My initial idea of a terrorist was skewed and shaped by my age and moderate-conservative upbringing. While I do not consider myself a die-hard advocate for the government action against terrorism recently in international affairs, I grew up believing that Islam is a dangerous and violent religion, that Muslim people had generally poor views of Americans and their values, and that terrorists were only out to strike fear into entire countries over large disagreements such as starting wars or exploiting resources. I grew up believing that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 were one of the greatest attacks on American liberty and safety. However, I was very wrong. I did not know about the "terrorism" that was used by Patriot soldiers after the revolutionary war in the northeast before they returned to England. When researching more modern domestic terrorists, my surprise when learning about the Animal Freedom organizations, UNABOMBER, and various Marxist anti-government organizations turned into suspicion. If these groups of people are defined by their extreme views and violent actions because of these views, virtually every war could be claimed to have been started by terrorism. And if terrorism on an international scale is in question, what is different about terrorism than staunch patriotism? While I don't believe that terrorism is warranted in any situation, the further I researched into the information was provided, the more convoluted my definition and idea of what a terrorist is became. These images do not reflect my personal beliefs, but do pose controversial questions about the way people are labeled as terrorists based on their crime, age, race, religion, and other identifying traits.

The youtube video is a trailer for the highly successful film Zero Dark Thirty, which describes the search for Osama Bin Laden as "The greatest manhunt of all time." This movie not only depicts terrorists as extraordinarily dangerous, but total enemies to the US and people that are acceptable to torture, capture, fear, and ultimately slaughter. The American CIA agents in the film are depicted as heroes with unwavering faith in their cause and their means of finding and killing Bin Laden. But is there ever a way to stop terrorism without walking close to the line of participating in it?