"What is a terrorist, these days? We have no shared definition in this global war -- we know terrorism when it strikes us.

But that definition opens the door to any nation -- especially a nation that says it's on our side in this fight -- to use terrorism as an excuse to limit dissent. We need to know both "our enemy" as well as those who would be our conscience."

Get the Story:
Mark Trahant: Terrorism wears many faces (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 6/27)

More Mark Trahant:
Mark Trahant: The big five-oh a good time to reflect (6/21)
Mark Trahant: Ordinary Reagan was extraordinary (06/14)
Mark Trahant: Indian girls team had game back in 1900s (06/07)
Mark Trahant: Voice mail filled with views on Iraqi war (05/17)
Mark Trahant: A familiar story of cultural change (03/22)
Mark Trahant: One Indian in Senate is wrong number (03/08)
Mark Trahant: Division marked another major war too (2/23)
Mark Trahant: We're still fighting the Cold War (01/26)
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Mark Trahant: Bush needs to note success and failure (10/20)
Mark Trahant: Technology and the news world (09/29)
Mark Trahant: Preparing for the unthinkable (09/22)
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