As a writer, I find myself constantly turning over in my mind questions that seem to have no logical answer based on history, philosophy or other tangible touchstones, as least for me. In the world we live in today, one of the critical questions is What is a terrorist?

In the West, we are programmed by contemporary events to think of terrorists as being Islamic fundamentalists willing to kill innocent people in order to achieve perceived religious obligations.

When I think of terrorists, I find myself asking questions from a different time. For example, were we white European settlers terrorists against the British? Were the French who provided American revolutionaries with material and people resources, aiders and abettors as we currently declare Iran and Syria?

In the famous movie Braveheart were the Scottish nationalists terrorists? What about the IRA? And, in the late 1920s, were the pre-cursors of the Nazis terrorists?

What about Christians? Were we terrorists against the Romans? And in the Crusades? Who were the terrorists then? Does it depend upon which set of years are considered?

In the time of the Civil Rights Movement, were radical blacks terrorists?

I am not sure about the technically, or culturally, correct answer to these questions. I suspect that terrorism, like most things in life, is in the eye of the beholder.

In fiction, we are able to explore these concepts, myths and situational realities.

What do you think a terrorist is?

What is the definition of . . .?

In the world of fiction, as I said, we can explore anything that we want. What is it that you find to be of interest from the standpoint of definitional reality?