“terrorism is non-state activity that threatens the power relations that prop up the state. Whether it’s direct action that undermines capitalism and animal exploitation or religiously motivated violence against corporate and military targets, what those targeted with terrorism charges share is a value system that rejects the absolute authority of the state and shows a willingness to act on it. That’s why Dylan Roof isn’t a terrorist, nor abortion clinic bombers, nor right-wing paramilitaries in Latin America, nor US drones in Pakistan or Yemen. Those forms of violence, while obviously intended to compel obedience to hierarchies through violence, don’t challenge the values that the US state is based upon. It’s not a difference of tactics or intent; it’s a difference of ideology and interests.”