Terrorist acts were not uncommon before September 11, 2001, but the
             events of that day brought the issue to the fore of public consciousness.
             Designed to invoke intense fear, terrorism is used as a subversive, violent
             act in lieu of traditional modes of protest or of state-sanctioned military
             action. As acts of violence, terrorism defies morality even as terrorist
             groups supposedly seek a higher good through their actions. Acts of terror
             are often performed by political, ethnic, or religious groups who feel they
             have no other recourse for their needs or demands. Because terrorist groups
             are often disenfranchised members of a dictatorial society in which
             democratic rights of protest and petition are not practiced, terrorism is
             justified by disempowered groups of people. However, because terrorism
             inevitably kills or maims people or destroys property, businesses, or
             livelihoods, terrorism cannot be justified except by moral relativism.
             Moreover, there are many nonviolent means by which disempowered groups can
             Moreover, many terrorist groups are not merely disenfranchised people.
             The terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center on September 11 were
             for the most part wealthy Saudi Arabians who held resentments against the
             United States and its market system. While the capitalist machine has many
             faults, there is no justification for killing three thousand people.
             Statements against world trade can be made in other ways, such as creative
             self-expression and proactive political measures. Terrorism cannot be
             justified because it is fundamentally an immoral, unethical, and
             destructive act. Any deliberate act of murder, violence or terror is
             However, war is also destructive and state-sanctioned wars kill many
             more people than do terrorist acts. One of the key differences between war
             and terrorism is that war is usually waged by elected officials, while
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