The term "militant" typically refers to a person who engages in violence as part of a claimed struggle for achievement of a political goal but do not belong to an established military. Popular usage sometimes sees "militants" as synonymous with terrorists, though its considered a slightly less loaded term. Newspapers, magazines, and other information sources have deemed "militant" a neutral term, whereas "terrorist" conventionally indicates disapproval of the behavior of the individual or organization so labelled, regardless of the motivations for such behavior.

Maybe instead of catering to the concerns of CAIR, the media people have taken notice that Chechnya is considered an independent republic occupied by a foreign power, by its separatist popluation, and a federal republic that is part of the Russian Federation by its federalists. There have been many accusations that George Bush's good friend, and former KGB officer, V. Putin, has had Russian FSB agents agents perform many of the terrorist attacks that were blamed on Chechen separatist in order to carry carry out his war on Chechnya under the guise of the War on Terrorism, and free of negative world opinions.

There has been a concious effort by the media to use terms in that conflict that don't indicate that one side is wrong, and the other is right. Putin after all, isn't exactly a champion of democracy no matter how much the former USSR has changed, and it wasn't too many years ago that the USA would have applauded any revolt against Moscow's Control.

These are the people who held Russian schoolchildren hostage last year and brutally killed some of them. I think terrorist would be a more accurate moniker.

Where are you getting that information, Pam? The Beslan school attack was orchestrated by Shamil Basayev. According to Chief of the Russian General Staff, Army General Yury Baluyevsky, there is no evidence that Shamil Basayev was involved in Thursday's attack on Nalchik. General Baluyevskywas commenting in Moscow today on reports by Western media that Basayev "could" have been involved.

"I have no evidence that Basayev has been there," the General said

But like I tell my internet friends, "If you read a 'fact' at lifelikepundit.com, assume that its a fabrication until you confirm it."

http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/0/28.html?id_issue=11406586

so who took the children hostage and do you consider them terrorists?

Putin is far from W's friend. True, he isn't a champion of democracy BUT are you so over the top to think that Russia is attacking its own so they can continue to fight over Chechnya? Stop watching Oliver Stone movies, KeithS

Llyod,
Reread paragraph one of KeithS' post. It's quit true that there are people in Chechnya using terrorist tactics. It doesn't look like they were invloved with the above attack.
Get a better grasp of whats being said before you question another poster's sanity.

IaintBacchus

Reread sentence one of Pam's post. She uses the pronoun "they". I think it covers radical Islam very well. Keith jumped to a conclusion.