Criminals or terrorists?

I could hardly believe my ears today when - while driving to the store - the main question on one of the local radio talk shows was, "Should pirates be treated as criminals or terrorists?" (This in reference, of course, to the Somali situation.)

Give me a break here!

I thought to myself, "What's the difference between a criminal and a terrorist?" Have we now bent so far backwards in our efforts to try and be politically correct that we cannot even say that a bad guy is a bad guy?

Is my question too simplistic?

Just about anything that happens anywhere in the world these days instantaneously becomes news. Some of it is 'raw', as I wrote about here. Some of it is everyone's business and some of it is downright none of my or anyone else's business!

You know, folks, I would sometimes very much prefer to be an ostrich ... one who hides his head in the sand and pretends that nothing bad is happening, but every once in a while I can't. I just can't!

Radio talk shows certainly have their place, particularly here in the Houston area last fall after Ike did his best to try and devastate the entire upper Gulf Coast of Texas. Station after station had lines open 24/7 for distressed citizens to call in and vent their frustrations. That was a good thing. A really good thing.

However, I wonder whether this local station really cares about the difference (I'm assuming there's a difference in re prosecution, detainment and/or penalties) between these two terms - criminal vs. terrorist, or do they care more about their ratings?

Sometimes, it seems to me that it's only "news" if it's utterly absurd, shocking, controversial or particularly gory.

Am I the only one who feels this way?