The annihilation of Western civilization and the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, ruled by Sharia Law, is the goal of the Islamic extremist.
There is some validity that the present administration has not come to grips with what is a terrorist but under current law, an Islamic terrorist and what may be called an environmental activist can be classified as a terrorist. Yes, anyone burning a logging truck may commit a terrorist act as opposed vandalism.
The Supreme Court has ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 2006, that the Geneva Conventions do apply to terrorist in U.S. custody including Al Qaeda and Taliban detainees.
Not open to interpretation.
Public Intelligence
A recent Department of Justice guide for investigators of criminal and extremist groups lists “constitutionalists” and “survivalists” alongside organizations like Al-Qaeda and the Aryan Brotherhood. The 120-page, “Law Enforcement Sensitive” guide to “Investigating Terrorism and Criminal Extremism – Terms and Concepts” describes itself as “a glossary designed primarily as a tool for criminal justice professionals to enhance their understanding of words relating to extremist terminology, phrases, activities, symbols, organizations, and selected names that they may encounter while conducting criminal investigations or prosecutions of members of extremist organizations.”