My point in the passing along the story was that regardless of how you feel, it’s all being driven by money. Frankly, I have never been in favor of the government doling out my money for anything; including the 9-11 compensation fund.

There is Iranian money is the United States because the US seized and froze many Iranian accounts shortly after the revolution. Iran has wanted that money back for quite some time now.

But, on the important issue – the attack on Beirut was not a terrorist attack. All of the victims were military personnel on a military mission on a US base in Lebanon. I wish no one had been hurt, but I don't think any military strategist in the world that isn't influenced by politics would consider an attack on a military target terrorism. Terrorism is generally defined as any violent attack against civilians with a political goal (and some say it must be committed by a non-state actor). The Hezbollah attack does not qualify as it was an attack on a military target. Now, as I said, I wish it had never happened. I don't wish harm on anyone, especially US soldiers. I wish the whole Lebanese Civil War had never happened, but it did and we have to be honest with our terminology. This distinction is important. We don't normally demand restitution from enemies after cessation of hostilities anymore. Are we demanding North Korea pay for the soldiers killed in the fifties? Does Vietnam have an obligation to the US because of the 60,000 dead? Smartly, the world halted demands for reparations after wars (excluding ones that involve significant civilian deaths, such as the reparations Germany paid Israel after WWII) due to the debacle in Germany after WWI and the concept that reparations breed contempt and further conflict. This has largely been a good thing for that very reason.