The "insurgents" in Iraq killed another 12 people today in Baghdad. I keep wondering why the Americans are vilified when it's these people -- who may be pissed-off Sunnis or may be troublemakers brought in from other countries by outside forces -- are the ones killing off people by the scores. I know the Americans are clumsy and unsophisticated, but I thought we were trying to do good: rebuild Iraq, help the Iraqis figure out how to govern themselves rather than live in fear of a dictator, and show them how to live relatively stable, secure lives. And somehow the "insurgents" seem to be forgiven since they are only trying to get rid of the evil Americans and choose to do so by killing innocent bystanders.
"Insurgents" seems to be the au courant politically correct term for terrorists.
Yet there are contexts in which insurgents can be the good guys, e.g., the French Resistance in WWII.
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"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master - that's all."
Posted by: Yojimbo | October 24, 2005 at 12:39 PM