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#41694 09/13/01 07:18 PM
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Since elsewhere we are running rampant with both politics and religion in one thread….

Words being what we do here, how about this line of discussion: War or Terror?

Can we let words be bandied about without questioning what they are supposed to denote?



#41695 09/13/01 07:48 PM
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I believe that neither war nor terror is what we are dealing with in the WTC matter. War can only be fought by a government, and terror is an instrument of militant political organizations with definite political goals. This appears closer to the religious jihad of a comparatively small group with no goal except to hurt the United States, which they have been taught by religious fanatics to regard as The Great Satan. A possible political goal may be to induce the United States to cease supporting Israel. But terrorists usually state their goals very openly.


#41696 09/14/01 10:35 AM
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You make a strong point Bill. I need to think more about that.

What does concern me is that by employing the word war the politicians are using cheap rhetorical flourishes that they know in their hearts they cannot deliver on - to fight a war sounds very grand and so much more reassuring than the muddled struggle required to combat terrorism, but in a war you need an identifiable enemy and clear goals. Despite Bush's rhetoric there is zero chance of the USA declaring war on 5 Arab states anytime this side of hell freezing over.

Just look at all the empty rhetoric of the past - do you remember "He can run, but he cannot hide!" - that demon is still in power, because it suited US interests to leave him there in the long run. Do you remember all the stuff about bombing Baghdad back into the dark ages? Well, again when push came to shove Saddam was left in power because it suited US interests.

I just think those of us who care about language have a duty to exercise scrupulous care at times like this. Otherwise the consequences tend to make victims of the least powerful people around the globe.



#41697 09/14/01 12:42 PM
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by employing the word war the politicians are using cheap rhetorical flourishes
I hope that that is all it was.

because it suited U.S. interests.
Yes, it's about priorities, and I think these priorities are usually about money.






#41698 09/14/01 12:52 PM
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Jackie, I don't doubt that he intends it to signify a commitment of vast military power. But there is still no war unless another state is involved. And since Arab states have their hands on the jugular of black gold that supplies the economic heart of the capitalist world, I cannot see anything but posturing in that quarter in the long run. Mind you, that won't stop him declaring war on Afghanistan, I suppose. Yeah, they'll do - poor, far away, and not very photogenic. <eg>


#41699 09/14/01 01:04 PM
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Sorry, Aunt mav, I got distracted by an e-mail and forgot to add what I'd meant to.
I think Pres. Bush probably used that word, either by his choice or because he was told to, as a priority: to let either the sponsors of this attack know that the U.S. will not turn the other cheek or let them quietly go back to what they had been doing, as Saddam has, and/or the American public know the same. As someone else posted, he has a responsibility for the well-being of this country, and whether there was ever any actual intent of declaring war or not, I imagine he or his advisors felt that this would be what American citizens needed to hear.

And I really cannot imagine him declaring war--a real declaration of war--on Afghanistan, unless possibly that country claims responsibility for the attack.


#41700 09/14/01 01:14 PM
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I am concerned by the news this morning that some sort of large scale military action is being planned. I don't see how that will help, and it sure could create new problems. Perhaps a lot more CIA activity, wet if need be, might be more effective and a lot less expensive.
All we can hope for is that all of the best minds in Washington will be applied to the decisions being made.


#41701 09/14/01 01:33 PM
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I am surprised that the people responsible for national security did not see this coming and tighten airport security adequately. After Pearl Harbor there was paranoid gossip that a decision had been made to allow the Japanese attack to succeed as a means of galvanizing public opinion to support a war.
I won't be surprised if similar rumors begin to circulate about the current situation.


#41702 09/14/01 03:23 PM
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Some 20 or so years ago, a fellow I knew in DC was working for a trade publication called International Geophysical News or some such; Max was on their editorial staff. One day he walked by the mockup for the front cover, which had a picture of a man getting ready to drop a seismic charge down a tube sunk into the ground. In a moment of whimsy, Max changed the caption to say "CIA operative plants land mines in picturesque Afghanistan." Twenty five thousand copies got into the mail before they noticed the switch.

He was fired forthwith, as was the proofreader who approved the front page, notwithstanding her explanation that she had indeed checked the dictionary to make sure that "picturesque" and "Afghanistan" were spelled properly.



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Dr. Bill, I'll be the first to suggest something like that bandwagon... I went to the US State Department website in a fit of morbid curiosity, and found that they had issued a travel advisory against US citizens wishing to travel abroad *worldwide* as of 9/7. I don't know how frequently a warning like that might be issued, or what specific circumstances might prompt such an action, I'm just sayin'.


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