Since 9/11, I have never heard the word evil mentioned so much by regular folks and the media. While there is evil in the world, I am very concerned that we are using evil too much to describe people, groups, nations, organizations, etc. Instead of using the Webster's definition of evil, I prefer the definition written by horror author Brian Lumley. In his book Necroscope V: Deadspawn, he defines evil as:

The perverse rejection of good...

Not the just a rejection of good, the perverse rejection of good. Now we can argue who's good and bad and the varying degrees until the air runs out. My point is that if you don't like a college history professor because he/she is too liberal or too conservative, calling him/her evil doesn't fly (as I have heard some pundits, bloggers, and regular folks say). That professor isn't rejecting good, they are opinionated in a certain belief system. Bill Clinton wasn't evil just like George Bush isn't evil. But they may have had evil folks working with them or advising them. Time will tell. Unions aren't evil. Conservatives (most) aren't evil. Liberals (most) aren't evil. They may anger you but that hardly means they are evil.

Evil has a skin. You can feel it. Clammy, cold, slimy, acidic... Being in a gang and roaming the streets, I have seen evil. Soldiers who have fought in wars have seen evil. In our prisons, evil is practiced and relished. If evil was as prevalent as some folks say, we would be living on Planet Chaos And Disorder. And that wouldn't be very nice.

I think we need to take deep breaths sometimes and get a grip. Don't just dish out evil like it's Halloween candy. It diminishes what that word means. And too much use and too much emotion in using the word evil can dull you to real evil.