Yesterday, the Dallas Morning News wrote an editorial banning the use of the word insurgent from their pages. They say that the fighting in Iraq is no longer an insurgency but a terrorist action because of the targeting of normal Iraqi men, women, and children. They correctly label the fighters as terrorists, but it hasn’t been an insurgency for a long time.
We’ve learned that Iran has sent and is sending bomb materials into Iraq. Foreign fighters have become the the biggest threat to Iraqi security, not dissident Iraqi groups. Most Iraqis realize that the way to get the US out is to vote on a Constitution in October and vote again in December. Our troops will start hitting the doors in 2006 and everyone knows that (assuming things are under control).
An insurgency implies that the fight is from within a nation. For months we’ve know that the biggest source of fighters and supplies has been other countries like Iran and Syria who are anxious to see the US fail in Iraq. There is nothing “insurgent” about that, the proper term is “invasion”. While the fringe Left celebrates each American casualty coming home to Dover and claims that Iraqis don’t want us there, they fail to realize that the Iraqis are predominantly the targets of these attacks and that more often than not the bomb or the bomber was from another country.
You hear the phrase “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” from those same fringe leftists like Ted Rall. Unless George Washington was blowing up women and children of British families that claim is spurious at best. It’s time to stop granting legitimacy to those who attack civilians and it’s time to stop deluding ourselves that these fighters have Iraq’s best interests in mind. Not while they are being sent by other countries at least.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Aaman
Do you have a link to the editorial?
2 - Aaman
There is nothing “insurgent” about that, the proper term is “invasion”
Poor Iraqis - one invasion after another - the new Balkans, I presume
3 - troll
is this not the war that Fearless Leader wanted?
he should be congratulated
better to put the Iraqis in harm's way rather than the voters back home
remove your busted link self from my bridge
troll
4 - billy
"George Washington was blowing up women and children of British families"
he sure did "blow up" alot of indian families, the people, like iraqis whose land we occupied when we came here.
5 - Shark
Bambineck: "...While the fringe Left celebrates each American causality [sic]..."
Bambi + Blogcritics + digital spraypaint can = BULLSHIT
Bambi + spellcheck + Blogcritics + digital spraypaint can = ALMOST READABLE BULLSHIT
6 - Shark
The terms "insurgent" and "insurgency" are not based on the 'identity' of the players, but are based on their motives.
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Typical. The right-wing rag "The Dallas Morning News" -- as with the Orwellian Bush Administration -- thinks that changing 'terms' will have some concrete effect in reality.
Their only goal (like Bambineck's) is to change the perception of the somnambulent American public.
feh.
Maybe we should start calling the 'war in Iraq' a "potential victory that constantly recedes as we advance".
Or maybe we should just call it a "FUCKING QUAGMIRE".
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And is Bambineck an "Articulate Patriot" or a "Jingoistic Muckraker"?
7 - Shark
Maybe we can get a Washington Memorial with the following cast in bronze:
"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"
"THE INSURGENCY IS OVER!"
There now, America -- feel better?
8 - Dave Nalle
I had noticed in my reading of Iraqi blogs that over the last couple of months most of the political opposition groups have reached deals with the government and were doing what they could to discourage attacks against civilians.
It may actually be the case that we've reached the turning point where a real line is being drawn between the Iraqis who just want to be independent and unoccupied and are willing to achieve those goals peacefully and the terrorists who are only there to create chaos and do harm.
Dave
9 - Shark
Tell that to the EX-Mayor of Baghdad.
10 - Dave Nalle
Well Shark, that's one side of the story. You might want to look into the rest of the story, which includes Tamimi's offer to resign - which was going to be accepted next week - and the fact that he was not the elected mayor, but appointed by Paul Bremer. In addition the government has recognized his replacement as interim mayor until they can appoint someone new for the long term. There was also no force used in removing him from office and the replacement they brought in was chosen by the political faction which won most of the other elective offices in the city.
Hell, Shark, you should be celebrating. This is a case of a US puppet being removed by freedom loving local patriots.
Dave
11 - Nancy
This reminds me of a couple of years ago when the left decided that, for reporting purposes they would continue to call it "suicide bomber" instead of something they deemed less detrimental (?!) like 'terrorist bomber' or some other term, presumably because they didn't want to be unfair to suicide bombers. I still haven't figured out the thinking behind THAT one except that it has got to be the product of extreme p.c. idiot thinking, if you can call it that.
12 - Dave Nalle
The new word was supposed to be 'homicide bomber' because their goal was to kill people, not themselves. It was a dumb idea from Fox News as far as I can tell. The old term stuck because it made more sense.
Dave
13 - Leoniceno
How about if in the future whenever we want to refer to those people that are fighting against our people we use all the terms that anyone has suggested, followed by a note saying who has suggested it. That way we can be totally unbiased.
14 - RJ
How about just calling them "the enemy"?
Oh, wait. There are some "Americans" (like Michael Moore) who would object to that...
15 - Shark
Reuters: "[the mayor] ...said Saddam Hussein's iron fist had been replaced by a few militia-backed political parties trying to dominate the country."
THE MAYOR'S DIRECT QUOTE:
"I was removed in a coup by gunmen. This is very bad. Acts like these set a dangerous precedent for a country that wants to be democratic... We live in a militia state even with American troops here. Imagine when they leave. It will be worse than Saddam Hussein's time. When Saddam was here we had one bad person. Now we have thousands running around with militias."
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Dave, my point is that IRAQ IS A FUCKING DISASTER.
It's anarchy, and AT BEST, will end up as some militia-driven CIVIL WAR/bloodbath. (like about ten seconds after our troops leave)
Democracy ...HAH! You must be joking.
BUT never mind MY POINT, Davey, just keep wearing those rose-colored Depends and telling yourself everything is gonna be okay in Vietn... um, Iraq.
"If you build it, they will come." --Field of Nightmares
16 - Shark
RJ: "How about just calling them "the enemy"?"
Nah, yall use that to describe too many of your fellow Americans who disagree with your right-wing bullshit. It might become confusing -- causing gun-toting right-wing assholes to go out and kill innocent "liberals".
Hey... wait... a.. sec...
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PS: DEAR RJ,
IRAQ
IS
STILL
A
FUCKING
BLUNDER.
17 - rbp0554
Bambineck:
The international insurgency is just one more thing that the Bush Administration didn't think about that they should have thought about before they invaded.
I thought at one point that some republicans were arguing that the fact that international insurgents were in Iraq was a good thing b/c it meant that we could gather alot of Islamic militants in one place and dispose of them. Isn't that what the "Bring it on." outburst was all about.
It really is too bad that they didn't "welcome us as liberators".
- RBP
18 - RJ
Well, if you actually watch the video from the days immediately after the fall of Baghdad, the Iraqi people DID come into the streets and praise us as liberators.
Unfortunately, things fell apart rather quickly... :-/
19 - adam
Bambenek: stop farting against thunder. 60% of Americans think the war was a mistake. You're in the minority, boyo. In a year's time, you'll be in a 10% minority. Any way you look at it, the war in Iraq is an immense blunder. We went in there thinking we'll establish a puppet state under Ahmed Chalabi. Now we have a mess, which will end up with a Shiite Iraq aligned with Iran against us. Bush & Co. have got to be the worst morons that ever ran a country. Insurgents, terrorists or enemies -- they're our creation.
20 - Dave Nalle
>>"I was removed in a coup by gunmen.<<
The 'gunmen' are supposedly bodyguards for the new mayor. The old one had them too.
>> This is very bad. Acts like these set a dangerous precedent for a country that wants to be democratic... <<
My point is that neither of these guys was democratically elected and both have the approval of someone in charge. The first one was our guy, the new mayor is the civil government's guy.
And quoting the ousted mayor is fine, but don't you think he might be speaking just a tiny bit out of self-interest?
>>Dave, my point is that IRAQ IS A FUCKING DISASTER.<<
Not all Iraqis agree with you. Go read some Iraqi blogs or sites that assess the improving conditions in the country sometime.
Dave
21 - Dave Nalle
>>60% of Americans think the war was a mistake.<<
60% of Americans think the Democrats are looking out for their interests on social security and that public schools provide a good education. Hmmm maybe those two are related.
Dave
22 - Lumpy
"While the fringe Left celebrates each American causality coming home to Dover..."
What a sick sick puppy you are, to write that.
Thanks for saving me the time I would have spent, reading the rest of your essay.
Revolting.
23 - alethinos59
Bambastic, where exactly is your bunker located?
Have you figured out that no one's coming for you yet - or do you keep the guns oiled and the APMs tucked under the bed?
What a pathetic creature you must be - to think that ANYONE in this country smiles at the death of another of our young men or women over there...
[edited] and we're paying for it now...
24 - Gary
George Bush is not that bad.
1)The bubonic plague wiped out 2/3 of medeival europe.
2)There was a meteor that wiped out ALL of the dinosaurs.
What do you have to say about that lefties?
25 - Steve S
1)The bubonic plague wiped out 2/3 of medeival europe.
it was a Republican flea that spread the disease.
2)There was a meteor that wiped out ALL of the dinosaurs.
Republican dinosaurs slashed the space budget that would have detected the meteor.