Quote:
Originally posted by m5lange1,
War is a very large three letter word. In our ever-changing national vocabulary here in the USA we have changed its traditional meaning to add power to some concepts...
War on poverty
War on drugs
and avioded its tradional meaning
We have not "declared" war since WWII.
So what?
I think we have put our nads in a vice with the
"War on terror" term.
A lot of us interperate that like "War on Poverty" and "War on Drugs". Which means spending lots of money, talking a lot about it, and losing dismally. Not real comforting.
A lot of us interperate "War on Terror" in the more traditional meaning so we think we have to use an army in the field as if the terrorists are going to all get togehter to face our army in combat. Unfortunately President Bush is one who seems to believe this.
In the first case use of the term "war" is just a useless way to add importance to the phrase. Silly but harmless.
In the second case the dangers are obvious.
Terrorism is NOT war it is crime. Not that I am minimizing 911. It was crime on an awesome scale but still crime.
If some slob scored a jet and crashed it into a building to kill his ex-wife who worked on the top floor the scope of damage would be the same as if he were a terrorist.
So what is the point? I think we have called it a "war" and tried to treat it as a traditional war, as if the terrorists are fielding an army.
If we had called it "crime" think how much security we could have built on the home front "which is really what most of us are worried about" with all the manpower and money we have spent on the "war". |
One of the best posts I have read on this forum.