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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rambi who wrote (212978)	7/22/2007 10:37:46 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 794206

I thought your analogy to weeds and flowers was excellent, by the way. Thank you. I spun through a variety of inadequate ones before it came to me. This same phenomenon occurred when someone said that it took courage to be a suicide bomber. I remember that row over "courage." That was a wild one. To apply it to suicide bombers Interesting, too, the distortions that folks will tolerate to avoid accepting valid terms that make them uncomfortable. Just yesterday on Fox I heard the term "homicide bombers," the PC term for the uncomfortable but more accurate "suicide bombers." I didn't realize that that terminology was still being pushed. Obviously, all terrorist bombings that don't carefully target just property are homicide bombings. "Homicide" adds no value to "bombing" beyond telling us that there were deaths. What's different about the latest threat is that the bomber dies intentionally along with the victims. The clearest way to differentiate that from traditional terrorist bombings is to call it a "suicide bombing." Yet "homicide bombers" persists with lesser accuracy but more satisfying spin. "Moral equivalency" is a defense against having to apply the word. That's fine if it is understood to be "code" to avoid discomfort with the better word. If, however, it is claimed to be actually so, that is a fallacy.

To: Rambi who wrote (212978)	7/22/2007 2:00:18 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 794206

People have a very difficult time getting beyond an emotional reaction when a word they perceive as positive is applied to a group or person they find abhorrent. "Moral equivalency" is a defense against having to apply the word. Maybe an emotional reaction to murder isn't a bad thing and should be understandable. On the subject of courage, its not just a word "we Americans use for people who do difficult and admirable things, a word we use for our soldiers, a word of great appreciation and praise." The word virtue is derived from the Latin word (virtus) for "valor, manliness, excellence, courage, character, and worth". en.wikipedia.org Before the Romans, the Greek philosophers listed courage as one of the four cardinal virtues. And these cardinal virtues were to be unified or hinged together. Courage without justice or in pursuit of injustice wouldn't be virtuous or courageous. Another word should be used that doesn't have virtuous connotations. Anyway, the point is our classical forebears might have had a problem applying courage to suicide bombers too.

To: Rambi who wrote (212978)	7/22/2007 2:39:54 PM
From: KLP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 794206

Question, Rambi....you're good with words too. If we have to refer to a "suicide bomber" what would you suggest... To me the term "suicide" implies the killing of oneself. But generally a "suicide bomber" kills more than him/her self. He/she can take a few or hundreds with them as they all vaporize together. Wouldn't this be termed "murderous suicide bomber"? i.e. If a person has murdered others before, and decides on suicide for him/herself. I assume he/she is a suicide. i.e. If a person hasn't killed others before, but decides to kill themselves now, plus has the will and desire and the weapons to do that, straps on a big bomb with nails and projectiles, kills him/herself, plus over 100 others....what is the term for someone this heinous...? And even worse, the 100 others he/she kills could all be children. Is there any difference between this person and someone who is a mass murderer other than the mass murderer might kill people one at a time ...aka Ted Bundy.