What's in a label? You tell me:

Our foes in Iraq: Militants, Terrorists, Insurgents. To name just a few.

What's in a label? An image. If you kill a person in Iraq you can't just say "US Forces killed 11 people and detained 24 other citizens of Iraq" - that does not sound well.

So you start using negative terms. Even though those people have no trial and been convicted of anything (especially if they were killed) you label them and convict them in the minds of the people.

"Hooray!" We yell, we killed some terrorists and militants. And don't get me started on those insurgents.

We could use the label 'enemy' but I don't see that being used much if at all.

We don't just classify killing someone, we classify the person we kill and somehow I wonder what the difference is between them all?

What's in a label? Must be a lot because they sure use them to the full extent.

And make no mistake, we all do that and have mental images associated with them - label someone a fundie in a thread title and we all have a vision of what that is.

To quote from "Wild at Heart" - "I have a dog. It barks. Some.....You don't even know what kind of dog I have but already you have a mental image of it in your mind. It could be a big dog, or Toto from the wizard of Oz."

When we hear little blurbs on the news that insurgents/militants/terrorists were killed or captured we feel good that we did something to stop the bad guys/gals. How about we use the label 'people'? Because it does not sound so good.

Labels can sometimes be something to hide behind - even when we all know they have legitimate and real usage. When our government starts to describe us in these labels though we need to worry. Because you are not some person on the way to see your ailing grandmother, you are a potential terrorist at the airport.


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Forces in Iraq Kill 11, Capture 24, Destroy Weapons
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2008 – Iraqi and coalition forces killed 11 militants, detained 24 others and seized weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49931
.......

Coalition Troops in Iraq Kill Terrorist, Detain 19
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained 19 suspects during a series of operations targeting al-Qaida in Iraq operatives in central and northern Iraq today, military officials said.

-- Coalition forces killed one insurgent and captured another during an anti-al Qaida operation near Khan Bani Saad, about 20 miles north of Baghdad.

-- In Baghdad, coalition forces detained one suspected terrorist.

-- In Mosul, coalition forces captured an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq financier and seven other suspects.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49900
......

Hellfire Missile Kills Insurgent, Destroys Vehicle in Baghdad
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2008 – A U.S. Hellfire missile killed an insurgent near the site of a roadside-bomb attack in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district today, U.S. military officials said.

A vehicle was destroyed while another insurgent fled the scene.

“Our soldiers, along with the Iraqi security forces, continue to meet with the local populace to identify these criminal elements and eliminate the threat they pose,” said Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a Multinational Division Baghdad and 4th Infantry Division spokesman. “We will continue to use precision fire to defend the Iraqi people and ourselves against these criminal elements.”

In yesterday’s operations:

-- An American aerial weapons team destroyed an insurgent rocket-launch site in central Baghdad with two Hellfire missiles. One insurgent was killed, and the rocket rail and a shack were destroyed.

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=49839
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He does not want to deal with the pettiness.

enemy. We are at a point where posters like the ones in WWII depicting Germans and Japanese the way they did are not used with the current action. You can think back to the terms used in different wars for the enemy to do this.

i love what you have to say!!!!!!