Posted on 02/12/2009 5:08:03 PM PST by george76
The TV and the written press keep referring to the attack on the USS Cole as having been a “terrorist” attack.
Any definition of the word “terrorist” insists that the attack described be against a civilian target with an aim of resulting in a political change.
I do believe that this word is being used so as to elicit sympathy and, to some, fear and therefore urge the public be skeptical when they come across it in the press. Recently, I came across the use of “victims,” referring to crew members on the Cole that were killed, instead of “casualties” or as the “dead.”
After some thought on the above, I may be wrongly criticizing the written press, as these examples may have indeed come from TV.
Richard B. Veit
Carbondale
Now that I read my post above, I see that I omitted guerilla operations. Guerillas operate against military or quasi-military targets or other government facilities - force vs force - and do not target non-combatants, although collateral damage may occur. They operate as a quasi-military organization, and attempt to actually establish specific areas of influence, if not actual control.
I agree with you.I quote the dictionary when people make s**FF up as they go along.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.