Terrorist or Soldiers

Part of our problem in this war is our terminology. Our war isn't against "terror" per se. Our war is against men with a particular ideology, a virulant version of Islam. We are incensed with their attacking civilians and non-combatants.

In the past terrorism was used to describe criminal acts that were more political than criminal, for example kidnappings and hijackings. The word was coined to distinguish the acts from ordinary crime. It wasn't an ordinary crime nor was it war.

The world has changed. This is no longer the case. We are now at war. The "terrorists" are soldiers. And the suicide bombers are one of their versions of special forces going on brave missions to disrupt the ability of their enemy to fight them.

I'm certainly not condoning nor legitimizing the actions of the Christmas Day bomber nor others of his ilk. I want this war to be prosecuted as the war it is. The people trying to kill us need to be hunted down and killed before they kill us. Such is the nature of war.

One way to combat the vileness of mirandizing enemy soldiers is by actually calling these men soldiers. They're still the same vile scumbags who think that killing innocent people going home after a day's work are legitimate targets but let's call them what they are: men fighting for their cause the best way they know how. The fact that we despise their cause and have contempt for their methods does not change the fact.