[Mynameishappy]

This is very good, the whole concept of WoT was, and still is quite, quite stupid.

[Veveseinlep]

So the British military presence in Afghanistan is now killing Afghans for old times sake?

[tmobmobfil]

Originally posted by Dr Strangelove
So the British military presence in Afghanistan is now killing Afghans for old times sake? No, it’s just a jolly good old-fashioned colonial war now.

[mdUzAMbG]

Originally posted by Thue
Good call, an end to the unending war... Can one hope that USA is next, once USA gets a new president?

I am a bit ambiguous about dropping the term "Islamic terrorist", since the term actually accurately describes a link between a kind of terrorism (the "we will gladly even blow up infidel kindergarten children" kind) and its ideological basis. You may argue that the Koran does not support terror, but the fact that the terrorists themselves think so is enough to justify the term. But I suppose there is some value in not putting more fuel on the fire than necessary by avoiding pointing out the fact.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/...159067,00.html

How many times can one person flip in any given tirade?

"Drop the verbage, but it really is, but we don't want them to know that we know that it is, yada yada, bluster...."


A definite maybe, huh?

[LsrSRVxR]

I just wanted Hussein gone. All this other is a waste of life, money, time and effort.

[offinoNem]

I just wanted Hussein gone. All this other is a waste of life, money, time and effort. A little bit like Iraq now, wouldn't you say?

[Snweyuag]

British surrender in another war They're going to turn into France soon ...

[Soulofpostar]

Originally posted by Dauphin


Shouldn't mean anything as the compensation was given to victims of crime and not victims of terrorism or war. Yes - that's right.

This change has been unofficially in place for some time now, and nice to see it formalised.

[enlinnyGoob]

Involuntary euthanasia.

[OlegSan]

Originally posted by TheStinger
or that it gives the "other side" a legitiamcy that it doesn't deserve. How so?

[Vmysobfi]

To even afford them the honor of calling them 'soldiers' gives them a little bit of legitimacy. You haven't answered the question. Simply restated what TheStinger said.

[redDoodia]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Its quite obvious isn't it? How a word confers legitimacy? No, it isn't obvious at all.
Soldiers are generally considered to have some legal protections. Criminals aren't. Criminals have no legal protections?

[Morageort]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Its quite obvious isn't it?

Soldiers are generally considered to have some legal protections. Criminals aren't.
Not everyone who participates in a state vs state war is a soldier under international law, IIUC. OTOH, in an insurgency, some folks may be soldiers, while others arent. It has to do with operating in an orderly force, with uniforms, etc, IIUC, not the motivations or even necessarily the political status of the sides in question.

[poulaMahmah]

Which has nothing to do with the term war confering some sort of legitimacy as Stinger and you alluded to.

[MasTaBlau]

Where in the phrase "war on terror" does the word soldier occur?

Well it seems to imply soldiers and battlefields doesn't it? Regardless of it being used for drugs and whatnot, when you say war, people think armies.

[TritteTouff]

I think it's a phrase that has lost meaning with overuse.

War on Terror
War on Drugs
War on Fat
War on Smoking
War on Drunk Driving

Yada, yada



Edit - War on Poverty

[DavidShreder]

But it went from military meaning (as Imran was arguing) to a phrase for social causes. Completely different usage now than in the previous few thousand years.

[gernica]

Originally posted by Wezil
War on Terror
War on Drugs
War on Fat
War on Smoking
War on Drunk Driving
... War on Poverty Notice something about all these "wars?" They're wars which can never be won. We will never completely do away with terrorism, with drug use, with over eating, with tobacco, with driving drunk or with poverty.

We should have a policy of opposing these things and reducing them as much as possible, but we should reserve the word "war" to those opponents who are tangible and who can be defeated: the Kaiser, the Nazis, the Soviets, and al Qaeda.

[gomosopions]

It's the term war on terror that is not being used, we are still in Afghan fighting a war against the Taliban.

In the UK the term is seen in a poor light because it's associated with good ol George.