It’s What It Is, Not What It's Called

Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld played his favorite game (other than starting wars he doesn’t know how to wage or end). He played his asking-questions-and-answering-them game while he and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace hosted a Department of Defense News Briefing. Rumsfeld was asked: “After your most recent visit and the spike in violence. Do you believe that Iraq is closer than ever to the brink of civil war? Rumsfeld said, “We can all go to the dictionary and decide what you want to call something. But I think, to me, that it is not a classic civil war at this stage. It is a -- it certainly isn't like our civil war. It isn't like the civil war in a number of other countries. Is it a high level of sectarian violence? Yes, it is. And are people being killed? Yes. And is it unfortunate? Yes. Is it a high level of sectarian violence? Yes, it is. And are people being killed? Yes. And is it unfortunate? Yes. And is the government doing basically the right things? ? I think so.” So there you have it. Donald Rumsfeld says there is a high level of sectarian violence in Iraq and it’s really, really, really awkward, but it isn’t civil war. And yesterday the Israelis called the Palestinians “terrorists”. And the United States has decided that anyone is a terrorist who doesn’t agree with the fascist aims of the Bush administration. The dictionary says terrorism is “The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.” Yeah, I know, one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom-fighter. But I think Israel and the United States have become terrorists in the most negative, nasty, foul, meaning of the word. And that both these nations that once were admirable and right-thinking have become nations run by ignorant low-life militaristic thugs. Both Israel and the United States have become what they hate: Oppressive terrorists.