Baldimo wrote:old europe wrote:Baldimo wrote:They were fighting the Russian military not blowing up civilians as a matter of practice.
Baldimo, and the rebels in Iraq and Afghanistan who are killing
American military - should we refrain from calling them terrorists, too?
I do. If your not targeting civilians with the intent to kill them then I see you as a rebel force. I was in Afghanistan for 8 months living what you refer to. When the US flag or other country flag was moved to half mast because a military person was killed I still never called them terrorists.
To me and many others I feel there is a difference.
Thanks a lot for your answer, Baldimo. It is good to hear a reasonable voice on this issue, especially from somebody who actually has first-hand experience. It would add much to the discussion if people would more often distinguish between rebels, insurgents, militias and terrorists.
The course of the US government has often prevented a discussion, drowning the voice of reason from people like you in all-engulfing slogans like "The War On Terror", implicitely labeling everyone else unAmerican or a terrorist sympathizer.
There have been changes in the very recent past. The British Home Office, for example, has suggested that members of the government and British diplomats around the world should refrain from using the Bush-coined "War On Terror" slogan.
Hopefully this is a development that will continue, and maybe people will recognize that military interventions are the last and not the first resort in dealing with international terrorism.
