Simi Valley Soap Box

"Make no mistake about it, we are at war."

Pres. Bush and some of his advisors seem to be at odds over the nuances about what it is we are actually doing in response the attacks upon this country. Ever since 9/11/01, Pres. Bush has said that we are in a war against terrorism. That is technically not correct since terrorism is an act and you can’t go to war against an act. You can only go to war with an entity, a people or a country. This nuance is not lost on the President,

“Mr. Bush made a nod to the criticism that "war on terror" was a misleading phrase in the sense that the enemy is not terrorism…”

“"Make no mistake about it, this is a war against people who profess an ideology, and they use terror as a means to achieve their objectives,"…”

I was criticized in a previous blog when a writer thought that I did not know what constituted a war. For the edification of my reader:

Merriam-Webster: War Defined:
“Etymology: Middle English werre, from Old North French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German werra strife; akin to Old High German werran to confuse1 a (1) : a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations (2) : a period of such armed conflict (3) : STATE OF WAR b : the art or science of warfare c (1) obsolete : weapons and equipment for war (2) archaic : soldiers armed and equipped for war2 a : a state of hostility, conflict, or antagonism b : a struggle or competition between opposing forces or for a particular end…”

Since war is an act directed toward people, let’s say it as it is. We are in a war against Islamo-fascism. The President knows this,

“"Make no mistake about it, this is a war against people who profess an ideology, and they use terror as a means to achieve their objectives,"…”

This is not a war against the Islam that is practiced as a peaceful religion, despite the Koran’s aggressive language. What the President needs to say openly and clearly is that we are at war with Islamo-fascism. Make no bones about it. State it as it is.

posted by Paul Coambs @ 5:01 AM