A word without meanng
Back in June, I posted a short note by Chet Richards of D-N-I.net, where he more or less complained that use of the term terrorism was a form of "mental laziness". He also noted that uniformed state military organizations also kill civilians, sometimes accidently or as "collateral damage", but also at times on purpose such as the strategic bombing campaign against Germany and Japan that culminated in the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Despite this, state militaries aren't called terror organizations by very many people.
The Bush administration has just watered down the term further by labeling the entire 125,000 man Iranian Revolutionary Guards a "terrorist". While I have little illusion that the Guards are a less than savoury force, calling them a terrorist organization goes beyond laziness. Its now just a short hand term for opponents of the US. "Terrorists are bad, and all our enemies are terrorists, (because we say so). Therefore we can do whatever we please to oppose them and anyone who criticizes us is supporting terrorism."
Really not too different to the story-line to date, but they've now managed to make it official.
