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=> this way madness lies...

Posted by bezelbub (Guest) - Monday, September 26 2005, 16:45:24 (CEST)
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...how do you know when you`re imagining things or someone really IS out to get you? Had we never found out the truth about Nixon we`d still be accusing people of imagining things when they called him a crook. What of the Education Department underling whom we just found Bush PAID to praise one of his stupid reform measures? What if the truth about that never came out but we SUSPECTED that the guy MUST have been paid...or somehow coerced into praising such a nitwit and his ideers. The Patriot Act is aiming at the Fredom of Information Act...Bush wants to make it harder for us to find out just exactly what the FBI and others are really up to...why? Why be afraid of that kind of information getting out?

Which brings me to Orwell and the dictionary. Having seen the word "Hero" batted about recently and not just at aina, where they are ALL heroic...I looked it up on the web...which is where most people go these days. Here`s what I find:

he·ro (hמr) KEY

NOUN:
pl. he·roes
In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.

...that`s good. It`s neutral, except that it leaves out women...but they did that back then. Sounds about right otherwise...nothing odd in the definition. It involves attributes of great courage...strength and boldness. There really isn`t any indication that the hero is a GOOD hero, however...these same qualities could be found in a serial killer of children. You can be bold, strong and show great courage in the risks and manner in which you stalk, rape and murder 15 year old boys...

"A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life: soldiers and nurses who were heroes in an unpopular war."

...now this is interesting. The first part of the sentence adds "nobility of purpose", which sort of leaves out the serial killer, no matter how brave or bold or strong he is. It isn`t "noble" to kill innocent people...no matter how hard it might be to get at them and what risks you run...

...and the "risking or sacrifing your life" part squares pretty well with what we expect in a hero. But hold on...what`s this? What`s that last part say? "Soldiers in an UNPOPULAR war"? Never mind the nurses..in fact, what the hell are those two doing together? They hardly perfrom the same functions?

...Is there anyone out there who, through all the years of living and watching TV and movies and reading books and the funny papers EVER heard a hero refered to as someone who fights an UNPOPULAR war? Why would a war be unpopular anyway?

...Of course there is no proof...but it sure seems to me like this last part has appeared in the definition (unless it was always there) at a most opportune time. American soldiers in Iraq murdering civilians...especially those who become enraged enough to pick up weapons and fight back...not to mention all the children we starved to death...are being hailed as "Heroes"...each and every one.

..I beg to differ. In the first place they are heavily armed and far superior in strength to their "enemy". Their casualties come as a result of the fighting conditions...if you have no battlefield and instead are shooting at people in their homes and playgrounds, you open yourself to roadside bombs and the odd sniper..but that doesn`t mean roadside bombs are DANGEROUS weapons on a par with helicopter gunships and carpet bombing.

..and where is the nobility in this sort of war? If you`re a confirmed idiot, like Firas, who still believes or EVER believed that the United States goes around at great risk to itself BOLDLY bringing freedom and democracy to Darkies, then you have other and more severe problems.

...call me a conspiracy theory nut...but it sure looks like this word has been retro-fitted to cover a LOT of "unpopular" and then even CRIMINAL wars and behaviors that might come up..allowing us to think the people who are at the business end of a rifle are "heroes"...when it it should be UNPOPULAR to kill innocent people.

...So...open your fucking files...let the sun shine through...and prove me wrong.

...anyone have the OED...that`s "Oxford English Dictionary", which lists definitions back to Gilgamesh look up the word and see if "soldiers in an UNPOPULAR war" was ever a part of the definition...before we started fighting them.

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The full topic:

this way madness lies... bezelbub - Monday, September 26 2005, 16:45:24 (CEST)
- Re: How Assyrians create Martyrs ... Maggie - 09/26 18:11
  - Re: How Assyrians create Martyrs ... bezelbub - 09/26 18:55
    - Re: How Assyrians create Martyrs ... Maggie - 09/26 20:22
      - Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/26 20:55
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Mr. Centric - 09/26 21:10
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/26 21:55
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Mr. Centric - 09/26 21:59
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/26 22:11
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Mr. Centric - 09/26 22:12
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/26 22:45
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? beezelbub - 09/27 00:09
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/27 01:26
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? beezelbub - 09/27 04:32
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/27 09:21
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Mr. Centric - 09/27 18:43
        
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? beezelbub - 09/27 19:33
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? Maggie - 09/27 20:21
        Re: Do you still want me to mince words? bezelbub - 09/27 22:05
        Re: Some ODDS and ENDS! Maggie - 09/28 00:48

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