Al-Qaeda "Terrorists"

[mimicocreek]

Al-Qaeda "Terrorists"

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3416601.stm

Democrats slam 'go-it-alone' Bush

...

In some key points of his speech, Mr Bush said:

Al-Qaeda network was being hunted around the world and "terrorists" will be brought to justice

Saddam Hussein had been removed from power and the coalition was now working to prepare Iraq for full sovereignty

North Korea and Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons

...

"Terrorists"? It seems to me that the BBC is suggesting that Al-Qaeda is not a terrorist group. Those poor freedom fighters...

 

[sk8rboiiii]

The scariest thing I heard in that speech was "America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country."

Well Bush who do you want to invade today? Its not like you should care what the rest of the world thinks.

 

[Mr ManTO]

Bush is going to end the world if he's allowed to continue.

 

[Canuck 36]

One mans terrorist, is another mans President.

 

[ganjavih]

"Terrorists"? It seems to me that the BBC is suggesting that Al-Qaeda is not a terrorist group. Those poor freedom fighters...

I don't know how you came to this conclusion.

Regardless, thank goodness for institutions like the BBC and CBC.

 

[BuildTO]

Mimico:

OK - took me quite a while to get your point. I had to re-read the article twice. I understand what you are saying, but I don't think your interpretation is correct.

The BBC, as one of the most professional and respected journalistic institutions in the world, is quite right in using quotation marks around the word "terrorist". The issue is that the word was being quoted by George Bush, and nothing Bush says should be taken at face value. He has told outright lies to the American people and the rest of the world. In the case of his "war on terror", the arrests and detentions of people in Iraq and the US, and the entire Guantanamo Bay facility involve many people whose guilt is questionable. They are labelled "terrorists" and "enemy combatants", yet proof of misdeeds is not forthcoming. Since 9/11, 1200 people have been arrested in the US alone on suspicions of terrorism; not a single person has been convicted of anything significant.

We have not only a right to be cynical about Bush's use of words such as "terrorist" - we have a duty to question, in the name of human rights.

 

[boiler2000]

It's natural that the word is quoted as it is a loaded word that wouldn't be used by a respectable news source other than when quoting someone. This is clearly a quote, so the word is quoted. What's the problem?

 

[ganjavih]

My point is that "terrorists" in quotation marks in that sentence is not necessarily referring to Al-Qaida.