Was Pelosi Right?

A while back, I commented that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had stated that the war in Afghanistan was over.

Was she right?

I'm now reading reports that the White House is no longer referring to the "Global War on Terrorism". It's now the "struggle". Apparently "war" has the wrong connotations.

Which has a few thoughts come to mind...

First... what do I do with this "Global War on Terrorism" medal? Should I take it to an engraving shop, have "War" scratched out and "Struggle" etched in?

Second... I'm disgusted. We, as a society, have lost our mental grip on vocabulary. Forgetting the PC extremes to which we must go to avoid offending others, let's just deal with one word.

War.

Defined as "A state of open, armed, often prolonged conflict carried on between nations, states, or parties" or "A concerted effort or campaign to combat or put an end to something considered injurious."

Does this fit the current state of affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan? Hmm, let me see... bullets flying, bombs, IED's, rocket attacks, wounded and dead Soldiers. Yep, sounds like a war.

Struggle: "To progress with difficulty" and "To be strenuously engaged with a problem, task, or undertaking."

Now, folks, let's be realistic about what we're doing here. Soldiers are fighting, and dying, out here. Fire is being exchanged and returned by the enemy ("enemy" - another clue this is a war).

We're fighting (oops, there's another hint) an insurgency. Ever noted an insurgency when you've been struggling with that stuck lid on the pickle jar?

Part of our problem is that we've slowly redefined the word "War". Wars used to be declared. You knew, without a doubt, that there was a war on.

Revolutionary War.
War of 1812.
War of Northern Aggression (oops, "Civil War").
Spanish-American War.
World War I.
World War II.

Some great declared wars. Then, in the 50's we strayed... Korean Conflict (or Police Action). Vietnam War (but, oops, not declared). We also had the War on Poverty. War on Racism. War on Drugs. There's also the War on Illiteracy, War on Obsesity, and quite a few other Wars out there.

We have price wars, gang wars, warring neighbors, etc.

With possibly the exception of gang wars... did anyone see any tanks rolling through the streets? Yes, there were the National Guard incidents during the Civil Rights era... but for the most part, is that what you think of when you hear of these wars?

No.

Most are just government programs or a phrase to try to motivate you to join a particular cause... or "struggle".

We have real troops on the ground. Real weapons being fired. Real casualties. And we don't want to call this a "war"? What should we call it? A tea party (nope, been done)?

We have to stop being afraid of words. Words have value. When used properly, they accurately convey the message we want. When improperly used, or subverted, the message gets lost in the inaccuracy and dishonesty of the new words.

A war is a war. Don't hide it. Revel in all the ugliness that comes with it. It is SUPPOSED to conjure up the negative images. It's so you don't enjoy war, so you avoid it when possible, and fight with ALL your resources to end it. Struggles aren't so motivating.

We've lost our call to arms... We're trying to pretend that we're not fighting. We're worried that the American public won't accept a war. Well, when it's covered up, hidden, deflected, and swept under a rug... I wouldn't expect anyone to want it either.

This struggle must be going fairly well. Years ago, we were afraid of more terrorist attacks. Now, we're just afraid someone will be upset that we're at war.