The linked/quoted editorial below has the right idea. When we change the way we refer to the animals committing mass-murder/suicide to “insurgent”, or “homicide bomber”, or “freedom fighter”, or “misguided religious zealot”, or what-the-hell-ever, we make them appear less like the inhuman bastards they are and make them appear more… noble?

These creatures aren’t human. They’re animals with no conscience who could not care less about the people they are killing, so long as their action supports their sick, twisted version of “what god wants”. To put it in religious terms, they have no souls.

No one can justify the slaughter of innocents. No doctrine can claim an iota of righteousness while it’s followers commit mass murder in the most heinous ways.

Stop playing with words when you discuss these aberrant things. They’re murderers. They have no conscience. They don’t care about their own lives, so don’t expect them to care about anyone elses.

Call them what they are: Mass-Murderers, Suicidal Fanatics, Animals, Mindless Minions of an Insane Ideology, Killers, Terrorists. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing a problem. Until we understand that these are not human, we’ll continue to pretend we can “understand” their motives and continue to watch as they murder more of the world’s innocents.

Call Them What They Are: Those who murder Iraqi civilians are terrorists

Words have meanings. Whether too timid, sensitive or “open-minded,” we’ve resisted drawing a direct line between homicidal bombers everywhere else in the world and the ones who blow up Iraqi civilians or behead aid workers.

No more. To call them “insurgents” insults every legitimate insurgency in modern history. They are terrorists.

Oh yeah, and http://jonathanmurray.com/greymatter/archives/00000518.htm Stop calling them “homicide bombers”.