No More "War"!: I don't understand why sensible people continue to use the word "war" to describe the ongoing US military presence in Iraq. It's a rhetorical trap: when the Bush administration defines US occupation of Iraq as a "war," this implies it must be either "won" or "lost."

When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently brought on controversy by declaring, "this war is lost," he stepped right into that trap. Right-wing pundits pounced. Democratic back-peddling ensued. For what? A stupid word.

The sooner we stop using that word, the sooner we'll bring US troops home.

My Merriam Webster dictionary defines "war" as "a state of open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations." Attempting to maintain civic order in a foreign country is no war; putting the best face on it, it could be called an international police action, but in this case is most accurately described as simply a military occupation of a foreign country. How noble does that sound?

A "war" can be "lost," but an occupation can only be ended. Or, history suggests, it can be continued at great expense to the foreign occupier.

Framing reality to present false choices is key to the neocon con. Declaring a "war on terror," or "war on drugs," only guarantees a foe that cannot be defeated. When quitting is equated with losing, the war must be continued. Endlessly. Endless war is the dream of all those who benefit from it.

Why have advocates for peace and justice contributed to this congame by continuing to use the language of war--with all the false baggage it entails--in our calls to end the military occupation of Iraq? Is "occupation" just too long a word for our protest signs?

Our word choices are important. As Orwell famously warned, abuse of language damages the possibilities of public thought and discourse. The sooner we expose the right-wing verbal charade in Iraq, the sooner we can bring this debacle to an end. The same goes for all other unwinnable "wars."

Let's choose our words carefully: No more "war"! --Lansing Scott