News Nomenclature

[JetGirl]

Friday morning I was listening to a little news blurb on a talk radio station and I heard something a little disconcerting. The newscaster was talking about American soldiers in Iraq finding a couple of active Al Qaeda cells and they referred to them as "militias".
Maybe there's a reason for this that I'm not aware of, but I can tell you my first thought was that they are trying to emotionally and mentally link the word "militia" with an anti-American connotation in the minds of the people.
Anybody else hear this or know of a legitimate reason why they'd use that term in regards to Al Qaeda or insurgents?

 

[esrice]

Sounds like you hit the nail on the head.

 

[Boilers]

Kinda similar, but I hated when they called the President "Mr. Bush". I wanted to reach through the screen and choke the liberal pansy ass.

 

[SC_Shooter]

Sounds like you hit the nail on the head.

Ditto.

 

[Pami]

I appreciate the sentiment you guys are feeling, but it could just be they're calling them what they are... "a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers."

I'm leaving for work in a few minutes, so I won't be able to participate in the pages of discussion I know are about to follow, but the media does have to call them something. Why doesn't calling them a "group" evoke the same response?

 

[JetGirl]

Why doesn't calling them a "group" evoke the same response?

Maybe for the same reason that there's an "Indiana Militia" or a "Michigan Militia" instead of an "Indiana Group" or a "Michigan Group".