Recently, Dubya labeled terrorists who threaten our freedoms as Islamic Fascists. In response, my father-in-law took George Bush (and the media) to task over their imprecise use of language.

Recent public references to “Islamic fascists,” a term used by George W. Bush and repeated often in the print media, suggest that the President and many writers have an inaccurate or at least incomplete understanding of fascism. This is not to suggest that there are no Islamic fascists, rather to point out that the people on whom Bush wishes to hang the term do not fit the description. Perhaps that does not trouble Bush nor some of the op-ed authors who understand that the use of the word “fascist” is effective propaganda. Even if people are not sure what a fascist is, most know that it is not a positive term, and for many in this administration and those who support them this is sufficient justification to use it. Calling one’s opponents unpleasant names is known in philosophy as an ad hominem argument, and it is recognized as a logical fallacy. Sound logic requires us to understand that bad people and bad ideas are not synonymous, and in the same way, good people do not always have sound ideas. But, bad logic often makes for good propaganda.

Read the rest over at opednews.com…

It would be refreshing if more journalists had this kind of respect for language, logic, and historical perspective when writing about world events.