Verily I say unto thee, that Roy Schestowitz spake thusly:
> The Continued Cheapening of the Word "Terrorism"
terrorism:
the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion
terror:
a state of intense fear
one that inspires fear
violent or destructive acts
~ Merriam Webster
So instilling fear in others; e.g. Ballmer's _FUD_ that "Linux infringes
235 of our patents" in order to _coerce_ Linux vendors to join Microsoft
in a protection racket, or committing destructive acts; e.g. Microsoft's
sabotage and attempted assimilation of Yahoo, /is/ terrorism.
I know nothing about the Rail Tram and Bus Union, but I'd most certainly
describe /Microsoft's/ behaviour as acts of terror.
Of course the mere threat of terror is often abused by the terrorised to
instigate policy that would normally be wholly unacceptable (the Patriot
Act and all its nefarious baggage, for example). Indeed it has even been
postulated that much (if not all) of this "threat" has been deliberately
/manufactured/ to provide the necessary justification to instigate these
violations of civil rights (veiled as "defensive" measures) in the first
place. This might be a way of introducing fascism through the back door.
There are certainly historical precedents to support that theory.
I suppose one could describe /that/ as "cheapening" "terrorism", but I'd
say it was more accurate to call that kind of obfuscation "propaganda".
--
K.
http://slated.org
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| "Stallman has frequently pointed out, Free Software is by no means
| antithetical to making money: it's just a question of how you make
| money." ~ Glyn Moody: http://tinyurl.com/4wn2l2 (ComputerworldUK)
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