I Get Angry About Language, again.

The BBC continually revert to their default idiocy, like a rubber band that's only mildly stretched by the forces operating on it. No matter what criticism comes their way they return to the default- and the default amounts to support of terrorists against the West.

Consider for instance this passage from a BBC report on Zarkawi's bunch of cockroaches releasing safely the latest props in their Islamic fascist theatre: three Turkish hostages, heads attached. According to the Beeb 'Correspondents say Iraqi kidnappers are trying to deflect criticism from Muslim countries by sparing those of the same faith wherever possible.'

The above sentence is fatuous, obsequious and wrong.

For a start these terrorists are part of the movement that mercilessly kills Muslims in Iraq. They are concerned about propaganda for their cause, but they don't care about Muslims (at least not the 'wrong' sort of Muslim).

Secondly, the word 'sparing' is hopelessly inappropriate. It implies mercy, but we know that these terrorists don't have any mercy in them. They understand expediency and that is all.

Finally, the phrase 'wherever possible' is a disgrace, implying that there is a force of necessity behind the actions of the terrorists. What is 'possible' is that they could leave Iraq, commit suicide (sans bomb), maybe even join a political movement somewhere with due remorse for their actions. All these things are 'possible' though not likely, but 'sparing' victims is not a 'possibility', it's a moral imperative.

There is another point arising from this article. The BBC report the statement of the terrorists describing why they released the hostages. It might be a matter of debate whether they should do this, but I don't think they should. With every act of terror these men are trying to make a political point, because they know that is their only way to influence actions of the West that affect their ambitions (such as, in this case, elections). I don't think the BBC should mention their 'reasoning', because that is the motivation for their acts of terror: to impose their reasoning on ours and to overcome us thereby.

They want us in terror of their zeal and filled with contempt for our own authorities. That's the message they're trying to send, the impression they're trying to foist on us- and the BBC is passing it on faithfully.

Update: Marc at USS Neverdock makes a comparison between the report I highlight and one by Paul Reynolds. Incidentally, the only defence I could offer for the BBC's phrasing is if you can separate the kidnapping terrorists from the shooting kind, or even bombing kind- but you can't.