When it’s the first thing you write, it seems defensive. As explanation… Casual use of the word war has always been a personal peeve for me.

And, actually, there are a lot of words that have lost much their meaning and potency because they’ve been commonly misused in everyday vernacular. The word “awesome,” for instance. Such a powerful word. And, now it’s what that taco tasted like at lunch.

I’ve had a lot of arguments with right wingers who threw the word “riot” around about Black Lives Matter protests. I witnessed the riots in L.A.first hand after the Rodney King verdict. Those were most definitely riots! What happened in Portland, when some bonfires were ignited, fences damaged, and some graffiti sprayed around… I don’t think can be classified as riots. Same issue.

The organizers of the Unite the Right white-supremacist demonstration in Charlottesville intended to ignite a race war. I fear that using that kind of vernacular plays into their hands, helps them accomplish their mission, and recruit… “See, the libs are calling it a ‘war!’ Join us in the struggle to keep the blacks, browns, and Jews down.”

Anyway. Sorry to make such an issue of this. Thanks for the civil and respectful discussion and for your insights here. Peace.