“Although words exist for the most part for the transmission of ideas, there are some which produce such violent disturbances in our feelings that the role they play in the transmission of ideas is lost in the background.” Albert Einstein

EVIL: In common usage it is primarily a religious term that is interpreted differently by many cultures and strikes greatly different emotions in each hearer depending on the culture. It is fashionable in some circles to dismiss the concept of "evil" as a term that is religious and culture based and thus dismiss the current designation by our President of some states or persons as "evil". There are other grounds than religious for using the term "evil" and a base on those grounds appears to justify U.S. action against the leadership of Iraq. Just so that we are more clear in our minds about whether we are discussing a religious or relative term you may want to consider the 15 page paper on "evil" by Michael Daniels at www.mdani.demon.co.uk/archive/MDevil.htm

In reading this you might conclude that there is a real Evil leadership on the International scene, which we might call Evil (I) -for international as in natural law. This "Evil (I) is not based on a single religious ground, which some might designate as Evil (R), for religious. Were it the evil discussed based on a single religion, many people would, and do, find the designation of "evil" misleading and counterproductive. If you find a better short readable paper on the subject of "Evil" in an international context or a better term than "evil" for use in the current situation I would be very interested. It is important to me and I think to all of us to have an international base for our reasons for action in this new World War. Having a term that the international community is willing to understand and accept is very important to U.S. efforts to respond to the threat. In some cases better or more acceptable political usage would use words like hatred, destructiveness, psychopathic, amoral, or tyrannical. The interpretation of the word "evil" is unpredictable when used with different cultures.

FAMILY VALUES: A buzzword of some religious extremists which makes it unusable without inducing distortion in the listener's mind. The Value-of-Families, however, is essential to a healthy culture and civilization. It includes the teaching of love, respect and caring for others, and a basic cultural education including natural law. When we degrade the value-of-families by inverting the term to mean one particular culture of religious values we degrade the potential for a reinforcement of the family teaching so necessary to a healthy democracy.

HUMAN SUBJECTS: The latest "definition" thrust of religionists in government to initiate an emotion-charged definition for embryos as the start of additional protections for the unborn, and to add restrictions on abortion and research.

LEGALIZATION: The propagandistic polar-opposite term of opposition favored by "Drug War" proponents. Because they have defined drug use as "evil" they completely overlook the fact that the objective is to "control" the use of pernicious habit-forming substances.

By their blindness they make education into the stupidity of habit-forming drug use not only difficult, but enhance (and romance) the value of drug use to the disaffected, the young, and those out for a quick buck.

"Control" is the word - not the scare-word "legalization" (which has been converted to mean "free use") but "control", which means provision of drugs at prices that undercut terrorists and international criminals. "Control" removes the impact of counter-government/counter drug-war sentiments in countries like Columbia and Afghanistan where illegal drugs are major crops. The dollar value of the crops will decrease to a manageable level. "Control" permits us to provide treatment to those who become hooked in a short period of weakness or coercion. A program of "control" would release into treatment the stupid thousands now held in jail. It would release the money spent on "drug wars" for treatment. It would immediately cut the large number of crimes committed by drug users who rob to support their habit. It is cheaper to give it to them in treatment programs. "Control" is the word for a real effort at ending the drug problem

“The power of words is immense. A well-chosen word has often sufficed to stop a flying army, to change defeat into victory, and to save an empire” Emile De Girardin

PEACE: Often spoken of as a fundamental value, but, in truth, is a word like "happiness" which is more the absence of irritants. Like happiness, it cannot be reached for directly. Adherents of Zen believe that to strive for peace is most often to destroy the very possibility for obtaining it. One must strive for programs and polices that bring justice, freedom, equality, and opportunity, to obtain these values. To try to obtain peace directly by inaction, when "crimes against humanity" are being committed, is to ensure that your people or some other people will live in tyranny. It may delay the time when you and yours will have to put more lives on the line to return to a peaceful condition, when the cost will be much greater. Only the naive believe that peace with psychopaths can be obtained by love and inaction. They are not unlike World War II pacifists whom George Orwell said were "advocating nonresistance behind the guns of the American fleet".

“We have discovered that the scheme of 'outlawing war' has made war more like an outlaw without making it less frequent and that to banish the knight does not alleviate the suffering of the peasant.” C.S. Lewis

SIN: Primarily a religious word which might better be described as anti-social, totally selfish, or destructive behavior - a total focus on self without consideration of the needs of others.

“Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind.”  Rudyard Kipling