Poll: What is the most appropriate term for the defenders of Fallujah?

[oblivious]

Poll question: Poll: What is the most appropriate term for the defenders of Fallujah?

Rumsfeld calls them assassins, killers and criminals.
Stooge Allawi calls them terrorists.
Gen. Myers, Gen. Casey and the press call them insurgents (i.e. rebel soldiers).
Asia Times calls them the resistance.
Xinhua calls them rebels and fighters.
Other Iraqis call them either fighters or simply Fallujans.
Colonel Brandl calls them collectively 'Satan'.

[LibertyorDeath]

1. Iraqi's

[Safi]

2. Patriots (nt)

[LosinIt]

How would we act if we had been invaded pre-emptively???

Wouldn't we considrer ourselves patriots for fighting against the invaders?

[izzie]

12. Well yar but we were classed as rabble.

And if we had not won? I am sure George Washington would have been shot.

[ObaMania]

17. I'm with you...

.. Patriot should have been added to the poll.

[RBHam]

3. They are Sunnis resisting the occupation...

The "foreign fighters" and "terrorists" crap is pure propaganda.

Remember that Allawi is a Shiite with scores to settle...

[LynnTheDem]

7. Shi'ites are also resisting...al Sadr IS a Shi'ite.

It ain't just Sunnis.

[RBHam]

10. Fallujah is a Sunni-dominated city...

That's what I was saying...

And Allawi is a Shiite

[MSgt213]

14. Even if there are foreign fighters didn't we have foreign fighters helping

us with the British? I seem to remember the French supporting us. But on a large note if there are foreign fighters there Saddam didn't let them in. We did.

[Skittles]

4. we illegally invaded and bombed them based on a pack of lies

they don't care much for it and are resisting. Sounds like a f***ing RESISTANCE to me.

[JSJ]

5. troop whackers- gooooo-oh troop whackers!

[girl gone mad]

6. What were the men who defended the Alamo called?

I should know this, since I live in Texas.

[JSJ]

8. short-lived?

[izzie]

9. Well every one who does not go with Bush is now a terrorist.

The name seems to have been stuck on to anyone who is not a Bush lover. Even when he travels around this country or over seas Bush has moved into the middle of only people who swear they love him. I guess it is one reason he thinks he has the go ahead on anything he wants.

[Xipe Totec]

11. Un-Christian & Un-American

/Sarcasm off

[wildwww2]

13. Victims of the Usurped nation. Bu$h Land Under God. And more to come!

Yes I`m sure Jesus wants Bu$h Inc. to kill these people for not allowing him to steal their oil. Without a fight. Like he stole our last two Presidential elections. Without a fight. Praise the lord and pass the contribution plate.
Peace
Wildman
Al Gore is My President

[NorthernSpy]

15. resistance would be the strictly accurate term, AFAIK

They aren't "insurgents" or "rebels", because their existence actually long predates that of the Iraqi "governing authority" that they are supposedly "rebelling" against. That governing authority is itself wholly the creature of the invading foreign power that these forces have fought since the war broke out. The apparent origin of the resistance was in a decision made by the Iraqi military to switch to guerilla tactics in defense of their country during the invasion.

To the extent that they target noncombatants, they may be legitimately called terrorists. However, this term does not apply to persons doing battle against the soldiers of an invasive foreign army.

So I suppose that "resistance" is probably the most accurate term.


(edit: added clarification)

[NorthernSpy]

16. mind you, there may well be other elements in the mix

I'm talking about the people who are most commonly -- if inaccurately -- referred to in US media as "the insurgents".