Taliban are Taliban, or, mashing Mr Margolis

If at first you don't succeed (see 2) here), try again: a letter of mine in the Ottawa Sun (comment in parentheses theirs):

Terror by any name

RE “War next door creates havoc in Pakistan” (Oct. 18) Eric Margolis writes that the Pashtun insurgents — who are also terrorists, note their suicide bombings of civilians — the Pakistani government is fighting are ‘wrongly called “Taliban.”

I guess Mr. Margolis has somehow managed to avoid noticing that the umbrella group for these people is called “Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan” (the Taliban Movement of Pakistan).

Seems pretty clear to me who they are. But then there are none so blind as those who will not see. And who would rather ceaselessly criticize the United States than recognize real enemies.

Mark Collins

(We aren’t sure how much a name is worth, but the results seem awfully similar)

Selected under "Canadian Commentary" in Spotlight on Military News and International Affairs. And this poseur has been nominated for a Governor General's Literary Award--for non-fiction!

An award for a true prince of darkness?

More on the Talibs in Pakistan at the end of this post, before Update.