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Savannahmann

(3,891 posts)
Wed Mar 4, 2015, 12:07 PM Mar 2015

Definition of the day. Ambush.

Ambush. According to Dictionary.com Ambush is defined as follows.

1. an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise:
The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.

2. an act or instance of attacking unexpectedly from a concealed position.

3.the concealed position itself:
They fired from ambush.

4.those who attack suddenly and unexpectedly from a concealed position.


I mention this because the Police in Fulton County have no idea what this word means, or how to use it. A police officer died last night, shot in the head during an "ambush".

Police responded to a shots fired call early Wednesday. They were told the suspect was possibly intoxicated. Neighbors said the man was going from house to house, banging on doors and firing a long barrel gun.

The suspect then began shooting at the officers, striking one in the head.

Stiles described the situation as an ambush, saying the officers "were trying to do their job, they were trying to protect this neighborhood from someone who was shooting. And they had no other option but to do their job. And the way it appears to me, they were ambushed without warning."


Now, before I get to the meat of my comments, let me begin by saying this. I am sorry the police officer died. I don't want anyone to have their life taken from them, police or citizen. I want everyone to die from extreme old age, having lived full and satisfying lives.

However, this is not an ambush. An ambush would be if someone called the police to report two women wrestling nude in the park and waited in the shadows for the cops to arrive and shot them. A man running around the neighborhood, armed and shooting a weapon, does not make it an ambush. The police had warnings, the reports of the citizens that there was an armed man running around the neighborhood shooting.

My bigger point is that we abuse the language. We change the wording to create impressions that are absolutely inaccurate. Professor Lakoff is famous for attempting to raise our awareness of these events. This is a good, if tragic example of this trend.

When Police use force and a citizen dies, the wording of the reports is reflected to show the officer had no choice in the matter, regardless of what actually happened. When a police officer dies, it is worded in such a way to make it appear that the officer was an innocent victim of a diabolical plot. In this case, it sounds like a lunatic was running around with a gun, and that is always a recipe for disaster. It wasn't a diabolical plot, and it wasn't an ambush by any definition of the word. The police had plenty of warning that the situation was extremely dangerous.

Tragic yes, absolutely, and a devastating event for the family of the fallen officer. However, it was not an ambush. But since the shooting of two officers in New York, any time a cop is killed they're going to use the ambush word. It fit once, that doesn't mean it is going to fit every time.

Our first duty should be to truth. Because only by dealing with the truth, only by acknowledging the truth can we hope to face problems and find solutions. By using a word to describe the event that does not fit the information, the Police are doing a huge disservice to themselves, the fallen officer, and the public. We must deal with things truthfully if we want to end the loss of live, police and civilian. Then one day, with a little luck, my dream of everyone dying of extreme old age satisfied with their lives may become the norm.
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Definition of the day. Ambush. (Original Post) Savannahmann Mar 2015 OP
That's propaganda for you. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Mar 2015 #1
Whatever Oklahoma_Liberal Mar 2015 #2
Quick question. Savannahmann Mar 2015 #3
People saying "I could care less" and "chaise lounge" is also irritating. Nye Bevan Mar 2015 #4
I agree. Savannahmann Mar 2015 #5

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)
1. That's propaganda for you.
Wed Mar 4, 2015, 12:21 PM
Mar 2015

'Truth' is for the people who aren't in control. For those who have power over the rest of us, propaganda and misleading rhetoric is just another tool in the toolbox to maintain that power and avoid following the same rules that are applied to those without power.

 

Oklahoma_Liberal

(69 posts)
2. Whatever
Wed Mar 4, 2015, 12:55 PM
Mar 2015

The guy set up in the dark, in the bushes down the street and hid and shot the officers as they pulled up. That's an ambush.

A man is murdered and leaves behind a large family to mourn. Your attempt to minimize it is disgusting.

 

Savannahmann

(3,891 posts)
3. Quick question.
Wed Mar 4, 2015, 01:13 PM
Mar 2015

I was unable to find any reference to the suspect hiding in the bushes and shooting the officers as they pulled up.

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/union-city-fairburn/2015/03/04/fulton-county-officer-killed-in-early-wednesday-shooting/24359847/

Stiles described the situation as an ambush in the dark and foggy weather conditions, saying the officers "were trying to do their job, they were trying to protect this neighborhood from someone who was shooting. And they had no other option but to do their job. And the way it appears to me, they were ambushed without warning."


That site has the conditions of the "ambush" as the dark and foggy conditions. Conditions which would seem to me affect the shooter equally wouldn't it?

I mentioned that I felt sorry for the Officer and his family. I referred to the situation as tragic. I'm not sure how that is minimizing the situation. I even said I don't want to see anyone, police or civilian lose their lives. However, the use of the language is not correct. It is misusing the word ambush to create an emotional response of disgust towards the accused, and sympathy towards the police. Certainly the family of the fallen has my sympathy, I mentioned that as I said. However, the word does not describe the situation on the links I've been able to find. Perhaps I am in error, and you have a link to a site that describes the behavior of the suspect as hiding in the bushes.

However, the fact remains that the police were notified that the man appeared intoxicated, and was firing a long barreled weapon by citizens calling to report the incident. I personally suspect that the individual is suffering from some mental condition, but that is a suspicion, not factual information, and I offered it as a supposition by wording it correctly to identify it as a theory.

If you have more information, am I correct? Is the suspect mentally disturbed? Or was he under the influence of drugs/alcohol? Because running around a neighborhood shooting a long barreled weapon into the air and pounding on doors is not the normal type of behavior one expects to find in a neighborhood. Well, perhaps in Tikrit, but not normally in or around Atlanta.

I was not trying to minimize, but I was taking the opportunity to take issue with the misuse of the language. If you find that intolerable, I feel for you. Because this world must set you on edge everyday.

Nye Bevan

(25,406 posts)
4. People saying "I could care less" and "chaise lounge" is also irritating.
Wed Mar 4, 2015, 01:20 PM
Mar 2015

But your definitional nitpicking notwithstanding, a police officer was still murdered, which is the important part of this story.

 

Savannahmann

(3,891 posts)
5. I agree.
Wed Mar 4, 2015, 03:03 PM
Mar 2015

The death of a man is the important part of the story. So why is it necessary to increase the visceral revulsion about this event by mischaracterizing it in such a way? Is it not enough to say an officer lost his life in a shootout in the early morning hours? Why must we throw in deceptive terms to make it an even greater tragedy?

I feel sorrow for the loss of live. I feel disappointment at the blatant manipulation of normal human feelings by the statements of the department categorizing the loss of life. I dislike having people try and manipulate me.

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