War Slang: New Words From US Soldiers

CitizenSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:30:54 -0800

Slang is hard to define, but you know it when you hear it. It's sarcastic and witty (when it's good) and establishes social bonds. War slang is no different, though it serves the additional function of exposing military problems. Slang from earlier wars - skedaddle, triumph, ballistic - has made a home in our vernacular, and now US soldiers in Iraq are playing with words, too. Check out what they're saying:

Splurge: Mocking term for "surge."
Hillbilly armor: Improvised vehicle armor, salvaged from digging through landfills for scrap metal to bolster armor on vehicles.
Sandbox: Iraq
Embrace the suck: The situation is bad; deal with it.
Geardo: The guy who has to have all the latest and greatest gear on his uniform, yet doesn’t know how to use it.

To see the rest, read more.

Fobbits: A play on FOB (Forward Operations Base). It's reserved for base-bound soldiers who rarely get out.
Groundhog Day: Every day of duty in Iraq.
Rummy's Dummies: A derogatory name for the US military under the leadership of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
Single-digit midget: A member of the armed services who has nine days or less left of duty.
Waxed: To get hit hard or killed.
Weekend warrior: US reservist or National Guard soldier.

None of these sound destined for the everyday, but then I doubt anyone saw "snafu" coming. Though "weekend warrior" could make the argument that it's arrived - if by arrived you mean cliche magazine headlines. But what do you think? Will any of these make it out of the desert?

Source

And Now We're Russia: What's With Obama's Czars?

CitizenSugar — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:30:36 -0800

Forget becoming Communist Russia, try a cabinet filled with all-powerful czars. When "climate czar" first popped into our lexicon earlier this week, I thought it was a one-time title for Al Gore because he's already been vice president - a cabinet title would practically be a demotion - and it has a nice ring to it. And because, really, how can there be a climate czar without it being Al Gore?

Well Al Gore doesn't want the job, and a slew of new czar titles have been tossed around this week: auto czar, tech czar, energy czar, education czar, style czar (joking! . . . but Tim Gunn, yes?). What makes a czar different from a regular cabinet secretary? To find out, read more.

Czar is really just a slang term in the US for a government position with lots of power. They report directly to the president instead of the president's chief of staff, so any czars in the Obama administration can work around what will likely be Rahm Emanuel's tight grip.

Don't think the US doesn't already have czars, though. The senate voted to establish a drug czar in 1982 to control US drug policy, and the Bush administration established a terrorism czar, war czar (though Bush never found any takers so the position remains open), and cybersecurity czar (highest ranking position in Homeland Security). Just last month, Congress agreed to appoint a copyright czar, which will be named by President-elect Obama.

I'd take a world with copyright and climate czars over war and terrorism czars any day. But what's the point anyway? Is it dangerous to give one person so much power, or a good way to get a lot accomplished?

Source

TresSugar

War Slang: New Words From US Soldiers

And Now We're Russia: What's With Obama's Czars?