Here's A Buzz-Word That Really Fries My Ass

[ThomWV]

Anytime you hear a person in uniform testifying before either a Senate or House Committee and they describe a threat to this nation as "Asymmetrical" you know that they are exaggerating that threat to an outrageous degree.

Asymmetrical threat means that whoever it is that is fighting against us is armed with sticks and spears rather than full electronics and automatic weapons, a fighter that hides behind trees and rocks rather than behind 50,000 feet of sky in a B-1 Bomber, an enemy that hurls spears where we use cruise missiles, laser guided 'smart bombs'.

Thursday a military man told a Senate Committee that we should be concerned about Venezuela, they were procuring assault rifles. Another asymmetric threat for us to fear. For christ sakes, every drug dealer in Birmingham has an assault rifle.

Do you know what an asymmetrical threat is? Its a term. Just a couple of words that sound ominous, instill fear, and the asshats use it all the time.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

God dam, it fries my ass.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Thanks for this information

I hadn't heard the term, but I'm glad to know what it means so that I will understand when-and why-it is being used.

[provis99]

2. it's easy. Assymetrical = unwinnable.

They used this in the Vietnam War, too.

[ThomWV]

3. Asymetrical= not a mirror image of us

We have weapons they have none, that is asymetrical.

When the Red Coats marched in nice rows for us to mow down from behind trees, that was asymetrical too. Only difference is that then we used it to our advantage, now it is used to scare the people into agreeing to more military spending to fight off words that most Americans do not understand at all.

Orwellian if there ever was an example of it. The word Asymetrical has a meaning all right, but its not the one used by the brass hats, its one that has been infused into our ignorant character.

[KG]

4. asymmetrical: world power getting its ass kicked by guerrilas forces.

[Bandit]

5. "Home of the Brave"

Funny how since Bush* Cabal took over words just don't mean the same.

[derby378]

6. Besides, those rifles going to Venezuela are semi-automatic, anyway

I'm just sayin'...

[Paladin]

7. Oh, You Mean Assault Rifles. Thanks For Clearing That Up. (n/t)

[derby378]

8. What's an "assault rifle," Paladin?

:popcorn:

[melm00se]

14. technically

it is a weapon that fires ammunition that is somewhere between a pistol and a full battle rifle.

In modern parlance it is just a scary looking rifle-type weapon...

[Igel]

9. SEELangs had a debate over how to translate

the Russian word 'avtomat' a year or so ago.

Most of the people wanted to translate it as 'assault weapon', but the few academics, translators, linguists, and literature specialists with a clue dissented, as did the actual Russian men on the list that had used an avtomat. The British and Australians on the list had an easier time, as well.

Assault weapon: Semi-automatic, scary looking, political football.

Assault rifle: Fully automatic, not always scary looking, banned since the '30s in the US.

Because of what amounts to an attempt in the US to confuse the two terms, to coin the word 'assault weapon' to make everybody think they're talking about 'assault rifles' when they aren't, American scholars also had a hard time separating the two. Lamentably, the confusion has taken deep root. They finally got it sorted out, along with such terms as "tommy gun, machine gun, submachine gun", but it wasn't easy. (I figured it was the same with me trying to sort out problems in translating tree and bird names--never having seen most of them, the meaning of the words is purely hypothetical to me.)

The group that had trouble with 'assault weapon' versus 'assault rifle' also had a great deal of difficulty, initially, in distinguishing between 'round' and 'burst'.

[derby378]

10. Too bad the other party in this debate will never return to acknowledge his mistake

He's developing a "hit-and-run" pattern of late.

[benEzra]

13. No, they were actual military AK-47's, I think (automatic), weren't they?

They were being used to equip a Venezuelan Home Guard type organization, but I seem to recall that they were real NFA Title 2/Class III restricted AK-47's, not civilian lookalikes, IIRC.

But I agree witht the OP that a sovereign nation choosing to equip its own people with AK's (whether automatic or not) can hardly be construed as a threat to the United States.

[jmg257]

16. Looks like the latest Russian updates - AK-103s, etc.

[dysfunctional press]

11. in 1776, the british would have considered the colonial militia an assymetrical threat.

because they wouldn't stand in a line in an open field and let the british shoot at them from their line...:crazy:

[Marr]

12. "Asymmetrical warfare" is another word for imperialism.

Everytime I've heard it used, it's describing a strategy to support imperialist goals. Holding people down while you steal all of their shit, essentially.

[jmg257]

15. Concerned about them because their militia is being effectively re-armed? Here that would be called

"constitutional", not "assymemtrical".

The only difference is OUR govt just doesn't trust we the people, their's does.