Fascists

Did you hear that the President identified our enemies out there, at last, as "Islamic fascists?" I have two comments on his choice of words. First. "Islamic"? I wasn't paying close attention, to be honest, but were we using this word before 2001? It isn't a word. Or at least it doesn't need to be. The word is "Muslim". That is the adjective to describe things that involve Islam. Not "Islamic". Where did that term come from? It came from out of the blue as far as I can tell, that's where.

Second, I am gratified that the president didn't use the word "Islamofascists". Since he is such a bad speaker, I have to think he was trying to use it, but failed. Still. Where did that term come from? I think you have to go all the way back to anarcho-syndicalism to find a similar construction. Is that what they had in mind when they coined it? Islamofascism. The connecting vowel is all wrong. It gets even worse when partisan spite transforms it into "Christofascism". That is an ugly word.

All this puffing about fascism doesn't worry me. People can call Nasrallah or Bush fascists all they like, but I'm not fooled. I know when we will have arrived at fascism. A state is only fascist if it has a curfew. I saw V for Vendetta. Curfews didn't get to be the #1 fascism movie cliche for nothing. Hollywood, show us the way!