If only fear could lessen the national debt ...

Karenna Awtry · **Posted:** Tue Feb 11, 2003 10:48 pm

From Knight Ridder Washington Bureau:Mueller said several
hundred Islamic militants
linked to Al Qaeda are living in
the United States and some,organized in cells, could
quickly divert from their
recruitment, training and
fund-raising tasks to carry out
attacks.

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 3:24 pm

The media really needs to come up with a better word than "cells" for the units in which "terrorists" allegedly organize themselves. My frist thought upon reading that otherwise awful lede was "How do they get out of their cells to wreak all this mayhem?"

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 4:06 pm

The word "cell" has a long history as meaning the smallest component of an organization. The Communist Party, for example, was (and probably still is) organized in cells in those countries where it is not welcome.[ February 12, 2003: Message edited by: blanp ]

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 4:22 pm

So could Karl Rove's situation-room coterie be described as a "cell"? Or does it carry a historical connotation of "unfriendly presence in a given place"? (In which case, Rove's situation-room coterie probably qualifies.)

pampellfw · **Joined:** Thu Apr 25, 2002 12:01 am **Posts:** 38

Wasn't part of the "cell" definition a sense that people in one cell didn't know who was in the other cells? In other words, if they got captured, they couldn't rat on many people. Or have I been reading too many spy novels?

Phillip Blanchard · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 4:39 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by pampellfw:
Wasn't part of the "cell" definition a sense that people in one cell didn't know who was in the other cells? In other words, if they got captured, they couldn't rat on many people. Or have I been reading too many spy novels?<hr></blockquote>Often they are organized that way.

jjmoney62 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 5:16 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Jim Thomsen:
The media really needs to come up with a better word than "cells" for the units in which "terrorists" allegedly organize themselves. My frist thought upon reading that otherwise awful lede was "How do they get out of their cells to wreak all this mayhem?"<hr></blockquote>Here's a question for the class. Would you hire a copy editor whose post to a copy editors' bulletin board includes a typo? Discuss.

Karenna Awtry · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 5:28 pm

Originally posted by JJmoney62:
Here's a question for the class. Would you hire a copy editor whose post to a copy editors' bulletin board that includes a typo? Discuss. 
I certainly would be wary of the copy editor who would point such a thing out, if just on a social basis.. It's not a job application.On another note, I should clarify that the excerpt that started this thread wasn't from the lede.

Guest · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 5:40 pm

I'd say it's irrelevant. We're all off the clock when we're on here.

jjmoney62 · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 8:37 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by Kawtry:On another note, I should clarify that the excerpt that started this thread wasn't from the lede.[/qb]<hr></blockquote>So you're saying he made a typo AND a factual error?[ February 12, 2003: Message edited by: jjmoney62 ]

tim · **Posted:** Wed Feb 12, 2003 10:02 pm

<blockquote>quote:<hr>Originally posted by jjmoney62:
So you're saying he made a typo AND a factual error?[ February 12, 2003: Message edited by: jjmoney62 ]<hr></blockquote>Damn, why don't we just take him out back and shoot him?

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If only fear could lessen the national debt ...

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