What's in a Name? Hajj Imad is Dead, Imad Hajj is Gainfully Employed

Okay, the terrorist's name is Imad Mughniyeh. But Hezbollah's head, Hassan Nasrallah, got quoted as saying "You have killed Hajj Imad outside the natural battlefield."

My guess is that "Hajj Imad" will stick in English-speaking brains better than "Imad Mughniyeh."

That's going to be a little confusing, since Hajj Imad, the Hezbollah leader, is dead: but the Chief Development Officer with a similar name at Thomas & Betts Corporation is alive and well - and possibly rather annoyed at this point.

I'll get back to the terrorist in another post.

Remember, while people were still picking pieces of other people out of New York City's rooftops and air conditioners, how crazy some got about the name "bin Laden?" And the word "laden," for that matter?

I seem to remember that an admirably cautious worker in Europe raised an alarm after seeing "LADEN" on a package. That made sense, sort of, considering the chance that envelopes with anthrax or boxes with bombs might be getting shipped.

On the other hand, seeing "LADEN" on something being shipped in Europe shouldn't be too unusual. In German, "laden" means charge, shop, load, or loading: among other things.

Today, Hezbollah leader Hajj Imad is in the news.

I'd like to think that most people will have the good sense to realize that someone with a similar name may have no connection whatsoever with terrorism.

But there always seem to be that special few, generously endowed with enthusiasm, and uninhibited by common sense, to add a note of irrelevance and annoyance.