edward ohare
2008-11-20 18:47:43 UTC
I've been wondering if one of the effects of the eviction of the
Republicans from Washington will be that we get English back. I'm not
saying the Republicans speak Spanish or Martian, or anything like
that, but clearly they don't speak English. I'm not referring to
Bush's bizarre pronunciations such as "terrah" and "nukular", but
rather to misapplication of words.
I'm reminded weekly of one of the misapplications of words, and that's
when I buy gas. Actually I can't buy gas anymore. I have to buy E10,
which is 10% ethanol. Furthermore, I'm required to buy gas with
ethanol made in America from corn, the process of which results in a
50% energy gain, while ethanol from Brazil made from sugar cane,
production of which results in a 720% energy gain, is effectively
banned via tariffs.
And I have to pay for this E10 three times: at the pump, in my taxes
because corn farmers are subsidized to make the apparent net cost of
their inefficient product less than that of ethanol from cane, and at
the grocery store because with the economically unsound diversion of
food to fuel, anything in the grocery store involving corn now costs
more. Well, I'm real glad the Republicans named this servitude to
corn farmers the Energy Independence Act so the people could feel they
were independent while actually being scammed.
Then there's the issue of heros. We need heros for our egos, and the
Republicans have given us plenty. Or, rather, they've used the word a
lot. I'm reminded of Pfc Charles N. DeGlopper, Co. C, 325th Glider
Infantry, 82d Airborne Division, who in 1944 stood up on a causeway in
France and in the face of German fire and covered a withdrawal until
he was killed. That act - unrequired assumption of substantial known
additional risk - is the essence of heroism.
I wonder how Pfc DeGlopper would feel if he knew that under Republican
English, anyone who dies, even with no knowing assumption of
unrequired additional risk, from shuttle astronauts who had no
expectation of anything but a normal flight to fire fighters doing
their normal job entering a burning building, is a hero. Because as
used the last eight years, the definition of hero is merely someone
who dies doing something Republicans like.
Then we have the Republican use of the word coward, which is anyone
doing something Republicans don't like. Clearly someone willing to
cause his own death by flying an airplane into a building is not a
coward. He is very brave. Yet such people have been branded cowards
by the Republicans.
And it goes on and on. A Patriot is someone who wants the government
to spy on him, believes in national identity cards, and thinks its
acceptable to ban people from airplanes without telling them why and
with no method of appeal. Freedom means to overthrow existing
oppressive governments and replace them with new oppressive
governments.
Helping lumber mills and catfish farms in red states and rich buddies
in financial jobs is assisting capitalism. But helping companies in
blue states is socialism.
Maybe this misapplication of words will end with the Republicans gone,
or maybe it won't. But there is one area where progress is already
being made, and that is in the use of the word American.
Bush wrapped himself in the flag and said "if you're not for us you're
against us" thereby negating the long standing concept of "loyal
opposition" where a person could be loyal to his country while against
its policy. So if a person was against Bush's policies he couldn't be
an American. Sarah Palin affirmed this. She stood in front of a
group of anti abortion, anti gay, pro war Bible thumpers and said they
were the "real Americans", which means that moderate religious people,
agnostics, atheists, pro choice advocates, anti war people, and people
for equal rights for all, the real concept of America, aren't
Americans.
Yet some Republicans have decided they are now the oppressed minority
of real Americans. If so, its by their own choice. With the country
facing multiple huge problems, some are expecting, hoping, and
sometimes working for the failure of the incoming administration's
attempts to solve these problems. So much for their "Country First"
slogan.
Republicans from Washington will be that we get English back. I'm not
saying the Republicans speak Spanish or Martian, or anything like
that, but clearly they don't speak English. I'm not referring to
Bush's bizarre pronunciations such as "terrah" and "nukular", but
rather to misapplication of words.
I'm reminded weekly of one of the misapplications of words, and that's
when I buy gas. Actually I can't buy gas anymore. I have to buy E10,
which is 10% ethanol. Furthermore, I'm required to buy gas with
ethanol made in America from corn, the process of which results in a
50% energy gain, while ethanol from Brazil made from sugar cane,
production of which results in a 720% energy gain, is effectively
banned via tariffs.
And I have to pay for this E10 three times: at the pump, in my taxes
because corn farmers are subsidized to make the apparent net cost of
their inefficient product less than that of ethanol from cane, and at
the grocery store because with the economically unsound diversion of
food to fuel, anything in the grocery store involving corn now costs
more. Well, I'm real glad the Republicans named this servitude to
corn farmers the Energy Independence Act so the people could feel they
were independent while actually being scammed.
Then there's the issue of heros. We need heros for our egos, and the
Republicans have given us plenty. Or, rather, they've used the word a
lot. I'm reminded of Pfc Charles N. DeGlopper, Co. C, 325th Glider
Infantry, 82d Airborne Division, who in 1944 stood up on a causeway in
France and in the face of German fire and covered a withdrawal until
he was killed. That act - unrequired assumption of substantial known
additional risk - is the essence of heroism.
I wonder how Pfc DeGlopper would feel if he knew that under Republican
English, anyone who dies, even with no knowing assumption of
unrequired additional risk, from shuttle astronauts who had no
expectation of anything but a normal flight to fire fighters doing
their normal job entering a burning building, is a hero. Because as
used the last eight years, the definition of hero is merely someone
who dies doing something Republicans like.
Then we have the Republican use of the word coward, which is anyone
doing something Republicans don't like. Clearly someone willing to
cause his own death by flying an airplane into a building is not a
coward. He is very brave. Yet such people have been branded cowards
by the Republicans.
And it goes on and on. A Patriot is someone who wants the government
to spy on him, believes in national identity cards, and thinks its
acceptable to ban people from airplanes without telling them why and
with no method of appeal. Freedom means to overthrow existing
oppressive governments and replace them with new oppressive
governments.
Helping lumber mills and catfish farms in red states and rich buddies
in financial jobs is assisting capitalism. But helping companies in
blue states is socialism.
Maybe this misapplication of words will end with the Republicans gone,
or maybe it won't. But there is one area where progress is already
being made, and that is in the use of the word American.
Bush wrapped himself in the flag and said "if you're not for us you're
against us" thereby negating the long standing concept of "loyal
opposition" where a person could be loyal to his country while against
its policy. So if a person was against Bush's policies he couldn't be
an American. Sarah Palin affirmed this. She stood in front of a
group of anti abortion, anti gay, pro war Bible thumpers and said they
were the "real Americans", which means that moderate religious people,
agnostics, atheists, pro choice advocates, anti war people, and people
for equal rights for all, the real concept of America, aren't
Americans.
Yet some Republicans have decided they are now the oppressed minority
of real Americans. If so, its by their own choice. With the country
facing multiple huge problems, some are expecting, hoping, and
sometimes working for the failure of the incoming administration's
attempts to solve these problems. So much for their "Country First"
slogan.