January 2018

29 Jan

Posted at 06:00h in Uncategorized
Did you find yourself aghast recently, stunned by the brazen hypocrisy of “Reverend” Franklin Graham and his fellow religious-right sin-denouncers who followed their endorsements of Alabama's Roy Moore with the bestowal of a “do-over” for their darling Donald?

22 Jan

Posted at 06:00h in Uncategorized

This weekend, the Trumpists shut down the U.S. government, but the people were on the move. Women and also men of conscience across this country and the world celebrated the first anniversary of the Women's March, the demonstration that, in part because it took place just as Trump ascended office, was the single largest protest in the history of this country—and possibly the planet. But last Tuesday, a front-page article in The New York Times by Farah Stockman reported fractures in the Women's March action plans. Women's March Inc. (yes, they’re now incorporated, probably for fund-raising purposes), the high-profile group formed by organizers of last year's Washington DC event, have since then focused on national actions, while women across the country have been mobilizing locally, with their emphasis on this fall’s elections—particularly those in red and purple states. Now at first, months back, I naively thought What's the problem? Think global,...

15 Jan

Posted at 06:00h in Uncategorized

The misuse of language induces evil in the soul. That's a statement attributed to Socrates, and you may have heard or read me quoting it before. It bears repeating. The etymology of the English word "language" tells quite a story. It stems from the Old French langage: "speech, words, oratory; a tribe, people, nation"; from the Latin vulgate linguaticum, from Latin lingua: "tongue," also "speech, language," from the pre-Indo-European root dnghu- "tongue." Interesting how closely related it is to "tribe" or "people," isn't it? You are what you say. The ultra-right’s assault on language has escalated to a linguistic battle–now being waged even across official Washington—in an attempt to shift public perception of key policies by changing the way the federal government talks and writes about climate change, scientific evidence, disadvantaged communities, and other issues. Surely we remember George Orwell’s chilling novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, in which the totalitarian state’s mottos were “War...