Assuming that the new term is more accurate, does the accuracy justify the obscurity? Or is the new term a euphemism that, like many euphemisms, may be an attempt to deceive?
Years ago, Ronald Reagan avoided the term “tax increases” and used “revenue enhancements” instead. I wonder whether Obama’s new term also ignores some negative realities.
Below are some quotations from the article.
-=-=-=-=-=-
“The Obama administration appears to be backing away from the phrase ‘global war on terror,’ a signature rhetorical legacy of its predecessor.”
-=-=-=-=-=-
“In a memo e-mailed this week to Pentagon staff members, the Defense Department’s office of security review noted that ‘this administration prefers to avoid using the term “Long War” or “Global War on Terror” [GWOT.] Please use “Overseas Contingency Operation.’ ”
-=-=-=-=-=-
But critics abroad and at home, including some within the U.S. military, said the terminology ["Global War on Terror"] mischaracterized the nature of the enemy and its abilities. Some military officers said, for example, that classifying al-Qaeda and other anti-American militant groups as part of a single movement overstated their strength.
-=-=-=-=-=-
“Our strategy should be to divide and conquer rather than make of enemies more than they are,” said Nagl, now president of the Center for a New American Security, a defense policy think tank in Washington. “We are facing a number of different insurgencies around the globe — some have local causes, some of them are transnational. Viewing them all through one lens distorts the picture and magnifies the enemy.”
It is called, “Obama flashes irritation in press room.”
The first perhaps better represents the whole event. The second perhaps better highlights an incident that got more attention. So which article more faithfully reports the news?
I love the irony in this quotation, which I found in William Zinsser’s essay “Writing in Your Job”:
Any institution that won’t take the trouble in its writing to be both clear and personal will lose friends, customers, and money. Let me put it another way for business executives: a shortfall will be experienced in anticipated profitability.
On Monday, Holly and I went skiing for the first time in our lives. We went to the Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, NC.
There are three parts to this video: my skiing, a random skiier’s crashing right behind Holly, and my filming Holly while I was skiing.
Although I did not get to film it, the most entertaining experience on Monday was from a guy who got a lot of attention the whole afternoon from everyone through his expressions of sheer terror. The first time I heard him was when I heard behind me, “Oh, rats! Oh, rats!” I looked to my left to see him passing with arms and ski polls flailing. “These skis aren’t working! Help!” His outbursts were cut short when he finally fell. He was fine, although from his rant, you would think he had narrowly escaped death.
The second time I heard him was when I was in the ski-lift line. As we were moving with glacier-like slowness, everyone in line was awakened by a blood-curdling scream coming down the mountain. A cloudy spray of snow and an audible “thump” revealed that the same terrified skier had arrived. A fellow skier walked over to where the mountain’s latest victim was lying, leaned over, spread his arms out, and declared, “Safe!”
I had my own share of falls. Hopefully, none of them was as entertaining as these two.
Americans spend amazing amounts of time and money to learn about actors, athletes, and musicians. We see them in the news all the time. They become heroes for America’s youth.
It was refreshing for me this morning, however, to read about ten Special Forces soldiers, who are true heroes. Having fought a seven-hour battle in the mountains of Afghanistan, they will be receiving Silver Stars today.
I encourage you to read their story on msnbc.com. I was reminded of how grateful I should be for these soldiers.
What would happen if America spent more time and money honoring these kinds of role models than America does on celebrities? How would it change America’s collective sense of duty and of sacrifice? Would more Americans see the importance of finding a cause that is greater than themselves and their own entertainment?
Unfortunately, I could not find this story on the front page of abcnews.com, cbsnews.com, foxnews.com, or cnn.com. I applaud msnbc.com for placing news of these soldiers on the front page today.
Today, I invited my En 100 students to create Christmas PowerPoint themes. If they email them to me, I will decide among the best themes and use them for class periods after Thanksgiving Break. I told them that whatever they send me must be their own work and must not include any copyrighted material. I also said that if they choose to email their PowerPoint themes to me, they agree that I may use them for any class that I teach during this semester or during a future semester.
The contest reward, small though it may be, is a Snack Shop milkshake certificate and my acknowledging the theme creator every time I use the theme throughout the duration of my one-hundred-year teaching career.
Today, I saw a newspaper headline that one can easily misinterpret. The headline appears in a major West-coast newspaper that published the article today.
“Palin Smears Hurt McCain”
When I first saw this article, I thought, “Why is John McCain feeling hurt, and why is Sarah Palin smearing him?” The four words for that kind of interpretation would be noun, verb, adjective, and noun.
It turns out that the article asserts that smears against Sarah Palin are hurting John McCain. Thus, the four words are adjective, noun, verb, noun.
Someone once sent me a list of several newspaper headlines that one could easily misinterpret. (I cannot verify whether these were actual headlines, though.) Misplaced modifiers cause possible confusion in these two headlines:
“L.A. Voters Approve Urban Renewal By Landslide”
“Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years”
The confusion of gerunds and participles (Is the -ing word a noun or an adjective?) can cause confusion in these two headlines:
“Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant”
“Fund Set Up for Beating Victim’s Kin”
Writers of newspaper headlines need to be especially careful about clear wording since headlines often omit determiners. But who knows? Maybe newspapers can boost their sales through unintended humor.
A few conservative bloggers have helped to shape my perspective on the election of a President that I did not vote for. Below each title is an excerpt from that blog post.
I did not vote for Obama. I am grieved by the blind adoration countless people are giving to a man who has committed himself to Alinksy’s model, but I am sincerely rejoicing that God has made it very easy for me to celebrate something with the citizens of this foreign country where I serve as His ambassador. It’s easy to rejoice that forty years after a Jim Crow society when little black girls feared to walk out of their church on Sunday there will now be two little black girls playing in the halls of the White House.
Steve Bruss, associate editor, Greenville News editorial page (Greenville, SC) “Proud Moment for America”
There will be an appropriate time to critique the decisions Obama makes as president. This republic relies upon the ability and duty of its citizens to appropriately question the actions of its elected leaders. For the time being, though, Obama, as every president before him, deserves an opportunity to prove himself.
Kevin Bauder, president of Central Baptist Theological Seminary (Plymouth, MN) “What Next?”
We must resurrect the lost notion that was once called “loyal opposition.” We will no doubt oppose certain policies, perhaps vigorously. But opposition to the policy must not be turned into opposition to the man or opposition to the office. The president has to be left with the ability to govern. If he loses that ability, then the entire country loses, including Christian conservatives.
Right now, I’m enjoying my free cup of coffee. The Starbucks intersection of East North Street and Pleasantburg had only two other drive-through cars in front of me.
Praying for the election, voting, and drinking free coffee make for a good start to election day.
