Curtis Dahlgren
" . . . And nothing shall offend them" (?)
By Curtis Dahlgren
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." – attrib. to Voltaire (1694-1778)
WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT IDEA? Whatever happened to the Spirit of 1776? We have come a long way – a long way DOWN. News item, 4/14 sidebar on page 1, section D:
"Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich is stepping down as CEO and leaving the company following protests over his support of a gay marriage ban in California . . . At issue was Eich's $1,000 donation in 2008 to the campaign to pass California Proposition 8."
The people passed Prop 8, of course, and Barack had the same position in 2008. It was simply a "defining moment" – it upheld the traditional definition of marriage; it didn't "ban" anything, really. You do understand, don't you, how "marriage" is defined? "Matrimony," for instance, involves the word "mother" and translates – essentially – motherhood. Regarding marriage, Ayto's Dictionary of Word Origins says:
"MARRY, Latin maritus, meant 'husband' (and Lithuanian has the related word marti, bride – and in that case [marriage] would denote etymologically 'man who has been provided with a young woman as a bride')."
Are you bored yet? You oughtn't be because the cool, hip agents of modern "change" are trying to destroy the English language, for all practical purposes. To them, it's kind of like destroying a village to save it (or, to create a NEW "village").
Take another word under attack: Freedom, as in freedom of religion. Most people know perfectly well what that means, but the other day a letter in the Detroit Free Press said, and this is a direct quote, "Religious freedom means freedom from religion." I replied and said:
"Annie Gaylor may think that, but NO one says that out loud in so many words, because that is a cognitive dissonance (like a sour note in music or fingernails on a chalkboard, a self-contradiction, 180 degrees off). If religious freedom now means being "free OF religion," I guess the Detroit Free Press will have to change its name or clarify the meaning. They might want to call it the Post-freedom Free Press (now run by the White House Office of Information)."
Another word is "warming" – as in Global warming. That issue is supposed to be "beyond Freedom of discussion" and the government-paid scientists are much "offended" if we don't take all their pronouncements as Gospel or "infallible"! They claim that the debate is so "over" – and yet at the same time some of them admit that they need to exaggerate [color the Truth, LIE] in order to get any political action! Ah yes; it's all about the politics, isn't it? [And, if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period!]
Well, I hate to beat a dead horse, but government-run insurance (FedMed healthcare) is a dead horse. Service from our local veterinarian is more reliable than from the government system. You already know that, but I'm posting this just for the record. Enough!
P.S. Last November, the first full day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving -first time since 1888? – but did you notice that the upcoming week has an equally interesting parallel? The day of Passover technically begins at sundown 4-13-14. That's Jefferson's birthday, but even more interesting, it's "Palm Sunday." When Jesus was 12 years old, his family traveled to Jerusalem and stayed for what was loosely called "the Passover [week]"; according to that tradition, then, they would be arriving this year on "Palm Sunday" and leaving on the 21st – which is called "Easter Monday" in Canada.
I'm "just saying" that in 2014 there's an unusual "agreement" between the Fundamentalists and their friends the practicing Jews. With Christians and Jews all under clouds of enemy threats, any similarities are worth noting. BTW, the Leftists in politics hate Christians but not Islamists (the latter cut off people's heads and Christians don't). If that doesn't make sense to you, it wasn't supposed to; the liberal progressive hipsters, sadly, believe that the enemy of their "enemy" is their friend! And that's the main reason they are becoming anti-Israel as well as anti-Christian.
PPS: I hope you're not bored yet, but on the fifth day of April both of the doors of my house were frozen shut by "global warming." I had to cut the screen out of my front storm door so my dog could go out. I sat down at the table with my first cup of coffee and the newspaper from the day before and – wouldn't you know it – the first thing my eyes fell on was another letter to the editor condemning global warming "deniers" and so-called leaders who "do not even offer a cosmetic response." I hate to repeat myself, but yes it's all about the politics, isn't it?
The lovers of global warming theory tell us that the whole world is warming, but I kept my wood stove going all winter just for the hearth of it. In the north woods we're going on our seventh month of "anecdotal." We are blessed with something Floridians and Arizonans will never experience: over six months of ambience. I wouldn't trade the U.P. for the world (they say that's going to Hell anyway).
All I can say is, it'll be a Cold Day when I support any enviro-mental organization!
Oh, and for anyone who didn't get where the title of this column came from, it's from the 119th Psalm:
"Great peace have those who love Your Law; and NOTHING shall offend them." Go figure, eh?
© Curtis Dahlgren
April 11, 2014
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." – attrib. to Voltaire (1694-1778)
WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT IDEA? Whatever happened to the Spirit of 1776? We have come a long way – a long way DOWN. News item, 4/14 sidebar on page 1, section D:
"Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich is stepping down as CEO and leaving the company following protests over his support of a gay marriage ban in California . . . At issue was Eich's $1,000 donation in 2008 to the campaign to pass California Proposition 8."
The people passed Prop 8, of course, and Barack had the same position in 2008. It was simply a "defining moment" – it upheld the traditional definition of marriage; it didn't "ban" anything, really. You do understand, don't you, how "marriage" is defined? "Matrimony," for instance, involves the word "mother" and translates – essentially – motherhood. Regarding marriage, Ayto's Dictionary of Word Origins says:
"MARRY, Latin maritus, meant 'husband' (and Lithuanian has the related word marti, bride – and in that case [marriage] would denote etymologically 'man who has been provided with a young woman as a bride')."
Are you bored yet? You oughtn't be because the cool, hip agents of modern "change" are trying to destroy the English language, for all practical purposes. To them, it's kind of like destroying a village to save it (or, to create a NEW "village").
Take another word under attack: Freedom, as in freedom of religion. Most people know perfectly well what that means, but the other day a letter in the Detroit Free Press said, and this is a direct quote, "Religious freedom means freedom from religion." I replied and said:
"Annie Gaylor may think that, but NO one says that out loud in so many words, because that is a cognitive dissonance (like a sour note in music or fingernails on a chalkboard, a self-contradiction, 180 degrees off). If religious freedom now means being "free OF religion," I guess the Detroit Free Press will have to change its name or clarify the meaning. They might want to call it the Post-freedom Free Press (now run by the White House Office of Information)."
Another word is "warming" – as in Global warming. That issue is supposed to be "beyond Freedom of discussion" and the government-paid scientists are much "offended" if we don't take all their pronouncements as Gospel or "infallible"! They claim that the debate is so "over" – and yet at the same time some of them admit that they need to exaggerate [color the Truth, LIE] in order to get any political action! Ah yes; it's all about the politics, isn't it? [And, if you like your plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, period!]
Well, I hate to beat a dead horse, but government-run insurance (FedMed healthcare) is a dead horse. Service from our local veterinarian is more reliable than from the government system. You already know that, but I'm posting this just for the record. Enough!
P.S. Last November, the first full day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving -first time since 1888? – but did you notice that the upcoming week has an equally interesting parallel? The day of Passover technically begins at sundown 4-13-14. That's Jefferson's birthday, but even more interesting, it's "Palm Sunday." When Jesus was 12 years old, his family traveled to Jerusalem and stayed for what was loosely called "the Passover [week]"; according to that tradition, then, they would be arriving this year on "Palm Sunday" and leaving on the 21st – which is called "Easter Monday" in Canada.
I'm "just saying" that in 2014 there's an unusual "agreement" between the Fundamentalists and their friends the practicing Jews. With Christians and Jews all under clouds of enemy threats, any similarities are worth noting. BTW, the Leftists in politics hate Christians but not Islamists (the latter cut off people's heads and Christians don't). If that doesn't make sense to you, it wasn't supposed to; the liberal progressive hipsters, sadly, believe that the enemy of their "enemy" is their friend! And that's the main reason they are becoming anti-Israel as well as anti-Christian.
PPS: I hope you're not bored yet, but on the fifth day of April both of the doors of my house were frozen shut by "global warming." I had to cut the screen out of my front storm door so my dog could go out. I sat down at the table with my first cup of coffee and the newspaper from the day before and – wouldn't you know it – the first thing my eyes fell on was another letter to the editor condemning global warming "deniers" and so-called leaders who "do not even offer a cosmetic response." I hate to repeat myself, but yes it's all about the politics, isn't it?
The lovers of global warming theory tell us that the whole world is warming, but I kept my wood stove going all winter just for the hearth of it. In the north woods we're going on our seventh month of "anecdotal." We are blessed with something Floridians and Arizonans will never experience: over six months of ambience. I wouldn't trade the U.P. for the world (they say that's going to Hell anyway).
All I can say is, it'll be a Cold Day when I support any enviro-mental organization!
Oh, and for anyone who didn't get where the title of this column came from, it's from the 119th Psalm:
"Great peace have those who love Your Law; and NOTHING shall offend them." Go figure, eh?
© Curtis Dahlgren
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