What's in a "Tic"?

If you watch too much C-Span and other political news shows, yes, including the Daily Show, you'll have noticed what word-smiths those republicans are.  Not only do they come up with clever twists of phrases ("death panels") ("death tax"), but they change words to subtly change their import.

All of a sudden, in a news week, 50 gazillion republicans/tea partiers are using the same phrase.  And no other.  For days and weeks last summer we heard about "death panels".  To the point where it got a bit scary.  Not the phrase, but the echo.

Last year at some point it became annoyingly apparent that those old word-meisters have decided that using the word "democrat" instead of "democratic" (as in "democrat party" -- ouch) gave it just an uglier sound.  The rationale as I understand it is that it takes away the implication that democrats are, well, democratic.

A few weeks ago I even heard a DEMOCRAT refer to the "democrat party" and I cried.  Are we so easily manipulated?

There is a rather nice history of the mis-appellation at:

http://mediamatters.org/research/200608160005 

However important or un- you might feel this hatcheting of the adjective "democratic", the fact is, it is grammatically incorrect.  But, as usual, we in the DemocratIC party feel that manipulating words, or even defending our own words, is just petty.   But words are not petty; words incite feelings, about ourselves and our lives.  And the "republic party" knows it.

So y'all that use democrat to describe someone who is in fact, democratic, are either being manipulative or ignorant.  So cut it out.


And don't forget, a vote for Alvin Greene is a vote against Jim Demint, the corporate candidate.

Shakespeare and Palin Aren't the Only Ones

Jim Demint gets apoplectic over what he calls the "Death Tax".  I remember back when it was called the "Estate Tax", because the tax is actually on the estates of the deceased.  Now those of us who don't know too much about the government, myself included, were afraid that when we died, the government would take our homes and every penny we had saved up for our children and grandchildren.

Not true.  The estate tax is only on the very wealthy.  It's called an estate tax because the very wealthy tend to live in "estates". It is a tax on those who have lived well in this country, and have now died well.  I like to think of it as paying it forward.  You know, back to the country that provided the fertile ground for your wealth, and keeping that ground fertile for others.

Now I don't know how many of those houses that John McCain owns that he really needs, but I'll bet after he goes he won't need that many.  But he and Jim Demint are fighting to keep every one of them in the family.

Jim Demint is an ad man.  A very successful one.  He and his colleagues invent phrases like "death tax" to scare us.  It has worked.

Don't let him scare you this time.


Alvin Greene doesn't know a lot of big words.  He doesn't have a staff or lobbyists to help him invent phrases intended to manipulate and control.


Visit his website and add your support:


www.alvingreeneforussenator.com


While you're online, send a message to Jim Demint.  Tell him to stop voting for the wealthy and powerful corporations that hoard their fortunes rather than reinvest in our country and our people, and that pay to keep him in office so that they can continue to hoard their fortunes, even after they're gone.