Hail politics, you finally got me back from a rather long blogging absence!

I’ve always followed politics and listened to both sides before making my own mind up.  I’ll be the first to admit it when any side has a good point or a bad one (this trait seems to be directly associated with the ones that allow folk to say they’re sorry, avoid lying and admit mistakes… I’m just sayin’).  I used to be an ardent blogger but after the last election I got so annoyed at all the nonsense that I couldn’t seem to write more than sporadically.  But you finally did it guys (mostly guys anyway) with all this dredging up of woman’s rights issues in 2012.  Debating access to contraception and even it’s usage, really?  Mandatory vaginal ultrasounds before getting a legal abortion? Seriously?  I think this week after hearing Rush thoroughly degrade a woman over contraception, I began that familiar twitch.  What do you want women to do? 

 

It’s gotten so ridiculous at this point that I can’t stand any of the politicians.  Promises, promises, a lot of hot air, lies, incompetence, greed, immorality, and an aversion to facts of ANY kind it seems.  In this climate how can a rational person debate the issues?  I’m a moderate, progressive, liberal and proud of it.  You know one of those latte drinking, cosmopolitan loving, pro-civil rights, terribly evil people.   Suddenly I found people in the public eye calling themselves part of the “real America” while folk like myself (and there are a lot of us) were seen as misguided people to be pitied? Hated?  Needless to say I was upset.  **Note: When Rudy Gulliani made fun of cosmopolitan, community organizers I still to this day don’t know why he wasn’t tarred, feathered and run out of NYC… and then the state entirely.  Sigh, but I digress.

 

So, even though I still avidly followed the news, I just didn’t want to write about it. I just didn’t have the heart.  But after Rush Limbaugh’s current nonsense and the lack of response to him particularly by the republican leaders… I decided I need to start writing again.  You’ve insulted women of all ages to a degree that I haven’t heard in quite some time.  

 

And so I’m back.

 

Rush, I don’t want you to stop talking.  I support your rights such as, oh you know; freedom of speech.  

But a word of advice from this side of sanity:  

Please try to actually take one foot totally out of your rather large mouth before firmly planting the other one in.  

Even though both feet will fit, it just ain’t terribly wise on your part.

We’re all used to the sounds you make with one foot in there,
but with both you are so unintelligible…

 

G’night.

Laura

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William Safire (1929-2009) The passing of a Jedi Wordmaster.

I’ve always been a regular reader of William Safire’s Sunday NY Times “On Language” column in the Magazine section. He wrote about language in general, proper grammar (or the lack thereof), correct usage and the origin of words for thirty or so years. He wrote many books and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize as well as many other awards. We didn’t agree on politics but I loved his work “on language.”

William Safire died on September 27, 2009 at seventy-nine years of age in Maryland of pancreatic cancer.

William Safire 2006

I have been fascinated by words all my life. Why do people choose one word over another word? How and where did the words or phrases originate and then find their way into the public domain? What is the meaning they convey?
Even more interesting to me is the misuse of words, phrases and grammar.
*

I found over the years of correcting my own language errors that most people could give a rat’s ass about proper language usage or for that matter even simple spelling. Now I’m pretty sure you’re not imagining a rat’s ass at all here and that’s the interesting thing. We string certain words together to arrive “voilà!” at an understanding of meaning different from the intrinsic definition of each word alone. It’s fascinating to me.

Our nation is rife with grammatical errors from the bottom all the way to the top. Editing programs have no idea whether you meant “form” or “from” but it really can make a big difference with many words.
*

If you correct someone on spelling or content they look at you like you’re an anal retentive perfectionist nutcase these days. The “Well, you get what I meant, so what’s your worry?” crowd doesn’t care.
AAaaaaarrrgggggghhhhh this makes my head want to explode.
The juxtaposition of two simple letters or terms can change the meaning of everything going from clarity to confusion and misunderstanding in the few seconds it takes to see, hear and of course to repeat the mistake.

Spelling, grammar/syntax and meaning are important to expression and communication in any language.
As Willliam Safire pointed out many times in his sunday column, quite often with a considerable hunk of humor, we don’t care enough about where words and phrases came from and why they are used or misused so commonly. He was there to illuminate the language path and educate whenever it might be possible.
*

Language should not need an interpreter to convey intent and meaning.

In the area of communication William Safire was incredibly talented.
One of my language usage gurus, so to speak.
I know I could never be as good at proper usage and conveying meaning as he was.
However, I could enjoy his column and try my damnedest to keep trying, inspired by someone that shared a great interest in language and words with far greater ability.
Was my interest in words encouraged by by Mr. Safire?
Definitely.
*

Rest in peace William Safire, you will be missed in this household.

To everyone else that doesn’t care one whit about words or how they are joined together to convey meaning other than “Where’s the remote?” and “I’m hungry!”: I will never give up.

Oh well, like whatever, you know, dude.
Or in my case would it be dudette, dude-ess, or probably just “hey lady?”
Oh, I just dunno.

I know people like Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” segments on the Tonight Show and they can be funny but isn’t anyone else bothered by the lack of language understanding many people have (not to mention the lack of general knowledge).
It makes me laugh but I really want to cry at the same time.

G’night
And she smiles…
Literally.

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On Losing My Mother…

My mother Ruth 1919-2009

On a few of the many nights I was staying with my mom this past month I brought my computer along.
I found for the most part this wrote itself over the course of a few very quiet periods in the wee hours of the night.
I’m still trying to get used to sleeping at night again. I keep picking up the phone to call my mom and talk then realize I can’t.
Writing is the one way I express myself, though mostly unpublished someday I hope I will finish one of the books I’ve got on my computer.
I tried to upload a word document but gave up after a while and added a page to my site just for the tribute.

If you want to read my feelings and thoughts please click on the page at the top next to “Home and Laura” titled “Losing My Mom.”
It is personal and I hope it brings her to life for just a moment in your mind.
I doubt I’ll ever stop missing my mother.

Laura

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