Category: Political Language
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On ‘Political’ and ‘Partisan’
Top o' the Stack.
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What do Democrats Mean by ‘Democracy’?
The Dems are always going on about 'our democracy,' their noble defense of it, and the Republicans' nefarious assault upon it. But they never tell us what they mean by 'democracy.' One is left to speculate. Here is David Brooks commenting on the recent gerrymandering/redistricting contretemps: I understand the argument. But let's do a little…
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‘Asylum Seekers’
Is a home invader an asylum seeker? Only in very rare cases. So why are people who immigrate illegally called asylum seekers? A few are but most are not. What we have here, once again, is the characteristic 'progressive' abuse of language. You should have learned by now that no word or phrase is safe…
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Retribution and Psycho-Political Projection
'Retribution' has two main senses in English, and they are importantly different. The word can refer to revenge or to a form of justice, retributive justice. Do I have to explain that justice is not revenge? Conflating the two, journalistic shills for deep-state malefactors try to dismiss as revenge what is a quest for justice…
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On Lame Appeals for Civility
Trey Gowdy issued one on his show last night. The man needs to stiffen his spine and realize that our political opponents are enemies with whom we share insufficient common ground for productive debate. They don't need debating but defeating. He did guest a Dem pol who talked some sense and seemed decent, but the…
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Is ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ a Concentration Camp?
It is according to the author of a TNR article. I don't disagree. After all, the bad hombres are being held against their will in one place prior to their deportation. The conclusion to draw, of course, is that some concentration camps are morally justified. This one is also legally justified. President Trump is merely…
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Slop Talk
'Due process' is a term of legal shop talk. Those of us who know something about the law — I know a little — know how to use it correctly. And those of us who think that words ought to be used responsibly in serious discussions should take offense at the 'slop talk' use of…
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Political Nominalism
One form political nominalism takes is loyalty to a political label. In late November I heard a self-described "life-long Democrat" on Fox cogently explain why Kamala Harris lost the election and why her political career ought to be over. Despite the accuracy of his analysis, the fool remains a Dem! That makes no sense. When…
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Judicial Terminology: Lustration
Here: Lustration is the removal of public officials and judges who are associated with a tainted political regime. It has been used as a tool of transitional justice in newly independent and postconflict countries. Lustrating begins with vetting—a review of conduct and competency. Individuals associated with the discredited government, and credibly accused of corruption or…
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Dumb Dems and the Hitler Card
Having been dealt a stinging rebuke on 5 November 2024, you might think the Democrats would learn something, for example, that playing the 'Hitler card,' like playing the 'race card,' will henceforth give them a losing hand. But no! The knuckleheads double down! Elon Musk is an exuberant fellow at the top of his game.…
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Enforcement of Borders is neither ‘Draconian’ nor ‘Xenophobic’
I just heard a Democrat politician refer to the The Trump-Homan border crackdown as 'draconian' and 'xenophobic.' It is neither. It is not cruel or severe. Although you may think that 'severe' is etymologically related to 'sever,' it is not. To witness a penology that includes beheading and limb amputation you will have to take…
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Bergoglio on Borders
What a hypocrite this guy is! You can 'migrate' anywhere, just not into the Vatican. Don't you love that word 'migrate'? Its use manages to elide two important distinctions in one fell swoop: the distinction between legal and illegal immigration, and that between immigration and emigration. A worthy addition to the lexicon of the Left.
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Leftists as Political Retromingents
A retromingent is an animal that urinates backwards. Posturing as 'progressive,' the leftist pisses on the past, seeking to erase its memory by destroying monuments and redacting the historical record. There is no piety in the leftist, no reverence. Try using those words at a Manhattan or Georgetown cocktail party and see what happens. This political retromingency helps explain the leftists'…
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The Coalition of the Sane and the Reasonable
I have been using the title phrase for some time now to refer to Trump-supporting conservatives. But what makes us sane and reasonable? Victor Davis Hanson compiles a list in The Trump Counterrevolution is a Return to Sanity. In an earlier post I referred to the take-back of our country as a National Sanitation Project,…