Friday, May 27, 2005
Locution Evolution
Following the election last November, President Bush began to push for Social Security privatization. When people learned the facts about his proposal, they opposed it in large numbers. What did President Bush do? He stopped calling it privatization and began to say he was for personal accounts. His apologists then accused anyone who said the president was calling for privatization of slandering him.
Sen. Frist planned to push the president's unpopular, right-wing court appointees through the Senate over Democratic objections by employing what he called the "nuclear option." That is, he would use Senate rules to do away the filibuster. When polling showed that the nuclear option was unpopular with voters, he changed it to the "constitutional option." Republicans then accused reporters who attributed the nuclear option to Republicans of shilling for the Democrats.
Creationists have wanted to teach the biblical story of Genesis in science classes for years. Knowing that idea is unpopular -- and illegal -- they've changed their name, too. They now insist we call them intelligent designers. What does the Discovery Institute think of people who call them creationists -- well, we think you see the pattern.
They may not believe in biological evolution, but they are masters of locution evolution.
Sen. Frist planned to push the president's unpopular, right-wing court appointees through the Senate over Democratic objections by employing what he called the "nuclear option." That is, he would use Senate rules to do away the filibuster. When polling showed that the nuclear option was unpopular with voters, he changed it to the "constitutional option." Republicans then accused reporters who attributed the nuclear option to Republicans of shilling for the Democrats.
Creationists have wanted to teach the biblical story of Genesis in science classes for years. Knowing that idea is unpopular -- and illegal -- they've changed their name, too. They now insist we call them intelligent designers. What does the Discovery Institute think of people who call them creationists -- well, we think you see the pattern.
They may not believe in biological evolution, but they are masters of locution evolution.
