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From the Nader Page

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Wolfie
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« on: September 05, 2009, 12:17:53 am »

Friday, September 4. 2009


Words Matter

Ever wonder what’s happening to words once they fall into the hands of corporate and government propagandists? Too often reporters and editors don’t wonder enough. They ditto the words even when the result is deception or doubletalk.

Here are some examples. Day in and day out we read about “detainees” imprisoned for months or years by the federal government in the U.S., Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. Doesn’t the media know that the correct word is “prisoners,” regardless of what Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld disseminated?

The raging debate and controversy over health insurance and the $2.5 trillion spent this year on health care involves consumers and “providers.” How touching to describe sellers or vendors, often gouging, denying benefits, manipulating fine print contracts, cheating Medicare and Medicaid in the tens of billions as “providers.”

I always thought “providers” were persons taking care of their families or engaging in charitable service. Somehow, the dictionary definition does not fit the frequently avaricious profiles of Aetna, United Healthcare, Pfizer and Merck.

“Privatization” and the “private sector” are widespread euphemisms that the press falls for daily. Moving government owned assets or functions into corporate hands, as with Blackwater, Halliburton, and the conglomerates now controlling public highways, prisons, and drinking water systems is “corporatization,” not the soft imagery of going “private” or into the “private sector.” It is the corporate sector!

“Medical malpractice reform” is another misnomer. It used to mean restricting the legal rights of wrongfully injured people by hospitals and doctors, or limiting the liability of these corporate vendors when their negligence harms innocent patients. Well, to anybody interested in straight talk, “medical malpractice reform” or the “medical malpractice crisis” should apply to bad or negligent practices by medical professionals. After all, about 100,000 people die every year from physician/hospital malpractice, according to a Harvard School of Public Health report. Hundreds of thousands are rendered sick or injured, not to mention even larger tolls from hospital-induced infections. Proposed “reforms” are sticking it to the wrong people—the patients—not the sellers.

“Free trade” is a widely used euphemism. It is corporate managed trade as evidenced in hundreds of pages of rules favoring corporations in NAFTA and the World Trade Organization. “Free trade” lowers barriers between countries so that cartels, unjustified patent monopolies, counterfeiting, contraband, and other harmful practices and products can move around the world unhindered.

What is remarkable about the constant use of these words is that they permeate the language even if those who stand against the policies of those who first coin these euphemisms. You’ll read about “detainees” and “providers” and “privatization” and “private sector” and “free trade” in the pages of the Nation and Progressive magazines, at progressive conferences with progressive leaders, and during media interviews. After people point out these boomeranging words to them, still nothing changes. Their habit is chronic.

A lot of who we are, of what we do and think is expressed through the language we choose. The word tends to become the thing in our mind as Stuart Chase pointed out seventy years ago in his classic work The Tyranny of Words. Let us stop disrespecting the dictionary! Let’s stop succumbing to the propagandists and the public relations tricksters!

Frank Luntz—the word wizard for the Republicans who invented the term “death tax” to replace “estate tax” is so contemptuous of the Democratic Party’s verbal ineptitude (such as using “public option” instead of “public choice” and regularly using the above-noted misnomers) that he dares them by offering free advice to the Democrats. He suggests they could counteract his “death tax” with their own term “the billionaires’ tax.” There were no Democratic takers. Remember, words matter.

Using words that are accurate and at face value is one of the characteristics of a good book. Three new books stand out for their straight talk. In Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-party Tyranny, Theresa Amato, my former campaign manager, exposes the obstructions that deny voter choice by the two major parties for third party and independent candidates. Just out is Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle by Pulitzer Prize winner, Chris Hedges. Lastly, the boisterous, mischievous short autobiography of that free spirit, Jerry Lee Wilson , The Soloflex Story: An American Parable.

Not withstanding their different styles, these authors exercise semantic discipline.
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"Against the grain should be a way of life What's worth the prize is always worth the fight Every second counts 'cause there's no second try So live like you'll never live it twice Don't take the free ride in your own life" ~Nickelback

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Wolfie
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« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2009, 12:24:11 am »

In Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-party Tyranny, Theresa Amato, my former campaign manager, exposes the obstructions that deny voter choice by the two major parties for third party and independent candidates.

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"Against the grain should be a way of life What's worth the prize is always worth the fight Every second counts 'cause there's no second try So live like you'll never live it twice Don't take the free ride in your own life" ~Nickelback
IBEW
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« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2009, 01:05:40 am »

Friday, September 4. 2009

Words Matter

quote author=Wolfie link=topic=3014.msg38923#msg38923 date=1252123183]
When people become complancent and just buy hook line and sinker into all the bullshit rolling off their tongues, than we do have a problem in this nation.

IF you want to worship false idols, hey go for it. But for me, I ain't buying it. I prefer action to mere words any day. A little less talk and a lot more action. 

[/quote]

Denial is not your friend!  Wink
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"Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment"
Wolfie
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« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2009, 01:49:35 am »

IBEW my dear, I don't think this is gonna play out like you intended.  Wink

Here's why.

Nader is saying the same thing I am saying about the bullshit people say, they call it one thing, meaning something entirely different trying to pretty it up and make their case and in the end they are just scamming. Not walking their talk. Bullshitting! Although some folks may call it public relations and marketing.

And Nader does walk his talk. He's done it his entire career. He's done it out side the beltway, and he has done it when so many people have tried to silence him. He has balls, and he stands up for the American people. Do I think he is God, no, but I do respect this man more so than anyone I can think of who currently holds office in Washington right now.

Instead of your boy Obama trying to run around and placate anybody and everybody it would behoove him to sit and have a man to man with Nader and he might just learn something about growing a back bone, making a stand, and actually being directly responsible for positive change for the American people. Just sayin.....
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"Against the grain should be a way of life What's worth the prize is always worth the fight Every second counts 'cause there's no second try So live like you'll never live it twice Don't take the free ride in your own life" ~Nickelback
IBEW
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« Reply #4 on: September 05, 2009, 10:20:12 am »

To Each His Own....In Your Case Wolfie, Her Own.

I have followed Nader for years, and he has good ideals and philosophy. When he was a consumer advocate he did a lot of good, he was the man. But, when it comes to politics, he is inept. Ralph Nader has had how many years to get a third party off the ground?

At this point and time Nader is not a key player in passing a health care bill, the Republicans in the Senate are.
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Marilyn4Edwards
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« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2009, 10:51:56 am »

To Each His Own....In Your Case Wolfie, Her Own.

I have followed Nader for years, and he has good ideals and philosophy. When he was a consumer advocate he did a lot of good, he was the man. But, when it comes to politics, he is inept. Ralph Nader has had how many years to get a third party off the ground?

At this point and time Nader is not a key player in passing a health care bill, the Republicans in the Senate are.

The Republicans are not going to vote for ANY health care bill in either houses of Congress.  We need the "Blue dog" Democrats to be Democrats.  If you're looking for Republicans as Obama seems to be trying to do - we are not even going to get a good bill.  Senator Snowe of Maine is proposing "triggers" which is code for nothing changes - more of the same. 

President Obama is bowing down to the "Corporate Masters" and this is going to cost him in the 2010 election.
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Wolfie
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« Reply #6 on: September 05, 2009, 11:45:57 am »

^^^^^^What She Said^^^^^^^
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"Against the grain should be a way of life What's worth the prize is always worth the fight Every second counts 'cause there's no second try So live like you'll never live it twice Don't take the free ride in your own life" ~Nickelback
Wolfie
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« Reply #7 on: September 05, 2009, 12:02:07 pm »

But, when it comes to politics, he is inept. Ralph Nader has had how many years to get a third party off the ground?

This is humorous.  Grin

I guess he is so inept that the Democrats blamed him for Gore losing for years. They played a huge hand in creating loops so he couldn't have ballot access there after and they also tried to buy him off to not run in 2004.

Inept, I think not. The tyranny of two fears him, and more like him, so they try to silence him and others and create ridiculous hurdle after hurdle to stop him. You and more people like you can't even realize this is actually against your Constitutional rights, and Naders too.

People deserve fair representation, ballot access. If you were as all american patriotic as you claim, you would see this. Freedom does not come from a two party tyranny. It comes from full representation of ALL the people.
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"Against the grain should be a way of life What's worth the prize is always worth the fight Every second counts 'cause there's no second try So live like you'll never live it twice Don't take the free ride in your own life" ~Nickelback


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