Myr thank you for that evenhanded post
two: Of course, how embarrassing, I should have reread your post, my speedreading capabilities notwithstanding
By sheer coincidence, with apologies to all who decry the political post in WS, following is a pertinent message I receive this morning containing email from angry right-leaning buddy Jim and thoughtful left-leaning Darrel with my replies (***) hinting perhaps my own inclination [Sky being my very excellent left-leaning No. 2 Son]. In my own defense however, it does have to do peripherally with language--discussing the term "cohere"-- and was prompted by a piece by Anu
...keeping in mind that it's email, and that messages are therefore in reverse order
On Jan 19, 2009, at 12:46 PM, Jim wrote:
In this day of men running to whoever will say what their itching ears long to hear
O"Bama flings random shit against the wall and goes with what will cohere.
Change? tsk.
********Very poetic Jim
From: Dale Hileman <dalehileman@me.com>
Date: January 20, 2009 8:00:38 AM PST
To: Darrel
Subject: Re: A.Word.A.Day--cohere
On Jan 19, 2009, at 3:37 PM, Darrel wrote:
Dale,
The piece [below, from Anu] does not seem too overstated, slanted or otherwise overboard. I haven't read any of Obama's writings as of yet but, based on the speeches I have heard, I would bet they would be much better reading than anything coming out of the Bush league.
***No question about that but I too must admit I haven't either. [I get my major reading material at garage sales so it will be a couple of years yet]
I have read/heard many statements far and away too sweet and rosy about what will come from an Obama reign. I can somewhat understand this super-optimism as it has been a long time since we had a President that didn't make most literates cringe when our leader spoke.
***Agree, to hear GWB speak I was always embarrassed for our country: "This case has had full analyzation and has been looked at a lot" or "I am against hard quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever" or "The suicide bombings have increased, there's too many of them" and pertinent to recent events, "There's nothing more deep than recognizing Israel's right to exist. That's the most deep thought of all. I can't think of anything more deep than that right"
Bush was an embarrassment to all who were not tied up in the concept that "our guy won"; had he been a Democrat, the right would have been all over his light weight intellect. I feel sorry for George as I truly believe he still doesn't understand how dim he really was/is (for a President of the U.S. that is.)
*****Strangely enough I had much the same reaction. But it proves in a democracy we get what we deserve. Perhaps I should not Fwd this message to Jim. Note to Sky: Darrel Jim and Jim are two of my most interesting corespondents coming respectively from the left and right
Obama will not embarrass us in front of the world; he may make choices about governing that many will find wrong but no one will say he made up his mind early because it was too much work to fully understand the issues or that his advisers made the choices for him...
***We shall see, let us hope
*****Darrel
**Dale
----- Original Message -----
From: Dale Hileman
To: Darrel ; Jim
Sent: Monday, January 19, 2009 8:04 AM
Subject: Fwd: A.Word.A.Day--cohere
*******As the country's most resoundingly unpublished writer I was especially interested in the clip below, thus solicit you guys' reactions, especially Darrel (Left) and Jim (Right)
*********My own reaction, for what it's worth, which might not be much, was all in favor of Obama, impressed as I was by his audacity and coherence but my estimation dropped a notch when he switched from public to private campaign funding though voted for him anyhow and leaning slightly to the right in matters fiscal, another notch after it was too late after he endorsed the huge giveaway identified by the euphemism, "bailout" [ergo, language related]
*********Look Fwd to hearing from youall--best regards--Dale
Begin forwarded message:
From: Wordsmith <wsmith@wordsmith.org>
Date: January 18, 2009 9:10:30 PM PST
To: dalehileman@me.com
Subject: A.Word.A.Day--cohere
Tomorrow Barack Obama will become president of the US, and not a moment too soon. This week we'll feature words from Obama, words from his books, speeches, and interviews.
Unlike most politicians, who hire ghostwriters, Obama writes his own books. He's a gifted writer. Reading his words you can see his thought process. He's not one who sees the globe in black and white. He has lived outside the US and has been exposed to other cultures. He realizes that just because someone has a different set of beliefs, just because someone looks different, doesn't mean he's wrong -- sometimes there can be two ways to do something and both can be right.
Obama is to be commended for his accomplishments. We've come a long way in this country. But we still have far to go before we can call ourselves truly unbiased. Real progress will be when any capable person can have a fair chance at winning the highest office, even someone who happens to be, say, a black gay vegan atheist woman.
Anything is possible... but don't hold your breath.
cohere
PRONUNCIATION:
(ko-HEER)
MEANING:
verb intr.: To be united; to work or hold together.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin cohaerere, from co- (together) + haerere (to stick).
USAGE:
"I learned to slip back and forth between my black and white worlds, understanding that each possessed its own language and customs and structures of meaning, convinced that with a bit of translation on my part the two worlds would eventually cohere."
Barack Obama; Dreams >From My Father; Times Books; 1995.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. -Martin Luther King, Jr., civil-rights leader (1929-1968)
***Myr, speaking of politics and sex, my own thought for the day: ...and I hear he was quite a stud, too
