from "blood libel" to "pogrom"

Sat Jan 15 21:55:01 UTC 2011

And how 'bout that Michelle Bachman?:
http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/01/flashback-bachmann-called-armed-and-dangerous-citzenry-climate-bill

 I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy
tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us 'having a
revolution every now and then is a good thing,' and the people—we the
people—are going to have to fight back hard if we're not going to lose our
country. And I think this has the potential of changing the dynamic of
freedom forever in the United States.

[Yeah, Mother Jones is a bunch of lefties, but they don't make up facts.
Bachman also told her constituents should throw away their census forms (too
dangerous); later she modified her position.

JL

On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 4:41 PM, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: from "blood libel" to "pogrom"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> "Blood libel" is a new term to me in all my years.  What has one word have
> =
> to do with the other?
>
> Tom Zurinskas=2C from Conn 20 yrs=2C then Tenn 3=2C NJ 33=2C now FL 8.
> Free English-based phonetic converter=2C URL and text =2C at truespel.com
>
>
> =20
> =20
> >=20
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------=
> ------
> > Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > Subject: Re: from "blood libel" to "pogrom"
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
> >=20
> > At 11:42 PM -0500 1/14/11=2C Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > >Now=2C now. There you go again! Was the "war" on poverty really a war?
> O=
> f
> > >course not! When America's young people say the latest musical bebop
> num=
> ber
> > >or something is "killer!" do they mean it really kills? No again!
> > >
> > >So obviously any mean criticism of a political position is just as much
> =
> a
> > >"blood libel" or a "pogrom" or "genocide" (good one!) as anything else.
> >=20
> > i.e. "A pundit's reach must exceed his (or her) grasp=2C or what's a
> meta=
> phor?"?
> >=20
> > LH
> >=20
> > >
> > >As St. Humpty might have said to Alice: "Prove me wrong=2C O ye
> > >prescriptivists!"
> > >
> > >JL
> > >
> > >On Fri=2C Jan 14=2C 2011 at 10:02 PM=2C Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yal
> =
> e.edu>wrote:
> > >
> > >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >> -----------------------
> > >> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > >> Poster: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> > >> Subject: Re: from "blood libel" to "pogrom"
> > >>
> > >>
> >
> >>-----------------------------------------------------------------------=
> --------
> > >>
> > >> At 9:51 PM -0500 1/14/11=2C Wilson Gray wrote:
> > >> >On Fri=2C Jan 14=2C 2011 at 5:43 PM=2C Victor Steinbok
> > >> ><aardvark66 at gmail.com> quoted:
> > >> >
> > >> >> pogrom
> > >> >
> > >> >Clearly=2C this person has not the least idea of what a "pogrom" is
> -=
>  or
> > >> >should that be=2C ... of what is a "pogrom"?. Well=2C that's not very
> > >> >surprising=2C given that the one-volume edition of the Bol'shoi
> > >> >russko-angliiskii slovar' / Comprehensive Russian-English Dictionary
> > >> >gives the the meaning of _pogrom_ as "pogrom." I.e.=2C there is
> reall=
> y
> > >> >no way of translating the horror contained in those two syllables
> int=
> o
> > >> >English.
> > >> >
> > >> >Of course=2C from now on=2C every time that some right-winger has his
> > >> >feelings hurt=2C it'll be described as the consequence of a "pogrom."
> > >> >
> > >> >It's almost enough to make you appreciate why The One True Faith
> > >> >labored to keep the Bible out of the hands of the polloi for a
> > >> >millennium and a half. That is to say=2C a person really ought to
> hav=
> e
> > >> >some idea of what a "pogrom" is before using the word to describe a
> > >> >triviality. The writer would=2C no doubt=2C use "beheading" to
> descri=
> be a
> > >> >cutting remark. :-(
> > >> >
> > >> If GWB and Obama can variously be seen as the new Hitler (by
> > >> different seers=2C to be sure)=2C then this isn't too surprising=2C
> gi=
> ven
> > >> the usual semantic bleaching effects=2C although it is discouraging.
> > >> Who was it who used to complain about "defining deviancy down"? So
> > >> now it's "blood libel" and "pogrom" being defined down. :-( indeed.
> > >>
> > >> LH
> > >>
> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >--
> > >"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is=2C you can't handle the
> tr=
> uth."
> > >
> > >------------------------------------------------------------
> > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >=20
>  > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>                                          =
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

-- 
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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