[Ads-l] back-forming again

[Jonathan Lighter]

This past Monday's _Supergirl_ had someone explaining that Martian J'onn
J'onnz had "shape-shifted" to get into Maxwell Lord's technofortress.

JL

On Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 10:53 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.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:      back-forming again
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Haven't encountered "to rabble-rouse" before, although I'm sure it's =
> widely attested.  Here's an interesting one in the wild, though, from =
> George Wallace's daughter, arguing that Alabama Supreme Court Chief =
> Justice  Roy Moore, who--after gaining fame some time ago by =
> commissioning a monument of the Ten Commandments and posting it in the =
> state judicial building, is now engaged in a crusade force Alabama =
> probate judges to ignore the federal mandate on marriage equality (or, =
> as he probably terms it, sin):
>
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20
> =
> http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/01/wallaces_daughter_roy_moore_is=
> .html =
> <
> http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/01/wallaces_daughter_roy_moore_i=
> s.html>
> [...]
> Demagoguery is as much a part of the American political tradition as =
> kissing babies. It is the engine that drives voters to kick the can down =
> the road and into the voting booth. Politicians are encouraged, =
> expected, and entitled to have their own opinions, freely expressed, to =
> discredit their opponents, and rail against the government. That is, =
> unless, they are members of the judiciary where their opinions should =
> not count. And therein lies the distinction between Governor George =
> Wallace and Chief Justice Roy Moore.=20
>
> George Wallace was able, by virtue of his office, to take political =
> advantage by publicly promoting a theology of discrimination, but Roy =
> Moore cannot. George Wallace was not confined by a code of ethics that =
> restricted his right to rabble rouse, but Roy Moore is. And most =
> importantly, George Wallace was not required to promote the notion of =
> impartiality and fairness but Roy Moore must.  Justice Moore ran for =
> Alabama's highest executive office twice and missed the mark. The black =
> robes he wears daily for the job he was elected to do should remind him =
> that his opinions cannot trump the law.
>
> The politics of my father and Moore may be worthy of comparison on =
> issues of their character and failure to commit to protecting the civil =
> rights of all, but Moore is the more powerful of the two, for he and his =
> brethren on the bench have the right to have the last word. [...]
> =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=20
> In this case, no alternative reference to Wallace's "right to rouse =
> rabble" seems possible.
>
> LH
>
>
>
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>



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