Friday, December 24, 2004
Get it Right, Will Ya?
There are as many political opinions in America as there are people, it seems. Trouble is, many of them contradict each other. However, when arguing one's point, it behooves one to get the facts straight. Quite a few people don't. Here are some examples.
An email that has crossed my desktop several times now says that, since we're not a religious country, okay, I want my mail delivered on Sundays and Christmas, because by gar the post office is a part of the government and days like the Friday before Easter, and Easter for that matter, shouldn't be special. Well, sorry, Charles, but here's the problem with that: The Postal Service doesn't use a penny of taxpayer money, so it can take any damn day off it wants to. I see the point of the mailing, I truly do, but it's a total bag of hooey because, once again, the Postal Service Does Not Use Tax Money! If you don't know that, then why are you polluting my email box with drivel? Get it right, will ya?
As for Christmas, you only need to look at the history of that holiday to see why the religious argument won't wash. Jesus' birthday is in May, actually. No cold winter's night, I'm afraid. However, the Romans had a very popular holiday called Saturnalia, involving lots of parties, gift giving, drinking too much, late night revels, gay decorations, all that sort of thing. It ran from the solstice to the end of the year, and smack in the middle of Saturnalia was another Roman god's day: Mithra's Day, December 25th. Mithra was a sun god, but don't be tempted by the "son vs sun" thing, because the Roman for sun is "Sol" and the roman for son is "pueri" or some such word. The homohponics are a coincidence, I'm afraid. In this country, Christmas was illegal in colonial New England, and it was the merchants of America and England who popularized Christmas, along the lines of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Moore's "A Visit from Saint Nicholas." Yes, like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and a whole bunch of others, Christmas was an inaugurated as a device to get people to eat, drink, and be merry at retail. Jesus is the reason for the name of the season, but that's about it. The merchants, who are probably the true high priests of our society, would be just as happy if it were called Blxfzzike, so long as we kept spending our money. Again, get it right, how about it?
Now, this is a biggie that really frosts me. There are three words that sound alike: to, too, and two. Here are the meanings, okay?
Two means 2, or 1 plus 1, or six divided by three, 2 = two.
Too means also or at the same time or as well. Such as in "We went to the movies, and to lunch, too!" If you're confused, only use the word also. It means the exact same thing as "too."
Also = too
That leaves to, which is a preposition. You have to, er pardon this construction "to" something. Like "to go" or "to run" or "to get it right, will ya?" Latin freaks might recognize the ablative.
Okay, to, two and too aren't political, but nothing ruins a political discussion like some bozo that can't get a simple thing like that right. Not only isn't it rocket science, it is taught in the second grade. Second Grade! Great Honk, get it right!
The sexual abstinence crowd is spreading the good word that abstinence is the best form of birth control. That is the solid truth. They're also saying that condoms fail to prevent AIDS in up to thirty percent of cases, which is an absolute lie. In a court of law, a lie like that provides reasonable doubt, which means that a jury will say, and rightly so, "if they're lying about that, what else are they lying about?" Indeed. Well, in this case they're also lying about the effectiveness of birth control pills, which is well over 99 percent. They claim about 80 something percent, which is another blatant lie. Come on, people, if you're right, why are you lying? Is it an article of faith to lie often and broadly? If so, what else are they lying about?
(A much smaller prosecution lie is what got O.J. Simpson acquitted, by the way.)
So, come on, people. Argue your positions, please. I'm happy to hear a good argument. But by cracky if you lie, I'm turning you off right there. And if you can't write decent grammar, I probably won't understand a word you're saying. So, one more time with feeling:
GET IT RIGHT, WILL YA?
An email that has crossed my desktop several times now says that, since we're not a religious country, okay, I want my mail delivered on Sundays and Christmas, because by gar the post office is a part of the government and days like the Friday before Easter, and Easter for that matter, shouldn't be special. Well, sorry, Charles, but here's the problem with that: The Postal Service doesn't use a penny of taxpayer money, so it can take any damn day off it wants to. I see the point of the mailing, I truly do, but it's a total bag of hooey because, once again, the Postal Service Does Not Use Tax Money! If you don't know that, then why are you polluting my email box with drivel? Get it right, will ya?
As for Christmas, you only need to look at the history of that holiday to see why the religious argument won't wash. Jesus' birthday is in May, actually. No cold winter's night, I'm afraid. However, the Romans had a very popular holiday called Saturnalia, involving lots of parties, gift giving, drinking too much, late night revels, gay decorations, all that sort of thing. It ran from the solstice to the end of the year, and smack in the middle of Saturnalia was another Roman god's day: Mithra's Day, December 25th. Mithra was a sun god, but don't be tempted by the "son vs sun" thing, because the Roman for sun is "Sol" and the roman for son is "pueri" or some such word. The homohponics are a coincidence, I'm afraid. In this country, Christmas was illegal in colonial New England, and it was the merchants of America and England who popularized Christmas, along the lines of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" and Moore's "A Visit from Saint Nicholas." Yes, like Valentine's Day and Mother's Day and a whole bunch of others, Christmas was an inaugurated as a device to get people to eat, drink, and be merry at retail. Jesus is the reason for the name of the season, but that's about it. The merchants, who are probably the true high priests of our society, would be just as happy if it were called Blxfzzike, so long as we kept spending our money. Again, get it right, how about it?
Now, this is a biggie that really frosts me. There are three words that sound alike: to, too, and two. Here are the meanings, okay?
Two means 2, or 1 plus 1, or six divided by three, 2 = two.
Too means also or at the same time or as well. Such as in "We went to the movies, and to lunch, too!" If you're confused, only use the word also. It means the exact same thing as "too."
Also = too
That leaves to, which is a preposition. You have to, er pardon this construction "to" something. Like "to go" or "to run" or "to get it right, will ya?" Latin freaks might recognize the ablative.
Okay, to, two and too aren't political, but nothing ruins a political discussion like some bozo that can't get a simple thing like that right. Not only isn't it rocket science, it is taught in the second grade. Second Grade! Great Honk, get it right!
The sexual abstinence crowd is spreading the good word that abstinence is the best form of birth control. That is the solid truth. They're also saying that condoms fail to prevent AIDS in up to thirty percent of cases, which is an absolute lie. In a court of law, a lie like that provides reasonable doubt, which means that a jury will say, and rightly so, "if they're lying about that, what else are they lying about?" Indeed. Well, in this case they're also lying about the effectiveness of birth control pills, which is well over 99 percent. They claim about 80 something percent, which is another blatant lie. Come on, people, if you're right, why are you lying? Is it an article of faith to lie often and broadly? If so, what else are they lying about?
(A much smaller prosecution lie is what got O.J. Simpson acquitted, by the way.)
So, come on, people. Argue your positions, please. I'm happy to hear a good argument. But by cracky if you lie, I'm turning you off right there. And if you can't write decent grammar, I probably won't understand a word you're saying. So, one more time with feeling:
GET IT RIGHT, WILL YA?
