Watch your language!

Language liberates and confines, illuminates and blinds; language giveth and language taketh away.

Language is a blessing and a curse: it can be used to clarify or distort, to elucidate or obscure, to enlighten or deceive, to inform or inflame.

Language is Jacob's ladder, the magic beanstalk; language is the delimiting vessel of a bonsai tree, the whalebone stays of a Victorian corset.

Navigate carefully and language is your path to the heavens; misstep and it's a minefield that will blow your starship to smithereens.

Did you notice how public rancor was pacified when illegal aliens became "undocumented immigrants"?

Language-cop Citations

Sportscaster, commenting on the mood of the crowd after the Indianapolis 500 was postponed because of rain: "These fans are used to it-- even though it's only happened four times in the last eighty-two years"!

There is irrespective and there is regardless; there is NO "irregardless"!

"Hopefully, the sun will shine later today." The sun is not hopeful. In fact, Ol' Sol is completely indifferent to your climate.

"I could care less" usually means "I couldn't care less"; "I can't hardly believe it" usually means "I can hardly believe it."

What makes "colored person" an epithet, while "person of color" is perfectly acceptable?

The life expectancy of the average American male is 74.6; on his inauguration day, John McCain would be 72.3. McCain supporters should ask themselves, "How comfortable am I with the thought of President Sarah Palin?"

If true that John McCain had met Sarah Palin only twice, and that he barely knew her, that would mean his choice was calculating--and it was reckless!

The best I can say for John McCain's V.P. pick is that it caught all the pundits flat-footed!

Memo to Prospective Candidates:

You have done something immoral, illegal, embarrassing, or just plain stupid. It will be found out. If you want your dirty little secret to remain under wraps, don't run!