Words

I love words. I love reading them. I love using them. Words have meaning. That meaning gives them power. Because of that power, I try to use them accurately. I try, hopefully successfully, to make my meaning crystal clear. If I err in my usage, it is of little consequence because I have no power and little influence. But, still, I try.

The President of the United States has great power and great influence. As his soaring rhetoric shows, he is extremely adept in the skill of using words. When he first ran for office, he could bring an audience to their feet cheering with spellbinding speech. He could strike a cadence that was almost hypnotic in it's ability to hold people's attention.

We have seen him use words to publicly cut the members of the Supreme Court off at the knees. He has used words to marginalize opponents while inflating his own thoughts and plans. He has used words to create straw men to justify actions that were difficult to justify. And he could do this in such a way as to make it believable to much of the population.

He also uses words to hide and avoid subjects that are difficult for him. He will not use "Islamic" and "terrorism" in the same sentence.  He will not associate ISIS, what he calls ISIL, with the Muslim Faith. Terrorist murders in America are identified as "workplace violence" or "domestic terrorism" even if the murderers are screaming "Allahu Akbar"  as they fire round after round into American citizens. 

Unfortunately, he also believes that his words can alter the very nature of people. Shortly after being elected he made his "American Apology Tour". He visited heads of state around the world, bowing down and abasing himself, as he apologized for, what he perceived as, America's past sins. Promising to sin no more, he took the position of "leading from behind". Whatever that might mean. To me it entails an abrogation of responsibility.

Then, finally, we have words that tout great successes. Green energy, saving the economy, creating jobs, Obamacare. Words, words, words. Words like balloons. hollow and inflated. Today in America, nothing succeeds like words about success.