twofingersandathumb

What do George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Indiana Jones have in common? Nucular.

In the latest Indiana Jones opus, the lead character utters the word nucular during a conversation. That blew the entire movie for me. Why? Because there is no such word. It’s a mispronunciation of the word nuclear. Indy would have had enough education and credentials to know better, especially in the day in which he lived.

I made an online inquiry about nucular and found that it is listed on Wikipedia, being there described as the incorrect pronunciation of nuclear and in increasing colloquial use. The mispronunciation is and has been used by intelligent and educated people; politicians, presidents and a well-known cartoon character. It is recorded as an ad hoc spelling and will ultimately end up in the dictionary and on Wikipedia as a real word. It will then be official. With such widespread misuse, the wrong word will be accepted as the right word. 

Obviously, no one has made the effort to correct those who mispronounce nuclear. Nucular is now acceptable because those who know better have done nothing.

This process of the unacceptable becoming acceptable through increasing use is also how our ethics, morals and behaviors are degraded. Where there is no correction, the unacceptable slowly and surely becomes acceptable, what is right is devalued and we don’t notice or care. When no one stands against misuse or abuse - pointing it out, providing correction and training in what is right - wrong things are perceived as being right. Evil replaces good and good is corrupted and no longer recognized or practiced.

I was chatting with a friend who is temporarily residing in another state where she is not yet familiar with the rules of the road and speed limit signs are not clearly posted. As such, she found herself pulled over by a state trooper for speeding (her first moving violation ever.)

She lamented to me about how she missed driving in California, where there is a posted highway speed and then there’s the understood policy about driving as fast as is safe given the flow of traffic. People exceed the freeway speed limits all the time in California and can go for years or for a lifetime without being cited.

I pointed out that, although people drive with the flow of traffic, any speed over the posted limits is breaking the law. If the posted limit is 65 mph and the driver is clocking 66 mph, the driver is breaking the law, technically.

My friend disagreed, saying that few people get pulled over for going 70 mph or more. “No one drives sixty-five on the freeway in California unless they’re ninety-two and a half years old or driving an eighteen-wheeler fully loaded or it’s pouring rain, and even then it’s iffy.”

I agreed with her comment, but then reiterated that the posted limit is the law, and the enforcement agencies give us a lot of grace by looking the other way most of the time. But if we’re driving faster than what’s allowed, we are breaking the law, whether or not we are caught. The citing does not mean we’ve broken the law, it’s simply one of the consequences.

Uh… “Crisises?” 

That won’t fly very far in a Scrabble game. I challenge! 

  

This story was reported by Associated Press and was captured today (March 3, 200 on Yahoo!®News. I clicked on the lead because of the misspelled word.  

Conclusion: I’d better make sure all my spellings are “Scrabble-worthy”, huh?  

Christine Pelosi, author, activist, attorney and daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, stated in an interview today on FoxNews that she had not yet decided who she was going to vote for. She was torn between her generation and her gender. Obviously, she will be choosing between Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton.

I found Ms. Pelosi’s comments something to think about. And so I began thinking about why people vote the way they do. Is it the platform, the promise or the person that we vote for. Ms. Pelosi also enjoined the candidates to “chill”, to stop bickering like little kids and deal with the concerns that will affect the future. She has a point about being concerned about her future and wanting candidates to eschew the put-downs and focus on the issues. Yet I question the basis on which she remains undecided in her vote. She talked about issues, but her stated basis for uncertainty would seem to belie her desire for a focus on the issues.

Is it right to vote based on gender? Is it right to vote based on age? Somehow it is expected that, if you’re a woman, you’ll vote for a woman, and that if you’re young, you’ll vote for youth. I understand that Oprah Winfrey is considered by many women’s groups to be a traitor to all women everywhere because she has publicly endorsed Barak Obama.

It is inconsistent that we cry foul when a job candidate is turned down due to age or gender and then turn around and choose a candidate for the job of President on that very basis. This double-mindedness is pure hypocrisy. We who are anti-discriminatory based on sex and age will be certain hypocrites when it comes to the choice of a presidential candidate, if we vote for a person simply because of their sex or their youth.

As for me, I will vote for the person who I believe is the best fit for the office, based on their track record, their values, their vision and their ability to back it up. For me, it’s not a matter of age or gender.

The following post is written by Corporal Sarah Ellis, USMC, age 19, currently deployed in the Al Anbar region of Iraq. 
A Marine in my unit receive a gift box from Nancy Reza, a member of the Writers Guild of America, with a letter inside that read as follows:

“This gift box was sent to you from members of the Writers Guild of America, West. [We] represent writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. We, the writers, are on strike - because the conglomerate corporations that own the studios and networks won’t give us a fair deal for the use of the television shows and movies that we create and write.

 

“They’re not very good at sharing. But we are good at sharing, and that’s why we got your name from AnySoldier.com - took a look at your list, and put this gift box together for you - knowing that you will share, too!

 

“Each box is made with lots of love. We keep you in our prayers - and know that you will be home soon!

 

“If you get a minute - let us know you’ve received the box! Many thanks to you - and please be safe.”

 

I picked up the above letter off of a desk. It had been placed there, and probably forgotten about, after the accompanying care package was opened by a fellow Marine. No, the care package was not mine. And yes, I am nosey…very, very nosey. I wouldn’t be good at my job if I wasn’t. It was one of the first things my Staff Sergeant taught me. And no, I wasn’t invading anyone’s privacy. When Marines and soldiers and sailors get a care package or letter, it’s often shared with everyone in the platoon. We have bulletin boards cluttered with letters from people we don’t know. They’re put there for everyone to read.  

 

When I first read this letter I was taken aback by what I saw, by what they were saying. I didn’t really care at first. But then I took a second look at the letter. Some of the words were italicized, and it struck me then that it wasn’t what they were saying it was how they were saying it. 

 

So here’s the jist of my whole interpretation of the letter. They were acting like little kids, talking about sharing and how the big corporations weren’t being fair. They were whining and complaining about not getting what they want. Then it hit me, they weren’t sending the package out of he kindness of their hearts. They did it to make a

political statement to us here in Iraq who put our lives in harm’s way so that grown men and women can whine, complain, protest and act like kindergartners because they aren’t getting the pay they think they deserve for their hard work.

 

Well boohoo. I don’t get paid enough to work 16-hour days and pull all nighters only to work again the next day. I don’t get paid enough to put my life on line for people who protest for things that I don’t believe in or even care about. I don’t get paid enough to spend time away from my family for months at a time in a foreign country, or even days or weeks away from my family even when I’m stateside, so I can train for the mission. And guess what? You, Writer’s Guild, can protest all you want for better pay and higher benefits. You know what happens to me if I protest? I get tried for treason.

 

Here’s something else: I, as well as other Marines, DON”T CARE. All you are accomplishing by striking is to create an angry bunch of out-of-work people stateside, and a bunch of disgruntled Marines in country because we can’t watch a new episode of Heroes or Lost. We don’t care about your wants out here, or the fact that you aren’t getting what you want from your job. Suck it the f**k up, and deal with it.