We need to stop changing the definition of words
I’m sure some of you realize I really like “words.” Why? Because words are the tools we use to communicate. These tools can be a means to share information, toys that we play with, comforts that we use to soothe and, of course, weapons we use to hurt. I’ve used them for all the above-mentioned reasons.
For these “tools” to work, they require definitions. These definitions give our words meaning and if we don’t agree on their definitions, then they become useless. Like a hammer without a head, or a saw without a blade, they become nothing more than gibberish without a purpose.
Here in the United States, English has been the accepted common language for a very long time. I remember reading that we almost adopted German as our common language, but English won and I’m glad that it did. For me, English is easy to bastardize. I purposely misspell some words to give them a regional flavor. I even spell them phonetically, to make them part of our local vernacular, but I’m confident I’m not so cryptic that you don’t “get it.”
In recent years, it seems those who consider themselves enlightened, politically correct, promoting some LGBTQ agenda inventing pretend genders and leftist-progressive socialist democrats are intent on changing the United States from what it is into something else by altering the definitions of words.
They’ve changed the definition of marriage to include alternative lifestyles. They’ve changed the definition of abortion into “choice.” They’ve changed left into right, right into wrong and I could go on and on. They even attempt to change the definitions of legal and illegal as they relate to immigration into documented and undocumented. Some even claim to have their own separate truths, making the language “Orwellian,” fluid and nonsensical.
Again, the question “Why,” comes to mind. The answer is simple to find if you dare to be labeled “politically incorrect.” They intend to remove absolutes from our vocabulary. When nothing is absolute, everything is capricious.
As an example, let’s talk about two words that both begin with the letter “I.” The first is: “Immigrate,” the second is: “Invade.” Both are verbs, or action words, but by adding a suffix to the root word they can become nouns. Their definitions contained in the American Heritage
Desk Dictionary are:
IMMIGRATE — Verb. To enter and settle in a foreign land.
INVADE — Verb. 1. To enter by force in order to conquer.
2. To trespass or intrude on; violate. 3. To overrun or infest.
4. To enter and permeate, esp. harmfully.
By changing the definitions of legal and illegal into Ddocumented and undocumented, relating to those two examples, it may change their definitions, but not their effect. Instead of settling in a foreign land like the majority have sought and requested, some have decided to conquer, trespass, intrude, overrun and permeate.
This is what happened when the enlightened decide to redefine words to make them meaningless. This also creates the chaos ripping our country apart. We are not witnessing some rebirth of our Republic. We are witnessing its suicide. Nowhere is it more obvious than in the government we hired.
By its very nature, government is the bastion of tyrants. We’ve charged our “hired government” to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, while witnessing it chip away at our protections enumerated in its first ten amendments (the Bill of Rights), which limit the government’s power. Why else would citizens feel the need to redundantly petition for “2nd Amendment Sanctuary Status” in counties throughout the States and Commonwealths?
We get inflamed and infuriated by some who have legally or illegally immigrated into our republic. Some have even been hired by like-minded voters that promote Identity Politics.
They destroy our rhetorical “melting pot” and create a hyphenated (segregationist) citizenry to take part in our governing. Somali refugee and now Congresswoman from Minnesota IIhan Omar comes to mind. I wonder did she seek refugee status to invade our republic?
That question raises additional ones. What are those who give her aid and support after she minimized the most deadly attack on our homeland doing? Why does our “one-trick pony” question the killing of Iranian strategist Qasam Soleimani, a terrorist who now can no longer actively participate in the murder and maiming of Americans? Is it his deranged hatred of President Trump who ordered it, or something uglier?
These leftist-progressives attack our president for retaliating against terrorist psychopaths and their regimes. They attack our people, our way of life and fanatically attempt to impose their theocratic Islamic beliefs on the entire world, calling us “The Great Satan.” The enlightened socialist-Democrats turn a blind eye to this, because they refuse to see what they’re looking at. Sharia Law would correct their vision, but “a day late and a dollar short.”
Here I suggest we examine our dictionaries before they become obsolete and look up the definition of the term “fifth columnists.” Ignorance or nonworking mirrors are no excuse.
We might be at the beginning of the end of our republic. I suggest, as does President Trump, we end these threats to our republic at their beginnings and “Keep America Great!”
John Lucas is a resident of Vanderbilt.