Gary Hart's essay God and Caesar in America is must reading for any thinking person determined to rise above the nonsense that passes for political discussion these days.
Senator Hart reminds us that language matters. He asks that politicians who talk incessantly about about "faith" tell us precisely what faith and who decides. He suggests that those who speak in code about "values," tell us what values and who decides. And he underscores the hypocrisy that political leaders risk when, for example, they tout a "culture of life" while supporting reckless wars, capital punishment, easy accessibility to semi-automatic weapons, environmental degradation and elimination of social programs that feed, house and medicate people.
Of course, "culture of life" is code for abortion. The next think you know, the same consultants who crafted this "culture of life" conceit will start calling global warming something else to obfuscate its devastating consequences. Whoops! "Climate change." Never mind.
Wherever one stands on these issues, we the people must push back when politicians try to infantilize us by communicating in pablum and gibberish. It weakens their credibility, diminishes their message and insults us.
Senator Hart reminds us that language matters. He asks that politicians who talk incessantly about about "faith" tell us precisely what faith and who decides. He suggests that those who speak in code about "values," tell us what values and who decides. And he underscores the hypocrisy that political leaders risk when, for example, they tout a "culture of life" while supporting reckless wars, capital punishment, easy accessibility to semi-automatic weapons, environmental degradation and elimination of social programs that feed, house and medicate people.
Of course, "culture of life" is code for abortion. The next think you know, the same consultants who crafted this "culture of life" conceit will start calling global warming something else to obfuscate its devastating consequences. Whoops! "Climate change." Never mind.
Wherever one stands on these issues, we the people must push back when politicians try to infantilize us by communicating in pablum and gibberish. It weakens their credibility, diminishes their message and insults us.