You've probably heard
the, undoubtedly grammatically improper, saying that things sometimes seem to
be curioser and curioser. This came to mind the other day as I was reading an
article on our new president. According to the author, Mr. Trump is of the mind
that the world should hearken back to the time when family was paramount,
morals and faith were essential and the American work ethic was the driving
engine behind the country's prosperity. Nothing strange about that, you may
say, since conservatism is all about recapturing what have been the long-held
values of our country.
Have you ever taken the time to
think about how those on the left side of the political or religious spectrum
make use of language? This occurred to me the other day as I was reading an
article about the new National Security Council structure under the new president.
According to the author, the president's new structure, which has basically
gutted the previous one and in essence created a whole new NSC, is a recipe for
disaster. (As an aside, one of the most amusing assertions in the article was when
the author decried the "rivalries that will arise between the State and
Defense Departments." Anyone who knows anything about government, can tell
you that government agencies are always suspicious of one another. Why this
individual thinks that NOW we'll have rivalries is beyond me!)
During this past
holiday season, my wife and I were discussing the so-called "Black
Friday" and the effect that commercialism and society's new approach to
morality have had on our country. During our growing up years, stores would be
closed all day on Thanksgiving and usually would not open until mid-morning or later the next day. The same
would take place during the Christmas holiday. Now, however, the trend moving
in the opposite direction is astounding for its speed and seeming disregard for
anything other than the bottom line. Now, I'm not one who decries profits or
that believes that commerce should be done without regard to the bottom line.
But the greater point here is not about profits, but about how our country's
moral moorings have eroded in little more than a generation.
