Word Meanings

    "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean." -- Humpty Dumpty
   "The question is, whether you can make words mean so many different things." -- Alice
   "The question is, which is to be master." -- H.D.

   Lawyers argue over what words mean. They go to court, where a moderator judges who has the better argument -- which has mastered the language.
   That doesn't mean one is right and the other is wrong; only that one is better at arguing. All of this assumes that only lawyers are capable of understanding the meanings of words. In turn, this leads to the phrase, "I'm not a lawyer, but ..."
   Editors also understand word meanings, as do linguists, readers and writers.
   So if you like to argue, become a lawyer, and play the word game. Otherwise, become a journalist.
   This brings us to the current discussion of the "insurrection" on January 6, 2021, as supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election two months earlier.
   The Constitution's 14th Amendment prohibits anyone from holding any public office if that person engaged in insurrection or encouraged those who do, giving them "aid and comfort."
   So did Donald Trump actually do that in his speech to supporters just before they invaded the Capitol? And several hours later, did he comfort them even as he urged them to leave the building?
   All of that was seen live on national television, so Americans know what he said and did that day.
   Now, the legal system is taking action against those who were active in the demonstrations, and punishing them according to law. Also, some of Trump's aides are facing contempt of Congress charges for not cooperating in the investigation of events that day.
   Did they give "aid and comfort" to the insurrectionists? And did the former president also give similar support to them as part of his effort to stay in office?
   All of this means that Donald Trump can no longer hold any office, civil or military, under the United States because he gave aid and comfort to those who participated in the insurrection.
   And if it can be proven that he somehow engaged in that insurrection himself, that would be an even more severe violation of the Constitution. During his speech to the demonstrators, he said he would march with them to the Capitol. He did not, however, perhaps his advisors persuaded him that it was not only unsafe, but a violation of the Constitution -- participating in the insurrection.
   Meanwhile, he continues to hint that he may again run for office. Whether he does, or whether he decides to abide by the Constitution and not seek office, are two key questions.

Bigotry in America

    For all the talk about the "self evident truth" that all are created equal, the reality about American history and current events is that many do not believe it.
   From the early years when natives were forced from their home territories by newcomers, through the census years when slaves were counted as less than a person, then to the 19th Century when immigrants were refused jobs because of their national origin -- a practice that continues despite legal prohibition -- to the current time that sees racial epithets chanted by political protestors, bigotry in many forms puts people of some groups the target of prejudice in hiring, voting, home ownership, education and other social activities.
   Currently, the lamp beside the Golden Door of liberty shines brightly for refugees from Ukraine, but the door remains shut for those from Central America. Newcomers from Asia and Africa also face more challenges than those from Europe.
   Why, then, are some refugees welcome but others are not?
   Bigotry varies by preconceived notions of importance, usually based on ethnicity, race, religion and social status.
   The word prejudice is rooted in the term "to pre-judge," or to decide on a person's value even before meeting and getting to know that individual. Is American society better than it was as it reduces the amount of blatant bigotry?
   Perhaps. But that could be only in how blatant that bigotry is.
   Refugees from Ukraine are being welcomed to America. Yet refugees from other countries are not. The question remains, Why?

Warning

    President Joe Biden warned that  the Russian president "cannot remain in power" if he continues to push military action in Ukraine.

   A Kremlin spokesman noted that this "should only be a choice of the people of the Russian Federation."

   Compare that to the desire of the people of Ukraine to keep their own president in power.

Religious Freedom

    The Constitution guarantees everyone's right to practice religion as they prefer, but it does not enable people to impose their beliefs on others.
   That's the crux of a federal court ruling in a Kentucky case where a county clerk refused to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple, claiming "God's authority" prohibited her from doing so.
   But to defend that refusal on religious grounds combines church and state policies, which is banned by the Constitution. In effect, the clerk joined religious beliefs with government law.
   Church officials can  decline to perform a marriage ceremony for any couple, be they two-gender or same-gender, citing that institution's religious belief system, but that is separate from state law. In either case, the couple needs a marriage license, which is issued by the state and not the church.
   The couple need only obtain a license from the state, and then sign their partnership. Whether there is a formal ceremony in doing so is entirely up to them. Marriage is a civil contract.

Watching World

    "The whole world is watching" was the chant a few decades ago as protestors raised objections to government behavior in America.

   That was in 1968, as Chicago police tried to round up anti-war demonstrators at the Democratic political convention.
   The problem today is that while the world is indeed watching what Russia is doing in Ukraine, and people in Russia itself are objecting, the government there denies any guilt or responsibility for the many deaths of civilians and destruction of schools and hospitals where people seek shelter.
   Now the question becomes, what will other governments do as multiple accusations of war crimes are raised around the world?
   Active involvement by the military of other nations could bring retaliation by the Moscow government, and observers worry this will bring on a world war.
   For the time being, other nations are cutting off trade with Russia, hoping that withholding critical supplies will persuade the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, to withdraw from Ukraine.
   The fear is, however, that this would be equivalent to admitting defeat, and that, observers say, is not something Putin is likely to do.
   Unless there is a popular insurrection in Russia itself.

Asylum?

    People at the Texas border trying to escape violence in their home country are welcomed as refugees if they come from Ukraine, but if their home country is Honduras or El Salvador they are turned away as "illegal immigrants."
   There's a word to describe that attitude. It's called racism.

Putin Strikes Out

  There are hints that the Russian invasion of Ukraine will fail, and Putin will be deposed.
   Popular resistance to the invasion is widespread and nearly total among the Ukrainian people, who also have strong support from other nations. Even in Russia, despite government efforts to stifle opposition to the invasion, the people there are staging mass protests against the action.
   Whether the Russian leader will resort to using atomic weapons in Ukraine and against other nations who support the Ukrainian people is an open question. Meanwhile, significant damage has been done to Putin's power in Russia, and his continuing efforts to stifle opposition with military force may backfire and he will be ousted.
   Speculation? Certainly. But possible.

Wartime Warning

    "We are on the cusp of a hot war."
   So said Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (Ret.) to a PBS interviewer today.
   The retired officer is of Ukrainian heritage, and had been an advisor to the Trump Administration before retiring after he was passed over for promotion because he testified in Congress about the former president's actions.
   Meanwhile, news reports document the bombing of civilian homes and a children's hospital in Ukraine, even as Moscow denies it.
   The question now is, how long will it take until other nations step in to help the Ukrainian people survive the assault by the Russian military.

Jack the Writer: A Story

  Time for writing is hard to come by. Demand for other things is often stronger, since no matter how determined the mind is, the body has a stronger urge.

   Jack wondered if this was true in his case. He  never had any difficulty writing police reports or newspaper stories after he left the force and went into journalism. As his editor often put it, "The good stories write themselves."
   Fiction, however, was different. Even after he read that many famous authors began in journalism and used their research for Page One stories as a starting point for novels that later became best sellers, he still had trouble getting started.
   Actually, time was not an issue, since he retired on two pensions -- one from the police department and another from the newspaper -- plus there was his monthly Social Security check, and his wife Marion was still working at her job as a librarian.
   Even so, he resented the idea that stories were so difficult to formulate -- a fancy word for putting words on paper, he told himself.
   "Why is writing so difficult?" he once asked Marion. "You're a librarian; what do authors say?"
   "They give many reasons," she replied. "Some say it's a matter of patience. They have to wait while the story readies itself in the back of the brain, and then they just push a pencil around while the words come out."
   "Others say they have to set a certain time each day, sit at their keyboard and put words into the computer without worrying about whether they make sense, because they'll rewrite the whole thing later," she said.
   "That sounds like a lot of work and repetition," Jack said.
   "It is," Marion replied, "but that's the way it works for them. For others, it works even differently."
   "Different strokes for different folks, as we used to say. Is that it?" Jack asked.
   "That's it exactly," Marion agreed. "I have read several books claiming to teach people how to write successful novels, and they all list a myriad of ways to do it," the librarian added. "At the end of one book, the closing chapter tells the aspiring writer to pick the one that works. For them, that is, because they all work, in different ways for different writers."
   "Sounds like I should just do it, then get an editor to clean it up and polish it, then an agent to take it to market and persuade publishers to buy it," he said. "Even then, someone has to persuade readers to buy copies."
   "So either you get someone to else to do all that, or you put on your agent hat and do it yourself," Marion said. "Most writers can't so they never get published," she added, "unless they go to what's called the vanity press and pay them to do it."
   "How about you? Can you do all that for me?" Jack said.
   "I could, but I won't," Marion answered. "I love you, and I want our marriage to continue."

Media Duties

    The Russian invasion of Ukraine and bombing of civilians there is getting major media coverage worldwide. Except for Russian media, news reports have been negative. Moscow has ordered only favorable coverage of the events, and there is no evidence that Russian television is showing pictures of the devastation at civilian areas in Ukraine. Western media, however, features this.

   The Ukrainian president spoke directly to the British Parliament via video link to London today. His speech was carried live by major news outlets, including the BBC and by DW, the German international outlet, as well as by CNN and MSNBC in the U.S.

   Solidarity with the Ukrainian people is being shown in many nations, but so far no sign of intervention. Putin, the Russian leader, has said any assistance will be deemed an act of war. That may be why they pause. Besides, Ukraine is not part of NATO, and it's not clear how or whether other nations could bring military assistance. Couple that with Putin's threat and it's clear why the delay.

   Meanwhile, U.S. media are not showing much of Donald Trump's doings, although some are showing remarks that could be interpreted as endorsing the Russian action in Ukraine. However, those remarks could also be considered attempts at sarcasm.

   But is he that smart? He could be making a joke of children being slaughtered, which would mean he's just plain stupid.

Russian media is dead

   "Russian media is dead," said a commentator on CNBC this morning.
   The Moscow government has decreed that any news outlet report that contradicts official policy and action in Ukraine will face criminal charges.
   To maintain their own safety, correspondents for international media no longer put their names on their dispatches, and several outlets have recalled staffers to their home countries.
   Result: The only information available to the Russian people will be government propaganda. (Remember the origin of the word: It's from the verb "propagate," as in to spread a message.)
   In effect, a free press no longer exists in Russia. Some will say it has not existed there for years, but there have been a few news outlets that carry straight news that can be critical of government policy, and foreign operations have been somewhat free to spread their reports to the rest of the world. Now, if those reports conflict with government policy, the reporters will be jailed.
   In short, a free press no longer exists in Russia, and that includes news media based in other countries, and their correspondents. They face jail time for writing anything that the government doesn't like.
   The Moscow government has taken to branding reports that contradict its policies as "fake news."
   Sound familiar?
   America led the world some 200 years ago in guaranteeing a free press as critically important for a free nation. History has shown that the first thing a dictatorial regime does to control its people is to control the news media.
   

Sanctions

   Other countries have cut off all trade with Russia because of that country's treatment of Ukraine, but whether that has a short-term effect to stop the killing of civilians by Russian forces is an open question.
   There is also widespread opposition by the Russian people, but that is not affecting the Ukraine issue. Vladimir Putin is continuing his put-down of Ukraine, and has threatened a major war if other nations intervene. Meanwhile, Russian news media are conforming to Putin's commands to treat the conflict as an effort to eliminate "Nazis" from the Ukraine government.
   The irony here is that the current president of Ukraine is Jewish.
   Sanctions are a very effective way to force an economic surrender of an opponent, but that takes time -- months or more.
   Meanwhile, citizens are dying.

Power Play

   The Russian military invaded Ukraine last week, in an effort to quash the spirit of independence long part of the people's tradition.
   But the people resisted, even though the Ukrainian military is likely no match for the much larger Russian force. The difference, however, is that the Ukrainian people blocked the invading force wherever and however possible, the result being that the invaders had difficulty refueling their armored vehicles so far from the border.
   In addition, other nations cut off all trade and contact with Russia, isolating that nation and its people from banking, travel and many other international relationships. This included Switzerland, which has had a long tradition of neutrality in all things.
   So while NATO forces cannot intervene (unless Russian troops strike a NATO member), Ukraine is on its own -- militarily.
   But the total economic isolation put on Russia may be more effective.