Semantics with Professor Richardson (and Staff)

Words are important, vital to our ability to intellectually evolve as a species. One way to think about it is this: without words blogs like Burque Babble would cease to exist (well, except for those blogs with pictures of cute, cuddly kitty cats...you can't kill those even if you try). Wow, words really are important Mr. Pedantic Introductory Paragraph Writer Man! What incredibly profound point are you making this morning by informing us about the imporance of words?

Well kids, I'm here to let you know that some words and phrases are SO important that they have become news stories to replace real news stories, especially when the real news story is depressing and/or so obvious as to not really be a news story.

Take the word, "running", as in "Bill Richardson is running for President". Any sentient being with an IQ over 12 knows Richardson is already "running" for President, but until Richardson says he's "running" he's not "running". Heck, even if Richardson himself says he's "running, it doesn't really count until his campaign staff says he's "running". By the way, you might notice that words can also be funny things sometimes, as in a case where a "campaign staff" might deny a candidate is "running" for something. Oxymoronic, now that's a funny sounding word.

"Running" thus joins "Civil War" (okay we're tired of this one) and "Timetable", as in "The Iraq Study Group proposed that U.S. brigades be moved out of Iraq in 15 months, but stopped short of a timetable" in the lexicon of our political age. It's also interesting that when you combine the words "Cheney" with "lesbian" they cancel each other out politically....as in "Mary Cheney and her fellow lesbian partner are having a child together". This juxtaposition also seems to work now with the terms "Orthodox Jews" and "Gay Rabbis".

Funny, powerful things words. Or maybe just funny and a waste of time otherwise.