Uses of Language

At the Hoover Institution website is an article about George Orwell, his use of language, and why the preservation and use of the English language is important. The article is titled "Orwell's Instructive Errors" and was written by Liam Julian.

The article discusses what Orwell had to say in his essays about the use of language and also how Orwell himself used language in some of his writings. One of the essays referred to is "Politics and the English Language".

These two pieces are of interest for political reasons, but also for the use of both readers and writers.

I don't agree with everything Liam Julian said. For example, in the following paragraph he seems to think right-wing extremists are the same as conservatives, which is assuredly not true.

It is, certainly, not only denizens of the left who theorize and euphemize their way out of inconvenient situations. The staunchest apologists for the worst elements of British Empire were conservatives, and now, as in Orwell’s time, it is conservatives who lean most heavily on theory to explain away indigence and squalor as inevitable in a free society and thereby rid themselves of responsibility to alleviate the burdens of the impoverished. Certainly America’s foremost racists are found on the right, and they have all sorts of theories. And yet such justifications — whether of racism, imperialism, neglect of the poor, or even creationism — currently have but parochial appeal. The left is in power now, and so it is that today’s most influential and worrisome euphemizing comes from the left.

Regarding racism in particular, it is people like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and, yes, Barack and Michelle Obama who keep racism most alive in America. They are not found on the right in America. Nonetheless, the article has some interesting things to say about the uses of language.

Classical Music

Some thoughts about classical music and why it has lasted are linked at Arts & Letters Daily. The article is called "Is Classical Music Trying to be Fashionable?" by Andrew Clark.

Healthcare Legislation

Fortunately, it appears that the healthcare bills in the House and Senate will not be voted on before Congress' August recess. I hope that voters all over the country will try to learn as much as they can about said bills. I am posting a few links that can help you and if you want to suggest a link in the comments, please feel free to do so.

A link to the House bill (HR 3200) and a list of some of the provisions There is also a link to help you contact national reps about this bill.

"Trying to Talk Around the Facts"

"What to Ask Your Congressperson About Obamacare (First in a Series)" Some questions to think about

"CBO calls a TKO on the House health bill" includes charts and graphs

"Your Easy Guide to Democrat Health Reform" includes a chart of the bureacracy involved (the following article refers to this chart: "GOP Charges Dems With Censorship Over Sign" )

That is just a small bit of what's available out there. I would also suggest that you pressure your congresspeople to read each bill completely before passing it. They have no business passing anything that they aren't familiar with.

From the Archives: The Fourth of July

A happy 4th of July to you. This is America's Independence Day. Think of your freedoms and what it cost to obtain them.

The History Channel has a nice summary of the events surrounding our gaining our freedom. The article is here: "U.S. Declares Independence".

Another interesting article by George Will can be found at Townhall. It is called "The Valuable Self-Validating Tradition".

Enjoy the reading and enjoy the Fourth. Think about what it all means for us.