Diversion – Rev. Wright in context

h/t Andrew Sullivan.

candidate – noun

A person so committed to public service that he will elbow and slander anyone who gets in his way.

x-ray – noun

1. A guarantor of public trust.

2. A machine that photographs the self.

memoir – noun

A genre of sci-fi fantasy literature that uses first-person narrative.

waterboarding – noun (reprise)

Baptism for the recalcitrant.

change – noun

A process whereby something sheds one appearance for another while remaining essentially the same (cf. Aristotle Physics I).

I want to do everything I can to help deliver the change America needs. -- Rahm Emanuel

independent – adjective

Not requiring control or influence, due to predictability of behavior.

maverick - noun

A politician who campaigns on a platform of speaking honestly to the public.

bundling - noun

A populist measure for extending political representation to the upper-middle class.

obstruction - noun

A counterterrorism tactic in lawfare, whereby the enemy is deprived of evidential arms.

never – adverb

1. Hopefully not

2. Not often enough to know or recall

Diversion: an interview with Philip K. Dick

inspection - noun

A search for incriminating evidence, the absence of which confirms the worst.

interim - adjective

Without advice or consent.

USAGE: The White House is leaning on interim appointments.

voluntary – adjective

1. Worthy of being ignored.

USAGE: President Bush calls for voluntary reductions of greenhouse gases.

2. Compelled to choose because of one's contingent circumstances.

USAGE: But whether we are speaking of U.S. troops in Iraq, or Canadian troops in Afghanistan, it is important for the reader to remember that the overwhelming majority in our voluntary armed forces utterly despise the Barbara Boxers, Jack Laytons, and media flaks who shed crocodile tears for them, and exploit their anxious or grieving families. Our forces in the field are purpose-driven, and do impressive things every day; men and women alike, they face real risk with true manliness. They have a mission, to find and kill mortal enemies of all higher civilization, and it is the moral duty of every decent human being to wish them godspeed in that task.

COMMENT: Why do you need a mandate to deliver an outcome you're already going to get?

Announcement

Sorry for the recent dearth of posts, but my new job has been overwhelming.

I'm leaving for the three-day weekend, and I'll be back on Tuesday with renewed vigor.

surgical - adjective

Risky, costly, and ultimately less effective than non-invasive procedures.

USAGE: Now the emphasis is on surgical strikes on Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities in Tehran and elsewhere.

Diversion: Philip Roth on the State of the Union

new – adjective

1. Forgotten.

2. Recycled.

3. Reissued.

4. Reverted.

5. Covered in plastic.

equality – noun

The state or quality of owning equal assets, and therefore equal moral worth.

yacht - noun

A Congressman's second home and primary office.

bubble – noun

A gaseous spherule enclosed by a delicate liquid layer that upholds our whole economy.

misunderestimate – verb

To underestimate the effectiveness of the stupid.

commission – noun

A gathering of elites to resolve the scandals of elites to the satisfaction of elites.

history - noun

1. The inertia from past events that renders the future's course inalterable.

2. Archaic A once popular branch of fiction about past events.

3. (By extension) Something not worth reading or discussing.

USAGE: That’s going back in history. I don’t remember the details of it.

News: Get a brain, morans!

From Family Security Matters, "Pro-Troop Rally Draws Patriots from Around the Nation"

success – noun

Any action viewed under the right aspect.

electable – adjective

1. Possessed of no definite qualities save a vague geniality. Nebulously attractive.

2. An ability to project optimism about the catastrophic and utter absurdities without blinking.

fascism – noun

Government under the opposition party or by a foreign leader hostile to U.S. interests.

failure – noun

Success that is misinterpreted or yet to be recognized.

vision – noun

An idea or goal that blinds one from the complications of its realization.

fact-finding tour – noun

A toe-touching junket to transform opinions about the place visited into facts.

revisionist – adjective

Insufficiently laudatory or elevating.

bailout – noun

A government-issued, golden parachute for corporations.

complex – adjective

Beyond the understanding of mortals, save through the intercession of government officials, pundits or scholars.

USAGE: "The situation in Iraq remains complex, difficult, and sometimes downright frustrating," General Petraeus said. (NYT 9/11/07)

Announcement

Posting was light last week, because I started a new job at Harper's Magazine as an editorial intern. I'm working on the Index and Readings sections.

If you come across any eye-popping statistics or pieces that make for good reading (we especially love absurd court cases), please send them.

cherry-pick – verb

To select the best factual produce for consumption.

COMMENT: Cherry-picking is an American tradition that goes back to George Washington, who after chopping down the cherry tree, selected the best fruits and baked a cherry pie for his parents, claiming that the dessert justified the whole endeavor.

insurance - noun

A popular game in the rackets, despite its unreliable payoffs

legacy - noun

1. Scar tissue from a cancerous tumor.

2. An incentive for scoring in garbage time.

labor - noun

The provision of service to paying customers.

COMMENT: Happy Labor Day.

cease-fire – noun

A time-out to reload.

intent – noun

A thought formed about a past action that causes it. Retroactive motivation.

COMMENT: Who says backwards causation doesn't happen?

mislead – verb

To try to guide towards the truth, but fail.

shrine – noun

A small space for piety cordoned off from the rest of reality.

reform – noun

A legislative reversion to policies in place when one's political party was in power.

potentially – adverb

Never (but interesting to contemplate).

scholar - noun (reprise)

A stenographer with an advanced degree.

scandal – noun

A distracting glimmer on the visible surface of malfeasance.

allegedly – adverb

Certainly, absent a confession.

emergency – noun

A crisis requring immediate action or assistance – if it occurs in a swing state.

timetable – noun

A schedule of troop withdrawals faxed to the enemy.

integrity – noun

A strict adherence to one's principals.



"Al Gonzales is a man of integrity..."

Announcement

To make the site more user-friendly, I have added along the right column (1) an index for the whole dictionary and (2) a Feedburner tab to subscribe for email updates.

EFP – noun

Abbr. "explosively formed penetrator." An Iranian WMD.

analogy – noun

A form of inference about what one doesn't understand via comparison with what one understands poorly.

COMMENT: Rest assured that our Iraq venture is as noble as our previous roles in Vietnam or the Philippines.

philanthropy - noun

(Origin: Greek "love of mankind.") A method for loving one's fellow man while keeping him at a safe distance.

counterterrorism - noun

1. Retaliatory terrorism.

2. The nationalization of terrorism.

3. A strategy for preventing domestic terrorism by deploying troops abroad as human shields.

4. The innoculation of a civilian population from terrorism by exposing it to small doses.

scholar - noun

A type of foam used by political interests to insulate ideas from criticism.

policy - noun

Politics by other means.

skeptic - noun

One who follows the group jumping off the cliff but questions whether the project has been properly managed.

critic - noun

A supporter who wishes to hedge his bets.

Announcement

On the road yet again. Posting will be light until August 27th.

Analysis: Erin Burnett and Hilary Clinton

I don't understand the outrage over Erin Burnett's China comments on Hardball:

Ya know, if China were to revalue it’s currency or China is to start making say, toys that don’t have lead in them or food that isn’t poisonous, their costs of production are going to go up and that means prices at Wal-Mart here in the United States are going to go up too. So, I would say China is our greatest friend right now, they’re keeping prices low and they’re keeping the prices for mortgages low, too.

Burnett was simply making the sensible point that Clinton made to Obama about confronting terrorists in Pakistan: all options should be left on the table.

It's really naive to rule out a priori poisoning our children or pets as not worthy of deliberation under any circumstances. In fact, it would entail restricting consumer choice and intervening in the free market. If that isn't un-American, what is?

evidence - noun

(Origin: Latin "clear, obvious.") That which confirms what is already obvious from hearsay, gut feeling, or common sense.

profile – noun

A one-sided biographical sketch.

mistake – noun

(Origin: Old Norse "to take in error.") Something in one's possession that really belongs to someone else.

estimate - noun

The precise number found to attract a majority vote, settle a negotiation, or win a contract.

consent – verb

To fail to object.

due process - noun

Law A legal requirement according to which every citizen has the right to a systematic, orderly interrogation without disruption by courts or counsel.

COMMENT: Vice Admiral Lowell E. Jacoby (USN), Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and expert on the concept of due process:

DIA's approach to interrogation is largely dependent upon creating an atmosphere of dependency and trust between the subject and interrogator. Developing the kind of relationship of trust and dependency necessary for effective interrogations is a process that can take a significant amount of time. There are numerous examples of situations where interrogators have been unable to obtain valuable intelligence from a subject until months, or even years, after the interrogation process began.

Anything that threatens the perceived dependency and trust between the subject and interrogator directly threatens the value of interrogation as an intelligence-gathering tool. Even seemingly minor interruptions can have profound psychological impacts on the delicate subject-interrogator relationship. Any insertion of counsel into the subject-interrogator relationship, for example – even if only for a limited duration or for a specific purpose – can undo months of work and may permanently shut down the interrogation process. Therefore, it is critical to minimize external influences on the interrogation process.

coercive - adjective

Persuasive without the use of words.

opportunity - noun

An appropriate occasion to blunder.

At one point, Rice said that the difficult circumstances in the Middle East could represent opportunity. "I don't read Chinese but I am told that the Chinese character for crisis is wei-ji, which means both danger and opportunity," she said in Riyadh. "And I think that states it very well. We'll try to maximize the opportunity."

pet - noun

An animate fashion accessory that is usually paired with a handbag.

QOTD: Russell Baker on bloggers

In his recent New York Review of Books piece on newspaper journalism, Russell Baker offers perhaps the most optimistic assessment of blogging ever offered by a journalist:

Blogging is a more interesting development, perhaps because bloggers are so passionate about it. It is a valuable restraint on careless and sloppy journalism, for the vigilance of the bloggers misses not the slightest error or the least omission, and the fury of their rage is terrible to bear. Committed bloggers insist that they are practicing journalism just as surely as a correspondent like John Burns is practicing journalism when reporting on the Iraq war from Baghdad for The New York Times. Anyone wishing to debate the point must be ready to argue all night and well into next week. What is indisputable is that practically every blogger can now be a columnist. With vast armies of columnists blogging away, it seems inevitable that a few may eventually produce something original, arresting, and refreshing and so breathe new life into this worn-out journalistic form.

Yes, I too look forward to the day when a precious few bubble up from the blogosphere to contribute something interesting.

victory – noun

An early stage of an insurgency or guerilla war.

strategy - noun

A Powerpoint presentation of military plans for civilian consumption.

embassy – noun

A heavily fortified, forward operating base.

anecdote - noun

A brief but thorough biography.

beheading – noun

A jihadist's exercise in shock and awe, but with fewer civilian casualties.

balanced - adjective (reprise)

Quoting both sides of any fact.

empathy - noun

The dismissal of another's suffering as precedented by one's own.

COMMENT: Rudy Giuliani on the 9/11 first responders: "I'm one of them."

Update

Still on the road. Back on Tuesday.

PVS - noun

Abbr. "Persistent Vegetative State." A severe, incurable brain disorder caused by excessive exposure to C-SPAN debates.

COMMENT: Sen. Frist offers his diagnosis on C-SPAN 2:

enhanced interrogation - noun

Mutual resume padding.

issue - noun

A discussion topic at a Beltway coctail party that makes the news cycle.

avatar - noun

The seat of personal identity.

agency - noun

A governmental bureau that provides a specific disservice or performs a particular dysfunction (e.g. CIA, FEMA, EPA).

data mining - noun

A homeland-security program for extracting personal information from corporate databases to improve customer service.

corruption - noun

The ultimate trajectory of all natural processes, e.g. biological, thermodynamic, political.

accountability - noun

The willingness to admit that mistakes were made, without granting that anyone made a mistake.

private - adjective

Not yet recorded, mined, or confessed.

national security - noun

The government's capacity to protect its citizens from foreign invasion, terrorism, and civil liberties.

classified - adjective

Not safe for sane viewing.

defense - noun

The ability to project overwhelming force anywhere on the globe.

conservation - noun

The stage between scarcity and cannibalism.

consultant - noun

A species of parasite that attaches itself to the chests of political candidates.

Announcement

I am leaving today for yet another long trip. Posting will be light to non-existent until August 14th.

Review: the Month of July

July saw 39 definitions: 37 new terms and 2 reprises.

Adding the totals to May and June, the Terrorist's Dictionary has 167 entries for 162 terms.

Here are July's definitions ...


A

appropriation – noun

architect – noun


B

balanced – adjective


C

cafe – noun

coalition – noun (reprise)

contempt – noun

cost-plus – adjective

counterinsurgency – noun


D

debate – verb, noun

decider – noun


E

earmark – noun (reprise)

embedded – adjective

ethics – noun

evildoer – noun

executive privilege – noun


F

first responder – noun

flip-flop – noun

foreign aid – noun


G

general – noun


H

heckuva – adjective

hero – noun

homeland – noun


M

massage – noun


N

netroots – noun


P

peace – noun

photo op – noun

politicize – verb

privacy – noun


Q

quid pro quo – noun


R

refugee – noun


S

safety net – noun

sovereignty – noun

study group – noun

subpoena – noun

suspect – noun


W

war president – noun

withdrawal – noun


Y

yellow alert – noun


Z

zealot – noun


[June's definitions]

[May's defintions]

sustainable stability – noun

Political and social cohesion that can be maintained until the next general election.

COMMENT: Sustainable stability is synonymous with "sustainable security."

imminent – adjective

Theoretically possible at some point in the future.

USAGE: Iraq is an imminent threat to the United States.

accomplished – adjective

Theater At the point in a tragic plot where the hero's downfall becomes inevitable.