Just my opinion here but this insistence on proper grammar, usage, and style seems a lot like following decorum in the Tennessee and Montana state houses. Don’t we have more important things to worry about? Thank you for keeping the focus on the big picture issues!
May 22, 2023·edited May 22, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
I’d also add that such discussions about proper grammar, usage, and style is what many ‘regular everyday folks’ see as the disconnect of the Democrat’s elitist intellectualism from ‘regular everyday folks’. I can’t say I disagree with those ‘regular everyday folks’.
I’m pretty bright and even I get lost trying to follow much of the details Robert wrote about proper grammar, usage, and style (his as well as those that critique his). It’s the substance of what is being talked about, written about, that ‘regular everyday folks’ care about. Regardless of what anyone here might say (argue) that using proper grammar, usage, and style is the only and/ or right way to disseminate info to everyone. That point of view/ perception is missing the point.
If you (we) can’t reach everyday people, those that see this as the Democrat’s elitist intellectualism then you’ve (we’ve) lost them. To answer Jim’s question “Don’t we have more important things to worry about?” Yes we do! And let’s not lose ‘regular everyday folks’ in the process! The important thing is that everyone gets the gist of/ understands the substance of what’s being discussed rather than whether the proper pronoun, adjective, pasts participle, etc, etc, ad naseum, was used.
Seriously, ‘regular everyday folks’ don’t give a rats a** about ‘proper grammar, usage, and style’. They (us/ we) just want to know/ understand what the f*** we’re talking about. To quote Sly Stone, “We got to live together”, “I am everyday people, yeah, yeah”. (Please no critiques about Sly’s use of grammar 😉).
Proper grammar is important, because language is about communicating. Having said that, some things are simply wrong. Split infinitives, for instance, are not only un-grammatical, they are always bad writing. Think of the most famous of them, “To boldly go where no man [sic] has gone before.” MUCH stronger to say “To go boldly….” And yet writers, like NYT reach for split infinitives. (Oh, and “access” and “impact” are not verbs. Ever.
Also, Jon. I highly recommend John McWhorter's courses at Columbia University that are readily available on The Great Courses and Audible. Grammar is descriptive, not prescriptive. Even the French Royal Academy of Language has conceded defeat on multiple occasions after declaring that the French language is perfect and unchangeable--only to acknowledge that the people changed the language by usage.
Here's an interesting thought experiment? Why do we no longer use "thou"--and how is the increasingly popular "y'all" related to the disappearance of "thou"?
Yes! I was thinking about this earlier today. We aren't exactly speaking Shakespearean English these days. Language evolves, and we can't stop it (and why should we?).
Seems to me y'all would be plural and thou singular, so the one would not replace the other. (I prefer youse, probably because my father was from Brooklyn.)
All style guides now agree that the prohibition against split infinitives was never correct. Many style guides argue that you should not split an infinitive because some people may look down on you. That's hardly a rule of grammar.
Indeed, the Chicago Manual of Style has conceded that its prior prohibition of split infinitives was "an error." Like most rules that make no sense, the alleged ban against split infinitives was created by an amateur grammarian who misunderstood Latin. He reasoned that because it was impossible to split an infinitive in Latin, infinitives in English should not be split. Here's the catch: infinitives in Latin are a single word, and therefore cannot be split. The rule simply doesn't translate into English.
I stand by what I said. At the least--and it is very much--split infinitives are bad writing. They are virtually always--I tend to think "always" would fit here--weaker than without the split infinitive. As in the example I gave in my comment. And it doesn't matter whether it works in Latin. They don't work in English. They are a product of laziness.
David, you are wrong. Access and impact are both verbs. Please see the Merriam Webster entries for the verbs "access" and "impact." If you disagree, please cite a source.
I'm a political geek who is not operating with an intellectual deficit. That said, I could give a "rat's ass" about your obsession with "proper grammar." That's your personal obsession. Please spare the rest of us your nit-picking. It isn't a flattering nor ingratiating trait.
"To boldly go...." has a strong rythm, musically, puts a strong beat on "go", and pairs it, later in the line, with "gone." It creates a mirror effect - "boldly go/gone before." (Please overlook any grammatical or style errors in this post)🙂
You're absolutely right. But a clear message without distracting and detracting mistakes is much more effective (and seemingly more credible) than one that is disjointed or confusing.
Some folks try to write too perfectly, or use big words when little ones are satisficient. Some make up their own words while others like to use clever turns of phrases, analogies, and humor to entertain and provoke thought. Those are important tools for engaging readers.
Robert, as well as many others in this wonderful community, balance form and content very well. For the rest of us, what we learn and share here is invaluable:
You are a gift to the Nation - and people who waste your time by trying to correct how you write to us have too much time on their hands; they should put their energies into canvassing neighborhoods, writing postcards into swing states, opening up Act Blue to contribute to regular folk who are courageous enough to run for (any) office in these perilous times swing; in other words, do something constructive to help lead us toward a better Union as you try to do every single day that you and your ME write your excellent- invaluable- blog... grammar be damned.
Might I redirect the narrative. To the grammar folks who follow Today's Edition, have I got a job for you! Virginia needs postcard writers to help Democrats win races. Louise Lucas (SD18) is one. She is in need of approx. 2700 postcards out of 5000. So plenty of cards on which to exercise your literary skills! Join me. I can use your help:
Exactly! Good grief. Living language, people! Substance over style (important substance, perfectly fine style). Get to work. Leave Robert to do his invaluable work so he doesn’t have to deal with pedantic showoffs.
I love your newsletter, listen to (or read) it every day, frequently quote it on social media, and refer all my friends to it... And that is all... Just the buttering up, without the criticism or correction... :-)
Regarding No Sense, er, I mean Labels - any organization that hasJoe Lie-berman in a leadership position is not to be trusted further than you can see it with your eyes closed.
I would also add that ANY group supported by the Koch brothers (now just Charles Koch) is tremendously dangerous to democracy. Koch wants to use his freedom to trample on everyone else's freedom.
Robert, your good humor never fails to amaze me. I have reached the age when being a curmudgeon is routine most days, but you always manage to engage in civil discourse on even the most maddening subjects like the infallibility of the headline writers for The New York Times. Thank you for keeping the lid on the subject of the debt ceiling and calling out the No Labels evil.
What you do, each day, distilling the current political news in an eloquent and lucid manner is irreplaceable. The grammar gmudgins, (my word for the grammar/spelling folk that plague perfectly good prose), can just get a life. Being dyslexic myself I was told as a youth I was “backward”, ie, stupid, because of my difficulty with spelling and writing. My parents, this was in the 50’s, before testing for disabilities was common, thought , ahh she’s a bit slow, but she is good at art! So, even though I wanted to write when I was growing up it was not encouraged. I flunked english in 7th grade for spelling and grammar errors. But then, when I took the class over in summer school we sat out on the grass and read Shakespeare. Wonderful! I got an A. People who get spooked by things that they think break the rules are living a sad life… they should put down their critical pens and read a little of the bard. “Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush supposed a bear!”
Hi, Robin. You raise a good point. Language is often incorrectly used as a proxy for intelligence. It is not. There can be a correlation, but sometimes there is not. Class and racial prejudices often play a role in using language (or dialect or accent) as a proxy for intelligence. I highly recommend John McWhorter of Columbia University. His courses on language are superb and eye-opening.
May 22, 2023·edited May 22, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Robert, Your topic on people being picky about grammar and such, reminded me of a time many years when I gave a speech on Photographing Butterflies at our local Nature Center. The speech went extremely well; probably one of the best speeches I've ever made. Then a woman came up to me and said she couldn't listen to the speech because I was mispronouncing "picture". My mid-western accent pronounces it like "pitcher". Startled and certainly not feeling in a mood to be contrite, I looked at her and said "Wow, what a number your mother did on you! ... Why don't you try being more tolerant of regional accents?" That startled her and was not the answer she wanted to hear! She quickly disappeared. Robert, you produce an amazing newsletter every night that is so appreciated by me and the thousands of us who read them before we go to bed well after midnight. My dad use to tell me that I was successful because I hadn't let perfection get in my way. Please don't let perfection get in your way of keeping us informed, educated, and with hope. Your mission is far too critical to our well-being now and in the next decades! Language evolves and the dictionary editors produce revisions and additions every year! I've recently coined a new word for the alternative to the democracy the Extreme Court is foisting on us. My word for a theocratic oligarchic kleptocracy is a theolikle. I've added to my personal dictionary. As a footnote, driving home yesterday from a meeting a few towns away on the Interstate I saw a big banner that said "Vote Trump for democracy" The second line was "Do you want democracy or socialism?" Talk about an oxymoron - Trump democracy! Ouch!! We, the People, all of us this time!
You hit a lot of issues on the head tonight. Thank you! I don’t want you to think your viewpoints are in any way cramping my writing style. I rather enjoy your take on things and your occasional chuckle. It’s the old adage about “how you can’t please everyone all of the time...”. I have seen people try and correct your grammar and honestly, it pisses me off. Plus, it’s a huge distraction. Just my 2 cents. Carry on, sir!
I love your newsletter and appreciate the fact that you stayed up past midnight to comment on late-breaking news. By the way, you “write good” and have a wicked sense of humor!
Thank you for the daily updates that keep me grounded in this otherwise crazy making news cycle.
Another thought about the postscript. This newsletter was intended for Robert's 3 daughters, not us outsiders. He has invited us to be a part of his family newsletter. One must ask - if your father was writing you a letter every day, would you correct his spellings, grammar, etc? I would hope not - so leave Robert to what Robert does best - keep us sane!!! Robert even sent us the newsletter while on vacation in DC, weddings or during being sick with Covid - who does that? Even Heather Cox Richardson takes time off!!!! I had to re-read this short paragraph 4 times to check for typos and grammar - not fun and I taught English!!! Thank you Robert for your amazing newsletters - with or without typos!
Thank you for showcasing the sneaky NC Republicans who passed SB20 literally overnight and then overrode our Dem Governor’s veto in spite of the majority of North Carolinians opposed to this. Yes it really is an 8 week abortion restriction. In addition the woman has to go to the doctor twice IN PERSON prior and once afterwards IN PERSON thus further restricting out of state, the poor, those working hourly, those without transportation or doctor access, etc. Truly horrific.
So dystopian and cruel! They completely have ignored doctors and women who know better than them. Every single woman (and child) should file a class action lawsuit against these legislators. As an ex-North Carolinian, I am sickened and appalled!
Deeply grateful for your voice. As I was reading about the debt ceiling (heard on a Pod Save America we should be calling it "default") I suddenly got an image of Biden holding the ball instead of Lucy and McCarthy kicking wildly. The image formed perhaps because also in my Inbox is a long letter from my Senator, Bernie Sanders, about why Biden should invoke the 14th Amendment.
I admire your restraint!! These kind of 'corrections' often turn me into a lunatic!! Especially because I'm so aware of age-related changes anyway! God bless you!! xx's
I received a string of corrections last week. When I responded with a citation that demonstrated that one reader's correction was wrong, he said simply, "It sounds wrong to me." That incident tipped me over the edge to write my rant!
I’d never heard the entitled/titled kerfluffle before, but I’d guess that entitled only started becoming a no-no in some people’s eyes was when the GOP made “entitlements” a dirty word. A bit after that we started hearing about well-off folks with a propensity for demanding special treatment as “entitled”. So this would be the case of a bad penny driving a good one out of circulation.
You are on to something! "Entitled" is both an adjective and past participle. I think some people don't know the difference (not a criticism; grammar uses esoteric descriptions). As noted in the newsletter, when some people criticize me for using "entitled," they are thinking of the adjective and do not understand I am using a past participle.
May 22, 2023·edited May 22, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Robert, your newsletter and sense of humor are balm for the soul !💙
Thanks for pointing out NC 10-week abortion ban. I wanted to add that you won’t hear in the press Florida’s 2023 bill requires two appointments prior to six weeks. Also, yesterday NYT stated:
“The six-week ban, which includes additional exceptions for rape and incest, is not yet in effect and will hinge, in part, on the court’s decision over the existing law.”
NYT failed to mention the exceptions for rape and incest are only up to 15 weeks !
Much of the MSM is complicit as the Repubs try to avoid discussing abortion and proclaiming 10-15 week bans as “moderate”.
It is disappointing that the media is not doing the work of reading the legislation they report on.
Thanks for raising the point about the Florida legislation. Almost no one knows they are pregnant at "six weeks"-especially if that is a gestational age reference.
I kind of like the option where Biden elects to pay some obligations but not others. Like doesn't pay any bills or provide any tax sharing payments to the states of the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus represents a disproportionately high percentage of the "taker" states, not the "giver" states.
Just my opinion here but this insistence on proper grammar, usage, and style seems a lot like following decorum in the Tennessee and Montana state houses. Don’t we have more important things to worry about? Thank you for keeping the focus on the big picture issues!
I’d also add that such discussions about proper grammar, usage, and style is what many ‘regular everyday folks’ see as the disconnect of the Democrat’s elitist intellectualism from ‘regular everyday folks’. I can’t say I disagree with those ‘regular everyday folks’.
I’m pretty bright and even I get lost trying to follow much of the details Robert wrote about proper grammar, usage, and style (his as well as those that critique his). It’s the substance of what is being talked about, written about, that ‘regular everyday folks’ care about. Regardless of what anyone here might say (argue) that using proper grammar, usage, and style is the only and/ or right way to disseminate info to everyone. That point of view/ perception is missing the point.
If you (we) can’t reach everyday people, those that see this as the Democrat’s elitist intellectualism then you’ve (we’ve) lost them. To answer Jim’s question “Don’t we have more important things to worry about?” Yes we do! And let’s not lose ‘regular everyday folks’ in the process! The important thing is that everyone gets the gist of/ understands the substance of what’s being discussed rather than whether the proper pronoun, adjective, pasts participle, etc, etc, ad naseum, was used.
Seriously, ‘regular everyday folks’ don’t give a rats a** about ‘proper grammar, usage, and style’. They (us/ we) just want to know/ understand what the f*** we’re talking about. To quote Sly Stone, “We got to live together”, “I am everyday people, yeah, yeah”. (Please no critiques about Sly’s use of grammar 😉).
And now back to our regular programming…..😉
And, to further quote Mr. Stewart, "diff'rent strokes, for diff'rent folks."
Proper grammar is important, because language is about communicating. Having said that, some things are simply wrong. Split infinitives, for instance, are not only un-grammatical, they are always bad writing. Think of the most famous of them, “To boldly go where no man [sic] has gone before.” MUCH stronger to say “To go boldly….” And yet writers, like NYT reach for split infinitives. (Oh, and “access” and “impact” are not verbs. Ever.
Also, Jon. I highly recommend John McWhorter's courses at Columbia University that are readily available on The Great Courses and Audible. Grammar is descriptive, not prescriptive. Even the French Royal Academy of Language has conceded defeat on multiple occasions after declaring that the French language is perfect and unchangeable--only to acknowledge that the people changed the language by usage.
Here's an interesting thought experiment? Why do we no longer use "thou"--and how is the increasingly popular "y'all" related to the disappearance of "thou"?
Yes! I was thinking about this earlier today. We aren't exactly speaking Shakespearean English these days. Language evolves, and we can't stop it (and why should we?).
Seems to me y'all would be plural and thou singular, so the one would not replace the other. (I prefer youse, probably because my father was from Brooklyn.)
Love "youse" - Philly speak!
I am an unashamed prescriptivist. I don't use "thou" except in certain literary allusions, but I should never us "y'all" either.
Did you mean "use"?
Jon. Please cite a source. You will discover that you are wrong. See, e.g., LATimes,
A Word, Please: Split infinitives: the mistaken rule with a catchy name - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/opinion/story/2022-09-12/a-word-please-split-infinitives-the-mistaken-rule-with-a-catchy-name#:~:text=For%20starters%2C%20as%20Merriam-Webster%E2%80%99s%20Dictionary%20of%20English%20Usage,word%20after%20%E2%80%9Cto%2C%E2%80%9D%20also%20called%20the%20base%20word.
All style guides now agree that the prohibition against split infinitives was never correct. Many style guides argue that you should not split an infinitive because some people may look down on you. That's hardly a rule of grammar.
Indeed, the Chicago Manual of Style has conceded that its prior prohibition of split infinitives was "an error." Like most rules that make no sense, the alleged ban against split infinitives was created by an amateur grammarian who misunderstood Latin. He reasoned that because it was impossible to split an infinitive in Latin, infinitives in English should not be split. Here's the catch: infinitives in Latin are a single word, and therefore cannot be split. The rule simply doesn't translate into English.
I stand by what I said. At the least--and it is very much--split infinitives are bad writing. They are virtually always--I tend to think "always" would fit here--weaker than without the split infinitive. As in the example I gave in my comment. And it doesn't matter whether it works in Latin. They don't work in English. They are a product of laziness.
thanks for that last sentence.
David, you are wrong. Access and impact are both verbs. Please see the Merriam Webster entries for the verbs "access" and "impact." If you disagree, please cite a source.
Here is my source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/access
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impact
I believe you. But I'm not going to use "impact" as a verb.
Ever listen to songs? Must drive you bonkers. They don't use proper grammar. To go boldly just sounds wrong. Not a Star Trek fan, huh.
Songwriters have poetic license. So do writers of fiction.
How many times have you heard a split infinitive in a song? A good song?
Seriously not that anal about my music. 😉
I'm a political geek who is not operating with an intellectual deficit. That said, I could give a "rat's ass" about your obsession with "proper grammar." That's your personal obsession. Please spare the rest of us your nit-picking. It isn't a flattering nor ingratiating trait.
"To boldly go...." has a strong rythm, musically, puts a strong beat on "go", and pairs it, later in the line, with "gone." It creates a mirror effect - "boldly go/gone before." (Please overlook any grammatical or style errors in this post)🙂
You're absolutely right. But a clear message without distracting and detracting mistakes is much more effective (and seemingly more credible) than one that is disjointed or confusing.
Some folks try to write too perfectly, or use big words when little ones are satisficient. Some make up their own words while others like to use clever turns of phrases, analogies, and humor to entertain and provoke thought. Those are important tools for engaging readers.
Robert, as well as many others in this wonderful community, balance form and content very well. For the rest of us, what we learn and share here is invaluable:
Robert,
You are a gift to the Nation - and people who waste your time by trying to correct how you write to us have too much time on their hands; they should put their energies into canvassing neighborhoods, writing postcards into swing states, opening up Act Blue to contribute to regular folk who are courageous enough to run for (any) office in these perilous times swing; in other words, do something constructive to help lead us toward a better Union as you try to do every single day that you and your ME write your excellent- invaluable- blog... grammar be damned.
Thanks, Paula, for your post.
Might I redirect the narrative. To the grammar folks who follow Today's Edition, have I got a job for you! Virginia needs postcard writers to help Democrats win races. Louise Lucas (SD18) is one. She is in need of approx. 2700 postcards out of 5000. So plenty of cards on which to exercise your literary skills! Join me. I can use your help:
https://postcards4va.com/
Postcript: There are plenty of other campaigns to choose from, if you so desire.
I just signed up. Thank-you for the link!
Oh, yay, thanks, Victoria!
your "redirect" 👏
Paula,
Best laugh of the morning! From someone related to MANY lexicographers and English teachers, and trained as a journalist and activist.
If you have time to criticize, you are likely not doing enough to protect our democracy. Full stop. Get busy!
See Lynelle’s comment for what to do instead. Thank you both.
Exactly! Good grief. Living language, people! Substance over style (important substance, perfectly fine style). Get to work. Leave Robert to do his invaluable work so he doesn’t have to deal with pedantic showoffs.
Thanks for the nod, Sheila...you activist warrior, you!
😎🤪
I love your newsletter, listen to (or read) it every day, frequently quote it on social media, and refer all my friends to it... And that is all... Just the buttering up, without the criticism or correction... :-)
Regarding No Sense, er, I mean Labels - any organization that hasJoe Lie-berman in a leadership position is not to be trusted further than you can see it with your eyes closed.
Argh! I should have included that fact. Thanks for noting.
I would also add that ANY group supported by the Koch brothers (now just Charles Koch) is tremendously dangerous to democracy. Koch wants to use his freedom to trample on everyone else's freedom.
And they complain that Biden is too old? Lieberman seriously??
Yes!
Robert, your good humor never fails to amaze me. I have reached the age when being a curmudgeon is routine most days, but you always manage to engage in civil discourse on even the most maddening subjects like the infallibility of the headline writers for The New York Times. Thank you for keeping the lid on the subject of the debt ceiling and calling out the No Labels evil.
What you do, each day, distilling the current political news in an eloquent and lucid manner is irreplaceable. The grammar gmudgins, (my word for the grammar/spelling folk that plague perfectly good prose), can just get a life. Being dyslexic myself I was told as a youth I was “backward”, ie, stupid, because of my difficulty with spelling and writing. My parents, this was in the 50’s, before testing for disabilities was common, thought , ahh she’s a bit slow, but she is good at art! So, even though I wanted to write when I was growing up it was not encouraged. I flunked english in 7th grade for spelling and grammar errors. But then, when I took the class over in summer school we sat out on the grass and read Shakespeare. Wonderful! I got an A. People who get spooked by things that they think break the rules are living a sad life… they should put down their critical pens and read a little of the bard. “Or in the night, imagining some fear, How easy is a bush supposed a bear!”
Hi, Robin. You raise a good point. Language is often incorrectly used as a proxy for intelligence. It is not. There can be a correlation, but sometimes there is not. Class and racial prejudices often play a role in using language (or dialect or accent) as a proxy for intelligence. I highly recommend John McWhorter of Columbia University. His courses on language are superb and eye-opening.
Robert, Your topic on people being picky about grammar and such, reminded me of a time many years when I gave a speech on Photographing Butterflies at our local Nature Center. The speech went extremely well; probably one of the best speeches I've ever made. Then a woman came up to me and said she couldn't listen to the speech because I was mispronouncing "picture". My mid-western accent pronounces it like "pitcher". Startled and certainly not feeling in a mood to be contrite, I looked at her and said "Wow, what a number your mother did on you! ... Why don't you try being more tolerant of regional accents?" That startled her and was not the answer she wanted to hear! She quickly disappeared. Robert, you produce an amazing newsletter every night that is so appreciated by me and the thousands of us who read them before we go to bed well after midnight. My dad use to tell me that I was successful because I hadn't let perfection get in my way. Please don't let perfection get in your way of keeping us informed, educated, and with hope. Your mission is far too critical to our well-being now and in the next decades! Language evolves and the dictionary editors produce revisions and additions every year! I've recently coined a new word for the alternative to the democracy the Extreme Court is foisting on us. My word for a theocratic oligarchic kleptocracy is a theolikle. I've added to my personal dictionary. As a footnote, driving home yesterday from a meeting a few towns away on the Interstate I saw a big banner that said "Vote Trump for democracy" The second line was "Do you want democracy or socialism?" Talk about an oxymoron - Trump democracy! Ouch!! We, the People, all of us this time!
Love that you had the smarts to respond to that woman in the moment. But.. yikes How are we going to un-brainwash these people?
You hit a lot of issues on the head tonight. Thank you! I don’t want you to think your viewpoints are in any way cramping my writing style. I rather enjoy your take on things and your occasional chuckle. It’s the old adage about “how you can’t please everyone all of the time...”. I have seen people try and correct your grammar and honestly, it pisses me off. Plus, it’s a huge distraction. Just my 2 cents. Carry on, sir!
I love your newsletter and appreciate the fact that you stayed up past midnight to comment on late-breaking news. By the way, you “write good” and have a wicked sense of humor!
Thank you for the daily updates that keep me grounded in this otherwise crazy making news cycle.
Another thought about the postscript. This newsletter was intended for Robert's 3 daughters, not us outsiders. He has invited us to be a part of his family newsletter. One must ask - if your father was writing you a letter every day, would you correct his spellings, grammar, etc? I would hope not - so leave Robert to what Robert does best - keep us sane!!! Robert even sent us the newsletter while on vacation in DC, weddings or during being sick with Covid - who does that? Even Heather Cox Richardson takes time off!!!! I had to re-read this short paragraph 4 times to check for typos and grammar - not fun and I taught English!!! Thank you Robert for your amazing newsletters - with or without typos!
Thank you for showcasing the sneaky NC Republicans who passed SB20 literally overnight and then overrode our Dem Governor’s veto in spite of the majority of North Carolinians opposed to this. Yes it really is an 8 week abortion restriction. In addition the woman has to go to the doctor twice IN PERSON prior and once afterwards IN PERSON thus further restricting out of state, the poor, those working hourly, those without transportation or doctor access, etc. Truly horrific.
100% correct: "Yes it really is an 8 week abortion restriction."
So dystopian and cruel! They completely have ignored doctors and women who know better than them. Every single woman (and child) should file a class action lawsuit against these legislators. As an ex-North Carolinian, I am sickened and appalled!
Deeply grateful for your voice. As I was reading about the debt ceiling (heard on a Pod Save America we should be calling it "default") I suddenly got an image of Biden holding the ball instead of Lucy and McCarthy kicking wildly. The image formed perhaps because also in my Inbox is a long letter from my Senator, Bernie Sanders, about why Biden should invoke the 14th Amendment.
I admire your restraint!! These kind of 'corrections' often turn me into a lunatic!! Especially because I'm so aware of age-related changes anyway! God bless you!! xx's
I received a string of corrections last week. When I responded with a citation that demonstrated that one reader's correction was wrong, he said simply, "It sounds wrong to me." That incident tipped me over the edge to write my rant!
You’ve been beyond patient.
I’d never heard the entitled/titled kerfluffle before, but I’d guess that entitled only started becoming a no-no in some people’s eyes was when the GOP made “entitlements” a dirty word. A bit after that we started hearing about well-off folks with a propensity for demanding special treatment as “entitled”. So this would be the case of a bad penny driving a good one out of circulation.
You are on to something! "Entitled" is both an adjective and past participle. I think some people don't know the difference (not a criticism; grammar uses esoteric descriptions). As noted in the newsletter, when some people criticize me for using "entitled," they are thinking of the adjective and do not understand I am using a past participle.
Robert, your newsletter and sense of humor are balm for the soul !💙
Thanks for pointing out NC 10-week abortion ban. I wanted to add that you won’t hear in the press Florida’s 2023 bill requires two appointments prior to six weeks. Also, yesterday NYT stated:
“The six-week ban, which includes additional exceptions for rape and incest, is not yet in effect and will hinge, in part, on the court’s decision over the existing law.”
NYT failed to mention the exceptions for rape and incest are only up to 15 weeks !
Much of the MSM is complicit as the Repubs try to avoid discussing abortion and proclaiming 10-15 week bans as “moderate”.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/21/us/politics/desantis-abortion.html?
It is disappointing that the media is not doing the work of reading the legislation they report on.
Thanks for raising the point about the Florida legislation. Almost no one knows they are pregnant at "six weeks"-especially if that is a gestational age reference.
I kind of like the option where Biden elects to pay some obligations but not others. Like doesn't pay any bills or provide any tax sharing payments to the states of the Freedom Caucus. The Freedom Caucus represents a disproportionately high percentage of the "taker" states, not the "giver" states.
That is an understandable fantasy--but would be divisive.