Is That What You Meant To Say?

Words, or should I say the meaning of words, is important to me.  I only wish that those in the media would feel the same. In the last few days, the words used in the reports of DOJ investigations into former justice employees gets under my skin.  The media calls these individuals “political enemies”. They’re creating the image of armed conflict. Enemy is a word of War. Maybe if they persist in using the language of the President, they could use “perceived enemy”. But the word enemy doesn’t fit the facts.

Also using the word enemy doesn’t work in America. A person might be your political foe, an adversary, having a different point of view. But we need to remember we are all Americans. Despite how imperfect, we are 50 states and territories that are trying to be united despite our differences. It’s only a few years ago, maybe months, when it was constantly said “ I may not agree with you, but I will protect your right to disagree.”  That’s been the underlying story of our civil discourse. So please, when you hear those words, political enemy, reject them. They are words of armed conflict and our goal as Americans should be civil discourse and trying to find our common ground.