After Abu G resigned with the statement that public service is "Honorable and noble," I got to thinking about those words. Bush uses them...a lot. Wordsmithing is always one of the most fun aspects of breaking down spin, Frank Luntzbeing one of the more elite voices in our current media state.
So when Gonzo used those words, it sent a chill down my spine. I think these people really think that we should have a dictator or king.
Dicionary.com defines both words, honorable and noble,in a number of ways. If we were to give them the benefit of the doubt, one would suggest that by honorable and noble, they may mean "adhering to ethical and moral principles," and "admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition."
But those words were chosen specifically, weren't they? Looking back at the last six years, I would say that by honorable, it is means, "used as a title of courtesy for children of peers ranking below a marquis," as well as "of high rank, dignity, or distinction; noble, illustrious, or distinguished. Again with the distinction, nobility and illustriousness of the Bush Administration.
What is nobility? "Very impressive or imposing in appearance; stately; magnificent" - hmmm, what was Bush bitching aboutwhen his appearance was questioned again...?
Harper received a phone call that morning from White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino, who, Harper told friends, said the president read the article and was unhappy about the way he was portrayed.
Or perhaps it just means, "of, belonging to, or constituting a hereditary class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy." I think that pretty much sums it all up now, doesn't it?
These honorable and noble leaders of ours, and the public servants...all quite magnificent, aren't they?
So here, in a speech following Katrina, are Georgie's words about the people who serve him, the "normal" folks...
About the Coast Guard (who does he reference as heros? Military men and women, firefighters, etc.):
In this hour of suffering, our nation is thankful. We have been inspired by acts of courage and goodness: Coast Guardsmen and military personnel reaching out of helicopters and lifting victims from rooftops; firefighters wading through mud and debris to search for victims and survivors; doctors and nurses defying danger so their patients might live. Many of those who saved others lost their own homes and were separated from their own families. And many stories of heroism and rescue will never be told because they are known to God alone.
Notice, they are not noble, illustrious or honorable, they're heroes and rescuers...got that?
And about the little people (how much more biblical can you get?):
We're thankful for a spirit seen across the Gulf Coast that faces the worst and chooses to hope. We're thankful, as well, for the many ordinary citizens who heard the cries of neighbors and answered them. Across the country, Americans saw the hungry and gave them something to eat; saw the thirsty and gave them something to drink; saw strangers and invited them in. One man who was rescued and given shelter after the storm said, "I didn't think there was so much love in the world."
I bet you didn't think there was so much love in the world, since from my estimates, you're incapable of that emotion, George. It doesn't matter though, because we are merely the heroes of your kingdom, the ordinary denizens of your great feifdom, you honorable and magnificent man, you.
Please excuse me, I have to be sick now...