What's In a Name?

I don't know which is scarier, the power of a single word to arouse mighty passions, or the power of a mob to turn a simple word like values into a weapon that can alter the course of history. There's a large percentage of Americans for whom their own safety and well-being is less important than their desire to dictate to others how to conduct their lives, what they're allowed to read and view, even what they're permitted to think. The astonishing thing is that the definition of the word "values" has become distorted. Some of us place a high value on personal freedom, on the right to live our lives as we wish as long as it doesn't harm anyone else. So it's become a case of "my values can beat up your values." There's a big flap going on now over the winner of this year's Newbery Medal for children's lierature, The Power of Lucky by Susan Patron. Early on in the book Ms. Patron uses the word "scrotum," so the morality naziis have gone on high alert, fighting to keep the book out of libraries. Don't they know the surest way to get kids snickering about a word is to ban it?

Meanwhile, in today's news there's a story about a 14-year old boy with cystic fibrosis who was given the chance by the Make-A-Wish people to spend a weekend at an Army Rangers camp, going through actual maneuvers with the soldiers, dressed in fatigues and toting a rifle. I trust the grunts watched their language as they showed the lad how they learn to become effective killers.