SAY WHAT?

     As a lover of language, as a teacher of Language Arts, I love the use of language to express thoughts, dreams, concerns and both words of love and words of distaste. Language can bring people together or separate them into camps of opinion or tribal mentality. Today we have a new and growing variant of the English language - Trumpspeak - and mostly all one can say is 'say what?'
     For several years now we have been bombarded with accusations of 'fake news' as he and his ranted about it. Then yesterday we received an explanation of fake news and its apparent remedy from the horse's mouth. Fake news equals news that is not false or made up; in fact it is true but one problem. It is news that is negative towards and about Trump and his many misdeeds and ridiculous statements and habits. Negative re Trump apparently equals fake news. The remedy? Not to improve oneself but to take away the credentials of the media. Fascism in its open confession. Freedom of the press tossed aside as if it does not matter and does not violate this prime principle since the case of Peter Zenger and the governor of New York under the British rule, colonial times.
 “The president is not involved in any respect. It’s a dead issue as far as I’m concerned.”
     So says Giuliani re Trump's level of knowledge re Cohen's snarky dealings and so the case is closed - as far as he is concerned. Say what? I think, especially after his most recent statements re his client, that his opinion counts for naught and if Trump has any brains at all, he would fire this man.
     The Republicans are drooling in glee at the news of Schneiderman's fall from grace, but no sympathy expressed for the victims - only a gleeful "gotcha" from Kellyanne Conway. Say what? We had her guy from day one, before that even, so tell me why the glee. Why is it that all men exposed as creeps are suffering well deserved consequences and even fessing up, but her guy, Trump, remains there with his dirty mind and hands and other bodily parts and thinks he will get away with it and listen to this statement from a Republican.“Democrats keep falling for this fantasy that because Donald Trump’s personal character issues are so awful, that voters will naturally rally to their side,” Uh huh. Say what again. Even they acknowledge that their guy is a creep, to say the least.
     Trump says his reneging on the deal with Iran is the way to go. He says something will happen. Or it won't. Could be bad. Maybe not. We'll see. Say what? So he reneges and Iran attacks israel with a massive barrage of rockets.
     And the open expression of racism continues to grow with yet another police call out on a 34 year old graduate student who was gasp! sleeping in a common room in Yale after falling asleep after working thru the nite. And then even more cops came. Why? To reinforce the army needed to question a person rightfully within the grounds of Yale as she is a student there. What the hell is going on here?  And why is this allowed? Anybody here ever go into Starbucks and just sit there with a laptop, or wait for friends and not order? Or the same in Panera. Anyone? What is the matter with us?
     And do not think that Europe is immune. Today the criminal is first diagnosed and scrutinized for nationality and woe upon him/her if they are not pure countryman. If the name is foreign or the color off - uh oh! And the same goes in the Moslem countries as well. None of us seem immune to this disgusting crust of prejudice that is growing over all of us.
    So we read of rebellions and protests all over the world. Freedom. Of the press. Of the electoral process. Of the courts. But then when that protest is successful, the principles are forgotten. Look what has happened in Russia under Putin. Just waiting for him to claim he is a reincarnation of the Tsar!!Look at Myanmar. Look at Turkey.
    Say what grows exponentially as the world sinks into a what - a torpor? A swamp? A lake of hypocrisy and hatred? Are the voices asking say what strong enough to overcome all the negativity and misdeeds? You tell me. Say what?