The Language of the Lie

"There's glory for you!"

"I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!' "

"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument,' " Alice objected.

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."

"The question is, " said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."

"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty. "which is to be master—that's all." -- Alice in Wonderland

Here is the latest from that incessantly croaking collectivist frog of victim disarmament, the Brady Bunch's Paul Helmke:

Statement Of Paul Helmke
On Confirmation Of Eric Holder
As Attorney General

Washington, DC – In response to the confirmation of Eric H. Holder, Jr., as Attorney General of the United States by the U.S. Senate, Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, issued the following statement:

"Eric Holder has been a long-time supporter of strong Brady criminal background checks to stop prohibited purchasers from buying guns, as well as other common sense gun measures to keep dangerous weapons from dangerous people. As Deputy Attorney General, he worked on many proposals to help protect our families and communities from gun criminals (emphasis supplied, MBV), using a coordinated approach that included both prevention and enforcement. America is fortunate now to have him as chief law enforcement officer.

"Though his nomination was strongly opposed by the gun lobby, I am gratified that the Senate agreed with the judgment of law enforcement, the civil rights community and gun violence prevention organizations and confirmed Mr. Holder by an overwhelming margin."

Ah, the language of the lie. Helmke's side in this argument over basic natural rights and God-given liberties would not be half as far along in our disarmament if they had not learned to be uncommonly good liars. Each deceptive phrase, each bit of lying language serves their purpose, frames the argument and when they are accepted, gets them half-way to winning.

You know the litany: Saturday Night Specials, cop-killer bullets, Assault Weapons, gun show loopholes, even gun violence (as if the guns themselves were responsible for crime). And now, dear hearts and gentle readers, we have "gun criminals." Like every other term these lying collectivist bastards use, this one is slippery, mutable, subject to instant redefinition in light of "common sense reasonable regulation."

What is a "gun criminal"? A criminal who uses a firearm? Or is it someone who, by virtue of owning a firearm, becomes a criminal? I rather think that Helmke has the latter in mind, rather than the former. For gun control has never really been about controlling criminals, who by definition obey no laws, but instead about restricting the rights of the law-abiding.

So enter "gun criminal" in the lying lexicon of the collectivist gun banners. Remember it is every bit as deadly a lie as "Arbeit Macht Frei" above the Auschwitz gate. We are probably out of time to refute these lies by force of verbiage. There are, however, other forms of persuasion. They can cut through all the lies in an instant.