Sten Gazette

In future articles SG will be taking a close look at some of the terms used and abused in modern political discourse. Today we have two quotations for you, a paragraph from an editorial column in this morning’s paper, and Henry Reed’s eloquent poem, written in 1942. Is a thing what it is? Or is it what we say it is? There is a whole lot of truth in these following words from two not-so-different eras, and in discovering that truth you will (we hope) be better placed to find the truth hidden behind the untruths you are bombarded with every day.

Columnist Barrie Hartman wrote today under the headline “Proud to be a liberal, and a Christian, too.” We’ll pass on the Christianity for the moment, and focus on his excellent definition of the word “liberal.” He did this in three sentences:

“Remember when ‘liberal’ meant open-mindedness, thinking for yourself, challenging the status-quo, caring for the disadvantaged, fighting for the working class, standing for racial and sexual equality, protecting religious diversity (and its separation from government), and never going to war unless it’s absolutely necessary? ‘Liberal’ still means that , but you wouldn’t know it now. The right skillfully has turned the image of liberals into a mosaic of empty-headed, atheistic, tax-the-rich-to-feed-the-lazy, homosexual-loving, weak-kneed, hate-America traitors.”

Talk about spin! OK, we will later, for sure. But for now, here’s Henry Reed’s “Naming of Parts,” in full, and unexpurgated.

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,
And to-day we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this
Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,
When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,
Which in your case you have not got. The branches
Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,
Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released
With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me
See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy
If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms
Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see
Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this
Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it
Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this
Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards
The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers
They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy
If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,
And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,
Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom
Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,
For to-day we have naming of parts.

– Henry Reed, 1914-1992

Yesterday on SG we had a bit of housekeeping. And perhaps tomorrow morning we shall have what to do after an election. But today, today we have naming of parts. Unfortunately the point of balance is still something that we have not got, but we’re looking for it.

–SG

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This entry was posted on Sunday, November 7th, 2004 at 9:20 am and is filed under Propaganda, Favorites. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.