DEMS BUSHWHACKED BY WHAT DID BUSH KNOW' ATTACK

New York Post ^ | 5/30/02 | DEBORAH ORIN

[Wright is right!]

"Decimate=reduce by one tenth."

Actually, doesn't "decimate" mean to reduce TO 1/10th of its original? To reduce something by 1/10th leaves 90% of it still there. In other words, if an army was "decimated," it would mean that only 10% of the original fighting force was still breathing.

You're right, though - some of our best threads are on what SOME Freepers would call "th' nitpicky non-issues."

Back in my early days of radio, I had a caller on the air who wanted me to "detonate" a record for him. I said, "Sure," and played the sound of an explosion. He MEANT "dedicate" a record.

Michael

[Marysecretary]

I, too, read that the Harris poll was 51% approval rating and many on that thread spoke on how unreliable the Harris poll really is.

[Marysecretary]

Don't you just LOVE watching them hang themself with the rope given them? What a sight to behold!

[McLynnan]

The Senate race in Texas is very tight right now. John Cornyn(R) and Ron Kirk(D) are running neck and neck in polls to replace Phil Gramm. If the election were held today it's anybody's guess who would win.

[McLynnan]

Yes, it's an entertaining show. They don't seem to be able to wrap their minds around the fact the President is popular and Americans are in no mood to listen to the Dems self-serving character attacks.

[stands2reason]

Actually, doesn't "decimate" mean to reduce TO 1/10th of its original? To reduce something by 1/10th leaves 90% of it still there. In other words, if an army was "decimated," it would mean that only 10% of the original fighting force was still breathing.

No. I believe it started out as a punishment the Roman officers gave to their own army, to kill one out of every ten men at random.

[Irene Adler]

I greatly enjoy both your and CT's analyses of political events. Interesting that you have similar backgrounds.

[Irene Adler]

"Greg Ganske has a shot at Harkin in Iowa, too,..."

I am an Iowan. Unfortunately, I will be surprised if Harkin is defeated. The NEA and AFSCME always throw everything they have into his election efforts. The Republicans simply have no comparable organizations to defeat him. Harkin is a real nasty guy as well as a typical demoliar, and I hate to have to say it, but I can't see him losing.

[Thebaddog]

I did a search of Harris polls and came across a heading claiming a Harris Poll finding that 70% of businesses polled say that ADA rules should not be changed. Commonnow, can you say BS?

[ko_kyi]

Exactly right. I read a book on the Roman Army and they actually went into some detail. If a unit showed cowardice or reluctance to fight the officer in charge was hanged, then lots were drawn and one out of ten soldiers were beaten to death with clubs.

[eureka!]

BS. Unless the businesses polled were plaintiffs' lawyers. ;^)

[Wright is right!]

"No. I believe it started out as a punishment the Roman officers gave to their own army, to kill one out of every ten men at random."

Interesting! So our crack research team of orangutans typed "decimate" into dictionary.com, and the following appeared:

"Usage Note: Decimate originally referred to the killing of every tenth person, a punishment used in the Roman army for mutinous legions. Today this meaning is commonly extended to include the killing of any large proportion of a group. Sixty-six percent of the Usage Panel accepts this extension in the sentence The Jewish population of Germany was decimated by the war, even though it is common knowledge that the number of Jews killed was much greater than a tenth of the original population. However, when the meaning is further extended to include large-scale destruction other than killing, as in The supply of fresh produce was decimated by the nuclear accident at Chernobyl, only 26 percent of the Panel accepts the usage."

Bottom line is that your definition of reducing the force by 10% is correct. At least in terms of origin. However, I would hasten NOT to use "decimation" to describe anything other than a gross, wholesale, lopsided, overwhelming victory or savaging of the enemy. To me, decimate is an extremely powerful word - and 10% reduction is not.

So I'll tend to use the word as the dictionary.com panel accepts - rather than its more precise meaning UNLESS there is an over-riding reason to use the precise terminology.

Which brings up the point - what term would describe such utter defeat as would be suffered by an army in which only 10 percent of its original force remains? Annihilation doesn't work, because it means that ALL of the opposition was wiped out.

Anyone?

Michael