Word: commitant
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...others to understand the things we do not say; where we trust a higher harmony to assert itself. We all know how treacherous are words, and how often we use them to paper over embarrassment, or emptiness, or fear of the larger spaces that silence brings. "Words, words, words" commit us to positions we do not really hold, the imperatives of chatter; words are what we use for lies, false promises and gossip. We babble with strangers; with intimates we can be silent. We "make conversation" when we are at a loss; we unmake it when we are alone...
Kevorkian has become the kind of fanatic who could prompt people who share his views to change their minds. Two out of three Americans say they think doctors should be allowed to help desperately sick patients commit suicide, a cause for which Kevorkian has become the most celebrated champion. But as he appears on television after each new death, invoking a higher moral authority and ignoring court orders and judges' instructions, Kevorkian begins to embody all the warnings about how euthanasia, once unleashed, could get out of hand. "It's almost become obligatory for people who write or speak about...
Then there is the discomfiting pattern that, though men are three times as likely as women to commit suicide, so far all of Dr. Kevorkian's suicide patients have been female. It's not that he has any special fondness for watching women die, but rather, he has explained, because "women are just far more realistic about facing death and have got the guts to do it." Kevorkian considers his treatment a form of toughlove. He recalls his first client, ^ Janet Adkins, a vibrant 54-year-old just diagnosed with Alzheimer's who sought out Kevorkian because she was terrified...
Though the expansion of surveillance and pressure on police to act decisively will almost surely help in cracking down on the right, some of the other measures taken by the authorities are dubious. The banning of extremist groups will probably mean little in practical terms. Most of those who commit the crimes either belong to groups that barely deserve to be called extremist or are lone operators. Officials admit that a ban also forces the more organized groups underground, making it tougher to track them. Nonetheless, political scientist Gerd Mielke maintains that the ban "is a blow against right-wing...
Sometimes art gets it just right. In a particularly delicious scene in The Distinguished Gentleman, the latest Hollywood film about political corruption, a lobbyist asks the movie's protagonist his position on sugar-price supports. The con artist turned Congressman (played by Eddie Murphy) has gone to Washington to commit legalized larceny, but he doesn't have a clue about sugar. Which position would prove most profitable? he wonders. It doesn't matter, Murphy is told. If he favors the program, the sugar producers will fill his campaign coffers; if he opposes it, the candy manufacturers will kick in. Similarly...