Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 45 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H4'ed 9/16/21

Words Mean Things, and the "Treason" Talk is Tiresome

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   No comments
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Thomas Knapp

Guy-Fawkes.
Guy-Fawkes.
(Image by Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org), Author: Crispijn van de Passe der Ältere (1564-1637))
  Details   Source   DMCA

Since about the time that Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, the word "treason" has become one of the most over-used -- and more importantly MIS-used -- words in the English language.

Not just by his opponents, who broke out the t-word every time they tried to blame Hillary Clinton's loss on alleged collusion with THEM RUSSIANS!, but by Trump himself when, for example, an anonymous op-ed writer asserted that "adults in the room" were working to keep him from looking stupid.

Trump's leveling his latest (provisional -- "if the story ... is true") "treason" accusation against General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

What did Milley do? If the reportage of Bob Woodward and Robert Costa is correct in their new book, Peril, he made two phone calls -- one right after the 2020 presidential election, one right after the January 6 Capitol riot -- to his Chinese counterpart, General Li Zuocheng, to reassure Li that the US wasn't about to launch a surprise attack on China.

I like words. Words are useful, because they mean things. When I say I want a banana, I'm asking for a piece of fruit rather than for, say, a Tesla Model 3 or tickets to the Allman Family Revival show in Sarasota. That's handy. It keeps me from ending up with too many Teslas and concert tickets.

When it comes to the word "treason," we have a clear and unambiguous definition, right there in Article III of the US Constitution:

"Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort."

Article I, Section 8 is also helpful here: It reserves the power to declare war exclusively to Congress. If Congress hasn't declared war, there's no "enemy" to give aid or comfort to, and any presidential order for a surprise attack on China would be illegal.

If Woodward and Costa's account is to be believed, all Milley did was tell a foreign general that the US armed forces could be trusted to follow US law.

That sounds like a good thing, especially when there's a loose cannon in the White House who isn't very attentive to laws limiting his authority (which is pretty much all the time).

It certainly doesn't sound like "treason," to anyone with a basic grasp of the English language and a commitment to honesty. Unfortunately, that seems to be a shrinking demographic.

Well Said 1   Supported 1   Valuable 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Thomas Knapp Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Thomas L. Knapp is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.


Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

2020: I'm So Sick of Superlatives

America Doesn't Have Presidential Debates, But It Should

Hypocrisy Alert: Republicans Agreed with Ocasio-Cortez Until About One Minute Ago

Chickenhawk Donald: A Complete and Total Disgrace

The Nunes Memo Only Partially "Vindicates" Trump, But it Fully Indicts the FBI and the FISA Court

Finally, Evidence of Russian Election Meddling ... Oh, Wait

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend