Welcome to ‘1984’— where newspeak prevents thoughtcrime

When you work with words you want your words to work.

But try as we will, we ink-stained journos are in a never-ending struggle against the politically correct, the politicians, the spinmeisters and assorted language doctors in our effort to clearly communicate.

George Orwell recognized this phenomenon and invented in “1984” the word newspeak to describe it. Newspeak was Big Brother’s way of trying to prevent “thoughtcrime” — which is why we have laws against certain hate crimes. Never mind that the act itself is a crime but it is doubly so if you have a motive that offends the sensitive ones.

And offending someone, anyone, is now the ultimate offense.

Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano doesn’t want to offend people who might want to blow us up by calling them by some offensive term like terrorist. No, she has now decided to call them the creators of man-caused disasters, like flying loaded passenger airliners into high-rise buildings.

Our one-worlder president doesn’t believe in fighting a global war against man-caused disasters. His Defense Department (They don’t call it the War Department anymore) sent out a memo saying: "this administration prefers to avoid using the term 'Long War' or 'Global War on Terror' [GWOT]. Please use 'Overseas Contingency Operation.'"

That sounds so much better. I am relieved that the war on terror is over over there and over here and everywhere.

Now for the ultimately offensive offense: Guess what they now want to call that high-rise building the New York Port Authority proposes to build at what was formerly, I suppose, called Ground Zero? No, the name is no longer Freedom Tower. That might offend those who don’t like freedom. No, the new name is One World Trade Center.

Don’t it make you want to start a global group hug?