don't make "martial law" into "marshall law"

[Lerkfish]

no, I'm not being a spelling nanny. Its an important misconceptiont to clear up because calling it anything other than "martial" semantically removes the military from the term, and makes it sound like some nondescript law written by a guy named Marshall.

why do I care? because I think the term should persist in its most chilling and disturbing form, it should not be disney-fied or made more palatable.

we should be scared zitless when we hear the term "martial law'.

ok, /rant

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Can I make Marshall Law into Marshall MacLuhan?

Because I'll have the message medium well.

[northzax]

7. or George Preston Marshall?

Go Skins!

[eyesroll]

2. I think I got a brochure from Marshall Law last year.

http://www.jmls.edu/

[blm]

3. Agree. Especially since Marshall Plan was a positive use of our country's

might, and MARTIAL LAW is just about the most restrictive action that can be executed against our own citizenry.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

4. I thought it was Marshall Dillon & Kitty who were going to take over.

[H2O Man]

5. You're fast on the draw.

Beat me to it!

[Lerkfish]

6. the humorous responses in this thread reinforce my point.

and they ARE humorous, and I do appreciate their humor, but this is serious as soldiers marching down the street and demanding your papers and shooting you in the head, execution style if you don't produce them.

[H2O Man]

9. Webster's

New Collegiate Dictionary lists them as being pronounced exactly the same. You are right, of course, that people should spell words correctly. At the same time, if there are "soldiers marching down the street .... and shooting you in the head, execution style," it seems likely that spelling will not count for much.

[Lerkfish]

10. missing my point?

perhaps. I'm trying to say that the mispelling deflects the horror, intentionally or not, of the reality of martial law, and lulls people into a false sense of nonalarm when discussing it, indeed, making jokes about it.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

12. Oh, so, I'm lulled into a false sense of non-alarm by a misspelling!?!

Welll! What do you think the lulled one is picturing as a result
of the misspelling? Do you think he or she is picturing the
Marshall Plan being instituted in the U.S.? Or Marshall Dillon
on patrol? ... See, that's the point of the jokes, that you are
seriously arguing that a misspelling gives the lulled dupes (like me)
a vision of something OTHER than troops in the street.

[Lerkfish]

15. point taken, never mind. going now to recharge my humor batteries

:)

[A-Schwarzenegger]

16. OTOH, I understand your irkedness & wouldnt want to underestimate

the potential for evil of the RW crazies. It CAN happen here. Peace.

[Generic Other]

19. You misspelled Marshal Dillon and I still see Gunsmoke

You appear to have a double consonant fetish. You will not lull me, by golly!

[A-Schwarzenegger]

20. I am luuling you now.

But let's not make too much fun of marital law.
Besides: http://www.marshalldillon.com/
They spelled it differnt in da 1840s.

[Generic Other]

21. It's unseemly to ululate just because you are proven right

I'm just saying mortal law sounds too harsh.

[keta11]

8. What is it about Marshmallow Law

don't you like????

[Chipper Chat]

11. "Martial law" would be handled by this charming fellow:

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. No, no you silly person...

I would be enforced by Martial Dillon

[Cleita]

13. I think some also confuse it with the Marshall Plan, which

was used to reconstruct Germany and Japan after WWII.

[leeroysphitz]

17. How about MARTIAN law?

[stevedeshazer]

18. Words matter.

I agree with you.

Steve