Brad DeLong's Semi-Daily Journal: A Weblog

According to my dictionary:

"chthonian adj. In ancient mythology, pertaining to the gods and spirits of the underworld. Also chthonic."

Under chthonic, Webster has "Variant(s): also chtho·ni·an."

You need the dictionary button, Brad:

http://www.m-w.com/downloads.htm

The pickier American Heritage (unofficial motto: "Webster is a slut") lists chthonic first, which with them is a nod of preference; Webster, they told me in English grad school, lists the more popular definition or usage first.

But then, I've been waiting for years for Thurston Moore et al. to release an album as Chthonic Youth ...

Apologies to Matthew Yglesias; I should have written "lists 'chthonic' first."

It's only a matter of time before Krauthammer "diagnoses" Democrats as chthonophagic psychotics.

Actually, chtonian probably should not be used, as it might be confused with a burrowing creature of the same name, which was introduced to the Chtulhu Mythos by an English writer named Brian Lumley, in his horror opus, "The Burrowers Beneath."

Bushworthy

In the sincere attempt to reduce the level of shrillness resulting from our inability to adequately describe the unprecedented behavior of
our current president, I suggest we add a new word to the language.

This new word derived from two existing words

"Trustworthy"
Definition:
[adj] taking responsibility for one`s conduct and obligations; "trustworthy public servants"
[adj] worthy of trust or belief; "a trustworthy report"; "an experienced and trustworthy traveling companion")

"self-worth"
noun {U}
the value you give to your life and achievements:
- Many people derive their self-worth from their work.
(adj) "self-worthy"
- Self-worthy individuals do not dread the end of a well deserved vacation.

"BUSHWORTHY"
Definition:
[adj] pocessing obliviousness to one's responsibility for conduct and obligations; "Bushworthy public servants save time by letting others read the daily intelligence briefings"
[adj] lacking concern for worthiness of trust or belief; "Being a bushworthy economic forecast, it did not provide figures beyond the present administration's term",
[adj] pocessing ability to value oneself regardless of evidence of work, achievement or success:
- A less bushworthy man might have done little light reading while on vacationing.

Now imagine yourself, after a especially jaw-dropping performance by our current leader instead of a Ph'nglui mglw'nafh , simply turning to the person next to and softly saying "Bushworthy, Truely Bushworthy".

Andrew Northrup is dead. Long live "The Editors."

George Bush delayed the departure of Air Force One from Bangor to wait for a plane of National Guard soldiers and talk with them. That is Bushworthy, though not in the bogus sense that you mean.

Beware, Comrades of the Order of the Shrill! If you go to the New York times website now, you will see a link indicating a new column by Paul Krugman. "Oh goody", you may think, "two days in a row! Extra shrill goodness!" But if you click it, it will take you to a column by.....
David Brooks.
The horror.

"George Bush delayed the departure of Air Force One from Bangor to wait for a plane of National Guard soldiers and talk with them. That is Bushworthy, though not in the bogus sense that you mean."

Posted by Todd at September 24, 2004 09:47 PM

Right. A spur-of-the-moment decision by Our Leader, once he looked out the aircraft window, and saw troops loading onto an aircraft.

I'll place this with the 'spur of the moment' decision to steal into Baghdad Airport in the dead of night, to have a photo op with screened troops, with a centerpiece turkey, while other troops ate MRE's, due to the disruption.

Now, a better leader might still do some meet and greets with the troops, but he'd have prepared much, much better for the war.

Cthonic/cthonian is a word older than the English language. I think you and Andrew Northrup can settly your disagreement by consulting a grecian.

Well, even if the election keeps the evil one in power, at least it will have brought up from a netherworld of desuetude a fine old word.

What Gods play in a Hell
They themselves create?
Tis only mortal, sightless men
Who scandalize the mundane. lgl

I have some questions for the shrill:

Does George W. Bush put America more at risk of being hit by another 9/11 style attack?

What about Bush increases the danger?

Does the fact that he does not believe in telling the truth to the American people put us more at risk?

Was the fact that the first attack was not prevented attributable at all to Bush's leadership style?

Avis

Look it would have been entirely unbushwothy for the President to have returned from his three week vacation at his Crawford TX. Ranch on the mere account of a Presidential Intelligence Briefing warning an likely attack on by al-Queda. Besides Condi reads those reports and she would have alerted the president is neccessary.

Next Question

I'm glad Zell Miller isn't involved in this debate. But seriously, remember the president doesn't do nuance. I think that is what Joe Biden said.

Avis:
1. Yes, to the extent the likelihood of attack is related to the number of persons engaged in al Qaida like terrorist activities and to the extent Shrubs Iraq War has been a recruiting bonanza for al Qaida.

2. See #1

3. Yes, he lied us into a war in Iraq. The resources wasted there could have been spent increasing homeland security - like inspecting container shipments, securing nucular facilities, securing loose nukes worldwide.

4. PDB titled "Al Qaida Determined to Strike in US". Roundly ignored 6 weeks before strike.

Next question.

Avis: I have written about 1 and 2 here:
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2004/09/why_i_will_not__2.html
and here:
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2004/09/why_i_will_not__3.html
and here:
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidian_wings/2004/09/why_i_will_not__1.html
if you're really interested.

Isn't it chthonic that Andrew wrote a whole post using the word chthonic that is not, in fact, chthonic? Don't you think? It's a bit like rain on your wedding day.

I thought it was "clintonian". Heh :)

All of us non-autochthonic folks should just shut up and let Ethiopia rule! Oh, and Bob Marley, too.