Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Broken on the Rack(?)
'Extraordinary rendition' .... the Bush Administration's program for spiriting possible terrorists off to the prisons of more barbaric (than us) countries and having them tortured to elict confessions of guilt.
I'm puzzled about how the term 'extraordinary rendition' came into being for this particular usage. To conceal? To obfuscate? To confuse? Or is there some warp of meaning that really does apply?
Extraordinary: 1. Beyond what is ordinary or usual. 2. Highly exceptional; remarkable. 3. Employed or used for a special service, function, or occasion. [American Heritage Dictionary]
Rendition: 1. The act of rendering. 2. An interpretation of a musical score or a dramatic piece. 3. A translation, often interpretive. 4. A surrender [obsolete Old French rendre, to give back.] [American Heritage Dictionary]
Well, yes! The act of employing a special service to go beyond what is ordinary or usual in rendering (as in melting down) a surrender. We now stand enlightened.
[SEE PRIOR POSTING FOR REPORT ON DR. BOOKWORM'S DAY AT THE HOSPITAL.]
# posted by Clear Creek Girl : 1:24 PM
