THE greatest threat to mankind is not communism, socialism, sexism, Catholicism, Judaism, fanaticism or any of the myriad “isms” you can conjure up as you lie awake at night pondering the fate of the Earth, our last place of refuge in this universe.
To better understand the word “ism” look up ”schism” in the dictionary.

No, the greatest threat will forever be verbal diarrhea. It is the single most terrifying threat to the human race.

We are all aware of the power of the spoken word and how the way in which words are delivered can greatly influence the way that they are received. An old adage comes to mind.

When I was a first year apprentice carpenter my boss at the time, Pat Rogers, said to me, “Measure twice, cut once.”

It’s the same with words. Think twice before you speak. If you don’t, a terrible case of verbal diarrhea is guaranteed. When that happens, no amount of toilet paper will help you!

How many of you can remember the feelings of sheer disbelief/boredom/shock and horror as you sat in a bus, or a car, or a plane or a park bench, or in that holiest of holies, the bar, and listened to someone ramble on and on about something totally ridiculous? That’s right! All of you.

Another example of this comes from the leader of the free word President Obama.  He is asking the Israelis to give back land to the Palestinians.

What mankind is failing to grasp is the simple fact that we own nothing.

I think that that may be the worst case of verbal diarrhea ever witnessed by mankind since that other great orator once said “Read my lips”!

John A. Brennan
Garden City, New York