POTPOURRI
“Simply Speaking”
Talk to Government Officials and Attorneys… and you will soon be overwhelmed with all that overly complexgovernment-speak phrases. Like these examples—
- ‘De facto” (in reality)
- “Quid pro quo” (an equal exchange)
- “Ipso facto” (by that very fact}
- “Habeas corpus” (bring a person to court)
- “Prima facie” (at first sight)
And According to Many… the vocabulary of the US legal system has been strongly influenced by Latin. Consequently, many Latin terms taken from their original text have been translated into a language that lawyers commonly use, are referred to as— ‘LEGALESE’. The most common place you can find legalese is within a ‘contract and within Government documents’—
- Robert “Buddy” Aguiar (69, public workers union representative)
“As you all know, I’ve served as a Union Rep for some 30 years now, and let me tell you, negotiating the workers’ contracts have been nerve wrecking—especially when dealing with the State and the Feds. UNBELIEVABLE!!! It really seems like each Government agency negotiator is trying to ‘out-gobbledygook’ the last contract-attorney guy… Everything presented, written or said, seem overly complex, incoherent—and, even incomprehensible most of the time.”
“Seriously, I think my one really ‘Saving Grace’ during all this time on the job working on a variety of workers’ contracts is the fact that I had attended a Catholic High School in Hawaii, and Latin was one of my required ‘Academic Division’ study curriculum languages— (also, would you believe I was an Altar Boy, and Mass was then said in Latin??). My thoughts on that high school language requirement now??”
“DEO GRATIAS!! FOR THAT BRO…”—
- Florence Kuulei Ching (70, medical clinic administrator)
“AMEN… to that, my Friend!!! I know exactly what you’re talking about, and how that Legalese and Gobbledygook can mystify simple processes of living. I can vouch for what you are saying; and can even add… MORE!!”
“Healthcare professionals— doctors, nurses, specialty technicians—want to always sound so highly trained. And, maybe ‘YES’, they all are!! Heck, I’m not berating their professional bearing; instead, I think we’ve all got caught up in the jargon of our business and have forgotten how to see people as ‘PEOPLE’—and not just simply another person who needs medical expertise so as to heal quickly.”
“Think about it…
… An accident victim is rushed to the ER, quickly examined, and that attending physician orders: ‘WE NEED A BIOPSY (tissue sample for testing purposes) OF THAT LESION (cut, wound, or sore). STAT (urgent or rush— from the Latin word ‘STATIM’—meaning immediately)!!!”
“That poor crying, scared, suffering little girl. Probably thinking immediately that she will be scarred for life. And all that emotional pain because that physician forgot to get out of his ‘Dr. Mode’;and make that necessary code-switch, from ‘Dr. Speak to Patient Speak’. Sadly, this scenario is played-out all too often in hospitals and medical clinics everywhere…!!!”
- Jonah “Nasdaq” Lum-Kee (79, retired strategic planning consultant)
“Hang-on!! I gotta get in on this… I’ve got more of these kinds of complicated ‘Legalese Mumbo Jumbo’ stories. As you know, Strategic planning has literally been my life, even back in my U.S. Army days when I was Transportation Officer at Ft. Shafter here in Honolulu. And, actually, I had one experience that was my first brush with legalese and Latin!!”
“Here’s the story: I had agreed to the use of U.S. Army 44-seat passenger buses under my supervision to support a Honolulu Police Department secret raid of an illegal chicken fight gambling ring on the West side of the island in Waianae. According to the legal complaint filed by the gamblers’ attorneys, I as the Transportation Officer-in-charge, was guilty of violating the— The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 which bars federal troops from participating in civilian law enforcement except when expressly authorized by law.”.
“Can you believe that?? Had it not been for U.S. Army JAG legal assistance, I would have been hit with a misdemeanor charge!! So, guess what?? Now that I’m nearing that ‘Big 80’-age bracket, I’ve been meeting with my Trust Attorney to plan distribution of my personal real-estate and financial assets which means More Legalese, like—PER STIRPES; PER CAPITA; FIDUCIARY; REVOCABLE; IRREVOCABLE; DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY…!!!”
“All good and necessary language, but sure seems to ‘Complicate the Simple”. Anyway, I know a lot more legal and Latin jargon now than just ‘Posse Comitatus’… Oh, and of course, I still recall my all-time favorite Latin phrase— ‘CARPE DIEM’!!!”
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STORY SUBMITTED BY:
E. Tiwanak
IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
Puanani/Internet
Heroes 5-0 