Dymitri, I wrote you a long, detailed snail mail on December 29, 2025. Perhaps longer than may be entertaining, but you asked a few questions that weren't quite ideal in their possible use as cannon fodder for the masses. Another comment from this reply to my post. Speaking of that fella we both knew, "Whispers," it seems to me that your long-time troll has given up on your persecution. Although you always took their pestering with grace, you also know that I did not! What a blessing to not have that noise. Sigh. Humans are complex, mentally and emotionally. I remain, John
Is language a weapon? Recently, we had a conversation about the use of the word ‘offender’ in relation to systemic bias towards those convicted of a crime or those who admit to doing something via a plea agreement. Is offender a different word from inmate or prisoner? Yes. It is closer to analogous with the words convict or felon; words that also carry negative connotations.
This type of word appropriation is currently being employed in conservative media and the current administration with the term “illegal immigrants.” Why do I find this objectionable? It’s a broad term that encompasses various types of aliens residing in America. These include criminal aliens, formerly legally admitted but expired visa holders, non-citizens admitted for humanitarian relief under programs canceled by the current administration, and undocumented aliens (who may have entered the country decades ago when borders were more fluid). Similar to the word “offender,” using a blanket term like “illegal immigrants” conveys judgment and righteous indignation, regardless of the circumstances that led a human being deserving of respect and justice to seek refuge in a country that once served as a haven for the destitute, the persecuted, the harassed, and the needy. Criminally accused aliens, in my view, should be treated in the same way as criminally accused citizens. This does not guarantee justice, but it is the best America can do.
“One Bad Apple (Don’t Spoil the Whole Bunch, Girl)” - George Osborne
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” - Emma Lazarus
“You know that life really takes its toll, And a poet's gut reaction is to search his very soul.” - Dee Dee Ramone
Dymitri, I updated the transcription with paragraph breaks. I know philoosophy and sociology is your gig. But I had a big smile seeing an admitted agnostic quoting a reverend. Explain how that happened...I assume organically?
I need to include you, brother, on a conversation I've been having with multiple people, an editor and someone inside. As I considered where to post my musing, it seemed to go along with the idea of brainwashing. The conversation follows as such:
Hi Dymitri, I hope you are well; I just want to send you a few lines. First, I hope you liked my reply. I think it is always interesting to receive an email from a different country. I try to write something in Italian and then I translate it in English.
L’Italia si può dividere in tre parti per spiegarla meglio. C’è una certa differenza tra le regioni del nord, del centro e del sud. Comunque, queste divisioni sono graduali man mano che ci si sposta da nord a sud, in questo modo non si può tracciare un confine tra una parte dell’Italia e l’altra. Il nord è la parte più moderna ed industrializzata dell’Italia e anche la più popolata. Il centro è la parte dell’Italia che meglio rappresenta la cultura italiana per la bellezza delle città e perché qui è nata la lingua italiana. Il sud è la parte meno sviluppata della nazione, ma ha bellissimi posti, specialmente sulle coste e anche delle belle città, purtroppo lo sviluppo del sud Italia è frenato da alcune organizzazioni criminali Ti ho solo scritto una breve descrizione delle caratteristiche della mia nazione.
Italy can be divided into three parts to explain it better. There is a certain difference between the northern, central, and southern regions. However, these divisions are gradual from north to south, so it is not possible to draw a border between one part of Italy and another. The north is the most modern and industrialized part of Italy, and the most populous. The centre is the part of Italy that best represents Italian culture, thanks to the beauty of its cities and because the Italian language was born here. The south is the least developed part of the country, but it has beautiful places, especially on the coast, and some beautiful cities. Unfortunately, the development of southern Italy is being held back by some criminal organizations. I've only given you a brief description of the characteristics of my country.
This January has been very cold in Northern Italy where I lived, which was unusual in the last years, when we got used to have milder winter due to global warming. In the past, I mean 20 years ago the winter used to be cold as this year, so this January we remembered winters spent when I was younger.
That’s all for today. I wish you all the best. Alberto Italy
Hey, Dym, just had the computer transcribe this one. It only made a couple gaffs, strangely adding in some lines that simply don't exist in your original.
took about ten minutes -- maybe not an earthshaking improvement over typing it out, but certainly not too bad, and I could have stopped without cleaning it up but that just didn't sit right with me.
As for content... this seems like such a lifetime ago in the past -- long enough to make me have a bit of a time travel fantasy...
Hi Dymitri, It was a pleasure to transcribe your post, I am glad when I can help people, especially people who are suffering for any reason. I am very happy to learn that my attention was appreciated by you. I have travelled to many European countries (France, Spain, Germany, Croatia, England, Austria, Switerland, Belgium). I have never been to other continent, therefore I have never been to US. The sentence you wrote in Italian is perfect; there is no mistakes. Congratulations! Of course I can help you to improve your Italian. My Italian is good since I attended University. I would like to help anyone who wants to practice my nice language and culture. I am very happy to be able to help people to practice my language and culture as a sign of friendship between different countries and people. It is an activity I am very happy to volunteer for, without expecting anything in return on a web site called Language Exchange. Therefore, as I help the users of that site, I can also help you with great pleasure. If you wish, you can write me longer sentences in Italian, and I will be happy to help you with my advice and corrections. You can talk to me about any topic; I am a person who listens to people. Today I would like to talk to you about the most beautiful Italian cities. Foreigners often ask me which is the most beautiful Italian city. Well, I have no hesitation in saying that the most beautiful Italian cities are: Florence, Rome, and Venice, in strict alphabetical order. These cities have a great quality and quantity of monuments and works of art; every tourist has their favorite, depending on their tastes and cultural interests. Personally, I put Rome first, for its beauty and enormous quantity of works of art and monuments, but also for its incomparable history: it was the capital of the Roman Empire and has been the seat of the Pope and therefore the center of Christianity for approximately two thousand years (aside from the period in 1300 when the Popes lived in Avignon, France). The fact that I am Catholic contributes to my choice of Rome as the most interesting city in Italy. Adesso scrivo due righe in Italiano. Spero che il mio inglese sia comprensibile, non è sempre facile scrivere in una lingua straniera, e l’inglese è così differente dall’italiano. Spero anche di ricevere presto una tua risposta, sono felice di poter diventare il tuo assistente personale per migliorare il tuo italiano.(I also hope to hear from you soon. I'm happy to become your personal assistant in improving your Italian). From you name and surname I think you should have east European origins. I transcribe your Comment reply addressed to me.
Hi Dymitri, It was a pleasure to transcribe your post, I am glad when I can help people, especially people who are suffering for any reason. I am very happy to learn that my attention was appreciated by you. I have travelled to many European countries (France, Spain, Germany, Croatia, England, Austria, Switerland, Belgium). I have never been to other continent, therefore I have never been to US. The sentence you wrote in Italian is perfect; there is no mistakes. Congratulations! Of course I can help you to improve your Italian. My Italian is good since I attended University. I would like to help anyone who wants to practice my nice language and culture. I am very happy to be able to help people to practice my language and culture as a sign of friendship between different countries and people. It is an activity I am very happy to volunteer for, without expecting anything in return on a web site called Language Exchange. Therefore, as I help the users of that site, I can also help you with great pleasure. If you wish, you can write me longer sentences in Italian, and I will be happy to help you with my advice and corrections. You can talk to me about any topic; I am a person who listens to people. Today I would like to talk to you about the most beautiful Italian cities. Foreigners often ask me which is the most beautiful Italian city. Well, I have no hesitation in saying that the most beautiful Italian cities are: Florence, Rome, and Venice, in strict alphabetical order. These cities have a great quality and quantity of monuments and works of art; every tourist has their favorite, depending on their tastes and cultural interests. Personally, I put Rome first, for its beauty and enormous quantity of works of art and monuments, but also for its incomparable history: it was the capital of the Roman Empire and has been the seat of the Pope and therefore the center of Christianity for approximately two thousand years (aside from the period in 1300 when the Popes lived in Avignon, France). The fact that I am Catholic contributes to my choice of Rome as the most interesting city in Italy. Adesso scrivo due righe in Italiano. Spero che il mio inglese sia comprensibile, non è sempre facile scrivere in una lingua straniera, e l’inglese è così differente dall’italiano. Spero anche di ricevere presto una tua risposta, sono felice di poter diventare il tuo assistente personale per migliorare il tuo italiano.(I also hope to hear from you soon. I'm happy to become your personal assistant in improving your Italian). From you name and surname I think you should have east European origins. I transcribe your Comment reply addressed to me.
RSS
This type of word appropriation is currently being employed in conservative media and the current administration with the term “illegal immigrants.” Why do I find this objectionable? It’s a broad term that encompasses various types of aliens residing in America. These include criminal aliens, formerly legally admitted but expired visa holders, non-citizens admitted for humanitarian relief under programs canceled by the current administration, and undocumented aliens (who may have entered the country decades ago when borders were more fluid). Similar to the word “offender,” using a blanket term like “illegal immigrants” conveys judgment and righteous indignation, regardless of the circumstances that led a human being deserving of respect and justice to seek refuge in a country that once served as a haven for the destitute, the persecuted, the harassed, and the needy. Criminally accused aliens, in my view, should be treated in the same way as criminally accused citizens. This does not guarantee justice, but it is the best America can do.
“One Bad Apple (Don’t Spoil the Whole Bunch, Girl)” - George Osborne
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” - Emma Lazarus
“You know that life really takes its toll,
And a poet's gut reaction is to search his very soul.” - Dee Dee Ramone
I need to include you, brother, on a conversation I've been having with multiple people, an editor and someone inside. As I considered where to post my musing, it seemed to go along with the idea of brainwashing. The conversation follows as such:
I hope you are well; I just want to send you a few lines.
First, I hope you liked my reply. I think it is always interesting to receive an email from a different country.
I try to write something in Italian and then I translate it in English.
L’Italia si può dividere in tre parti per spiegarla meglio. C’è una certa differenza tra le regioni del nord, del centro e del sud. Comunque, queste divisioni sono graduali man mano che ci si sposta da nord a sud, in questo modo non si può tracciare un confine tra una parte dell’Italia e l’altra.
Il nord è la parte più moderna ed industrializzata dell’Italia e anche la più popolata. Il centro è la parte dell’Italia che meglio rappresenta la cultura italiana per la bellezza delle città e perché qui è nata la lingua italiana.
Il sud è la parte meno sviluppata della nazione, ma ha bellissimi posti, specialmente sulle coste e anche delle belle città, purtroppo lo sviluppo del sud Italia è frenato da alcune organizzazioni criminali
Ti ho solo scritto una breve descrizione delle caratteristiche della mia nazione.
Italy can be divided into three parts to explain it better. There is a certain difference between the northern, central, and southern regions. However, these divisions are gradual from north to south, so it is not possible to draw a border between one part of Italy and another.
The north is the most modern and industrialized part of Italy, and the most populous. The centre is the part of Italy that best represents Italian culture, thanks to the beauty of its cities and because the Italian language was born here.
The south is the least developed part of the country, but it has beautiful places, especially on the coast, and some beautiful cities. Unfortunately, the development of southern Italy is being held back by some criminal organizations.
I've only given you a brief description of the characteristics of my country.
This January has been very cold in Northern Italy where I lived, which was unusual in the last years, when we got used to have milder winter due to global warming. In the past, I mean 20 years ago the winter used to be cold as this year, so this January we remembered winters spent when I was younger.
That’s all for today. I wish you all the best.
Alberto
Italy
took about ten minutes -- maybe not an earthshaking improvement over typing it out, but certainly not too bad, and I could have stopped without cleaning it up but that just didn't sit right with me.
As for content... this seems like such a lifetime ago in the past -- long enough to make me have a bit of a time travel fantasy...
It was a pleasure to transcribe your post, I am glad when I can help people, especially people who are suffering for any reason.
I am very happy to learn that my attention was appreciated by you.
I have travelled to many European countries (France, Spain, Germany, Croatia, England, Austria, Switerland, Belgium). I have never been to other continent, therefore I have never been to US.
The sentence you wrote in Italian is perfect; there is no mistakes. Congratulations!
Of course I can help you to improve your Italian.
My Italian is good since I attended University. I would like to help anyone who wants to practice my nice language and culture.
I am very happy to be able to help people to practice my language and culture as a sign of friendship between different countries and people.
It is an activity I am very happy to volunteer for, without expecting anything in return on a web site called Language Exchange.
Therefore, as I help the users of that site, I can also help you with great pleasure.
If you wish, you can write me longer sentences in Italian, and I will be happy to help you with my advice and corrections.
You can talk to me about any topic; I am a person who listens to people.
Today I would like to talk to you about the most beautiful Italian cities. Foreigners often ask me which is the most beautiful Italian city. Well, I have no hesitation in saying that the most beautiful Italian cities are: Florence, Rome, and Venice, in strict alphabetical order. These cities have a great quality and quantity of monuments and works of art; every tourist has their favorite, depending on their tastes and cultural interests. Personally, I put Rome first, for its beauty and enormous quantity of works of art and monuments, but also for its incomparable history: it was the capital of the Roman Empire and has been the seat of the Pope and therefore the center of Christianity for approximately two thousand years (aside from the period in 1300 when the Popes lived in Avignon, France). The fact that I am Catholic contributes to my choice of Rome as the most interesting city in Italy.
Adesso scrivo due righe in Italiano.
Spero che il mio inglese sia comprensibile, non è sempre facile scrivere in una lingua straniera, e l’inglese è così differente dall’italiano.
Spero anche di ricevere presto una tua risposta, sono felice di poter diventare il tuo assistente personale per migliorare il tuo italiano.(I also hope to hear from you soon. I'm happy to become your personal assistant in improving your Italian).
From you name and surname I think you should have east European origins.
I transcribe your Comment reply addressed to me.
Cordiali saluti
Alberto
Italy
It was a pleasure to transcribe your post, I am glad when I can help people, especially people who are suffering for any reason.
I am very happy to learn that my attention was appreciated by you.
I have travelled to many European countries (France, Spain, Germany, Croatia, England, Austria, Switerland, Belgium). I have never been to other continent, therefore I have never been to US.
The sentence you wrote in Italian is perfect; there is no mistakes. Congratulations!
Of course I can help you to improve your Italian.
My Italian is good since I attended University. I would like to help anyone who wants to practice my nice language and culture.
I am very happy to be able to help people to practice my language and culture as a sign of friendship between different countries and people.
It is an activity I am very happy to volunteer for, without expecting anything in return on a web site called Language Exchange.
Therefore, as I help the users of that site, I can also help you with great pleasure.
If you wish, you can write me longer sentences in Italian, and I will be happy to help you with my advice and corrections.
You can talk to me about any topic; I am a person who listens to people.
Today I would like to talk to you about the most beautiful Italian cities. Foreigners often ask me which is the most beautiful Italian city. Well, I have no hesitation in saying that the most beautiful Italian cities are: Florence, Rome, and Venice, in strict alphabetical order. These cities have a great quality and quantity of monuments and works of art; every tourist has their favorite, depending on their tastes and cultural interests. Personally, I put Rome first, for its beauty and enormous quantity of works of art and monuments, but also for its incomparable history: it was the capital of the Roman Empire and has been the seat of the Pope and therefore the center of Christianity for approximately two thousand years (aside from the period in 1300 when the Popes lived in Avignon, France). The fact that I am Catholic contributes to my choice of Rome as the most interesting city in Italy.
Adesso scrivo due righe in Italiano.
Spero che il mio inglese sia comprensibile, non è sempre facile scrivere in una lingua straniera, e l’inglese è così differente dall’italiano.
Spero anche di ricevere presto una tua risposta, sono felice di poter diventare il tuo assistente personale per migliorare il tuo italiano.(I also hope to hear from you soon. I'm happy to become your personal assistant in improving your Italian).
From you name and surname I think you should have east European origins.
I transcribe your Comment reply addressed to me.
Cordiali saluti
Alberto
Italy