Vigilance: \Vig”i*lance\, n. [L. vigilantia: cf. F. vigilance.]
- The quality or state of being vigilant; forbearance of sleep; wakefulness.
- Watchfulness in respect of danger; care; caution; circumspection.
And flaming ministers to watch and tend Their earthly charge; of these the vigilance I dread. – Milton.
- Guard; watch. [Obs.] In at this gate none pass the vigilance here placed. – Milton.
OK. Great. Wonderful. Now there won’t be any dispute about what vigilance means. It’s all there in plain words and examples from classical literature. But it’s important to note; vigilance implies absolutely no action. Nothing gets done when we are only vigilant. No wars. No reform. No compromise. No education. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Bupkas. Nada. That last one’s for you, Senor Bush, since we all know you talk Mexico real good.
So, G-Dubs, please keep throwing around the term “vigilant”. Keep saying it 15 to 20 times per day, in every situation, concerning every issue, ad nauseum. Let’s all be vigilant about terrorism, and rogue nations, and nuclear programs. Let’s be vigilant about the economy, and race relations, and cloning. Let’s keep looking around, intently and carefully, taking everything in. And doing nothing.
Perhaps this was skillful word choice by the Bushministraish. Perhaps they’re using this word to champion caution and thorough, rational analysis of all angles of an issue, so as not to act rashly. Perhaps they’re using this word to force compromise and prudence. Perhaps it’s one of the few three-syllable words Georgie is truly comfortable with. Perhaps it reminds him of his pet hermit crab, Virgil.
Whatever the reason, keep it up! We’ll all continue our heightened state of alertness about where our Social Security benefits are going and stay awake all night, brandishing lit candles, singing hymns about all those sweet new jobs. We’ll keep close watch on exactly how much the rest of the word hates us and stay intently focussed on who should be kept out of college and why. Then, once “vigilance” has been sucked dry of meaning, we’ll bomb the shit out of people.
We got your vigilance right here.