With all this discussion of book banning, I thought I'd share a phrase or two I'd like to ban.  Well, not ban I guess, because I believe in free speech.  So how about a phrase or two I really wish people wouldn't use?  At the top of my list right now is "Take back America" or "Take back our country".  LET'S TAKE BACK AMERICA! YAAYYYY!!!!!  Let's not.

I'm pretty sure Barack Obama used that phrase, or some facsimile of it, in his convention speech.  Just to be fair and balanced, had there been a Democratic president for the last eight years, I'm sure the Republicans would have employed it too.  It's used with every election.  You can see it all over the internet: here, here, and seemingly everywhere. 

I can't stand that phrase.  Take back America?  From who?  From the half of the country who voted for the other guy (or girl)?  Why shouldn't they have America too?  When people say this, it makes me feel they believe that one side is right and the other wrong, one side has the good guys and one side the bad.  I couldn't disagree with that more.  We are all equally a part of America, not just the half of us that wins.  The side on which I generally reside is full of decent people, and so is the side I don't.   The other side makes very good points, as does this side.  I can't stand all the vitriol and reduction of people down to ugly stereotypes which are usually untrue.   Rhetoric like "take back America" just supports and widens the divide that exists.  It makes me feel like the candidate who says it only wants to be president for half of the country.  The rest of us, to steal a phrase, are on our own.

And while we're at it, I also don't ever again want to hear someone say "If ---- wins, I'm moving to Canada."  Why?  Because the democratic process worked and the person who was elected by our process won?  Whoever becomes president is my president, whether I voted for him or not.  I'll be interested to see what he does.  I'm not leaving!  I'm proud to be an American, and glad that we have the process that we do. 

Any general phrases you've heard during this election process that you wish would go away?  (And please don't use this post to pick on one side or the other.)