Thursday, May 01, 2014

This judicial sinecure may, or it may not, be the place for servitude.

I thought Halloween was in October?

The newspaper may not cover the waterfront, but reporter Daniel Suddeath covers the race for judge, which evidently is so important that only the four candidates for sheriff seem to be spending more money for signs than this quartet currently is -- with the notable exception of James "Jim" Hancock. I've rewritten just one crucial sentence:

Hancock, 61, is frank about his reasoning for seeking the judge’s seat. "Buying those old Glenn Hancock signs at the yard sale was the best move I ever made," he said. "A bit of white-out, and I'm good to go.

Apart from that, a very gentle point about words:

ser·vi·tude
ˈsərviˌt(y)o͞od/
noun
the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful.
synonyms: slavery, enslavement, bondage, subjugation, subjection, domination; More
antonyms: liberty
LAWarchaic ... the subjection of property to an easement.

As opposed to ...

serv·ice
ˈsərvis/
noun
1.
the action of helping or doing work for someone.
"millions are involved in voluntary service"
synonyms: favor, kindness, good turn, helping hand

If the judge's position merits campaign expenditures like these, my guess is that "service" is more appropriate than "servitude," even if other words spring readily to mind.

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