I’m thinking it must really be spring. The nights are cold but the days are sunny and mostly in the 50’s. Yesterday the plants I had ordered on-line were placed in the garden. I got excited at the idea that soon enough I can fill my wagon at the garden store, and my front garden will be a blaze of color. Spring makes me smile.

The Red Sox open today in Detroit. My expectations are lower than they have been in years because of last September and their spectacular fall from grace, but this is a familiar place. Until the Sox won the World Series in 20o4, we Sox fans always had hope but never too much hope. The let down was less painful that way.

I read in the paper this morning that the New York City Department of Education has sent a list of fifty banned words to textbook publishers. No, they aren’t composed of four letters, and no, they are never beeped on TV. Here’s some of the list: dinosaur, birthday, pepperoni, dancing, home computers, Halloween, space aliens, divorce, slavery, terrorism and disease. The school department wants these words eliminated because banning them “allows our students to complete practice exams without distraction.” With tongue in cheek, I wonder about pizza without pepperoni, and I’ll have to start singing Happy (hum here) to you, Happy (hum here) to you and T-Rex was just a big animal. I’m not sure how I’ll get around dancing. Gyrations could be the substitute but that seems suggestive. ET is just a visitor from another place. History is going to take a big hit if we eliminate discussions of slavery. As for the others, how can the school department eliminate the word terrorism? What caused that big hole in the ground?

This is taking political correctness to a terrifying height. The reasons for banning these words all hinge on so called cultural sensitivity. Talk of dinosaurs may offend people who don’t believe in evolution though that has nothing to do with dinosaurs. Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays so no one else should either. Pepperoni is junk food, and not everyone can afford a home computer. Rock and Roll music is on the list. Maybe we need a new Alan Freed to rise in defense. I am speechless which is probably good as I wouldn’t want to offend!

List of banned words: Political Correctness.