Unwarranted conclusions in the news

The Daily Times recently published a column on Sarah Palin’s abrupt resignation from the governorship of Alaska, in which Rayanne Smith opined, “Palin brings a friendliness and willingness to serve that is seen in few politicians.”

Uh, what?? To paraphrase Monty Python (I think), this is a usage of the term “willingness to serve” I’ve not previously encountered.

And just now I heard a local newscaster introduce a story on the thousands of laptops that are lost or stolen in airports every week: “If you want to hang on to your laptop, you might want to keep it out of airports.” Helpful advice, I’m sure.

[Cross-posted to “blog” thingie.]

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