Pigs, levels, and stooping

Someone questioned the appropriateness of my use of the word "pigs" to describe Rep. Murtha and Sen. McCain. I would like to point out that the word "pig" is accepted to mean "greedy or disgusting person" as well as to mean "mammal of the family Suidae." I firmly believe that McCain's and Murtha's actions are driven by greed for partisan acclaim, political gain, or both, and I find them disgusting. The venerable printing (1981) of the OED at my disposal informs that "pig" is applied "contemptuously or opprobriously, to a person," and I fully intended to convey contempt and opprobrium, both of which are richly deserved by McCain's and Murtha's words and actions.

The same person asked me if I wanted to stoop to Murtha's level. I don't, and I haven't. To do that, I would need to do something to undemine national security and troop morale while holding a position of trust in the U.S. government, or something similarly vile. No, I'm still honest, humble, and supportive of my country and its soldiers. I suppose if I mugged someone, beat and robbed him or her, that would be about Murtha's level (though down a totally unrelated path of opprobrium), but I haven't done that either, nor any of the myriad similar hypotheticals one might think of. So I still have not stooped to Murtha's level. And no, I don't want to.

SRS