From: "Faustine" <faustine@lokmail.net>
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them did have nightmares about the Constitution. Not as a piece of paper dancing around on Mickey Mouse legs or whatever the hell you're getting at, but as an idea repersenting the rule of law that was going to lead to them being jailed for murder. Which unfortunately never happened, but so it goes.
I'm sure anyone who speaks English as a first language didn't find it odd or have a problem understanding such a common expression. It's an idiom, not a metaphor. Your English is generally great, but you might want to have a look at various online ESL dictionaries of idiomatic usage if you have time, it
Thanks for proving my point. (For the intellectually impaired: the Constitution never DOES anything. Your magical belief in its virtues is equivalent to pagan's beliefs in idols: they accomplish nothing. A law must be backed by force - and it's the FORCE that does this or that, not the law.) probably
would make things a little easier for you here.
Yes, I am sure that imagining the Constitution standing will make it much easier. Delusions are known to do that.
The language issue might also explain why you missed my original point.
Great. Try rephrasing it without using metaphors, idioms, or whatever.
No hard feelings; I'd rather talk about issues than quibble over this sort of thing anyday. I'm sure if I were trying to do this in French or German instead, I'd be having the same sort of trouble myself.
I'm not objecting to the language; English is fine. I'm objecting to delusions. Laws don't ACT, no matter what language you're using. You should rely more on your guns and less on your papers. Mark