Even the words 'pink slime' hard to digest

Words are only words.

Then again, you tell me: Which will you be asking for in the meat aisle at Waldbaum's, King Kullen or Shop Rite?

"Lean, finely textured beef" or meat that contains "pink slime"?

Now that the icky name has taken such a firm hold, good luck finding any meat containing the additive at any Long Island supermarket -- by any name.

It's a fact of life in the media world: Win the war of words, and you will win the war. Get stuck with the wrong terminology, and you'll be as helpless as a bankrupt meat processor waist deep in unsalable hamburger filler made from processed beef trimmings, aka "lean, finely textured beef," aka "pink slime."

Yes, words matter, especially if you're trying to convince somebody of something. Just ask a "right-to-lifer" or a "pro-choice advocate."

Think how different Mitt Romney's week would have been if his communications director hadn't compared the fall campaign to an Etch A Sketch.

Think how different East Hampton Town Councilwoman Theresa Quigley's future would look if she hadn't been accused earlier this month of agreeing with a critic who had charged that some Springs residents were engaging in "gestapo" tactics by spying on their neighbors to find illegal housing.

If only she had been accused of agreeing with someone who called the residents "bullies" instead. If only she hadn't lost a slimy war of words.

1. Putting the "gross" back in "grocery store."

2. You want fries with that?

3. No, thanks, I'm on a diet.

4. Just serve it in the school cafeteria. The kids will never notice.

5. Where's the "beef"?

We're big boosters of the Junior League of Long Island. Really, what's better than volunteering? How else should community-minded women use their time? Longer lunching? Apparently, Georgia Gier isn't busy enough. Along with being a beloved science teacher at W.T. Clarke High School in the East Meadow School District, lead faculty for the Natural Sciences College at the University of Phoenix, an active volunteer in Al Gore's Climate Project and a new mom, the lifelong Oyster Bayer is also current president of the local league. As the volunteer group recruits a new generation of women for a wide variety of community projects focusing on health care and the needs of women, the JLLI is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a member of the Association of Junior Leagues International. Once in a while, the new chapter president also gets a chance to sleep.

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