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.

SLIMY AND PINK

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"?

ASKED AND UNANSWERED: ISP to DCA on US Airways twice a day: How 'bout those happy letters for LI lobbyists and Smithsonian fans? . . . Does Bob Wolff ever get tired of all the attaboys? The 91-year-old News 12 Long Island sportscaster just got the Guinness nod for "Longest Career as a Sports Broadcaster" (73 years and counting and counting) . . . Next Republican grudge match? Peter King vs. Chris Christie? The LI rep says the N.J. gov needs to chill over the NYPD's cross-Hudson Muslim-spying ops . . . We all need friends, right? So please click "accept" to any Facebook requests from Steve Levy, new president of Common Sense Strategies . . . Tell me again: After 17 years with a home at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, why does the Global Maritime and Transportation School have to leave in July? The Seaman's Institute at Snug Harbor is suddenly scheming a Staten Island snatch-and-grab.

THE NEWS IN SONG: Who knew ground beef had a tribute band? Zappa Plays Zappa, "I'm the Slime": tinyurl.com/tooslimy

LONG ISLANDER OF THE WEEK: GEORGIA GIER

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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