Our new favorite word: "Mandate"...the definition and its ramifications

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

man·date (mán dàyt)
n (plural man·dates)
1. authoritative order: an official command or instruction from an authority
2. politics support for government from electorate: the authority bestowed on a government or other body by an electoral victory, effectively authorizing it to carry out the policies for which it campaigned
The party in power has a clear mandate for reform.

3. law agreement for free service: a contract by which somebody agrees to perform a service without payment
4. law instruction from superior court or official: an order from a superior court or official to a lower one
5. history region ruled by outside power: any of the territories that were placed by the League of Nations under the administration of one of its European member states after World War I. Also called mandated territory
6. history commission to administer state: the power conferred by the League of Nations on a member state to administer a region

vt (past man·dat·ed, past participle man·dat·ed, present participle man·dat·ing, 3rd person present singular man·dates)
1. international law assign colony to a nation: to assign a territory or region to a particular nation under a mandate
2. make something mandatory: to require or order something by making it mandatory
The law mandates systematic tracking and reporting of hazardous wastes.

(Early 16th century. From Latin mandatum , from the past participle of mandare , literally “to give into somebody’s hand,” ultimately from the Indo-European word for “hand.”)

-man·da·tor, n
Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

[ogradda]

1. every hair on my body

just stood straight up.

[Nag Champa]

2. I believe that the term mandate is being changed

...by Presidential decree. A spokesman for the Whitehouse said that it sounded like a gay reference, and this was found to be offensive to the President. From now on Americans will be required to use the term "Mondete".

Just thought you'd like to know. Ya never know who is monitoring this board.