Recent Thoughts... and Prayers

Until I have the it officially banished, I guess I'll have to keep hearing this silly phrase.

Hundreds of commuters and survivors stood silently as Mayor Boris Johnson and others laid flowers outside King's Cross train and subway station at 8:50 a.m. three years after the attacks in 2005.
Johnson laid a memorial card that said: "We honor the memory of those who died on 7/7 2005. We salute the courage of those who were injured and our thoughts and prayers are with all victims and their families."
-During a ceremony marking the third anniversary of London's July 7 bombings

"Jesse was a mentor and good friend and his contributions to North Carolina and to the nation were countless. We will miss him tremendously. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dot and the entire Helms family."
— North Carolina GOP Sen. Richard Burr on the death of former Sen. Jesse Helms

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our good friend and a great American: Senator Jesse Helms. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Dot, and all the members of the Helms family.
-President Bush on the death of Helms

What does that mean anyway? "Are with you?" Maybe that's what gets to me. How can a thought and a prayer be with you? I could maybe see "are for you." Burr's "go out to" even makes more sense than "are with."

Am I over analyzing this? Coll seems to think so, but it just sticks in my craw. No telling what I say, though, that might rub people the wrong way. Anyone against the phrase "sticks in my craw?"

And it's not just people sending out random thoughts and prayers (I'm thinking about what you said to last time I saw you and praying that you break your leg, you old buzzard), it's people thanking people for their thoughts and prayers as well, which for some reason I find less odious than the first group. Don't ask me to explain it. That's just the way it is.

"Earlier this morning Nic gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban," read the message posted on Urban's Web site. "We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We feel very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of you today."
-Keith Urban on the birth of his daughter

"Obviously, the pregnancy is still very early, but so far everything and everyone looks fine. We appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers now and in the weeks and months to come," Snyder said.
-Arkansas Rep. Vic Snyder, whose wife is pregnant with triplets

"Bobby remains hopeful that he will be able to resume his broadcasting work down the road, but for now, is appreciative of the thoughts and prayers of his fans, and wants them to know that he is aware that he is in their hearts, as they are in his," the family said.
-Statement from family of Bobby Murcer, Yankees broadcaster and former outfielder

I think I'd believe a person who said "my thought and my prayer is with you." Because that's probably about as much thought and prayer anyone really receives from people who utter this triteness.

Not much.

Thoughts and Prayers

I think thoughts and prayers should be banished.

Not the actions themselves but the phrase "thoughts and prayers."

I think I've heard about enough of that phrase recently to last me forever.

I think politicians and public officials are the worst for this, but probably only because they are often asked to comment on tragic situations that they have no close ties to.

A Google News search this afternoon came up with 3,204 uses of the hackneyed phrase, and at first glance many of them appear to be from different sources.

Here's are a few recent uses of the trite phrase in the news:

June 25, 2008, after a western Kentucky plastics plant worker opened fire and killed five co-workers and himself:

"This is a devastating loss to this community which we have been a part of for more than 40 years," Atlantis Plastics CEO Bud Philbrook said in a statement late Wednesday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families and we will work with them to provide our help and support."

June 21, 2008, after a NHRA driver was killed when his car crashed and burst into flames:

"That really hits close to home," Keselowski said after winning the pole position for Saturday night's race at the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis. "(He was) a friend of my family's, and I send my thoughts and prayers out to him. That's tough to hear."

June 17, 2008, President Bush speaking in the East Room of the White House in honor of Black Music Month:

As we honor black music in America, our thoughts turn to one of its legends -- Bo Diddley. Bo was one of the pioneers of rock and roll. And during his more than five decades as a singer, songwriter and performer, he changed the face of music. He really did. We mourn his loss, yet we know this -- that his memory will live on in the songs and the joy he brought to millions -- including a little fellow like me. So all of us here today send our thoughts and prayers to Bo Diddley's family.

I guess I've always heard the phrase and cringed a bit, but it wasn't until Tim Russert died the other day that it really got my hackles up.

"I am grief stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family."
-Sen. Barack Obama
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and we know that Tim Russert leaves a legacy of integrity of the highest level of journalism and we miss him and we will miss him a lot."

-Sen. John McCain

I've got more to say on this, but I've got to go for now. More next week. Stay tuned.