Absolutely, Mr. President. Absolutely.

I have a confession to make about my television viewing habits. I watch news and I watch, well, more news. BBC, CNN, Fox and a few others all get a Nielsen or Arbitron advantage from me. Oh, I also like old Westerns - especially those where the bad guys have the good grace to die from bullet wounds with no visible blood or gore. They simply clutch their stomachs or hold their arms and pass on to the big bunk house in the sky. As we all know, the good guys never die. They just play guitar and sing.

I have another confession to make: I suffer from an incurable case of logomisia. This disorder comes from the Greek for "word hatred" and describes a strong dislike for a word or phrase based on its sound or usage. Right now, my logomisia is in full bloom with a word used on many news networks, but in almost no westerns. You are absolutely correct in assuming that word is, in fact, "absolutely."

Shepherd Smith (to reporter on the ground): "So, would you say the situation in Syria has become so confusing we no longer have any idea of what we are talking about?"

 Reporter: "Absolutely, Shep."

In the English language, "Absolutely" is a linguistic trick referred to as an intensifier. Every language needs a few of these to be reserved for use on special occasions. However, this particular term has been so brutally overworked in contemporary culture that it probably deserves our sympathy. It certainly merits retirement from the news networks.

The word "absolutely" has replaced "yes" as the most common way of expressing affirmation in English - and not just on U.S. television news programs. Have you ever heard Prime Minister David Cameron's overuse of the word "absolutely"? If you pay attention you can hear it three or four times within a few sentences. Some experts compare the word “absolutely” to a “verbal virus,” saying it’s spreading fast and unchecked in just about every breaking news report you find on TV, radio or in print. I would go even farther and say it has become a type of verbal tic, something used to sound authoritative even when the speaker has no idea of what he is talking about.

Some language experts trace the word’s current popularity back to 1994. During his murder trial O.J. Simpson declared he was: “Absolutely,100% not guilty.” Of course, all of us believed that statement! Still, today people use it to add credence to what they are saying when their statements are basically content free.

I find the word to be especially distressing because most of the journalists employing the term wouldn't know an absolute if it crept up and bit them on the arm. Today, people and cultures develop their own definition of what is right or wrong. This type of moral relativity is unacceptable because it implies an act can be right for Bashar Hafez al-Assad, the President of Syria, even when it is cruel, hateful or harmful.

Relative truth is something which is only true at one time and at one place. It is true now, but it may not have been true in the past. It is true for some people, but not, necessarily true for others. It is subject to people's perspectives and can always be changed pragmatically.

This is not a new concept. It was the Greek philosopher Protagoras who said, "Man is the measure of all things." What is morally right for me, may be wrong for another. Each person can decide their own standard for right and wrong living.

You have to admire the chutzpah of someone whose worldview is built on the concept of relative truth actually saying "absolutely" in public - especially on a network as reputable as the BBC! 

Christians have been known for believing that something which is true at one time is true at all times. Truth is true whether we believe it or not. Truth is discovered or it is revealed - it is not invented by men, even religious men. We may learn to apply truth in different ways, but that does not change the essential character of truth. 

You will never have a stick with one end. Time goes forward, not backward. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He can never be the 20th, or the 14th. People who use the word "absolutely" should actually believe in a few absolutes.

Thinking of Mr. Lincoln, he once said, "Be sure to put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." There is a lot to be said for that truth. I have a feeling even singing cowboys like Roy Rogers, would have said, "Absolutely, Mr. President. Absolutely."