Early on in my writing courses, I ask students to define their sense of rhetoric. Responses range from “persuasion” to “manipulation,” but they tend to share a negative connotation. Little wonder: In America today, the word is often used to dismiss a political opponent. Whereas a Democrat may find a favorite candidate’s speech inspiring, a Republican might call it “mere rhetoric,” implying a lack of substance or even honesty.

I often meet people who have never heard of the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and as the executive director, my typical response goes something like this: The endowment is something all Nebraskans should be so proud of — it’s the only public-private endowment of its kind in the United States, it’s funded by the Nebraska Legislature in addition to private donations — and no matter where in the state you live, you’ve likely enjoyed the fruits of its resources.

At least one member of the Supreme Court told Justice Clarence Thomas that there was no problem accepting privately paid luxury trips and other lavish gifts from “close personal friends” without disclosing them, according to a statement issued earlier this month by Justice Thomas.