A "No Win" Situation For Uncle Sam

The other day I saw a brief clip on the news about the Toyota vehicle problems. Now, I have to admit, I haven't followed all of this closely, rather a bit casually, but the clip featured a Republican congressman whose name and state escape me. He said he wanted "an investigation of the government," because the problems at Toyota date back to 2003, if I caught his words properly, and that government regulators should have acted. Okay, with all of the recent reports about Toyota, I'd say we'd pretty much all agree with the guy, BUT the problem I have is, we've had conservatives (mainly Republicans) beating up on government for REGULATING. Now that failure to regulate has come to the fore again, we have a Republican congressman saying that the problem is, that Uncle Sam didn't regulate enough. To be fair, the congressman said there were laws/rules on the books about the auto industry that weren't enforced, so he wasn't crying for new laws or regulations.

If you notice the time period, going back to 2003, that was when George W. Bush was president. We heard back then how government was the enemy, that regulations stifle innovation and business, etc. The Bush Administration was just doing what they believed about enforcing regulations...not much or nothing! So Congressman, you can't have this both ways. Remember the lax oversight of the financial industry by the same administration?

WORD HISTORY:
Regulate-This word seems to have come into English usage during the first half of the 1600s. It traces back to Latin "regula," which meant "rule," which goes back to the Proto Indo European base "reg," which meant "to move in a straight line, to guide or to direct." From Latin "regula," developed "regulare," which meant "to direct, to rule/control." The participle form of this verb was "regulatus," which developed into English "regulate." The noun form, "regulation," came a few decades later, seemingly based upon "regulator," which developed a few years before.

The German Question, Part Two

The question, "who is a German," is important to history, because there have been so many wars fought around this central question over the centuries, the last being World War Two, although even the "Cold War" certainly had some of the German Question involved in it, too. The Germanic people(s) constituted a large group, and with this large group living in much of northern and central Europe, they held a key geographic location as other groups of people to the east migrated westward, or, like with the Romans, who tried to move northwards and eastwards from their established empire. As some of the Germanic tribes migrated southward and westward, they came into conflict with numerous Celtic tribes* which inhabited large areas of Europe prior to the rise of the Romans.** As Germanic elements moved south, they encountered the Celts in what is today southern Germany (Bavaria), Austria, and Switzerland. Eventually the Germanic elements won out, perhaps more through "absorbing" the Celts, rather than by destroying them militarily. This Germanic advance now put some of the Germanic tribes right up against the boundaries of the developing Roman Empire. Much the same happened in northwest Europe, as the Germanic tribes in that area pushed into Celtic occupied territory.

So, just to recap: we now have the various Germanic tribes dominating much of Scandinavia; that is, modern day Norway and Sweden, and also northern and central Europe, including modern day Denmark, Holland (the Netherlands), Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and large segments of Belgium, Switzerland, and Britain. The key thing is, however, while these tribes were Germanic, with similar customs and dialects (undoubtedly they could understand one another to varying degrees in those times), they did not necessarily act together, but individually, although confederations seem to have been likely at times, and gradually some tribes did consolidate into larger entities over time.

Gaul,*** long a part of the Roman Empire, bordered on the western areas of the Germanic tribes. The Romans pushed into these areas, but they found the Rhine River to be a formidable barrier and the Germanic warriors to be a tough lot. Eventually in 9 A.D., numerous Germanic tribal elements under the leadership of Arminius,^ virtually annihilated a large Roman force near present day Osnabrück, Germany, in what is known as "The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest" (Teutoburgerwald, in German). The Romans, by some historical accounts, suffered more than 20,000 casualties out of a force numbering perhaps 25,000. The Romans tried to regain the initiative and push across the Rhine, but after the resulting seven years of war with virtually no gains, they gave up the fight and accepted the Rhine River as the boundary between the Roman  Empire and the Germanic tribes. Many historians see this time frame, and especially the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D., as the start of "German" history, as in this case, these Germanic tribes cooperated in a common cause to defeat an invader, rather than to act as individual tribes. This seems to be the birth of German nationalism, although it would take centuries to mature, and during that time, it would cause much pain for Germans and other Europeans, and eventually for much of the world.
To be continued...... (A word history is after the notes)

* The Germanic elements that established settlements in England displaced the Celtic Britons, who had themselves been conquered a few hundred years before by the Romans. These Celtic people were actually "Romanized" Celts; that is, they had taken on much Roman culture, and indeed they relied upon the Roman military presence to protect them from invaders, including other "wild" Celtic elements in the north of the main island (essentially present day Scotland). As Rome declined, the Romans withdrew their military forces from Britain, leaving the area vulnerable to the Germanic invaders, many of whom first came and formed alliances with the existing population to protect the "Romanized" areas from those barbarians in the north. Many of the Germanic tribes were seafarers, as they inhabited coastal areas of the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Some of their later descendants would become famous for their seafaring skills and raids, for they were known as the Vikings.

** The Celtic tribes were also Indo European, and they were the ancestors of the Irish, the Scots, the Welsh, and the Bretons (of Brittany), to name perhaps their best known modern descendants.

*** Gaul was named after the Gauls (hmm, how strange), another Celtic group of people, and while certainly not exact, the area consisted of much of modern France.

^ "Arminius" was his Roman name, as he had been raised by the Romans, but returned to his Germanic tribe and led them against the Romans. He is known to Germans (now I am using "German," not Germanic) as "Hermann," which seems to have been how they rendered his Latin name in their own language. "Armin," a shortened version of the original, has been quite a common German male given name, although I don't know if that has still been true in recent decades.

 
WORD HISTORY:
Ago-This form of the word began to be used more frequently during the 1300s, a part of the Middle English period. It was the shortened form of the past participle of Old English verb "agan," with the "a" sound in both cases being long. The verb had the sense of "passing on, departing, moving along in time" (the "gan" part is really the same word as present day "gone"). Initially it was spelled "agone," a word still used in some dialects in England, but the shortened "ago" began to become proper from the time of William Caxton in the mid 1400s, the first known English printer of books, and thus a man who had a substantial influence on how we spell and speak English to this day. By the way, originally in English, "ago" was used BEFORE a given time, as for example, "ago two years," rather than our modern "two years ago." While German uses "vor" to express the same meaning in time expressions, it too goes before the given time: "Vor zwei Minuten," literally "fore two minutes," but actually, "two minutes ago." In case you hadn't noticed, "vor" is closely related to English "fore." The close German relative of "ago," is "ergehen," which means "to travel on, go forth."

The German Question, Part One

Slightly edited and updated, 6/28/2015

Historically, the “German Question” is simply, “Who is a German?” The answer has not been an easy one, but did the outcome of World War Two give us a definitive answer? This is the first of a multiple part series, and it is not an all encompassing and detailed history, but rather a basic history of people who are, or were, in some sense, called German. Some things are purely my own opinion; after all, this is "Pontificating." If you are an American, you should see something of a connection to the German attempts at unity over the centuries, as we have become so divided in recent times. If you are interested in this subject, there are tons of books in libraries around the world on various parts of German history, and certainly there are many articles available online, and there will be a list of sources I used at the end of the series.

First, we have to go back thousands of years to a group of people known to us in modern times as Indo Europeans (they did NOT use this term for themselves, nor did they even know this term, it is purely more modern). While there are varying opinions, the Indo Europeans likely lived in an area along or near the Black Sea. The theory is, they shared a common culture, including a common language, known to linguists as Proto Indo European. Language goes a long way toward giving us our identity, and thus groups of people from the past are often classified, to a great degree, by their language. As centuries passed some of these people wandered off in various directions. Their common language developed into dialects; that is, variations, which grew further and further apart from their original language and from the dialects of other groups that had split off, as time separated them from one another, and as they interacted with other peoples, even with other people of Indo European descent.* One of the split off groups came to be known as the Germanic people.** This group gradually developed a culture and distinct dialect of its own, forming new words (as all people do) as they encountered new things. Again, according to archaeologists, the Germanic people seem to have settled in much of northern Europe, perhaps initially in Scandinavia. The same process took place with the Germanic people as had taken place with their ancestor Indo Europeans; that is, some groups split off going their own separate ways, along with developing dialects that gradually became increasingly more difficult for other Germanic speakers to understand. Over the centuries, some of these Germanic groups migrated to distant lands like (using the modern names) Spain, Portugal, the Balkans, North Africa, and even possibly North America, and, of course they went to Britain, where they founded England.

English took on the Anglicized form “Germany” from the Roman name for the areas of northern Europe settled by the various Germanic tribes; that term being “Germania.” English speakers then naturally called the people of these areas “Germans.” This term has resulted in much confusion for many a speaker of English, as not everyone understands the difference between “German” and “Germanic.” For example, the Norwegians are Germanic, but they are NOT German. The English are Germanic, but they are NOT German. The Bavarians are German AND Germanic. The Germans do not call themselves “Germans;” that is, they don’t use a term derived from German or Germany, but rather they use “Deutsche,”*** which is really the same word as “Dutch,” (“duitsch” in Dutch) just one of many variations (from dialects) from long ago.^ The French call the Germans the “Allemande,” after the name of a specific Germanic tribe, the Allemanni/Alamanni (if only they had settled in Alabama/Alabami). The Italians call the Germans “tedesco,” which is their form of “Deutsche,” although it may not look quite so similar. The Finns call the Germans “Saxons,” again, after a specific Germanic tribe, part of which helped found England.

One thing to remember, as the ancient Germanic people (just as with people from the other groups mentioned in the note below) split off into various tribes, they did not necessarily see themselves as related, nor did they always cooperate with each other, even if their particular dialects were mutually intelligible. In fact, they often clashed, most likely over territory due to hunting and fishing (perhaps over farm land, but that more than likely came a bit later). Gradually some tribes established themselves as distinct entities: the Norwegians and the Swedes in Scandinavia. The other Germanic tribes in northwest and central Europe took a while longer to “sort themselves out.” Essentially a few tribes became dominant, as they either took over (as in “conquered”) other tribes, or they combined in confederations, perhaps to make them stronger militarily, or perhaps from marriages.

More in "Part Two" ... 


* What does this mean? Well, Americans do not speak English the way English is spoken in England, and not all people in England speak the same, nor do all Americans speak English the same. Time, geography, topography, climate, and contact with non-English speakers have changed the way Americans speak English vs. the English spoken in England. And this is after just a few hundred years. About a hundred years ago, some English language experts were very concerned that American English was changing and diverging so much from that of England, they feared that within a fairly short time Americans and Englishmen would not be able to understand one another. Of course, more modern communication, like radio and television, developed, keeping a common bond, and the fear of separate languages has subsided. Dialects that can essentially be understood by speakers of each are called “mutually intelligible.” For instance, people in New York City and Birmingham, Alabama speak English in their own particular ways, but they still can understand one another. When various Germanic tribal elements invaded Britain in the mid 400s (A.D.), most historians believe they could understand one another, more or less, although since there were no sound recorders from those times, no one knows that to be an absolute fact.

** The other major Indo European groups, besides Germanic, were: Greek, Celtic, Italic, Baltic, Slavic, Armenian, Albanian, Indic, Iranian, Tocharian, and Anatolian.

*** Pronounced “doytsh-eh,” which is plural: “Germans.” They call their language “Deutsch,” with no “e” at the end.

^ The variations are numerous, with some dialects having a “T” instead of a “D,” to start the word, and other dialects having “Tuutsch,” as well as other forms. See: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-do-we-call-them-these-names.html

WORD HISTORY:
Pamper-I did not find a history tracing this word back to any Indo European base, but that doesn't mean there wasn't one (see further). The word seems to have been borrowed during the mid to late 1300s from Low German "pampen" or "pampfen" (I found both), which meant "to cram with food," or perhaps Flemish (another Germanic language, spoken in Belgium, now seen more as a dialect of Dutch by many linguists), which had "pamperen," with the same basic meaning. Trade was quite common between England and the areas of northwest Europe, present day Holland and northern Germany, and words could easily be picked up from one language to another. Gradually the idea of cramming someone with food took on the notion of "overindulging someone, spoiling them." While I mentioned that I could not find a direct link to an Indo European base, some linguists "suggest" that it "could" be related to Latin "pappere," which meant "to eat (soft food);" so that we have "eating" involved in the Latin word, too, and "soft food," might lead to the notion of "pampering someone who is ill," if you get the drift, and indeed English got "pap" from the French "papa" ("watered down meal") in the 1400s, and it still seems to have limited use in England, meaning "food for babies." This word carries back to Latin "papilla," "nipple of a woman's breast," and eventually to the Indo European root "pap," meaning "to swell." To confuse matters a little more, English already had another word "pap," which also meant "nipple," which is assumed to have come from Old Norse around 1200, as Swedish dialect has "pappe." All of these words and forms in various languages are tough to resist as the ancestor of "pamper," and to me, the most interesting link is to Lithuanian, the language considered by many linguists to be the closest living European language to Indo European, which has "papas," which is not considered proper, but rather vulgar, and is equivalent to English "tits," or "titties." All of these forms have connections to "food," from the mother's nipple providing food to a baby, watered down or soft food, etc. It "could" be that the Germanic form just added the "m" sound for "pamper/pamperen."

The Endless Basketball Games

This is Presidents' Day and I was just reading an article about what we've learned over the last several decades. While this isn't the only lesson, in the end, it may be the most important: We've learned to turn the clock back to pre-New Deal days and unleash the rich and powerful on everyone who isn't rich and powerful. There are no rules for these folks and they fear no one. The politicians are their servants. There is no failure for them, because they get rewarded whether their companies perform well or not; not so for the peasantry. We are all playing one-on-one against Lebron James one day, and Kobe Bryant the next, every day of our lives. Not only are we not their equal, there's no referee, and we can't call the games off.

WORD HISTORY:
Nigh-This word, meaning "near," seems to only have forms in the Germanic languages. I was unable to satisfactorily trace it back to any base/root word from Indo European (although that doesn't mean there wasn't one). Old Germanic had "nehwa," which meant "near." It is closely related to other English words, "near" and "next," as well as the "neigh" of "neighbor." Old English had at least two forms, "neah" and "neh," which later became "nigh."  Other Germanic forms: German has "nah," which means "near/close," as does Low German Saxon "na/nah," Dutch has "na" (meaning "after"), Icelandic has "ná" (meaning "near," but now used in compounds). Danish, Norwegian and Swedish have forms that are more closely related to English "near," which itself was derived from the ancestor of "nigh," so they all trace back to the original Old Germanic form. I could not find a form in West Frisian.

Can You Find The Middle?

If you play darts, try hitting that damned little dot in the center of the board. In politics the middle is usually a really broad area of the political spectrum, but finding that area has become increasingly difficult. Why? Well, just a theory here, but the most outrageous statements made by politicians make the top spots on cable television, where they frequently are amplified far beyond their importance to many Americans. The clips are played over and over, debated by "experts" from both parties (or now, even throw in Tea Party "experts"), and commented upon by...ah..."commentators." They are given more play on the Web, as the comments are played on video sites, and written about on websites, often, but not always, dedicated to stirring "the base" of the political parties. Of course, outrageous statements tend to stir the faithful of BOTH parties, simultaneously, as the receivers of the barb get angry, and the ...ah.. "barbers" love the way they got under the skin of their political adversaries (I'm not so sure they are just "political" adversaries anymore, as this stuff has gotten more than just a little nasty).* Television is perfect for what has come to be called "sound bytes." On comes Senator XYZ and delivers a zinging sound byte, which is then broadcast on cable stations. Now comes Senator ABC who is indignant about what Senator XYZ said. The next day, the roles of the two senators may just be reversed.

In the past couple of decades we've seen moderate voters lean more toward the GOP, but that changed a couple of elections ago, and these voters began leaning more toward the Dems. Now they don't seem very comfortable there either, as they are squirming in their seats. The bases of the two parties yell and scream at each other, drawing political junkies to the tube, but I have a feeling that most Americans don't pay all that much attention to this nasty stuff, except to wonder how this stuff benefits anyone, although I'm not naïve, these "headline grabbers" DO move public opinion.

* Okay, "barber" isn't a good word for such a person. If it were, politics might be a little more "Seville." Hey, I think I hear the Lone Ranger coming!

WORD HISTORY:
Dust-This word goes back to Indo European "dheu," which had the notion of "vapor or smoke." Sanskrit, an old Indo European language (and therefore related to English) still used somewhat in India, typically in a religious context, had "dhuma," which meant "smoke." The Old Germanic offshoot was "dunstaz/dunstu" (I found both), which altered the meaning to "particles of meal/grain that blow around like smoke." Over time this became more generalized to any particles that cause people so inclined to buy a can of Fledge... I mean, Pledge (I couldn't read the key because of the...never mind). This in turn gave Old English "dust" (one source notes that it had a long "u" sound in those times). German, a close relative of English, has kept the "n" sound, and "Dunst" means "vapor" (all German nouns are capitalized, thus the capital "D").


The verb means both "to sprinkle with dust" (1590s) and "to rid of dust" (1560s). Sense of "to kill" is U.S. slang first recorded 1938.

Wiesbaden, Germany

Wiesbaden is the capital city of the German state (Land, in German) of Hessen, often rendered as Hesse in English. It is not far west from Frankfurt-am-Main, and it lies at the confluence of the Main River and the Rhine River, and is essentially directly across this confluence from the city of Mainz, which interestingly is the capital of the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz;* so, you have two state capitals right across from one another.** Mainz was absolutely devastated by Allied bombing during World War Two, but Wiesbaden was spared, and while I don’t know the actual truth, I’ve heard it said in Germany that NO bombs ever fell on Wiesbaden during the war. Assuming that to be correct, the city is very quaint, and it undoubtedly was spared damage as it was not a key military or industrial city, but rather it has long been a place for people to go for rest and invigoration (a spa city). The second half of the city’s name “baden,” means “baths,” and it is indeed related to the English word (see Word History below). These baths were even mentioned in Roman writings from the time when the Romans occupied this area. The baths are naturally heated springs and have a high salt content, and all sorts of medicinal claims have been made about them.

The difference between nearby bustling Frankfurt and Wiesbaden is striking, and it is basically quiet and pleasant, and since there was no damage from the war, all of the old buildings are original. I’ve been to Wiesbaden numerous times over the years, and I always loved awakening in the early morning and looking out the window to see the sun rise over the church tops. I suppose because of the nearby rivers, there was always a bit of haze in the early morning hours hovering over the city.

My favorite place in Wiesbaden was the “Sir Winston Churchill” Restaurant (hereafter as SWC)*** Yes, that’s the name. Whether the place still is in business, I don’t know, but they had good food, and there always seemed to be a good crowd there. It is very common in Germany to permit dogs to enter business establishments, including restaurants, and this was definitely true of the “SWC.” (Hey…they let me in, didn’t they? The only part I hated was using the fire hydrant outside. Darn!) I’ve heard it said that with Germans and Englishmen, if you are walking your dog in the middle of the street and a car comes buzzing along, YOU’D better be careful, because neither a German nor an Englishman will hit the dog!

Germans can be very polite (I’m not saying EVERYONE), and one time at the SWC, this couple was seated right across the narrow aisle from me. I take it they were married, as they were having a bit of an argument and I tried ever so hard to avoid looking over at them. The “debate” went on for quite some time, and after only barely touching their food, they abruptly left, with a comment to me about how sorry they were. When I finished my dinner and asked for the check, I found that they had paid for my entire dinner! Whenever I went back, I always looked for those two again, but…NO LUCK!

Until the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent withdrawal of many American troops, Wiesbaden had a large American military presence, and we still have a major military hospital there, where many casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan are sent, or at least that is my understanding.

* Usually rendered as “Rhineland-Palatinate” in English.

** Many an American can trace their roots to one or both of these German states. It should be noted, however, that the boundaries of these states have changed many times over the centuries, and in fact, Mainz was once part of Hessen.

*** Just as English, German uses the French word “restaurant,” but it is pronounced in the French manner in German.

WORD HISTORY:
Bath-This word seems to go back to the Indo European root "bhe," which had the notion of "heat," not water, in those times, and indeed, we still say "steam bath," which continues the notion of "heat," rather than water. This gave Old Germanic "batham," which in time gave Old English "baeth," and by that time, the various Germanic dialects had essentially given the term the meaning of "immersing in (heated) water," and further the meaning extended to "water used for such purposes." Modern German has "bad" (and in German it is not pronounced like our word "bad," but rather as "baht," which is similar to our "bought." "Baden" is the plural form in German), and other Germanic languages like Norwegian, Dutch, Danish and Swedish all have "bad."

The Free Market Chant

A couple of weeks ago, I saw Karen Hughes, a former close aide and continued friend of President George W. Bush, on television. I believe it was on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” When it was mentioned that the economy had not only stopped falling, but that it had actually shown slight growth (the show was on prior to the most recent economic data announced the week of February 1), Hughes quickly awarded credit for the positive developments to the Bush Administration. Not only that, it was noted how the Obama Administration had continued many of the same Bush initiatives on the economy. Now, is this claim true? Yes, to some extent, but……

Hughes claimed credit, but she also left out the part about responsibility for the near collapse. This kind of reminded me of a person who stabs you in the gut, but then goes to the hospital and gives blood for your transfusion, and then takes credit for having saved your life. Of course you wouldn’t have been in the hospital on the brink of death had it not been for this same person’s sharp knife. Throughout the Bush years we heard about “free markets” and that government had no place in business affairs. When oil and gasoline prices soared on the whims of greedy investors, beating down many an American family, the Bush folks kept up the chant of “free markets, can’t do anything about it.” When millions of Americans were losing their homes, or threatened with such, the chant continued, “free markets, can’t do anything about it.” When trade deals took American jobs overseas, or resulted in decreased wages/benefits for American workers, we not only got the same answer of “free markets, can’t do anything about it,” but we got more trade deals! *

When the cumulative effects hit home, something neither the administration nor the Federal Reserve seem to have anticipated (DUH!), the “free market” chant stopped, and Americans were told that “Uncle Sam,” long the belittled, or even hated, relative of the free marketers, was needed to prop up “free market” businesses. The “free market” idea of “sink or swim” was turned on its head as, “swim, but if you can’t, Uncle Sam will jump in and save your behind.” So, Karen Hughes needs to retool her message. “If you want to take credit for the sunshine, you’ve got to take the blame for the rain.” ** And it hasn’t stopped raining on millions of Americans. (A word history is after the notes)

* George W. Bush did give protection to the American steel industry during his first term, but this seems to have been purely a political move in preparation for the 2004 reelection bid, as steel producing states were seen as critical for the election. Gradually the protections were removed, and within about 18 months, they were gone. Two points: this is not to only smack Bush for the political move on steel protections, as politicians in BOTH parties have made, and continue to make moves based purely on politics all of the time, but then again, that is our system. I said the protections were “gradually” removed. In my opinion, if the trade deals had been put in place the same way, GRADUALLY, there may not have been the same pain for American workers. Unleashing foreign goods produced by people who make only a fraction of the wages/benefits of American workers was not in our interest. Later, during the financial meltdown, the poor negotiating by the administration reared its head again, as banks and insurance companies were given hundreds of billions in bailouts, but with few if any strings. This led to billions in bonuses paid to executives within these industries, thus infuriating the beleaguered American public.

** The same standard applies to the Obama Administration.

WORD HISTORY:
Heft/Hefty/Heavy-All of these words are from the same Old Germanic base that gave English "heave" (see previous "Word Histories"), which meant "to lift," with the idea of "throwing" coming a bit later. Old Germanic "khabiz" was a noun that meant "weight," and which spawned the adjective "khabigaz," or "weighty," if you will. This was passed down to Old English as "hefig" (the "k" sound obviously was not prominent, and died out), and later as "heavy." Dutch, a close relative of English still has "hevig," but the other Germanic languages, all once having had a form related to the English word, have found other words to express "heavy." The Dutch word took the more figurative meaning "intense," but let's not forget our extended meaning of "heavy" as something that is "heavy or weighs" on our minds; and the notion of "intensity" is certainly present. Heft developed in English during the 1400s (one source says 1600s) and meant "heaviness/weight," and hefty came from it during the 1800s. The form "heft" seems to have developed from the examples of "weave" and "weft" (seldom used anymore) and "thieve" and "theft," and the past participle of "heave" was "heft."