Rolling Back Fascism Is Not Easy, Part Four

First published January 2013

"Right Wing Extremism" 

Maybe we humans need a certain amount of fear in our lives, I don't know. Is that why we stand in long lines to ride roller coasters and try to find the spookiest haunted houses at Halloween time? Scaring the hell out of us is a pretty major industry. With communism not providing the scariness of times past, the political right has looked around for a new form of "haunted house," although some still like to return to the "communist threat," calling some people, usually Democrats, "communists," or "socialists," a word many people don't really understand. Islamist extremists, likened to fascists by some, galvanized Americans and others to oppose such extremism in other countries, all the while letting our own fascists hide out and grow under the guise of patriotism, as they wrapped themselves in the flag, and some also, in religion, usually Christianity, proving only that anyone can call themselves a Christian, without ever really understanding Christianity.

 In case you haven't noticed, right wingers also like to "claim" to be protectors of the Constitution, like over gun control, for instance; but, like their perversion of Christianity, their misunderstanding (deliberate or not) of "socialism," especially as it relates to Christianity, they have conveniently interpreted the Constitution favorably toward their own extremist views. This is the Second Amendment: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." They continuously quote the last part, without reference to the first part about a "well regulated Militia." It is not a coincidence, in my opinion, that many American fascist groups call their groups "militias." They use the false argument of " they want to take our guns away," when "most" supporters of gun control simply want some reasonable restrictions like the ban on assault weapons reinstated and bans on large magazines of ammunition implemented, but the fascists and the far right continue to maintain  that gun control supporters "want to ban guns." Former Governor Haley Barbour, also a former Republican Chairman, should have been challenged for spouting this nonsense on a recent Meet the Press, but host David Gregory was silent, as were other members on the panel. You don't defeat such nonsense by letting it go unchallenged. Some of the outspoken right wingers have noted that the possession of guns can be used to "protect" them from the government, or I suppose, be used in some violent overthrow of the government. You don't need machine guns and other automatic weapons, or huge arsenals, to go hunt ducks.

It's much the same with the right wing argument, "we just want to scale back the size of government before it takes over." Such a basic concept (and the fear behind it) appeals to some people because it deliberately fails to spell out what their vision of "scaling back government" actually means, which is essentially "we don't want Americans to have heath care, or unemployment benefits, or job training dammit! I've got mine, the hell with you!" Don't be surprised if they interrupt to say, "Oh excuse me, I can't discuss this any more, I've got to go to church. I'm a Christian." They give people truly trying to be Christians a bad name; thus, those trying to be Christians also need to set the record straight and let everyone know that the reprehensible talk and actions of these extremists, who cloak themselves in Christianity, do NOT represent them. What is both exasperating and frightening to me is, however, that some people who have benefited from government programs or unions (by directly belonging to a union, or benefiting from the standards set by union negotiations) are now on the side of the right wing. "Do as I say, not as I do." All of us have disconnects at times, but these folks need to reestablish contact with their own lives and pasts, quickly.

Having debates about the size and operations of government is legitimate and does not make one a fascist, but don't forget the company you are keeping and how to keep that company on the fringe of American politics, where it belongs.

Next.. Final part.

WORD HISTORY:
Gnaw-The ultimate origin of this word is uncertain, although it "may" be from sound imitation. Old Germanic had "gnaganan," which meant "to bite something consistently for a period of time in the hope of wearing it down, to bite off small pieces over a period of time." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "gnagan," with the same meaning. This then became "gnawen," before the modern version. Other Germanic languages have: German "nagen" (previously spelled "gnagan"), Dutch "knagen," Low German Saxon "gnagen," Danish "gnave," Icelandic "naga," Norwegian "gnage," Swedish "gnaga." Frisian apparently does not use a form of the word, at least not in this context.

Soup's On, Rhineland Onion Soup

There's nothing like some soup to warm ourselves from the bone chilling cold of winter or the chilly dampness of spring. I once had a German-style deli and one of the soups we served was this one from the Rhineland in Germany, "Rheinische Zwiebelsuppe," or "Rhenish Onion Soup." "Rhenish" is not a word used or understood by everyone, so my partner and I listed it as "Rhineland Onion Soup," and it was very popular. I dug out my recipe the other day, which I jotted down in pencil on a piece of paper about the size of an index card years ago in the early part of the 1980s. It's still intact. Hey, I don't throw things away. Hold on while I move my baby shoes out of the way so I can continue. It's really relatively easy to make.

Ingredients:

6 or 7 white or yellow onions (tennis ball size), coarsely chopped
2 medium potatoes, diced
48 ounces of beef stock (and from a carton is fine, but remember the salt in most brands)
2 bay leaves
3 or 4 sausages (see below)
salt to taste (if you use stock with high salt content, you may not need to add salt at all)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon chopped parsley
1-2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of oil, butter, or lard (see below)

Germans most often use "Mettwurst" for the sausage content. Mettwurst (literally "chopped meat sausage," and yes, the "mett" part is closely related to English "meat") means different things depending upon region. In south German-speaking areas it is a soft, spreadable sausage, sometimes made from coarsely ground, sometimes finely ground, raw pork, which is cured or smoked to preserve it. Other ingredients vary by region. In the north, the sausage is made similarly, but it is cured (sometimes smoked) for long periods which make it firm like salami. I grew up eating this firm type of Mettwurst and I can't even hear the word without thinking of my grandfather, who loved it, and all of the neighborhood grocers and butcher shops sold it (it was an old German neighborhood). Now, having written all of this, since I sold bratwurst at my deli, that is what I used in the onion soup. These were bratwursts that were already cooked and only needed to be heated through late in the cooking process for the soup, and they should be sliced into bite-sized pieces. I used non smoked bratwurst, as smoked meat naturally alters the flavor, but I'm sure you won't end up in the penitentiary if you use smoked style sausage.   

Chop the onions while playing a rendition of "Cry Me A River," and the chopped onions will look like a mountain, but they should be cooked until somewhat softened (not totally, they will cook more with the other ingredients) in some oil, like canola or sunflower oil, which has little flavor, and the onions will cook down a bit. Traditionally, Germans used lard, but in modern times oil or butter can be used, or a combination of oil and butter, which is what I use. Once the onions are somewhat softened, add the potatoes, bay leaves, salt (if needed), pepper and beef stock. The soup should be covered and simmered, not boiled, periodically stirred, and cooked until the potatoes are about done, when the sausage should be added. A few minutes later add the parsley and vinegar. I indicated 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar, but you might try one at first, as you don't want the vinegar to overwhelm the flavor or make it too sour; it should be more subtle and the rich broth should be more dominant.

I had knockwurst available, so that's what I used for the sausage part of the recipe for this photo.

WORD HISTORY:
Onion-The ultimate origin of this word is uncertain, but it traces back to Latin "unio," and the derived "unionem," the meaning of which was "onion," seemingly from its other meaning, "pearl." This was inherited by Old French, a Latin-based language, as "oignon," which then was carried to England by the Normans where it became "union," in the French dialect that developed there. Old English already had a form of this same word, borrowed from Latin as "ynneleac," which meant "onion" (the "leac" part is the ancestor of modern "leek," the vegetable that looks something like a large green onion), which died out; the word that is, not the plant.^ The Norman form then entered English where it became "oinyon," before the modern version. Old English also borrowed "cipa" from Latin "cepa," which was another word for "onion." It is closely related to the German word for the same, "Zwiebel," which likewise was borrowed from the Latin, possibly from monastery sources. By the way, in German Oberhessisch (Upper Hessian) dialect the word is "Zwiwel."^^

^ For the history of the word "leek," here is the link to my article containing that history:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2014/11/flemish-beef-and-beer-stew.html

^^ Oberhessisch is also known to some as "Mittelhessisch." 

Rolling Back Fascism Is Not Easy, Part Three

This was first published in January 2013 (Note 7/30/17: Much has happened since early 2013, and we are now in a terrible situation with a brooding nutcase in the White House, who has essentially been unapologetic for mobilizing fascists in his own cause. We need to stand up to fascists! We don't need a Führer, a Duce, or a Vladimir Putin!


"Right Wing Extremism In The United States"

Germans, and especially traditional conservative Germans, through then President von Hindenburg,* "invited" Hitler and the Nazis to take power in January 1933, thinking they, the conservatives, would really be the ones in control, since the cabinet was well stocked with their own members. Hitler then outwitted them, threw off any controls on himself, and the conservatives became complicit in that ruthless, murderous regime, which made Attila the Hun almost look like a candidate for sainthood. Hitler then convinced Germans that HIS interest was THEIR interest, dragging the nation through years of aerial bombardment, death, destruction and defeat, all the while forcing Germans, at gunpoint, to continue the war to keep his sorry evil ass in power. Many a German died at the hands of the Nazis for real or perceived desertion or for simply expressing the need for peace or speaking the obvious truth that the war could not be won.** Speaking about reality was, therefore, a crime, while spouting delusional nonsense about "final victory," and that all was well with the nation, was praised, even when Allied forces were just blocks away. The fear of criticism showed the true weakness of the fascists. Nazi execution squads roamed through cites looking for deserters even in the final days of the regime, in a display of just how nuts the country had become under Hitler, the nutcase in chief. Hitler was able to convince Germans that his interest was their interest, and by the time many realized their error, it was too late.

While worrying about a revival of fascism in Europe, Americans have taken their eye off the ball in our own country, where "some" greedy, ruthless, wealthy Americans have done much to convince many an average American that by supporting their agenda and giving them tax cuts, that they are the real patriots. This is VERY dangerous folks and those of you who have bought into this nonsense have already become subservient to ideas that are NOT in your interest. Reasonable proposals are called "socialist" or "anti-American," unions are maligned and threatened by union busting laws, attacks on some of our most economically vulnerable citizens are orchestrated and the campaign against about 90% of the population is funded with tremendous financial resources of wealthy interests, and supported by misguided elements of the 90%. All the while the richest Americans become richer, as the rest of the country drifts or declines and many have already lost virtually everything in their lives. The rightist fanatics didn't spend all of that money on recent elections to promote fairness and democracy folks. No, and the "our interest is your interest" idea lurks behind the groups with benign sounding names they sponsor. Other fascist leaders of the past were supported by some wealthy interests, too. Like the German conservatives, American conservatives thought they were just using fringe groups and nutcases to gain power, but the fascists have overwhelmed them and taken control of at least parts of their formerly mainstream political party. Others have perverted religion to their own ends. They have opened up the doors and windows to these fanatics, but once you let fascists in, getting them out again can be VERY painful. It took almost the whole world to defeat Hitler. Finally some traditional conservatives are speaking out against the insanity, but many more are still needed, as far too many have failed to speak out against fascist propagandists like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and others. Speak up traditional American conservatives and Republicans! Show the nation you have some courage, before it takes the courage of a Sophie Scholl to out the fascists hiding behind YOUR name (see note **).

More in Part Four...

* Paul von Hindenburg was one of Germany's leading generals (a field marshal) in World War One and a popular and respected figure in the country in the aftermath of that war. He served as the elected president from the mid 1920s until his death in 1934, at the age of 86. While elderly, and some say a bit senile, he stood for reelection in 1932 (seven year presidential terms) and easily won against none other than Adolf Hitler, who, while the loser, solidified his position as a national political figure.

** During World War Two, college students Sophie Scholl, her brother Hans, and a friend, Christoph Probst, were arrested for distributing anti war leaflets at the University of Munich. They were "tried" before a Nazi court and then beheaded. There are several memorials and honors to this young courageous German woman and the other young Germans who tried to fight evil, and who gave their lives doing so. I hope all of you will be interested enough to read more about these German heroes, or to watch the movie, "Sophie Scholl-The Final Days," a German language movie, with English subtitles. Resistance to such evil takes tremendous courage. Since the end of the war, Germans have tried to come to terms with their Nazi history, which has been a gradual process, but they have made great progress. Polls of Germans show Sophie and Hans Scholl are viewed as some of the most important Germans in history.

WORD HISTORY:
Fascism-The ultimate origins of this word are uncertain, although it may go back to an Indo European form that had to do with bundles or loads of wood. It goes back to Latin "fasces," the plural form of "fascis," which meant "bundle of sticks." This gave Italian "fascio," with the same meaning, but also with the meaning "bundle or group," including with political connotations. Benito Mussolini's political movement took the derived name "fascismo" (fascism) in 1919, using the "fasces" as its emblem; that is, a bundle of wooden rods with an ax included; the bundle of rods symbolizing strength through numbers. English borrowed the word from Italian circa 1920.

Rolling Back Fascism Is Not Easy, Part Two

This was first published in January 2013. I'm adding this note 5/25/16: On May 22, Austrian voters narrowly defeated a far right candidate for president, Norbert Hofer, choosing instead, Alexander Van der Bellen.

Nazism differed from Italian Fascism, and indeed from most other European fascist movements, at least to some degree, in that Hitler's fascism was strongly based upon "race" and "ethnic" identity, with the fanatical furious Führer the proponent of mass murder against people he deemed to be racially unfit, with his number one target being Europe's Jews. Members of other fascist movements tended not to emphasize this hatred as much as did Hitler, but they acquiesced to the dominant German dictator by participating in many a crime against minorities.* 

A post World War Two Nazi revival in Germany didn't materialize, although the fear of such remained for decades,** and still does for some. First the Allied occupation forces, and then the Germans themselves cracked down on Nazis and Nazi sympathizers, by banning the display or use of the swastika, even banning medals for veterans of the war, as they virtually all contained a swastika somewhere on the medal, by forbidding the Nazi salute (Hitlergruss, in German; that is, "Hitler greeting"), by banning Nazi songs, and by making the third verse of the national anthem the official version, thus removing the first verse, which had been exploited by the Nazis and other super German nationalists to support conquest, as it touted "Germany over all," but it was originally meant to promote German unity, not conquest, and the third verse more clearly defines that principle with the words "unity, justice and freedom."*** The right wing fanatics have stomped, huffed and puffed, but German democracy has flourished, showing that sometimes national law may need to be to some degree undemocratic to protect the basic principle of democracy from those who would destroy that democracy to gain power, and let's not forget, this was all started under the Allied occupation in West Germany, enforced by three democracies, the U.S., Britain, and France.**** The last I checked, Germany was still a model democracy and the tough anti-Nazi laws haven't diminished that, nor ended civilization. Laws must be flexible and what might be good for one country may not be good for all, or others. Similar measures were put into effect in postwar Austria, but right wing political groups in Hitler's homeland have tended to be more successful than those across the border in Germany, but this is in no way meant to suggest that Austrians are about to lead an establishment of a Fourth Reich, as Austria too seems to be a solid democracy.

Next, Rightwing Extremism In The United States

* Croatian fascism during World War Two manifested itself in hatred of Serbs, their close kin. The only real difference between the two groups is, Croats are Roman Catholic and use the Latin alphabet (some call it the "Roman" alphabet), while Serbs are Eastern Orthodox and use the Cyrillic alphabet (most prominently used in Russia). Religion can be used by some as a powerful motivator, including in the motivation and justification of hatred. In this case religion determined the "ethnicity" of people and several hundred thousand Serbs were murdered and many more were forced to convert to Roman Catholicism by Croats, especially by their militia forces. As to fascist collaborators with the Nazis, this could be an article or series of articles on its own, but briefly, the greatest number of Europe's Jews and Gypsies lived in eastern Europe, especially in the then Soviet Union, Poland, Lithuania, Rumania and Hungary. Fascists in these countries eventually helped the Nazis in their murderous deeds committed right in those regions, or in the sending of Jews to "resettlement areas," a euphemism for "concentration camps," where many were murdered. Only a small percentage survived the Nazi defeat. Mussolini, the Italian dictator, was not a racist anywhere near the likes of his Axis partner Hitler, but he too came under the sway of the man with the toothbrush mustache, and I don't mean Charlie Chaplin, and the "Duce" had his fascist thugs persecute and terrorize Italy's small, but vibrant, Jewish community. Hungary, an Axis ally, held out against deportation of their Jews for much of the war, but by 1944 they too gave in to Nazi pressure and outright force. Earlier, Hungary persecuted and repressed their Jewish population, even murdering Jews, but the vast number of the country's Jewish population lived until the Nazi takeover in 1944. This is in no way meant to suggest that Hungary's pre-1944 treatment of Jews was okay.  

** The plot of "The Quiller Memorandum," a movie from the mid 1960s starring George Segal, was based on a neo Nazi group in West Germany and an agent sent to get information on it. As he meets various Germans, you can never be sure if they are Nazis, Nazi sympathizers, or anti-Nazis. The movie is well worth watching. The link to my article on the movie: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-quiller-memorandum-anti-nazi.html

*** For more on the German anthem, see my article:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2010/09/german-question-part-forty.html

**** East Germany was occupied by the Soviet Union and any inclination by former Nazis to regain power would have been met by severe penalties, and possibly death. "In theory" Soviet Communism was not supposed to be racist and bigoted, but in reality, Stalin was another nutcase whose paranoia brought suppression to some of the Soviet Union's many ethnic and national groups, including to German communities living there, like the Volga Germans (German: "Wolgadeutsche"), who had been living in southern Russia since the 1700s. They had been invited and encouraged to settle there by the German-born Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great. 

WORD HISTORY:
Crime-The ultimate origins of this word are unclear. It traces back to Latin "crimen," which meant "accusation of wrongdoing, offense." Some say this was derived from another Latin word, which itself was borrowed from Old Greek, but I'm not really sold on this. Anyway, "crimen" was inherited by Old French, a Latin-based language, the form of which is uncertain to me, perhaps "crimne," which was then borrowed by English in the 1200s, seemingly as "crime," and with the meaning "sin, evil deed." Within a couple of hundred years this had taken on the more legalistic sense of "act that violates the law." 

Rolling Back Fascism Is Not Easy, Part One

This was first published in January 2013


I spent a good part of my life reading about a favorite historical subject of mine, World War Two. People my age grew up at a time when the subject of the war was a very hot topic, and movies and documentaries were common fare at theaters and on television. Books on the subject were frequently on the best seller lists. Our fathers, uncles, and neighbors served in the armed forces during the war in some capacity, likely overseas. I'm not deliberately slighting the women, as many women served during the war, and many more left their homes to work in factories and other workplaces to take the place of the men serving in the military, although I don't recall any of our women neighbors or family members having served in the military back then, but if I've erred on this, I'm sure I'll hear, and rightly so. The common thread was the fight against fascism. Perhaps naively, people seemed to believe fascism had been so badly bludgeoned, so overtly exposed as murderous, it would remain relegated to small groups of fanatics. If there was any likely threat of a fascist resurgence, it was thought to be in West Germany, where unrepentant Nazis still lingered among the populace, or in South America, where a number of Nazi bigwigs and ...ah ... "smallwigs," had found sanctuary, at least to some extent, after the war.* Evil adapts to exploit fear and make itself acceptable. Nazis and other fascists made themselves important in the fight against communism (the Cold War), as they had military or economic information on the Soviet Union or scientific expertise for the new era of nuclear weapons and rocketry. Western nations cut some of them slack to an extent, as communism was the feared enemy after World War Two, not fascism. Like "Jason" in the "Friday the 13th" movies, we may think we've killed evil, but it always comes back. We must be vigilant; thus, we must repeatedly remind ourselves "never forget" and "never again."

So what is "fascism," anyway? Attempting to give a concise and comprehensive definition of fascism is pretty much akin to trying to nail gelatin to the wall. There are characteristics of fascism, but one of those characteristics, "extreme nationalism," makes it impossible to lump all fascist elements in the world together, because the very concept of this nationalism means "my country is better than your country," and that kind of shoots the idea of international fascism in the ass... ah, I mean, butt. Fascism rather seems to be "nationalistic," but also with characteristics that draw people from various nations to other characteristics, often anti-communism. Fascist nationalism may become more palatable to segments of a national population when a nation is seen by many of its people as in decline, real or imagined. Fascism likes to dwell on the past, the good old days, when the nation was riding high (see more further below).

During World War Two there were fascist movements throughout Europe, and many men from these movements volunteered to fight in Hitler's campaign against the Soviet Union, even later, when the tide of war had shifted against the Nazi dictator. One of Hitler's devout followers was Leon Degrelle. He was from the Walloon region of Belgium; the Walloons being from the French-speaking southern segment of Belgium, which constitutes nearly 40% of the country. Initially he served in a Walloon unit that had been made part of the German Armed Forces (the "Wehrmacht"), but which then became a part of the Nazi Waffen SS; that is, the militarized branch of the SS.**

Besides the characteristic of extreme nationalism, the two most prominent fascist movements, Italian Fascism and German Nazism, had socialist characteristics. Mussolini had even previously been a socialist and after World War One, Hitler joined the small "German Workers Party," which was renamed the "National Socialist German Workers Party, the shortened form of which became "Nazi." Two powerful characteristics, nationalism and socialism, therefore joined forces and eventually gained power in Germany when Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933. The "socialism" of both movements was closely tied to the nationalism and the idea of "national community." Interestingly, fascism is fiercely anti-communist, yet it embraces, in part, the major element of communism... socialism. Hm, you think this might all be about just gaining power, pure and simple?

Other important and generally common characteristics of fascism are domination of the state and anti-democratic ideas, with democracy often seen as weak in the fascist ideal society of "survival of the fittest." Big business tended to support both Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany, since once you've got lots of money, "survival of the fittest" doesn't scare you, but workers and those less well off trying to survive, or advance, can be seen as the enemy. Another element is anti-unionism, as unions represent organized workers, and thus they are a threat to the fascist control of the state. Without unions, business had no organized worker groups to fear. As mentioned earlier, emphasis on a nation's past is an extremely important part of fascism. Both Mussolini and Hitler staged parades and rallies promoting their respective national pasts, with Mussolini tying Italian Fascism to the Roman Empire of about fifteen hundred years before. Hitler and the Nazis linked themselves to Medieval times and knights, but also further back to the time of the old Germanic tribes, seemingly in an effort to unite the Germanic peoples in some sort of world domination, but with certain Germanic physical characteristics being an elite. Interestingly, Hitler was dark haired and not like the ideal Nazi racial type with blond hair and blue eyes, more typical of the Nordic Germanic people,*** than many Germans, who, like Hitler himself, were likely of mixed background, including from various Slavic peoples, Latins, Magyars (Hungarians), Baltic peoples, and Jews.****    

More in Part Two

* The most famous, or I should say, "infamous," of these Nazis was Adolf Eichmann, the SS officer charged with overseeing the transport of Europe's Jews to extermination camps in eastern Europe, where millions died. Eichmann was captured by Israeli agents in Argentina, taken to Israel, tried and executed. The trial reminded the world to some degree of how inhuman the Nazis had been, with actual films taken by Nazis themselves and by Allied photographers as concentration camps were liberated late in the war. I say "reminded the world to some degree," because there is really nothing that can convey the mind boggling atrocities and the horrible suffering and terror of those victims trapped by such evil. 

** The German word "Waffe" is closely related to English "weapon," and indeed, that's what it means. Centuries ago, middle and southern Germanic dialects in central Europe, in generally higher terrain, underwent sound shifts, one of which often changed the "p" sound to "f" or "pf." This all happened after the Anglo-Saxons had already left what is now northern Germany and taken control of a good portion of Britain and were founding England; thus, English was unaffected by this shift, although it likely would not have been affected anyhow, as its close cousins, Frisian and Low German, located in the same area of northern Germany (lowlands), were unaffected by the sound shift. Since the dialects affected were in more elevated, even mountainous, areas, the term "High German" is often applied by many people, although that term also equates to "standard German." .

*** Nordic is usually meant of Swedes, Norwegians, and Danes.

**** Jews had scattered from the Middle East into North Africa and parts of Europe over time. Hitler seemingly was troubled for some time that he might be part Jewish, a distinct possibility, now that we have DNA testing. One of Hitler's secretaries said in an interview from about a dozen years ago (she may have said it previously, too), that if she had a chance to see Hitler again in this life or in another, she would ask him what he would have done if he had found out that he was part Jewish, gassed himself? For more on Hitler's ancestry, see my article: http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2010/10/hitler-jew.html

WORD HISTORY:
Murder-This word traces back to the Indo European root "mer/mor," which meant "die," and its offspring "mertro," which meant "kill." This gave the Old Germanic offshoot "murthran," which meant "murder, death." This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "murthor," which meant "sinful act, punishable killing, murder," and also "myrthra," which meant "murder." These later merged to become "murder." The verb form came from Old Germanic "murthjan," which gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "myrthrian." Other Germanic languages have: German "Mord" (noun) and "ermorden" (verb), Low German Saxon "Moord" (noun) and some dialects have "morde" (verb), Dutch "moord(en)" (noun) and "vermoorden" (verb"), West Frisian "moard" (noun) and "moardzje" (verb), "Danish "mord" (noun) and "myrde" (verb), Icelandic "Morð" (noun-essentially equivalent to "morth") and "myrða/myrtha" (verb), Norwegian "mord" (noun) and "myrde" (verb), Swedish "mord" (noun) and "mörda" (verb).

It's About Coalitions Not Purity, Part Thirty-Four

"Tax Cuts and 9/11" (Part One)

The core of George W. Bush's initial domestic agenda was a huge tax cut totaling more than one and a quarter trillion dollars over tens years. The President argued that with "projected" surpluses of about five and a half trillion dollars over the same ten year period,* this would give taxpayers a sort of rebate on their over payment of taxes and help boost the economy, which was in a slowdown. The tax cuts were to be generally phased in over a period of years, then expire after ten years (12/31/2010).** The new law both lowered the estate tax rate and excluded a larger amount from that tax, with a total elimination of the tax scheduled after ten years. This was a major boon to the wealthiest Americans. Income tax rates were generally reduced 3% for the overwhelming percentage of taxpayers, but rates were reduced by more than four and a half percent for the wealthy. Some conservatives argued the cuts would eliminate national debt, while opponents argued the skewing of cuts toward the wealthy would worsen the already growing concentration of wealth in the hands of a small percentage of Americans, and that the surpluses would be greatly diminished, if not eliminated. The bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 230 to 197 (with 5 not voting), with support from only 13 Democrats, but all 216 Republicans (one independent also voted "yes"); in the Senate the vote was 62 to 38, with 12 Democrats joining 50 Republicans for passage, with 38 Democrats opposing.

Another major initiative was in education, and the "No Child Left Behind Act" had bipartisan support. The complex law basically required states to administer standardized tests to all students, with emphasis on basic education skills. Further, states had to set criteria for hiring and retaining qualified teachers. Schools where students performed poorly in certain subjects were to be targeted for improvement, which could mean the replacement of teachers and administrators. The law is very complex and for those interested, check online for more information or, better yet, check your local library. The "basic measure" passed the House by a vote of 384 to 45, with 34 Republicans, 10 Democrats and 1 independent opposing (4 not voting). In the Senate, the bill passed 91 to 8 (1 not voting), with 6 Republicans and 2 Democrats opposing.***  

* It is important to note the figures were based upon ten years. Politicians and political operatives in both parties love to toss figures around, but a perspective should be kept on the time period involved, although the cumulative effect is important. Just for the sake of example: "We're going to cut a half a trillion dollars from program XYZ." Politicians love to use that word "trillion" and they'll use it whenever they can, as it is more attention grabbing than saying "500 billion." Notice though too, no time frame is included. A 500 billion dollar cut in any of the nation's biggest programs in one or two years would be staggering, but if it is over ten or twenty years, the cut is likely to be much more manageable.

** Once these phased in tax cuts became law, many were then expedited in a new tax law in 2003.

*** These votes were on what really constituted the basic bill, but differences between the House and Senate versions required those differences to be worked out in a joint committee, and then the finalized version had to be passed again and then signed into law by the President. These vote totals varied slightly from the earlier votes on the basic measure given in the main text above; 381 to 41 in the House and 87 to 10 in the Senate.   

WORD HISTORY:
Quell-This verb traces back to Indo European "kwel," which had the notion of "to inflict pain, to torture, torment." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "kwaljanan," with the same basic meanings. This then gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cwellan," which meant "to kill, to murder." Later the "cw" came to be spelled "qu," and the main meaning softened to "suppress," as the "kill" meaning is now obsolete. One German source mentions that the English "suppress" meaning was initially literary and poetic in usage, but then became the main meaning. Other Germanic languages have: German "quälen," which still means "to torture;" Low German Saxon "quelen," which means "to inflict pain, torture;" Dutch "kwellen," which means "to torment," but also "to beat to pieces." The Old Norse form "kvelja," meant "to torture, torment," and "presumably" these are the descendants of that form, but with a shift in meaning, although still with the idea of "inflicting pain (torture)," but also of "choking, smothering;" that is, "suppressing," in a figurative sense: Danish "kvaele," which means "to strangle, to choke," Norwegian "kvele," meaning "to choke, to suffocate," Swedish "kvävas," also meaning "to choke, to suffocate," Icelandic "kaefa," meaning "to smother." Interestingly, the North Germanic languages still use forms of the word to mean "torture, torment, pain, agony," but they are all noun forms, as they use other, unrelated, words in modern times to convey those meanings in verb forms. Notice both Swedish and Icelandic have lost the "L" sound, Swedish has added another "v" sound, and Icelandic has transposed the vowel and "v/f" sounds.

It's About Coalitions Not Purity, Part Thirty-Three

"Clinton Leaves In More Controversy, Bush Takes Office"

Bill Clinton's controversial time in office closed with ... ah ... controversy. On his last day, Clinton, as most presidents do, made some pardons and sentence commutations, many of them involving a certain amount of controversy, but his pardon of Marc Rich drew a resoundingly negative response, even among many Democrats. Rich, who had been born in Belgium, but whose family fled to the United States to escape Hitler, was an American citizen who later became involved in the oil markets, including with Iran, even during the American hostage crisis and in spite of sanctions against Iran put in place by President Carter.* Rich's extensive overseas business dealings had him out of the United States for considerable periods of time. By the 1980s, Rich had been indicted by the U.S. government on criminal charges of tax evasion and illegal dealings with Iran. Rich was in Europe and remained there, thus becoming a wanted man. Later, the U.S. government changed its policy on tax evasion, choosing to pursue such matters in civil suits, rather than as criminal cases. Clinton said the criminal charge should be dropped in favor of the updated civil suit tax evasion procedure,** favoring a position argued by Rich's attorney, one "Scooter" Libby, a Republican, later heavily involved with Dick Cheney. One of the problems was, Rich's wife had made donations to Democrats, making the matter smell like a political deal, but the real problem was Rich's dealings with Iran during the hostage crisis.

Also as Clinton left office, the economy sagged, as high gasoline prices and the bursting of the so called "dot.com bubble" took a toll. The mid to late 1990s had seen a growth in the Internet and in companies doing business on the Web. The lure of the new technology brought stock buyers to these companies in large numbers, but the failure of some businesses to reap fast rewards eventually brought the stock prices tumbling and an uncertainty to the economy. Enter George W. Bush....

As Bush took office, the party division in Congress further highlighted the national split, just as the presidential vote had. Republicans retained control of the House by a narrow margin and the Senate was 50-50, but with Republicans in control by virtue of Vice President Cheney, as the vice president has a Senate vote in case of a tie. The new president proposed to use part of the then record budget surplus for tax cuts to help boost the economy.*** Many Democrats argued the proposed tax cuts would disproportionately favor the wealthy, and the battle was on.

Next... "Tax Cuts and 9/11"

* Rich's idea was, maintain good business relations with as many international leaders of oil nations as possible, including, or "perhaps especially," those out of favor in western countries. With oil scarcities, use the connections to buy oil at relatively cheap prices and then sell it to those willing to pay premium price, thus making millions.

** The pardon did not exempt Rich from civil suits and it levied a multi million dollar fine on him.

*** The budget surpluses looked larger than they actually were, because of Social Security being included in the overall federal budget numbers. Understand, that also means the budget deficits of previous years were really worse than most Americans realized, because of the inclusion of Social Security. What do I mean? Well, during that general era, Social Security was taking in more money than it paid out annually, thus, when added to the overall federal budget, it made surpluses look larger in the late 1990s, just as it had made federal deficits look smaller prior to that time.
   
WORD HISTORY:
Spear-This word traces back to Indo European "sper/spar," which had the notion of "pole." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "speri," which meant "spear." This gave Old English "spere," which meant "spear, lance," and this then became "spear." The verb form developed from the noun. Other Germanic languages have: standard German and Low German Saxon "Speer," Dutch "speer," West Frisian "spear." The North Germanic languages use a different word for this meaning.   

Germans and Apples

Because apples keep so well, fall and winter are good times to know about some dishes using apples. The Germans have a sort of love affair with the apple and I'd say their most popular fruit juice is apple juice. By German, I mean people of German background, not just the nationality German; so, people in Germany, Austria, about 2/3 of Switzerland, much of Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, much of Alsace and a fair part of Lorraine, as well as a part of northern Italy.* Even if you're a "picky" eater, please don't turn you nose up at some of the combinations until you have at least tried them. I believe I've told this little story before, but it bears repeating. Back in the 1980s I was traveling on a train (common transportation in Germany, and Europe in general) between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt, which are only about 20 miles apart. An American couple, likely in their 60s, was sitting across from me. Americans were frequently encountered in the area due to the large American military presence in what was then West Germany, but these folks were tourists. I started a conversation with them and found out they were from Seattle, so somewhere in the neighborhood of 5500 to 6000 miles from Germany. They were headed for Frankfurt and they wanted to know about places to eat, as this was their first trip to Germany. Since they would be getting off the train at the main train station in Frankfurt, I immediately recommended the "Dippegucker Restaurant am Hauptbahnhof," which simply means "the pot looker restaurant at the main train station." The lady then said she was afraid to try German food, as she might not like it, and that they would probably just go to McDonald's (McDonald's has many outlets in Germany, all of which sell beer and wine). So, she traveled about 6000 miles to eat a hamburger she could have gotten on any street corner in America? While it's been many years, I have to believe it took a great deal of self restraint on my part to keep from smacking her, kicking her in the shin, or calling her a "blöde Kuh," if not all three. ("Blöde Kuh" means stupid or silly cow, in German).
    
A pretty common German dish in many areas comes from Berlin and is simply "liver and onions," but the recipe includes sliced apples with the onions. For Germans, the liver is usually calves liver, but the substitution of beef or pork liver will not condemn you to prison, and while some Germans have told me the apples have to be green, like Granny Smiths, I've used Red Delicious for years and I have yet to turn into a pillar of salt, so use what you have and, by the way, I leave the skin on the apples. Here in America, you may see this dish on the menu of German restaurants as "Berlin Liver," or perhaps, "Berlin Style Liver."

Then there's "Himmel und Erde," or "Himmel un Ääd" in some Rhineland dialects, which means "Heaven and Earth." The dish is simply mashed potatoes and apples; that is, the (lightly cooked) apples are mashed in with the potatoes. The name idea is, the apples represent the "heaven or sky," as they come from a tree, and the "earth" is represented by the potatoes, which have to be dug out of the ground. There are variations on this dish, depending upon the area, and some Germans use pears instead of apples. In the south, in Bavaria and Austria, I've seen recipes simply calling it "Puree of Apples and Potatoes." Germans often serve it with blood sausage (Blutwurst), Bratwurst, or liverwurst (Leberwurst). To give it some texture, I often don't completely mash the apples up, or if I don't have fresh apples, I add the store bought chunky apple sauce from a jar after the potatoes are mashed. Now if you think potatoes and apples don't go together, see the next listing.

Speaking of potatoes, potato pancakes are common in German areas, and they are usually accompanied by apple sauce, which is pretty common in the U.S. too. See, you've probably had potatoes and apples before. The standard German word for potato pancakes is "Kartoffelpfannkuchen," but there are a number of dialect terms and recipe variations like,  "Reibekuchen," "Döbbekuchen," "Döbbekooche," "Dibbekoche," "Dippedotz," "Reiberdatschi," "Rievekooche,"  "Grumbeer Pannekuche," and others. Some Germans believe the potatoes should be freshly grated, while others use potatoes first boiled in their skins. Besides the potatoes, there is some onion added (either grated or finely chopped), as well as some flour and salt. To this base recipe some regions add chopped bacon, or even whole strips of bacon are placed on top and the dish is finished in the oven. In the past, lard was commonly used for frying, but nowadays oil is more common.

Swiss Germans make a fried apple dish (Apfel Bröisi), which is thin bread slices fried in butter and sugar, then apple slices are added and fried further until the apples are soft. The dish is topped with fresh dabs of butter, sugar and cinnamon. 

Germans add apples to sauerkraut or to red cabbage (called Rotkohl, Rotkraut, or Blaukraut, depending upon region). In some areas, especially in Austria and Bavaria, apples are cored, stuffed with raisins and walnuts or hazelnuts (sometimes cranberries and lemon zest are added too) and are baked in white wine, butter, and sugar, which combine in a syrupy sauce, to which apple brandy (Schnapps) can be added. The finished dish, called "Bratäpfel" (baked apples), or "Besoffene Bratäpfel" ('drunken' baked apples, because of the wine and schnapps) is often served with warm vanilla sauce, made with heated milk, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla.

If you're in the German state of Hessen (often Hesse, in English), you'll want to finish your meal with a nice glass, or ten, of apple wine, which is really like hard apple cider, and is a specialty of Hessen in general, but particularly of Frankfurt. The standard German word for this drink is "Apfelwein," but there are variations in Hessian dialect, including ""Ebbelwoi,"  "Äppelwei," or "Stöffche," and you can get it by the glass ("Rippenglas;" that is "ribbed glass," which has ridges for a good grip) or the "Bembel" (a stoneware jug), and after a few of either, you won't much care what name the Hessians call it ... ah ... at least that's what I've heard.  

* Alsace and Lorraine are parts of eastern France. 

 

WORD HISTORY:
Apple-This noun goes back to Indo European "abol," "abel," the exact meaning of which is unclear, but which had to do with "produce of trees and vines," and there are forms in other, non Germanic, languages too. Its Old Germanic offspring was "aplaz," which meant "fruit, nuts." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "aeppel," which meant "fruit," and later this became "appel," before the modern version. It wasn't until the 1500s and 1600s that the meaning narrowed to the specific type of fruit we now call an "apple." Translations of the Bible over time generally used "forbidden fruit" in the Garden of Eden, but some translations called this fruit "apple," from the general meaning of the word back then. Common in the other Germanic languages: standard German "Apfel," all sorts of German dialect forms like "Ebbel," "Appel," "Apel," "Äppel," "Äbbel," "Epfel," "Ebbfe," "Opfe," Low German Saxon and Dutch "Appel, West Frisian "apel," Danish "aeble," Icelandic "epli," Norwegian "eple," and Swedish "äpple."