Some More Questions To A Republican

"Hello folks! This is Dan Ratherbe, in Philadelphia. Today I once again have Republican George Owen Pappenstiel here to speak out on the issues confronting the nation and his Republican Party, no holds barred."

DR: "Well Mr. Pappenstiel, it's been a little while since I first interviewed you." *

GOP: "Yeah, that was back when that Bomma guy claimed to be president."

DR: "That's Obama."

GOP: "Yeah right, tryin' to be Irish.... 'O' bomma... haha.... about as Irish as the rest of them people from them places in Africa."

DR: "But he IS part Irish. Don't you remember he visited Ireland?"

GOP: "Visitin' a place don't make ya from that place. I cun visit Massichew... Masseshoe... that place where Boston is, but that don't make me no Democrat, an' that's fer shur."

DR: "So what do you think of Donald Trump's first couple of months in office?"

GOP: "It's a breath o' fresh air! Finally gettin' some truth out, 'cause Ole Donald tells it like it is. That's what's gonna make America great agin, truth tellin.' Just like with that Bomma listnin' in on Ole Donald talkin' on his own private phone in his own private buildin'."

DR: "But there's been absolutely no proof that any such thing ever happened."

GOP: "That's what you librals in the media want folks ta believe. There is proof.... Ole Donald said it, didn't he? That's proof! He the president of the UUUNited States, ain't he?"

DR: "Well I assume you support the wall the president wants to build on the border with Mexico?"

GOP: "Oh now, truer words was never spoke. All them folks south of the Rio Grande is jus' what Ole Donald said 'bout them. They er murderers and rapists. Then they come up here and want US to speak Mexican."

DR: "You mean Spanish."

GOP: "No, I mean Mexican. They ain't from Spain."

DR: "So what do you think of the Republican failure to repeal Obamacare?"

GOP: "That's jus' plain terrible! Don't know what's becomin' o' this country. Wantin' ta give health care to ever'body. An' this law from Bomma helpin' to give care to millions. An' that Bernie Sanders guy... he the worst, even worse than Bomma hisself. He ain't no Christian, that fer shur."

DR: "Ah, Bernie Sanders is from a Jewish family."

GOP: "See, told ya he ain't no Christian. They jus' like those Mooselims... all from over yonder there in the Middle East. All them folks need to jus' stay over there. Ole Donald messed up there, he needs to ban people from all them countries, not jus' a few. All we do is give money to them people over there, includin' Izrel. Never knew any good people from that part of the world, not a one."

DR: "Ah... Jesus Christ."

GOP: "An' don't be takin' the Lord's name in vain, ya hear?"

DR: "Well, our time is up, Mr. Pappenstiel."

GOP: "Ya got that right, if we don't do what Ole Donald wants an' you keep takin' the Lord's name in vain. Jus' ask Pat Robertson!"


* The first "interview" was in May 2013 and this is the link:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2013/05/asking-republican-few-questions.html

WORD HISTORY:
Ode-This word "seems" to go back to Indo European "aweid/e-weid," which had the notion, "to make (voice) sound, to speak, to vocalize." This gave Ancient Greek the transliterated "aeido," which meant, "to sing, to give praise in song." This gave Ancient Greek "aoide/oide," a noun, "song, poetic song." Latin borrowed the word from Greek as "oda," then "ode," the form taken by Latin-based French. English borrowed the word from French, likely with reinforcement by Latin, in the late 1500s.

An "Interview" With a Secret Yahoo Official

Hello, I'm Dan Ratherbe in Philadelphia and today I'm going to be interviewing an official of Yahoo, the American tech company, with international operations. The person prefers not to give their name or position with Yahoo. So here we go. (DR=Dan Ratherbe; SO=secret official)

DR: Hi secret official.

SO: Hi Dan.

DR: Just why are you doing this interview in secret?

SO: Well Dan, at Yahoo we operate in secret. We don't want the public to know much about us, but we want to know a lot about the public, and WE DO; at least those who have a Yahoo email account. By the way, you haven't used your Yahoo email account lately Dan, why?

DR: Well I like my privacy.

SO: Why? You have something to hide?

DR: Never mind, S.O. I may call you S.O.?

SO: Oh yes, please do, but I'd still like to know what you're hiding.

DR: We've heard numerous complaints about Yahoo, including about Yahoo reading the emails of its customers. Yahoo has had some financial fallout. How do you plan to correct that?

SO: Well there's no question, we've got to do a better job. After all, look at you. You haven't been using your email account and how the hell do you expect us to know what ads to target to you, if you don't use your account.

DR: Target ads to me? Like what?

SO: Well let me see what we have on you... check R..... here it is, Ratherbe, Dan... Hmm, wow, that's a pretty interesting username, "superstud."

DR: Hey, wait a second, you're telling my info in public!

SO: Yes, but the public can't see these pictures... Are those all Calvin Klein undies? Well, definitely no CK's in this pic, or any other brand either. I take back my earlier question about what you're hiding.

DR: Hey! That's enough of this.

SO: All right, all right. But see, now we know to target you with ads for underwear...  when you're using them.

DR: You see just how a person's private info can get out into the public?

SO: That's definitely the right term with you, private info.

DR: Let's get back to how you're going to clean up your act.

SO: YOU'RE telling US to clean up OUR act? I'd say that's pretty naked hypocrisy, if you'll pardon the expression.

DR: These were supposed to be private emails. Answer the question, we only have a few seconds.

SO: We at Yahoo work every day to earn our name. We work hard, so that no person on Earth can say we're not a bunch of Yahoos.

DR: And it most certainly shows, S.O.

WORD HISTORY:
Chatter-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, but it apparently is a Germanic invention, seemingly imitative of sound. English at various times had "cheteren," "cheateren," "chiteren," then "chateren," all with the general meaning, "to chatter, to jabber." There are forms in other Germanic languages: German has "kaudern," meaning, "to speak gibberish, speak but not be understood;" Dutch has "koeteren," meaning, "to jabber, to chatter," Flemish has "schateren," meaning "chatter, jabber," Danish has "kvidre," meaning, "to chirp, to twitter," Icelandic has "kvak," meaning, "to twitter."

A Trump "Interview"

This was published in August 2016, but it's still relevant!


"Hello, I'm Dan Ratherbe in Philadelphia. I'm here with Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president. How are you, Mr. Trump?"

DT: "I'm fine, but I already know you'll tell lies about me."
DR: "Why do you say that, Mr. Trump?"
DT: "Because you just said you'd rather be in Philadelphia; you know, the city where those traitorous, good for nothing, criminal Democrats just met, but we're already IN Philadelphia, and I don't need Sarah Palin to tell me that. ........ By the way, Sarah stayed at home during the Republican convention to read some newspapers and magazines. She doesn't want any more trick questions from Katie Couric."
DR: "Well, in that case, what newspapers and magazines do you read?"
DT: "See... there you go! You don't listen well, do you? I said, 'No trick questions!' Geez, you scumbags in the media! When I'm elected, you, Katie, and Megyn Kelly will be locked up along with crooked Hillary Clinton and Lyin' Ted Cruz."
DR: "So Katie and Megyn bother you?"
DT: "No, no! Now you're putting words into my mouth. I didn't say that. I know how to deal with women, especially after I consulted with Roger Ailes; now there's a guy who knows about women! Why do you think I said Megyn had 'blood coming out of her ... whatever?' "
DR: "Sir, Roger Ailes just left Fox News after charges of sexual harassment."
DT: "Didn't I just say he knows about women? Boy, you don't listen. Definitely going to lock you up. Lock him up! Lock him up! Lock him up! Hey, that's got a nice ring to it."
DR: "So you want to lock up the media and your political opponents?"
DT: "I didn't say that! Man you don't listen!"
DR: "What foreign policy experience do you have, Mr. Trump?"
DT: "I know more about foreign policy than anyone. I own a golf course in Scotland, how's that for foreign policy for you? I was just there recently too; heard a British diplomat give a speech there. I didn't understand much of what he said though. Why don't those people learn to pronounce English good; I mean, it's not like they invented the language over there? Maybe I should run for office in the UK. Could put the 'great' back into Great Britain."
DR: "Well Mr. trump, I suppose you are aware that young people favor your opponent by a large margin. They say they don't like the hate and division you and your campaign espouse. What do you have to say about that?"
DT: "Well they're young, they don't know any better. It's up to me and my campaign to teach them, and we're trying our damnedest to do just that."   
DR: What will you do if you lose the election, Mr. Trump?"
DT: "See, there you go. No wonder I'm going to have you locked up. Lock him up! Lock him up! Well, I'm not going to lose the election. BUT, if in the ever so slightest case you media people and crooked Hillary steal the election from me, I have a place to go and rule where they'll really appreciate me."
DR: "Oh? And where is that, Mr. Trump?"
DT: Well I'll give you a hint ... There's a country where the ruler has been a little sick lately. I only know that from my friend Vladimir. He read Kim Jong-un's emails. Boy does Vladimir know a lot about the Democrats too. Whew!"
DR: "So you're talking about going to North Korea?"
DT: "More lies! I never said that! But that country is a mess, and only I can fix it! And in that country, I wouldn't have lies told about me all the time, because they know how to deal with media people and keep them from lying. Oh wow! I can just see troops marching into South Korea, big statues of me on every corner. More and more I like the sound of my slogan, 'Make North Korea great again.' "
DR: "This is Dan Ratherbe in Philadelphia, but I'd rather be anyplace, but here."

WORD HISTORY:
Satire-This word, related to "sate" and "sad," goes back to Indo European "sah," with the notion of "satisfaction, having enough." This gave Latin "satur," which meant "sated, having enough." This became the basis of the Latin term "lanx satura," with the meaning "a full serving of mixed types of fruit." This meaning then expanded from "full serving" ("collection") to, "collection of poetry," then to "poem or poems that emphasized a person's characteristics; thus, the modern meaning of, "story that pokes fun or ridicule at a person's habits, personality, foolish ways, often with a more serious underlying intent." Latin "satur" gave Latin "satira," meaning "satiric poetry or drama." This gave Old French, a Latin-based language, "satire," with the same meaning. English borrowed the word in the latter part of the 1300s, "probably" from French, but with likely reinforcement by Latin, a language still common in those times among well educated people, which naturally included writers.  

The Way THESE Waltons Say, 'Good Night'

First published in October 2014

During the 1970s, there was a popular television series on CBS called "The Waltons," about a family in rural Virginia set during the 1930s and early 1940s. The show became sort of famous for its ending, when the family members said "good night" to one another; a rather involved process, which drew the attention of some comedians for their own acts. The other famous Waltons are those who own about half of the stock of the discount retail store chain, "Walmart," and who control the corporation headquartered in Arkansas. Walmart is the largest employer in the United States with 1.3 million employees and the Walton family, just six members of one family, controls wealth equal to the combined wealth of the bottom 41% to 42% of Americans.* Walmart has been heavily criticized for paying generally low wages and for the outsourcing of production to very low wage countries, where labor laws are scant, if in existence at all, including the use of child labor. So with all of this in mind, I thought I'd do a little satire on "How THESE Waltons Say, 'Good night.' "

Walton Jim:: "Good night Walton Rob. You be sure to keep those unions from organizing any of the workers and stirrin' up any trouble, like askin' for more money. I mean, is it our fault these people can't get by on 9 bucks and hour? Gee, most of 'em get food stamps from the government, the moochers. Here we are payin' these folks 9 dollars an hour, and we can't even get another tax cut. I'm tellin' ya, life's just not fair."

Walton Rob: "Good night Walton Alice! You keep pluggin' to get us some tax cuts like Jim just mentioned. These tightwads take all the fun out everything."

Walton Alice: "Okay, will do. Good night Walton Ann! You keep in touch with Jim and Rob about fightin' any increase in the minimum wage. These people act like they deserve more money. And we're not going that more medical benefits route either. What do these people want from us, anyway? Hey, you get sick, take care of yourself and get to work anyhow. If you don't want to work, there are others out there who'll take our 9 bucks an hour. Ah, maybe we could just offer $8.50?"

Walton Ann: "You guys are just great! Good night Walton Nancy! You keep your eyes on Jim and Rob so that they keep getting the cheapest products regardless of the country or the exploitation of people. It's always the bottom line that counts. Just what are sweatshops, anyhow? Good night Jim, Rob, Alice and Ann! Sweet dreams! Just remember, everybody do your jobs like we just talked about and when we wake up, we'll be worth a bundle more than when we went to sleep."

* See: Politifact Wisconsin, December 8, 2013 for employment and wealth figures, as well as for Walton family stock holdings in the retail store chain. See also: "Inequality, Exhibit A; Walmart and the Wealth of American Families," by Josh Bivens, Economic Policy Institute, July 17, 2012.

WORD HISTORY:
Cheap-This word's ultimate origin is unknown, but it goes back to the Latin noun "caupo," which meant "innkeeper, tradesman," and Latin verb form, "perhaps," "cauponare," meaning to "engage in commerce or trade." These seem to have been borrowed by the Germanic tribes which came into contact (and conflict) with the Romans along the Rhine River more than 2000 years ago. They then spread to other Germanic tribes. This gave Old Germanic the noun "kaupa," with the same borrowed Latin meaning, but also a verb form, "kaupan," generally meaning "to buy."  This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the noun "ceap," which meant "a purchase, a business deal, commerce;" as well as, the verb "ceapian," meaning "to engage in business or trade," and by extension, "to bargain." The noun gave English the profession "chapman;" that is, "a merchant, a tradesman," which later became a family name, "Chapman" (close relative German has the closely related "Kauf(f)mann," meaning "merchant, salesman," a name sometimes rendered as "Coffman," in English). The noun form died out in English, as "purchase" was borrowed from French, and English already had its own Germanic word, the word which became modern "buy" (usually a verb, but also a noun, as in, "That's a good buy," but exactly when the noun use developed is unclear to me). The verb form "ceapian" later became "cheapen," meaning "to lower the price," and the figurative "to make something less in value," a form still used today, although the "en" ending on most English verbs was gradually done away with a few hundred years ago, requiring English speakers to express the infinitive form with a preceding "to," plus the shortened verb form. The adjective, which is the most commonly used form today, developed from the notion "to bargain;" thus, the adjective meaning, "the best price or deal," but also the less flattering, "not of high quality, skimpy." The other Germanic languages have: German "kaufen" (to buy) and "Kauf" (a purchase), Low German Saxon "kopen" (to buy), West Frisian "keap" ^ (a purchase, something acquired) and "keapje" (to buy, to acquire), Dutch "koop" (a purchase) and "kopen" (to buy), Danish "køb" (a purchase) and "købe" (to buy), Norwegian "kjøp" (a purchase) and "kjøpe" (to buy), Icelandic "kaup" (a purchase) and "kaupa" (to buy), Swedish "köp(et)" (a purchase) and "köpa" (to buy).

^ Notice the closeness to the Old English form "ceap." The Frisians are closely related to the English, as some Frisians joined with the closely related Angles and Saxons in the invasion of Britain and in the establishment of England.

Asking A Democrat A Few Questions

Hi folks! This is Dan Ratherbe in Philadelphia, as promised, with a Democrat who will answer all questions today with no holds barred. My guest is John Wussywuss.

DR: Welcome Mr. Wussywuss.

JW: I'm glad to be here, I think. I'm a little nervous. Don't make those questions too tough now.

DR: First, is it true if a Republican shouts "boo," that many Democrats jump into bed and pull the covers over their heads?

JW: No, that's not entirely true, because I bury my head under the pillow, but I actually prefer to use two pillows. Besides, those mean old Republicans don't always scare me, I sleep with the light on. 

DR: Is it true that President Obama has said he believes the Indians made a good deal with the Dutch in trading a few trinkets for Manhattan?

JW: Well, I believe what he said was that he felt the Indians bargained too hard with the Dutch and that they should have scaled back their offer before hitting the Dutch with such demands. After all, the Dutch offered some good trinkets. You couldn't find trinkets like that just anywhere, since that was before the five and dime stores were founded.

DR: Some have said President Obama negotiates with himself. How does he tell who wins? 

JW: I believe Harry Reid tells him. You know, Harry was once a boxer, but not any more. 

DR: I'm sure you remember that Governor Deval of Massachusetts said at last year's Democratic Convention that Democrats need to grow a spine. Do you agree?

JW: We have a spine, and besides, that guy's going to get us into trouble saying things like that. Going to get the Republicans mad, then where will we be? Just like those people who wanted the "public option" in the health care law. Geez, if we'd have pushed for that, the Republicans would have thrown everything into stopping the law from passing.

DR: You mean they didn't throw everything into trying to stop health care from passing? After all Mr. Wussywuss, Republicans and their allies far outspent supporters of the health care law.

JW: I think I've said enough on this subject. You're aiming to get me into trouble with the Republicans too. Next they won't even sit with me in the lunch room.

DR: You mean some Republicans actually sit with you?

JW: No, but is that any way to get them to start?

DR: Okay, last question. How many Democrats believe the jellyfish should be be the symbol of the party?

JW: Oh I really can't say at the moment. At last count the jellyfish was neck and neck with a one day old fawn. I kind of favor the fawn, they're cute.

DR: Thank you Mr. John Wussywuss. You've just heard Mr. Wussywuss talk about the Democratic Party, President Obama and the public option on health care.

JW: Shhhh! Hush! There you go with that public option stuff again. I'm tellin' you. You're going to get the Republicans all stirred up and they'll be shouting "boo" at me before I even get home and I don't have any pillows with me. You don't care, leaving a poor guy defenseless. What's that?

DR: It's just your shadow Mr. Wussywuss.

JW: Are you sure it's not Mitch McConnell or Eric Cantor?       

WORD HISTORY:
Rear (rere)-English has a couple of words "rear," and this is the archaic and dialectal one that formed the first part of "rearmouse" (once also spelled "reremouse"), which was long the main English word for "bat" (the animal), a word that remained in use dialectically after "bat" replaced it. It goes back to Indo European "khere/khera," which had the meaning of "mix, stir," but with the underlying notion being "motion or movement used to mix something." This gave its Old Germanic offspring a form something like "hrerazjana," which had the same meanings. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "hreran," which meant "to shake, to agitate, to move," and this then became "reren." As other words replaced the meanings of "reren," it seems to have been confined to the above mentioned forms of the first part of a compound that meant "bat," with the movement/agitation idea combined with "mouse," to give "fluttering mouse, mouse that stirs/agitates the air." Some of the Germanic relatives of "rear/rere" are still around, as German still has "rühren" (whose older form was spelled "hruoren"), which still means, among other things, "to stir/mix ingredients, move ones limbs or fingers;" Low German Saxon has "röhren;" Dutch has "roeren," which means "to stir, to beat/whip (sauce or batter), to shake;" West Frisian has "oanroere" (a compound which means "touch," once also a secondary meaning in English, and still used in German along with the similar to Frisian "anrühren"); Danish and Norwegian have "røre," meaning "to stir;" Icelandic has "hraera," meaning "stir;" Swedish has "röra," which means "stir, move, touch." Notice that Icelandic is the only Germanic language to retain the initial "h" from long ago. Also, the "touch" meaning can be in the sense "affect," as in, "Their gift touched me deeply." 

Asking A Republican A Few Questions

This was first published in May 2013

"Hello folks! This is Dan Ratherbe, in Philadelphia. Today I have a Republican here who promises to speak out on the issues confronting the nation and his Republican Party, no holds barred. His name is George Owen Pappenstiel* and he's a strong supporter of the Tea Party. Welcome Mr. Pappenstiel.

GOP-Thank you Mr. Couldbe, or is it Mr. Shouldbe?

DR-It's Ratherbe, but my name isn't important here, you are. So here's the first question, and remember, no holds barred. Is The Republican Party still the "party of Lincoln?"

GOP-Oh no, that was just temporary insanity on the part o' people who weren't no real Republicans. Ol' John Wilkes Booth was just too late gettin' at that guy. See, that's why Americuns need guns, to stop this stuff. 'Sides, I'm not sure Lincoln could ever convince Donald Trump that he wuz a 'gitimate president with a valid birth certificate to prove it. Just like that Bomma guy, a Mooslim if ever there was one. From over there in one of them Africa places nobody knows the name of.

DR- Kenya?

GOP- Cun I what?

DR- The President's name is Obama, not Bomma.

GOP- See, can't even say his name right, 'cuz it ain't no Americun name.

DR-Who is your favorite president?

GOP-Jeff Davis!

DR- Sir, Jefferson Davis was not president of the United States.

GOP- Shows jist how dumb you liberals are. Ya never had a proper edjeecation. Jeff Davis is my answer and that's final. I'll bet Donald Trump wouldn't have no trouble with ol' Jeff. He wuz a real Americun like Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin. They don't go 'round hatin America like that Bomma guy. They don't see no bad things 'bout this great ol' country and they only tell people the plain and simple facts and the communists and socialists don't like the truth or facts, so theyz agin them.  Michele and Sarah, they just plain and simple, that's what they are.

DR- Okay, who besides Jefferson Davis?

GOP- You sure ere trying to make this tough. Let's see ... ah ... Strom Thurmond? Oh wait, he only ran and he didn't win; got cheated I believe. George Wallace almost made it, but they cheated him too. Well, I guess Ronald Reagan.

DR-Do you believe Ebenezer Scrooge gets a bum rap?

GOP-You better believe it. The liberal media has done made him a scapegoat and felt sorry for that lazy moocher who worked for him. I can't remember his name, but he had that good for nothing son who sang like a woman and had the long hair to go with it. Played a banjo or some such thing too. Maybe a ukelele.  What was his name? Hm ... Tiny Tim or some such crap. Used a crutch to make people feel sorry for him. Not me, I don't fall for that stuff; I don't feel sorry for nobody, exceptin' maybe ol' Ebenezer. He was just a honest business guy tryin' to make a livin'. He was a job creator too. That moochin' worker of his wouldn't o' had a job if'n it weren't for ol' Ebenezer.

DR-Do you think some Republicans secretly celebrate Hitler's and Mussolini's birthdays?

GOP-Oh that Muss-ah-lini was such a wimp, nobody'd be celebratin' his birthday. I dunno 'bout Hitler tho.

DR-You mean you don't know of anyone in your party who celebrates Hitler's birthday on April 12th?

GOP-No, no, not April 12th, 'cause his birthday is April 20th. A cuzin o' mine has an old armband, give to him by his pa from the war time in Germany. He likes to wear it 'round the house sometimes, but I'm not sure it's just on Hitler's birthday. 'Sides, he got a nice white sheet he like to wear too sometimes. Keeps it good 'n clean and has a good Christian cross with it.     

DR-What do you think of the growing Hispanic population in the U.S.

GOP- I think we should use the Army to secure the border and shoot first an' ask questions later, like that there guy done there in Florida. What's his name, Zimmerman? We gotta stop this stuff or soon we'll all be eatin' tacos and refried beans fer breakfast, lunch and dinner. They can't even speak good English like you an' me duz. An' those Pertoo Ricans, why you'd think they wuz real Americuns, the ways they act.

DR- Puerto Ricans are American citizens, sir.

GOP- Now quit joshin' me. Ain't no real Americuns if'n they don't look like you an' me. An' don't fergit my cuzin neither. Then too, real Americuns don't got names like Peedro or Jose. That Jose name only any good fer the national anthem, you know, 'Jose ... can you see, by the dawn's early light?' Jist thought I'd be throwin' in a little humor, but you ain't laughin'. Guess you don't git it.
 
DR- Do you think the Tea Party is at least partially in response to political correctness? If so, do you think they're really racist, or that they just think segregation wasn't a bad thing at all, and that in fact, slavery helped take care of slaves?

 GOP- Now ya got that last part right, an' no truer words was ever spoke. Let me tell ya, a little slavery never hurt nobody, at least not no white person, or Egyptian. Just think, no slavery, no pyramids. No slavery, no cotton industry. No child slavery, no Walmart. Hey, this ain't tough to figur out.

DR-  Why do you think many Americans believe the GOP, especially the Tea Party, is bigoted, if not outright racist?

GOP- I got no idea. I never met a Tea Party patriot who didn't believe colored people, or I guess I should say, Negroes, haven't performed a valuable service to this country; as I said, no slavery, no cotton. If people like John Brown and that bunch hadn't been messin' in, we'd still have a thrivin' cotton business and big plantations all over the South. An' see, I said Negroes. You probly thought I didn't know no better.

DR- What do you think of unions?

GOP- Oh that bunch of Commies. They just wanna keep stoppin' American business from growin'; after all, what's good fer business, is good fer America.

DR- So if unions were destroyed, the country AND workers would be better off? How would workers benefit?

GOP- The country's businesses would be better off, no question 'bout it, and they are the nation's job creators. They need more money to 'spand and invest so they can provide more jobs to Americans. We don't need no unions stickin' their Commie noses in to where they ain't wanted ner needed. Let one company outbid the others over workers with pay and any benefits.

DR- What do you think of Medicare?

GOP- Oh that sozialyzed med'cine started by Lyndon Johnson. Called hizself a Texan too. Baloney! He weren't no real Texan like George W. Bush and Rick Perry. Now thems Texans.

DR- Has your family always been Republican?

GOP- Oh no, no. My pappy and my grand pappy and his pappy were all Democrats, but that was 'fore the Democrats started stirrin' up the colored people tellin' 'em they was equal to us white folks. Can you imagine that? Then it all got worse, 'cause they done tole women they was equal too. Now they's sayin' men cun marry men and women cun marry women and that we should let more feruners become citizens. I'm tellin ya, Lady Liberty is ashamed o' this stuff and pretty soon we white, educated, sane people gonna be a minority in our own country.    

DR- Thanks for your time, sir. You've really answered the questions, no holds barred, just like you said you would. Only thing is, I'm feeling a bit sick to my stomach now.

GOP- I done tole you, you liberals don't like hearin' the truth.  

* Pappenstiel is used in the German expression "etwas für einen Pappenstiel kriegen;" that is, "get something cheaply/get something for chicken feed." It is pretty much pronounced like "poppin-steel."

WORD HISTORY:
Thwart-This word goes back to Indo European "twork/terkw," which had the notion of "turn, twist." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "t(h)werkhaz," which seems to have meant "crosswise, crooked," from the original notion of "twist, turn." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "thweorh," which likewise meant "crooked, bent," and from those ideas, also the figurative meaning "perverse" (the basic idea of such is still around today, as we say things like "the criminal had a twisted mind"), and also "angry." Along came Old Norse speakers to England, usually referred to as "Danes" back then, although not all came from what is now Denmark. Old Norse was the North Germanic offshoot of Old Germanic; thus making it a close relative of English. English is classified as West Germanic, along with its closest relatives: Frisian, Low German, Dutch, and standard German," but English has a number of influences from North Germanic, because of these "Danish" settlements in England, which were mainly in the northern and eastern parts of the England. Old Norse brought the word "thwert" to England, which had much the same basic meaning as the its Old English relative "thweorh;" that is, "across, crosswise." This form gradually worked its way into English by the 13th Century, seemingly blending with the original English word. Apparently from the notion of "crosswise sticks or logs" used to block an entrance/exit, came the idea in the mid 1200s of a verb form meaning "block, obstruct, hinder," which is still with us today. Originally both the English and Old Norse forms were adverbs/adjectives. Other forms in the Germanic languages: German has "quer" (originally spelled with a "tw" and a "dw," instead of a "q"), which means "across, crosswise; diagonally," Low German and Dutch "dwars," West Frisian "dwers," Swedish "tvär," Danish "tvaer," Norwegian "tvers," and Icelandic "thwert."

The Sermon Unheard

I first published this on November 27, 2006, and then again in October 2011, but with a "Word History," which did not accompany the original article. Unfortunately, this article hasn't really gone out of style, although Pope Francis has brought a refreshing change in tone and emphasis to religion, but much more is needed from others. Updated November 18, 2014.

"Please be seated, my brethren. I won't waste time with any preliminaries.

It seems we hear so much about religious people making statements concerning many of the hot button social issues of today's world. I see the clips on the television news or read about them in the paper. Whether or not I agree with some, all, or perhaps even none of these statements, is not what I'm here to talk about today. Maybe it's the fault of the news media, but I seldom, if ever, hear a word on the news from the religious community about a blight that's going on around us each day in our cities, towns and rural areas. I spell it with capital letters: G-R-E-E-D.

This is a condition from which all of us suffer to some extent, but when it comes down to it, it has never seen such heights in modern times as that which is emanating from the board rooms, money managers' offices, and the dens of the very wealthy in our society. The behavior we are witnessing is just plain ruthless, and unfortunately, it is extensive. We have very wealthy individuals hoping for hurricanes to disrupt oil and natural gas supplies. We have very wealthy individuals hoping for conflict in the Middle East for the same sick reason. Those who wish for any catastrophe for the sake of money!!! How despicable!!! No thoughts for their fellow man, only thoughts of more money and their chest-thumping ego trips!!! Let me tell you my brethren, there's not enough money in this world to satisfy these greedy, money-grubbing, ruthless individuals! They have a total disconnect with humanity. They have turned out the lights in their minds that lead to some pang of conscience.

And where are the ministers, priests, and rabbis to out and out condemn this behavior? My brethren, I'm afraid some, but not all, have fallen under the spell of the same curse. The wealthy contribute to the churches, and the very people who should be giving some moral guidance fall silent on this terrible affliction. Do they stand up and say that in a country like America, that people need medical care without the prospect of going bankrupt? No! Do they stand up and tell the board room class that they are ruthlessly cutting people from their employment rolls to save on medical insurance? No! Do they even ask their wealthy members to support some kind of national health insurance plan? No! Do they tell their wealthy members that after doing all sorts of rotten things to their fellow man, that making a donation to the church or hospital doesn't wipe the slate clean? No!

It is time for the religious community to stand up and point an accusing finger at the people who have so callously culled the ranks of working people from getting proper medical care! Further, I heard an interview with the President (then George W. Bush) recently. He was asked about the tremendous sums being paid to corporate executives, and what he felt should be done about it. He first noted that executive salaries should not be controlled by the government, but that corporate board members should be more diligent in watching pay levels. To me it sounds a bit like "Heal Thy self," or "the foxes put in charge of guarding the chicken coop." There's no doubt in my mind that workers deserve at least some of the huge sums being paid to the big wigs. I remember an episode from "Gilligan's Island," the 1960s sitcom. In this episode, if memory serves me right, an impostor is back on the mainland spending multimillionaire Mr. Howell's money. Mr. Howell, played by Jim Backus, blurts out, "Little does he know how hard other people worked to make me that money." That one line makes a great point.

So my brethren, I now will cool my rhetoric and offer a softer tone toward the people I want to reach. Please, please think about your actions! Turn on the light of conscience! Think of others, not just of yourselves! You will still have plenty! Think of how much you have and how little others have. Just think of the money you spent on yourself in the last few days. That amount alone could help save the life of someone without proper medical care. Or, that amount could save someone's home from foreclosure. Or that amount could save the emotional stability of someone struggling with financial problems due to layoff or a cutback in hours. Or that amount could feed a number of families who lack the wherewithal to keep food on the table. I could go on and on, but these are the things that should make you feel good, not just acquiring more wealth on top of more wealth, or watching your stocks rise because of some catastrophe, or gloating over some shrewd deal where you made a bundle, because you gave the other person "the business." Think! Think! Think! You can help cure, at least in part, this terrible affliction I spell G-R-E-E-D!!!

Do I hear an Amen?"

WORD HISTORY:
Wish-This verb goes back to Indo European "wen/wun," with the general meaning "to desire, to wish for." This gave its Old Germanic offshoot "wunsk(i)janan," with the same meaning. This gave Old English "wyscan" (notice the "n" sound is lacking), again with the same meaning. This then became "wisshen" (notice the "k" sound had become softened), before the modern form. The noun was derived from the verb by the late 1200s. The other Germanic languages have forms of the word (usually both a verb and a noun), and all with the same meaning as their English relative: (notice how in some of the other Germanic languages, the "k" sound softened, as in English, but the "n" persists, except in English and Icelandic) Old High German had "wunsken," but as happened in English, the "k" sound softened in the modern form, "wünschen"("Wunsch," is the noun form); Low German Saxon has the same forms as standard German; some Low German dialects have "wensche" ("Wensch," noun form); Frisian has only a noun form, "winsk" (here the hard "k" is retained); Dutch has "wensen" ("wens" is the noun); Danish and Norwegian have "ønske" (same form for the noun); Swedish has "önska" ("önskan"/noun); Icelandic has only the noun form, "Óska."

YIKES! We're Already Socialists!

In 1935, Congress debated and voted on the establishment of Social Security. Of course, Social Security is a government run program, providing what is essentially a base pension for retired American workers, although even some supporters were/are reluctant to use the term “pension” regarding the monthly payments. The program has been amended various times, and since 1935, has added disability payments, among other things, to its support of many Americans. The program required payments into the system by both workers and employers.

Prior to its enactment, many older Americans were extremely vulnerable to the ravages of poverty, and company pensions were fairly rare in those times. Now, has it always been funded properly? No! Have company pension plans always been run properly? No! Remember, in recent years, the auto companies, for example, owed worker pension funds a bundle!

On April 19, 1935, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation for the establishment of Social Security with the following vote total:

372 FOR (284 Democrats-81 Republicans-7 Other party affiliations)
32 AGAINST (15 Democrats-15 Republicans-2 Other party affiliations)
25 Not voting (20 Democrats-4 Republicans-1 Other party affiliation)
2 Republicans chose to vote “Present”

On June 19, 1935, the U.S. Senate passed the legislation with the following vote total:

77 FOR (60 Democrats-16 Republicans-1 Farm Labor)
6 AGAINST (1 Democrat-5 Republicans)
12 Not voting (8 Democrats-4 Republicans)

These tallies seem to indicate that there were 4 vacant seats in the House and 1 in the Senate.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the legislation into law in August 1935.

Thirty years later came the vote to establish Medicare, the health care program for the elderly, and Medicaid, the health care program for the poor. Both health care programs are run by the U.S. Government.

On July 27, 1965 members of the U.S. House of Representatives cast the following tally on the legislation:

307 FOR (237 Democrats-70 Republicans)
116 AGAINST (48 Democrats-68 Republicans)
10 Not Voting (8 Democrats-2 Republicans)
Apparently 2 seats were vacant.

The next day, July 28, the U.S. Senate voted:

70 FOR (57 Democrats-13 Republicans)
24 AGAINST (7 Democrats-17 Republicans)
6 Not Voting (4 Democrats-2 Republicans)

President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation into law.

I took the following directly from the VA website, in the "History" part:

"The Continental Congress of 1776 encouraged enlistments during the Revolutionary War by providing pensions for soldiers who were disabled. Direct medical and hospital care given to veterans in the early days of the Republic was provided by the individual States and communities. In 1811, the first domiciliary and medical facility for veterans was authorized by the Federal Government. In the 19th century, the Nation's veterans assistance program was expanded to include benefits and pensions not only for veterans, but also their widows and dependents.
After the Civil War, many State veterans homes were established. Since domiciliary care was available at all State veterans homes, incidental medical and hospital treatment was provided for all injuries and diseases, whether or not of service origin. Indigent and disabled veterans of the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, and Mexican Border period as well as discharged regular members of the Armed Forces were cared for at these homes.
Congress established a new system of veterans benefits when the United States entered World War I in 1917. Included were programs for disability compensation, insurance for servicepersons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled. By the 1920s, the various benefits were administered by three different Federal agencies: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.
The establishment of the Veterans Administration came in 1930 when Congress authorized the President to "consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans." The three component agencies became bureaus within the Veterans Administration."

Hmm, I'm telling you, that "creeping socialism!" Even infiltrated the VA. Got our veterans being treated by socialist doctors and nurses. They probably keep their red pins and badges hidden when they're on duty, but it wouldn't surprise me if they all have red handkerchiefs or something, just to signal each other. I'll bet they couldn't have fooled old Archie Bunker. No way! Old Arch knew those un-American folks when he saw them. I can imagine, too, that if Archie were in the VA and one of those "socialist" doctors came into him and said, "Well Mr. Bunker, I'm going to treat you for your ailment, and such treatment usually costs $50,000 in the private sector, but there will be minimal if any cost for you. Uncle Sam, by the goodness of the taxpayers, is paying for your care." I'll just bet old Arch would tell him, "Like hell you're going to treat me, you pinko quack with a medissintel degree! I want a REAL American doc to treat me. I WANT to pay the $50,000! None of this socialist stuff for me, Archie Bunker; no siree. I'll pay the 50 grand, because I'll be collecting Social Security soon."

Word History:
Straw-This goes back to Indo European "streh/struh," which meant "to spread." The Old Germanic offshoot was "strawam," seemingly pronounced "stray-wahm." (And don't make that "stay warm!") This meant, "something that is scattered about, strewn." And "strew," most commonly used in the past form in modern English ("strewn"), is indeed a close relative of "straw." The Old Germanic form evolved into Old English "streaw," and took on the meaning of "stems or stalks of plants," since long ago, such dried plants were "strewn" over floors as a covering. "Streaw" eventually came to be spelled "straw," and similar forms are "strewn" (I couldn't resist that!) throughout the modern Germanic languages: German and Low German Saxon have "Stroh," West Frisian has "strie," Dutch has "stro," Norwegian has "strå," Danish has "straa," and Swedish has "strå," and Icelandic has "strá." The use of the word to mean drinking implement developed in the mid 1800s. Let's see...who has to take out the garbage? We'll draw "straws" to determine the lucky one.

Oil and Gas Prices

First published in December 2006


I saw a part of a special on CNN about oil, and a "possible" crisis, which, if I remember correctly, the show dates for 2009. I didn't see the entire show, but one of the things that interested me in particular was when members of Congress were asking oil company executives how oil and gas prices were set (this was in the Fall of 2005, I believe). Essentially, the execs claimed that they had nothing to do with the prices, that the prices were set by world markets. One Republican senator eventually said that he had not heard a satisfactory answer to how prices were set. He's not alone.

I wonder how many shares of stock these execs have in any or all of the oil and gas related companies? How often do they, or their investment people, deal in the oil and gasoline futures' markets?

Speculation has been running high for several years now and I can just imagine....

"This is breaking news on XONN, your 24 hour cable news source. I'm Dan Ratherbe, in Philadelphia.

It has just been reported to us by our local affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio, that a man was adding a quart of oil to his car when the bottle slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, spilling the remaining contents onto his driveway. We'll bring you further updates, as they are available."

Ten minutes later.

"This is breaking news on XONN, your 24 hour cable news source. Hello, I'm Dan Ratherbe.

As reported by XONN a short time ago, a man dropped a quart bottle of motor oil in Cleveland while working on his car. Since that time, oil prices have soared more than a dollar a barrel. We now take you live to our reporter, Wolf Blitzkrieg, at the futures market. Hello Wolf, just what seems to be going on there with this price jump?"

"Hello Dan. Well, traders heard our report from Cleveland, and they said that this incident will contribute greatly to the world oil shortage, especially as OPEC just announced two days ago, that they are cutting production by 10 barrels a day. Another important development has come to our attention. We have gotten numerous reports that gas stations across the country are raising gasoline prices, even as we speak. All and all, a VERY news worthy day. Now, back to Dan Ratherbe, in Philadelphia."

"Thanks for your report, Wolf. Please stayed tuned to XONN for updates on this still developing story."

Does anyone feel that this might well be the way oil and gasoline prices are REALLY set? I think I'll email this to that senator I mentioned above. Hey, my answer is more credible than the answers from the oil execs, so don't laugh, and besides, I had to buy another quart of oil after I dropped that one. And remember the old saying, "Oily to bed, oily to rise."