Gemichster Pickles

 

 

From: Oxsan
Date: 14 Nov 2001
Time: 09:22:33

"Gemichster pickles" is a term used to express the mixed up speech of persons learning English whose native language is German like the old lady who had just had artificial insemination explained to her who said "Ach, der alter Weg was doch so nice" or the service station attendant in Fredricksburg , Texas who rushes out as you are pulling away from the station and says (Wart auf, wart auf! Ich will dein windsheild wipen und dein brakes adjusten lassen". Of course service station attendants no longer offer to come out and do anything but they used to do so. Well my contribution to the wealth of thought in the world today is a case of "gemichster pickles". It is just some mixed up things that occurred to me this morning from one source or another, mostly from TV I suppose. So don't look for a common theme.

1. United Way I learn has donated $77 million for legal assistance to all of the persons detained by the FBI in the investigation of the WTC tragedy. I would not have been nearly as angry if the ACLU had donated that much for that cause but even they have had the decency not to intervene in the investigation. People donated to United Way with the belief that their charitable donation was going to relieve the suffering of people affected by some natural disaster. The people detained by the FBI will be appointed competent counsel if they cannot afford same if and when they are brought to trial and that counsel will be paid for by the tax dollars collected from all of us. Many of those detained had large amounts of cash on them and can obviously pay for their own counsel. I resent the United Way for taking this action and they will get no more contributions from me, or any one I can influence. I'll bet that worries them greatly.

2. Eleanor Clift is a pet peeve of mine. I listen to her on the McLaughlin Group because it gives me something to bitch about and an object against which to vent my spleen and since I live alone I can safely call her uncharitable names I wouldn't think to mention if anyone else were present. Imagine my surprise, therefore today when the general proposition was discussed of whether or not the FBI should use torture to get information from the 13 hard case detainees about other planned terroristic activities. Of course no one would support that, I thought. Strangely enough one of the five panelists suggested turning the thirteen over to the Turks and telling the Turks not to tell us how they got the info, one suggested the Filipinos could do as well, and two were willing for the CIA to do the job, and dear Elizabeth said no don't torture them but that it was alright for the Attorney general to surreptitiously monitor all of their contacts even with their lawyers. Never thought that I would see the day.

3. I continue to seethe against the American Red Cross for soliciting money from the American public and getting $564,000,000 for the relief of the families of the World Trade Center bombing and using $12,000,000 of the money for Red Cross refurbishment of their computer system. That is fraud! It is just as bad to establish a "Liberty Fund" for future terrorist disasters. People contributed that money thinking that it would go to funds for the education and medical expenses of the dead person's kids and things like that. I have heard two figures for how much money they have already distributed to the families and neither figure was close to what is needed. If you divided the $564,000,000 equally between the families of those killed it would only be about $100,000 and it costs about that now to raise and educate one child through college. I also heard that the American Red Cross is demanding that FEMA reimburse them dollar for dollar for every amount spent on the WTC disaster. So The American Red Cross joins United Way in the anathema column. You can't trust anyone.

4. I like Donald Rumsfeld. I saw him interviewed this morning and he is the rare interviewee (Colin Powell is another) who can laugh at himself. When Tim Russert popped a past quotation on Rumsfeld and scowlingly asked if he still stood by it Rumsfeld grinned and said he didn't know that he was such a clear thinker back then. Rumsfeld makes himself almost impervious to criticism by occasionally saying "I don't know". And he seems comfortable with who he is. I am glad that he is Secretary of Defense.

5. On a local station I witnessed part of a Veteran's Day Parade in Fort Worth, which had a picture of a small lad three or four years old on his dad's shoulders waving a tiny American flag as the gimpy old vets and smart military units marched by. The female commentator on the news program made a statement sort of like "Isn't it a shame that innocent children have to witness this militaristic scene?" No, lady it is not a shame. If I had any three or four year old children I would be glad to take them to witness the vets and the troops of their country and would be sure to tell them what the present war is all about and what we as citizens not in uniform or who have never heard a shot fired in anger owe to those men and women who are out there marching by. Maybe she has not heard of the Spartan women who told their sons "Come back carrying your shield or carried on it."

Freedom is not free.

6. I also saw in the last few days pictures of the return of an aircraft carrier, I think it was the Enterprise, from what must have been an extended sea tour. Loads of sailors both men and women were rushing into the arms of their loved ones on the wharf and it was a happy scene. What really impressed me was how young the people looked. I saw an Electronic Technician's Mate First Class rush into his girl friends arms (or his wife's arms that I would have sworn was not over eighteen. I guess he must have been older because he had two service hash marks, which would indicate eight years service so he must have been 24. Twenty-four sure looks young now. It also used to take longer than eight years to make First Class Petty officer.

Well that is enough of my "Gemichster pickles" for today. I have more but you are not yet ready for some things.