Friday, December 30, 2005

I am Shent, and I’m Not Cozening You!

Sometimes the old words are the best words.

I finished reading “The Black Arrow” by Robert Louis Stevenson a couple of days ago. It was tough going at first because I haven’t read anything written more than 60 or 70 years ago in quite a while. (The Bible doesn’t count because I’ve been using the New International Version, lately.) At any rate, it drew my attention to some of the great words we don’t use any more.

Words like “cozen” which would be replaced today by “con” or “fool” as in “I’m not trying to con (cozen) you, man.”

Seveal characters, including the genteel heroine, say at various times, “I am shent!” Checking the handy-dandy online dictionary we learn that this is the

obs. 3d pe 1. obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Shend, for shendeth.
v. t. 1. To shend.

and that “to shend” means

v. t. 1. To injure, mar, spoil, or harm.
[imp. & p. p. Shent ; p. pr. & vb. n. Shending.]
I fear my body will be shent.
- Dryden.
2. To blame, reproach, or revile; to degrade, disgrace, or put to shame.
The famous name of knighthood foully shend.
- Spenser.
She passed the rest as Cynthia doth shend
The lesser stars.
- Spenser.

Most modern folks would say, “Oh, s—t!” or, if they’re especially loquacious, “I’m dead meat!” However, since the former is still considered offensive by many folks, I think “I’m shent!” could be taught to youngsters as a substitute. It includes most of the same letters, has the same sibilant and the same explosive “t” sound and won’t get them into trouble at school.

Sometimes the old words are better.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Hello One-View

Message in a bottle…..Found!

Stumbling around on the Pueblo Chieftain’s efforts at 21st Century communications, I discovered your message of last April, in which you wrote….

I’m hoping some of you know Chuck Pelto, northside resident? Could you please let him know the Pueblog has issues, such as being able to post???? I also am in the historic north side, and have some ideas I wanted to share with him, but can’t!?

Sorry that (1) you could not post and (2) no one bothered to pass on to me your situation.

I tried to reply to your message, however, for some strange reason, the Pueblo Chieftain’s arcane attempt at communications in the 21st Century would not allow me to either reply or send you an e-mail.

Because of that, I’m obliged to reply to you in this medium….

You can post comments here. But, at the moment you need to register. I ask this because there are nefarious people on the web who like to post rather unsavory and totally unrelated items in the comments section. By requiring registration, I can keep such off-topic comments from flooding any discussions. All information disclosed as part of registration will be kept confidential, to the best of our abilities.

We look forward to your contribution to Pueblog.

Chieftain, My Chieftain III

Scrouge is getting upset.

Seems that some people have been boycotting some businesses of late. And Steve Henson, editor of the Pueblo Chieftain, thinks this is ‘unchristian’ of them….

More...

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Pearl Harbor Day #64

What was good for the world (meaning Europe and part of Asia) during WWII, should be good for the whole world today.

Sixty-four years ago Japan did something appalling: they attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and killed hundreds of people and sank several ships. On September 11, 2001, some terrorists did something appalling: they hijacked four passenger airliners and succeeded in killing hundreds of people and destroyed four large airplanes.

Twenty-some years ago, on the 40th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, President Ronald Reagan                                                                                                                                                               gave a speech at Pointe du Hoc in France. He said,

We’re here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

And I wonder why the situation in Iraq: tyranny, oppression, genocide, is seen as somehow different, and less worthy, than the situation in Europe and Asia in during WWII. Later Reagan said,

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge—and pray God we have not lost it—that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

Given the moral parallels between the situation during WWII and now, why is it that so many politicians and media people are trying to weaken the resolve of U.S. to complete its mission in Iraq? Especially since the cost of that mission seems to be comparatively much smaller than its mission during WWII.

The politicians and media have been pushing for a “timetable” as if the Iraq war is a new product launch or a scheduled airline flight. Believe it or not, there were timetables during WWII, also. The Allies believed it would be stupid to try to fight a war in Europe during the winter. In November and early December of 1944 they were preparing to ride out the winter right where they were located, and were expecting the Axis to do the same. But then the Belgian Breakthrough occurred: the Germans found a weakness in the Allied lines, broke through and spread behind the lines and, amongst other things, surrounded the town of Bastogne in what is called the Battle of the Bulge. The 101st Airborne was fighting in its summer-issue gear, since the “timetable” didn’t have them scheduled for a change-out before the unscheduled battle began. So much for timetables.

If people want a “timetable” for pulling out of Iraq, that schedule needs to be based on events, not dates. Several of these milestone events have already occurred: the Iraqis have had democratic elections and Saddam Hussein has been brought to trial. The U.S. has only embarassed itself when it has not stayed the course. We need to reinforce the message that when someone does something appalling to us, we will take action and see the mission through to its end. Then maybe we’ll see another sixty years of relative peace before something appalling happens again.