sorry about that (was Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst])

Mon Jul 19 15:14:08 UTC 2010

I meant this to be a personal note to DAD

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu>
Date: Sunday, July 18, 2010 11:09 pm
Subject: Re: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

> DAD:
>
> You and I seem to be soul mates.
>
> Every once in a while I try to think of a principle or ideal the Republicans
> support that I don't despise, and haven't succeeded yet.
> A principle or ideal the Republicans give hypocritical lip-service to
> is
> another matter.
>
> I thought that it was peculiarly appropriate that the strip club Michael
> Steele's underling took his favorite Republicans to was one that featured
> bondage and discipline.  A taste for B&D would explain the remarkable
> cohesiveness of the Republican members of Congress in opposing anything
> Obama supports.
>
> Is it true, do you think, that most of Pope Rush's listeners are
> middle aged
> men who were concussed in Peewee League football?  I think that the NEH
> should fund a study, or perhaps the NFL, now that it admits that concussions
> might be bad for you.
>
> GAT
>
> George A. Thompson
> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
> Date: Saturday, July 17, 2010 7:52 pm
> Subject: Re: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
> > Below is part of a private exchange between Bill Palmer and moi, for
> the
> > edification of anyone who would be edified.
> > DAD
> >
> > Subject: Republican Subterfuge [was Whilst]
> >
> > Ah, you are skirting, here, the principles of the Danielian Axiom of
> Human
> > Metamorphosis. First formulated while the formulator was having what
> can
> > only be described as a who's-on-first conversation with a brainless
> twit
> > from the IRS, and then perfected over some forty years of observation
> > around
> > the world, the Danielian Axiom of Human Metamorphosis states that:
> >
> > Any time a human being is elected or appointed to government service,
> > his
> > brains turn to shit.
> >
> > This also applies, to a greater or lesser degree, to those who aspire
> > to
> > elected or appointed government service.
> >
> > I know, I know, I must have just offended like three-quarters of the
> list
> > who are/have been/know someone dear in government service. But if you
> > think
> > about it, and if you examine your heart of hearts, you will know it
> is
> > true:
> > working for the government changes the way your brain works, and not
> > to the
> > good.
> >
> > So, yes, to your point, Republicans and Democrats alike are subject
> to
> > the
> > Danielian Axiom of Human Metamorphosis. But, I contend that
> > Republicans are
> > the true villains because they are ideologically false.
> >
> > As you point out, a Republican will preach to you about family values
> > and
> > then get caught in a public bathroom/with a hooker/picking up
> > boys/etc. A
> > Republican will preach to you about small, controlled, balanced-budget
> > government, then send the deficits into the stratosphere. A Republican
> > will
> > preach to you about individual liberties, and then tap your phone/hack
> > your
> > computer/requisition your library take-out records. A Republican will
> > preach
> > to you about the evils of homosexuality, then take off on a vacation
> > with a
> > male prostitute. Et cetera and so forth. So this, in, admittedly, very
> > brief
> > summary, is why I figure Republicans are the worst of everything
> > moral/ethical.
> >
> > Democrats do the bad stuff too but are much less likely to be hypocritical
> > about it. A Democrat who gets caught with a hooker has probably gone
> on
> > record saying it should be legal (or has at least not published tirades
> > against it). A Democrat will be more likely to (i) vote for gay rights
> > and
> > (ii) be openly gay. A Democrat is much more likely to say, "Well, yes,
> > we
> > are going to have to raise taxes", while the Republican says, "Read
> my
> > lips:
> > no new taxes" - and then we get new taxes. Democrats tend to get themselves
> > into political trouble - and/or not get elected in the first place -
> because
> > they are more inclined to tell it like it is, especially when "like
> it
> > is"
> > is bad news. If you see what I mean.
> >
> > My conservative friends say I have a different belief system from theirs.
> > That is incorrect. Correct is: they have a belief system, I do not.
> >
> > I have a "let's think about it" system. This system is (i) fairly
> > typical of
> > many Democrats I've encountered and (ii) one reason Democrats are a
> less
> > cohesive block than Republicans. You get a few hundred Democrats (ex:
> > congress and senate) sitting around thinking about stuff and they are
> > going
> > to come up with lots of different conclusions. Republican don't think;
> > they
> > knee-jerk react. This is why, for example, Republicans are virtually
> 100%
> > against abortion, whereas Democrats are split and tend to waffle on
> the
> > issue. In fact, this is why Democrats, as a party, tend to waffle in
> > general: they (we) think too much.
> >
> > Looking for linguistic relevance here, lest anyone wonder, we have:
> > use of
> > language to fool people, and the greater likelihood of Republicans to
> > use it
> > thus.
> > DAD
> >
> > If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Bill Palmer [mailto:w_a_palmer at bellsouth.net]
> > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 3:21 PM
> > To: dad at POKERWIZ.COM
> > Subject: Re: Re: Whilst
> >
> > Dave,
> >
> > Excellent catch on the "during"...just exactly the kind of weasel wording
> > I'd expect on someone of his ilk.
> >
> > Republicans, to me, are totally as crass, dishonest, corrupt, philandering,
> > and whatever else, as Democrats.  I don't think this sort of thing is
> > a
> > respecter of party affiliation.  But what's amazing, in the best example
> > ever of a Charlie Brown/Lucy holding the football routine, Rep's will
> > call
> > themselves "family values", and all the synonoms, and people buy it...no
> > matter the David Vitters, Larry Craigs, Foley (in FL), ad nauseaum.
> > Countless examples still have not demonstrated to the "values" voter
> that
> > Republican doesn't necessarily mean saint.
> >
> > Bill
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
> > To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:22 PM
> > Subject: Re: Whilst
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > And did you notice he said he was a Marine "during" Vietnam, not
> > "in", as
> > > misspoken by that guy in Massachusetts (don't remember his name and
> > don't
> > > feel like looking it up). I wonder if that was part of a cascade effect,
> > > or
> > > if he goes around saying "during" normally. I thought the rifle was
> > cute;
> > > no
> > > use wasting a thousand words when one picture will do. OTOH, he
> > said, "we
> > > are Republicans, so we are better than that." I've always found
> > > Republicans
> > > to be the worst of everything moral/ethical. But I guess he doesn't
> > think
> > > so. (I thought he said 5 billion. No?)
> > > DAD
> > >
> > >
> > > If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
> Behalf
> > > Of
> > > Bill Palmer
> > > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:59 PM
> > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > > Subject: Re: Whilst
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > [OT] Linguistics aside, it's just a very arresting commercial. I don't
> > > know
> > > about y'all, but I certainly do want a well-armed ag commissioner
> in
> > my
> > > state.
> > >
> > > Since I'm already off-topic, $5 million seems like a pretty picayune
> > > budget
> > > for the ag commissioner in a  state like Alabama.
> > >
> > > And another thing (since Dale brings it up and includes dog tags in
> > his
> > > campaign graphic, and as a retired military officer I can say this
> ...we
> > > have gotten to the point that
> > > military veteran = selfless saint, personification of honor and virtue.
> > > Military personnel come out of the human race like everyone else.
> (Still
> > > though, I wish more members of congress & the administration would
> have
> > > served, so they would have some idea of the effects of their actions.
> > >
> > > My apologies for the rant.
> > >
> > > Bill P
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "David Wake" <dnwake at GMAIL.COM>
> > > To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 11:16 AM
> > > Subject: Re: Whilst
> > >
> > >
> > >>
> > >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > ---
> > >>
> > >> Listen to the way this guy from Alabama says "why".
> > >>
> > >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQdTgkY321s
> > >>
> > >> Sent from my iPhone
> > >>
> > >> On Jul 16, 2010, at 20:20, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> ---
> > >>> ---
> > >>> ---
> > >>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >>>
> > >>> I looked up "whilst" in the "MacMillan Dictionary for Children"
> that
> > >>> I just bought (I'm collecting dictionaries).  It does not contain
> > >>> the word "whilst".  Only "while" and that in verb form as well.
> > >>> (Does whilst have a verb form too?)
> > >>>
> > >>> Interestingly every word that starts with "wh" is given a first
> > >>> pronunciation of ~hw and a second of ~w (except those pronounced
> as
> > >>> ~h, as in who).  I never hear ~hw in USA.  I don't say ~hw so that
> > >>> may have something to do with it.
> > >>>
> > >>> Imagine "whoa" as "hwoa"
> > >>>
> > >>> Tom Zurinskas, USA - CT20, TN3, NJ33, FL7+
> > >>> see truespel.com phonetic spelling
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> ----------------------------------------
> > >>>> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:11:25 -0300
> > >>>> From: dad at POKERWIZ.COM
> > >>>> Subject: Whilst
> > >>>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > >>>>
> > >>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > >>>> -----------------------
> > >>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
> > >>>> Poster: "David A. Daniel"
> > >>>> Subject: Whilst
> > >>>> ---
> > >>>> ---
> > >>>> ---
> > >>>> ---
> > >>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> > >>>>
> > >>>> A while ago, TZ and somebody - don't remember who - had a tiff
> > >>>> about whether
> > >>>> Americans say whilst. TZ was saying they do not. I agreed (quietly
> > >>>> - I
> > >>>> didn't write anything) at the time, thinking it mostly a Britism.
> > >>>> Well,
> > >>>> immediately thereafter I started hearing whilst all over the
> > place on
> > >>>> American TV shows. I thought: hmph. But then I thought: a lot of
> > >>>> writers for
> > >>>> US TV are Brits and Canadians as are many actors in the US. So
> > >>>> maybe there
> > >>>> was dialect leak going on, with American actors saying Brit/
> > >>>> Canadian-written
> > >>>> lines, or Brit/Canadian actors saying whilst and not knowing
> > >>>> they're not
> > >>>> supposed to. I was satisfied with that hypothesis until the other
> > >>>> day I was
> > >>>> watching CNN and the interviewee, the District Attorney of some
> > >>>> Podunk
> > >>>> county in Ohio, said whilst. So now I'm in a funk and don't know
> > >>>> what to
> > >>>> think. Maybe he is another sleeper spy who missed the ESL class
> on
> > >>>> while/whilst and thus gave himself away, like when Tony Franciosa
> > >>>> said
> > >>>> loo-tenant instead of leff-tenant and gave himself away as not
> > >>>> being a Brit.
> > >>>> DAD
> > >>>>
> > >>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > >>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >>> _________________________________________________________________
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> > > L:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_1
> > >>>
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> > >>
> > >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> > >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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> > >
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