Gotta get this off my chest

[Russell Nash]

This doesn't really belong here and I am definitely not trying to start a political discussion, but I have one peeve with the coverage of Obama in Berlin.  People for and against him have commented on his wanting to speak at the Brandenburg Gate.  To a person they have all said, "where Reagan and Kennedy spoke." 

Kennedy did not speak at the Brandenburg Gate.  The Brandenburg Gate was behind the Berlin Wall.  For Kennedy to speak where Reagan spoke, he would have been about 300 feet from East German guards carrying rifles at a time when the Soviets would have told them to take the shot.  Kennedy spoke at the Schöneberg Rathaus, the town hall for the Schöneberg part of Berlin.  You can't even see the Gate from there.  There is, however, a lovely bronze plaque

Reagan spoke in front of the Gate. (Actually behind the Gate and on the other side of the wall.  The front faces into then-East Berlin.)  Clinton spoke in front of the Gate (really in front) as president and then was invited back to unveil the Gate after it's big restoration during Bush's administration.  (Funny Bush wasn't asked)  As a side note, both times Clinton spoke a couple of phrases in German.  Obviously his translator taught them to him, but my wife still comments on how good his pronunciation was.

I know this was not the proper place, but thank you for letting me vent in a public forum.

Edit:  NPR said it right in a report I just heard.

[stePH]

On a not-really-related note, Carl Sagan never said "Billions and billions", Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam", and Sherlock Holmes never said "Elementary, my dear Watson."

Just saying.  No reason.

[Bdoomed]

and Marie Antoinette (sp?) never said "Let them eat cake" (at least thats what ive heard)

[wakela]

I think "Beam me up, Scotty." is another one.  He always said "X to beam up."

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.  I grew up in New Orleans, and the Katrina coverage was maddening.

[stePH]

I think "Beam me up, Scotty." is another one.  He always said "X to beam up."

I believe Kirk once said "Scotty, beam me up."  I heard it as a sound clip for the teleporter in an audio WAD for Doom.  But that's not quite the same as "Beam me up, Scotty."

[Russell Nash]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.  I grew up in New Orleans, and the Katrina coverage was maddening.

It wasn't the news reporters as much as i was the Hot Air Jerks, the guys hat just scream about worthless crap.  It's the same people who think American flag pins are important.

[stePH]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.  I grew up in New Orleans, and the Katrina coverage was maddening.

It wasn't the news reporters as much as i was the Hot Air Jerks, the guys hat just scream about worthless crap.  It's the same people who think American flag pins are important.

Such as the FOX NEWS jackoffs, you mean? 

It disturbs me that my mother and stepfather drink that kool-aid all the time.

[Bdoomed]

American flag pins ARE important!  how can we tell that you are standing for America if you dont wear the pin!

[Russell Nash]

American flag pins ARE important!  how can we tell that you are standing for America if you dont wear the pin!

::Pushes over trash can::

bdoomed,  clean that up, will ya?

[Darwinist]

American flag pins ARE important!  how can we tell that you are standing for America if you dont wear the pin!

YEAH!!  You are either WITH US or AGAINST US!  We don't want to have to include you in the Axis of Evil or put you on the OFAC list.

BTW, are the redneck MF's with confederate flags on their pickups standing up for America?  Which side are they on?

[wintermute]

BTW, are the redneck MF's with confederate flags on their pickups standing up for America?  Which side are they on?

If I remember my history, the side that lost.

[Russell Nash]

BTW, are the redneck MF's with confederate flags on their pickups standing up for America?  Which side are they on?

If I remember my history, the side that lost.

The Confederacy didn't lose.  The South will rise again.  All you guys are un-American.

[Darwinist]

BTW, are the redneck MF's with confederate flags on their pickups standing up for America?  Which side are they on?

If I remember my history, the side that lost.

The Confederacy didn't lose.  The South will rise again.  All you guys are un-American.

Yeah, Russell is right, the South will rise again.  It has just been postponed. 

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28559

[Russell Nash]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.  I grew up in New Orleans, and the Katrina coverage was maddening.

It wasn't the news reporters as much as i was the Hot Air Jerks, the guys hat just scream about worthless crap.  It's the same people who think American flag pins are important.

I'm going to correct my comment here.  My first quote where I said all reporters was closer than this comment.  The Hot Airs were mentioning it the most, but almost every reporter used it on the lead in.  The two I heard on NPR were the only that got it right.  I heard another five, at least, on NPR who got it wrong.

BTW Carter spoke at Brandenburg Gate before Reagan did.

[Bdoomed]

American flag pins ARE important!  how can we tell that you are standing for America if you dont wear the pin!

::Pushes over trash can::

bdoomed,  clean that up, will ya?

not a maid!

The southern rise to power is only postponed because they keep breaking the first rule of the southern rise to power...
im not even gonna say it.

[Planish]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.

Oh, c'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story an info-tainment item.

[Russell Nash]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.

Oh, c'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story an info-tainment item.

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

[stePH]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.

Oh, c'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story an info-tainment item.

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

I thought you lived in Germany.

[zZzacha]

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

I thought you lived in Germany.

“Don't mention the war!”

[Russell Nash]

BTW, good catch, Russell.  It drives me crazy with the news gets stuff like this wrong.  It's not like it's a matter of opinion where Kennedy spoke, and it's easy enough to check.

Oh, c'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story an info-tainment item.

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

I thought you lived in Germany.

American married to a kraut.  2 mix-breed kids and a pure-bred dog.

[stePH]

Oh, c'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story an info-tainment item.

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

I thought you lived in Germany.

American married to a kraut.  2 mix-breed kids and a pure-bred dog.

So you still say "we" when referring to the USA.  Got it.  (And yeah, the country's a hot mess, no arguing that.)

[Russell Nash]

Oh, c'mon. Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story an info-tainment item.

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

I thought you lived in Germany.

American married to a kraut.  2 mix-breed kids and a pure-bred dog.

So you still say "we" when referring to the USA.  Got it.  (And yeah, the country's a hot mess, no arguing that.)

My kids have and will get to keep dual-citizenship, but I'm American.  When I bitch, I say "we" for America and "over here" for Germany.*  Between we and over here I'm able to be on the right side of almost everything.  It's lots of fun.

Ex:

"We" have much better store hours.  If my toilet breaks on Sunday morning, I can go get the parts to fix it  before noon.

"Over here" they** have universal healthcare.  No one here will ever get into serious financial trouble because of medical bills.


*Phrasing may vary, but that's the general gist.

** Sometimes I may say, "over here we…", but the over here overrides the we

[Russell Nash]

That attitude is why we're in a war and the economy is in the crapper.

I thought you lived in Germany.

“Don't mention the war!”

It's almost impossible not to.  I live in Berlin.  I can't swing a dead cat without hitting some kind of war memorial or something.  The building, where the surrender of Berlin to the Soviets was signed, was less than 50 meters from the front door of my last apartment building.  At the end of the street was the Berlin Airlift Memorial.  I teach English in a meeting room with a view of the Jewish Holocaust Memorial.   The list goes on and on.

[zZzacha]

“Don't mention the war!”

It's almost impossible not to.  I live in Berlin.  I can't swing a dead cat without hitting some kind of war memorial or something.  The building, where the surrender of Berlin to the Soviets was signed, was less than 50 meters from the front door of my last apartment building.  At the end of the street was the Berlin Airlift Memorial.  I teach English in a meeting room with a view of the Jewish Holocaust Memorial.   The list goes on and on.

Indeed, I think the war still is in Germany's mind. As a Dutch girl, I get my portion of that too, albeit in a totally different way than in Germany. It is (to me, next next generation after the war) interesting to see how much of a war can still be 'tasted' in communication between countries long after that war. Germany and Holland seem to have a weird relationship, with wars over bikes and soccer.
And wars do make for great humor, although I would not recommend every comedian to start a just war to have his jokes appreciated...

[MacArthurBug]

On a similar if slightly separate bent. I recently read a quote I decided I like a lot . My hubby is active duty in the Air Force. I'm an active voter, and am finally getting old enough to start pulling my head out of my bum and look at politics realistically. Though, still wish it were made easier. Anyway, the quote was from a writer I've idealized since I really started to get into sci-fi, Spider Robinson. It was in his book Very Bad Choices, that I just finished. I'm not going to put it in direct quotations, since I'm not sure if I'm dead on exact. It was- I love America. There are times I have a hard time liking it very much. But I love it.

And I fully echo the sentiment. There are so many things I don't like about politics etc. But when it comes to dreaming the big dream. When it comes to WANTING to believe that we're trying to do the right thing.. I think America is at least headed in the direction of greatness. Will we get there? Heck if I know. I hope so, man I hope so.