A Wonderful Trip Down Memory Lane

[Guest JLHyde]

Sometimes my mind goes back to the old "glory days"--when mighty steam-powered locomotives thundered down the railroad tracks, and rail travel was a common means of transportation for hobo and neauveau riches, alike.

I remember a film I saw--I think it was made in 1949 (some short years after war's end)--where a World War II scenario was played out in North America. (Some say the movie was based on real fact). It seems that a U-boot captain, either by design or by misadventure, ended his undersea journey high up the St Laurence River, in Canada.

For those with a limited understanding of the German language, the word boot is not something one puts on one's foot: it is boat, in English. And the U is Untersee (where the 'see' is 'zay'). Hmm. "Under Sea?" Yes, that's it. We call them submarines.

So, this Untersee Boot Captain and his crew decided (or were ordered) to go ashore up there, in the Canadian Interier, and see how vulnerable Canada was to attack. They only had a couple of light machine guns and a pair of officers' pistols, among them. During the process of their shedding their Kriegsmarine uniforms and obtaining country folks' clothing, they killed a few citizens in a house that had a wireless [ham radio].

Long story short, those stiff Germans--although now looking much like "Canadian lumberjacks", in their overalls, heavy woodsman boots, and red plaid flannel shirts--still stuck out like a sore thumb. I think the title of that movie was [The] 49th Parallel, referring to the higher latitude of the upper St. Laurence.

Those Krauts were decimated, one by one, until only their captain was left. And, in a daring move, he tried to hitch a train going across Niagara into New York (and then down to D.C., where he could "hide out" in the German Consulate). That U-boot captain actually did manage to stow away in the cargo hold of a passenger train. But, to his surprise and chagrin, he was met by an American stow-away in that same car of the train. (Remember that most of the characters of the movie were Canadian, not American). I think that maybe the American had been running away from something and was now trying to get back into the States.

Anyway, the German officer and that American got into a tussle [fight] and the German lost and was locked into the secure portion of that cargo hold. The end of the trip was spent talking about how wrong that Nazi Kraut was, about America. He thought that Americans were as stiff and rigid and as blindly obedient to their leaders as were those Germans. When that American guy starting complaining about our government, the Kraut said, in effect, "You will most-certainly be shot, for such talk against your government." That U.S. citizen could only laugh at that: and, then he went on to explain that, in a free society, one had the right to dissent: to disagree (loudly and openly and vocally, too, if that was what one wanted to do).

That German guy never grasped the thought at all, and shortly after that he was turned over to the U.S. authorities and the flick ended.

In my continued stroll down memory lane, I can still see those 200,000 German faces: of people all lined up, shoulder to shoulder, along the streets of either Dusseldorf or Heidenberg, when Der Fuhrer came to visit, in his black Mercedes Benz open-top, staff car. He sure did look majestic in his stiff, straight-back posture. And, the German people looked....oh-so-happy to be good followers of Der Leader. (Der means "the", not "their").

I guess having no power of dissent can have its advantages.

I guess following blindly, in lock-step fashion is a...peaceful way of living, maybe?

(No strife because of no 'contention': no dissension and no disagreement).

Ach so? [so is 'zoh'].

['Tis so?]

Ach so!

[it is so.]

Question to ponder: Whatever happened to all those hundreds of thousands of happy citizens lining those German streets in the early 1940s, I wonder? (Surely, they must have thought that their then-present condition would never end!?)

I guess things changed, for them. What do you guess?

Heil, gh?

We follow gbh because we want to!?

(Hmm. That's what those German people did, too: followed Hitler implicitly--because they wanted to.)

There has to be a lesson in all this, somewhere!?

(Just bow your head, as if to pray, and say 'Heil')

Hail, yes!

[Guest JLHyde]

PS: Heidenberg is really Heidelberg, Germany.

[Kevin]

Heil, gh?

We follow gbh because we want to!?

(Hmm. That's what those German people did, too: followed Hitler implicitly--because they wanted to.)

There has to be a lesson in all this, somewhere!?

(Just bow your head, as if to pray, and say 'Heil')

Hail, yes!

Do you mean to suggest that those who believe Gordon B. Hinckley to be a living prophet believe so because they fear they will be shot if they disagree?

You've attempted to draw a parallel yet you've provided no evidence or reason - just a baseless suggestion. Not too bright.

[Guest JLHyde]

I guess my right to dissent makes me....Devil-inspired, then? Just like the rest of us free Americans?

Aww, go back into yer mountains and caves of yer precious Deseret!

(And, to think that Brigham wanted to create an alphabet (and a language) called deseret: to go along with all those beehives of his that made a sticky substance that was also called deseret.)

Well, he should have stuck with eating deseret, instead of that "expensive, white, granular stuff" that he preferred: he wouldn't have been poisoned if he had!

And, there's still a lesson to be learned in all this!

Happy hunting [for it].

Question to ponder: Would Brother Brigham's isolationist 'bent' have been 'quieted' [or, would it have been 'disquieted further'] had he been successful in creating his new language and alphabet called deseret?

And, "What would he have had for breakfast, then?"

Toast with a little deseret on it?

And, would he have [quite possibly] greeted his wives, in the morning with something like this(?) :

"Heya. Hunga-Mich Bee-rig"

(Deseret for, "Good morning, wives. Hail to me Brigham")

[Kevin]

I guess my right to dissent makes me....Devil-inspired, then?  Just like the rest of us free Americans?

Didn't say that. Didn't say anything like it. Nice dodge though. Can you not directly respond to my question?

[Faerie]

you havea personality disorder don't you

[Nina]

I am really quite concerned for you JL. .

[Snow]

Originally posted by JLHyde@Sep 20 2004, 07:35 AM

I guess my right to dissent makes me....Devil-inspired, then?

No, just screwy, but thanks for sharing.

[john doe]

All I can say is LOLOLOLOLOL

[Amillia]

Hyde needs to repent.

[Guest curvette]

I think Hyde has been over-manifesting himself in an uncontrollable fashion. If I remember the book correctly, I believe this is what happened shortly before his untimely and tragic demise.