I just posted an article titled “Economic Recovery versus Red Tape” on the blog link on this site, and it brought this expression to mind. Expressing astonishment about absurdity by saying “Great Scott!” is a logical reaction to reading how government regulations impede projects that create jobs while the government is saying private enterprises need to create more jobs. The origin of the expression is apparently not certain, but there are several hints that it refers to an actual person from the Civil War era. World Wide Words concludes that the person was probably General Winfield Scott, who was too large in his later years (300 pounds) to ride a horse.
Author Archives: Advocate
The Russian Question at the End of the Twentieth Century
I posted a review of a book titled “Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse on August 24th and this book by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (unavailable on Amazon, but I obtained a book from the local library) gives another view of what caused the collapse. The two books agree on some of the underlying causes, but Solzhenitsyn adds that a primary cause was that the Soviets put materialism ahead of religion. The book is only 135 pages long, but presents the history of Russia going back several hundred years preceding the Bolshevik revolution that explains the complex nature of the massive country, its diverse peoples, and the events that Solzhenitsyn believed had major influences on the character of the country. He presents the opinion that, “Our history appears to be lost to us today, but with the proper efforts of our will…We will build a moral Russia or none at all.” Return readers of this site will note that quotes are used much more extensively in this review than in previous reviews. The reason is that I believe Solzhenitsyn without question presents his ideas much better than anything I could write in summary.
Solzhenitsyn believes that the end of the USSR came because of Gorbachev’s “hypocritical and irresponsible perestroika.” “There existed several reasonable paths for a gradual, careful way out of the Bolshevik rubble. Gorbachev chose the most insincere and chaotic path. Insincere because he searched for ways to protect Communism…Chaotic because…he put forward the slogan of acceleration, impossible and ruinous in light of the worn-out infrastructure…” Then, with glasnost “…he was flinging the doors wide open for all the nationalists…The Communist Soviet Union was historically doomed, for it was founded on false ideas…It hung on for seventy years by the fetters of an unprecedented dictatorship, but when the inside grows decrepit fetters fall useless.” He makes the ominous prediction that, “In the twenty-first century, the Muslim world, growing rapidly in numbers, will doubtless undertake ambitious tasks.” Continue reading
Caught Red Handed
The meaning is understood to be caught committing a crime such as murder or poaching with blood on your hands. There was a recent family discussion that there was little doubt where the expression originated, because it must refer to a murderer having blood on his hands. A little research found the answer might not be so uncomplicated. There is a myth about a boat race to the shores of the northern Irish province of Ulster in which the winner of the race would be the ruler. One contestant cut off his hand and threw it to the shore to guarantee his win. The flag of the province has a red hand on a white shield in the center of the flag. Much of the literature does indicate that the meaning is being “caught in the act,” but there are some other theories. Some believe the expression originated in the Indus Valley where a thief’s guilt or innocence was determined by placing his hand on the red-hot heated blade of an axe. Another theory is that the Japanese would brush the sap of poison ivy on money, which would cause the hand of a thief to break into a red rash. There was no explanation for what people did when they had to use the money. I think I’ll go with the blood-on-the-hands explanation, although the other ideas are interesting.
Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse? Understanding Historical Change
This book by Robert Strayer provides a history of the Soviet Union beginning with the 1917 revolution and analyzes various theories about what caused its collapse. The revolution was of course based on the ideas of Marx that were expanded by Lenin. Even Lenin’s ideas were being questioned and rejected by the time of the collapse. However, flaws in Communism weren’t the only reason the Soviet Union dissolved. The huge empire was an agglomeration of many ethnic groups that had diverse aspirations. The desire of politicians for the Soviet Union to be a world power had caused resources to be stretched to the breaking point through domestic and foreign commitments and expenditures. However, as interesting as the history and analysis might be, my favorite part of the book was the jokes recounted in the last three paragraphs of this posting that citizens privately told each other about the system and their leaders.
“Soviet” was the name given to grassroots councils that had sprung up in 1905 and again in 1917. Some historians believe the Soviet Union was doomed from the beginning, because of the “…fatal flaw created by the utopian social engineering that flew in the face of both history and human nature.” Stalin assured success of his regime through the use of force that removed much of the middle and upper classes through execution and starvation. The record of Stalin’s purges, suppression of anyone or group that might oppose him or his policies, and endless inhuman brutality is difficult to understand, especially because he was admired by liberals who thought his “grand experiment” in Socialism/Communism should be imitated by other countries. The fear generated by the brutality of his methods did result in cohesion of the regime. The victory in World War II also validated the regime despite the 20-30 million casualties and devastation of the country. Continue reading
No Worries
Most people who hear or use this expression understand it to be the Australian way of saying “don’t worry about that.” It is said to be an Australian’s way to “represent a feeling of friendliness, good humor, optimism, and ‘mate ship’.” It has been called the national motto of Australia. However, I found one dark reference asking that the term not be used. Nazi death squads said “Keine Sorge” or Keine Angst” (no worries) to Ukrainians just before executing them. That’s just one more thing to justify residual anger toward the Nazis, and I’m certain I will enjoy hearing “no worries” in the future.
Great Turning Points in History
This book by Louis L. Snyder has short descriptions of twenty-five events that changed the world. The author observes “…a new direction in history can be brought about by a happening, a stage, or set of conditions, and occasionally by the action of a single individual. I was most interested in four of the events described because they give insight into the conflict between the Christian and Muslim religions. I recently completed a multi-part review of “The Looming Tower, Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11,” that includes discussion of the development of militant and terrorist Muslims under the leadership of people such as Osama bin Laden.
Crucifixion of Jesus — This is more about the growth of Christianity in during the years of decline of the Roman Empire than about the singular event of the crucifixion. The author observes, “The selection of the execution itself as a turning point is an arbitrary one—either the birth or resurrection of Jesus could be substituted as the focus of change.” What is important is that Jesus preached of a loving God, feasted with and forgave sinners, healed the sick, and denounced private wealth. His teachings, death, and resurrection resulted in a rapid spread of Christianity “…through the hollow shell of the once magnificent Roman state…” Christianity is a proselytizing religion that declares all other religions inadequate, and it swept through Western Europe, Persia, Armenia, Arabia, and to the Far East. Paganism is said to have been virtually eliminated in major cities by 400 A.D. Christian political organization in the form of bishops, deacons, and of course the hierarchy of the Catholic Church made Christianity the institution considered to control salvation and was also the ultimate political authority.
Flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina — Six hundred years after Jesus the Muslim religion arrived to challenge Christianity for dominance. Muhammad had revelations of voices speaking to him and heard himself being called “Messenger of Allah” by the Angel Gabriel. He began calling on people to worship one God, but had few converts for several years. He mostly only succeeded at infuriating Meccan merchants who wanted to eliminate him. He and Abu Bakr hid in a cave for three days until they could obtain camels and flee to Medina in what was later called the flight (the Hegira or Hija). He attracted an arm of believers in Medina and within eight years had taken Mecca. The Koran (Arabic Qur’an) or recitation, appeared shortly after Muhammad’s death and was compiled by Abu Bakr from communication by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad. The Islam religion spread to millions of converts. It rejected the Christian doctrine of the Trinity; Muslims believe Allah is the only God.
Battle of Tours — This battle in 732 A.D. was the first major defeat of the Muslims as they were attempting to march out of Spain and into Gaul. Muhammad had counseled his followers that “…to fight for religion is better than the world and everything in it.” The promise of martyrdom to Muslims if they died in jihad against unbelievers made them ferocious fighters, and they were accustomed to winning. Abu Bakr as caliph (successor) succeeded at bringing Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, and Spain under the rule of Islam. Vanquished peoples were either allowed to convert, pay tribute, or put to the sword. Many found it advantageous to embrace the faith, and the liberal treatment by the Muslims led many cities to welcome them. The Franks under Charles had a private army and a poorly trained militia. At least 80,000 Muslims, most of them mounted, were arrayed against Charles under Abderraham, but they had the disadvantage that they were burdened with enormous amounts of plunder from their previous victories. The Muslims mounted several cavalry charges against the phalanx formed by Charles, and they failed. Abderraham was killed in the fighting. A rumor spread that Charles had sent forces to steal from their camp, and they broke off the battle to defend their plunder. The Muslim invasion of Western Europe ended, and they retired to Spain to consolidate their already huge empire.
Crusades: The Speech of Urban II — The crusades were a serious of religious campaigns by the Christians of Western Europe from 1096 to 1291. They began after Pope Urban II gave a speech advocating that the Holy Land be recovered from the Muslims. Thousands would strike out with fanatical enthusiasm with little thought of how they would get to the Holy Land or what they would do to combat a powerful enemy once they got there. The most ghastly tragedy was the Children’s Crusade, which involved 50,000 children marching off to be either killed or taken into slavery. On 1291 the last Christian post in the Holy Land was stormed by Sultan Kelaun, and the defenders who weren’t massacred were sold into slavery, thus ending the Crusades. Oddly it is advocated that the Crusades resulted in a positive economic effect. Crusaders who survived to return home brought Oriental goods, and there would be fortunes made in meeting European demand for more goods. Also, feudal lords often freed their serfs before they marched off to often die in the Holy Land. The ones who survived brought back amazing stories of the magnificent cities and progress in art, science, and philosophy in the Muslim lands. Considerable knowledge was transferred to the West. However, the negatives should not be overlooked. Osama bin Laden called the allied soldiers who were in the two invasions of Iraq and the invasion of Afghanistan Crusaders as he taught young Arabs they had a duty of jihad against America.