NFL Films Theme song - Classic Battle

Some great old images along with this theme song - Terry Bradshaw with hiar (well, a little).

Ref Is Giving Him The Business

The best referee highlight of all-time (so far, anyway).

Will it be "Mayor Bob" or "Mayor Jeff"?

As we know, Madison's Mayor is better known as Mayor Dave than Mayor Cieslewicz. I suppose fear of failure had something to do with that in the beginning. People didn't know how to pronounce Cieslewicz and they didn't want to look like dope while they insulted the new mayor, so they took the easy way out. C'mon, how hard is it to say? Sizzle-witz, right? No, wait, Chess-ell-wich? Ok, ok, it's really chess LEV ich.

A few years into his mayoralness, I noticed several people around Monona calling our Mayor Robb. Is it really that hard to say Kahl (call)? Slavic names warrant diminutives, four-letter German ones don't. Besides, Kahl is already a nickname according to ancestry.com it's the German: nickname from Middle High German kal and means ‘bald’.

If we must have nicknames for our mayors, let's be creative and imitate contemporary sports. For example, Mayor Dave could have adopted the moniker D-Sizzle and thus anticipated the American tackle football playah, T-Sizzle of the Baltimore Ravens (aka, Terrell Suggs). No doubt D-Sizzle would have had more, well, sizzle than plain old Mayor Dave.



The black helicopter crowd would have dropped their gyroscope if this t-shirt said D-Sizzle was coming for them.

 Which brings me to my point - besides wasting time until tomorrow's kickoff - what are we going to call the next mayor of Monona? I'm not asking who's going to win, I'm asking what appellation will we hang on them? Will it be Mayor Bob or Mayor Jeff? Please, no. If we're going to use their plain old names, let's stick with Miller or Wiswell - each of which is easy to say.

Here's some help.

The world of sports is robustly rich with impactful nicknames, a veritable horn o' plenty. Bob is out of the gate and ahead of the field in this regard and he seems to be angling for the one-name renown usually reserved to Brazilian futebol players. (Remember his catchy 'BOB' yard signs from 4 years ago?) At first I thought 'Bob' was too plain to qualify for one-name status. Most Brazilian players have names with little resemblance to Bob (to my ear anyway) such as Pele, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Cafu, but now comes Fred. Yes, there are Brazilian football players named Fred - just Fred.

So if a Brazilian footballer can be be just Fred, then heck yeah our mayor could be just Bob (not Mayor Bob, just Bob). But lookout, there's more than one Fred in Brazilian soccer! There's also this Fred. It's the other Fred, known to his mother as Frederico Chaves Guedes, who has played for the World Cup team. Holy smokes! There's another Brazilian soccer-playing Fred and he's dead at the age of 26!

We don't have any other Bob's amongst the elected officials today, but who's to say that won't change? And the city of Monona does employ another Bob (Johnson) and he is arguably more important than the mayor because he keeps stuff in working order. No, Bob is not gonna work.

Jeff prefers a more formal approach, referring to himself as Jeffrey Wiswell, Sr. This calls to mind the harrumphing amongst conservatives when Jimmy Carter was elected President. I recall the (defunct) St. Louis Globe Democrat editorializing that having won the presidency as Jimmy from Plains, Carter should be referred to by his full names: James Earl Carter. Brazilian soccer players are known by one name, serial killers are known by three-names, but not presidents or mayors.

Did you know alder Wiswell is a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force Auxiliary – Civil Air Patrol (Government Relations Officer) once a Colonel always a colonel, I say. Jeff could be The Colonel, although it sounds better if you can add a modifier, like Kentucky, before you whoop out the 'colonel'. (My tongue is so far into my cheek with this post that it's poking it out the other side, but the rank of Lieutenant Colonel is impressive.)


Your turn. Make some suggestions (and don't go there, don't suggest The Whizzinator). The obvious choice for Jeff Wiswell is "Whizzer" for Byron White, a star running back in college and later a conservative US Supreme Court Justice.



(Or maybe we should just stick with Mayor Miller or Mayor Wiswell, as the case may be.)
 
 
Here are some nicknames from the world of sport:


1. "The Splendid Splinter" (Ted Williams)


2. "The Sultan of Swat" (George Herman "Babe" Ruth)

3. Willie "Hit 'em Where They Ain't" Keeler

4. "Hammerin' " Hank Aaron

5. "The Big Unit" (Randy Johnson)

6. "The Georgia Peach" (Ty Cobb)

7. Mordecai "Three Fingers" Brown

8. "The Yankee Clipper" ("Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio)

9. Fred "Bonehead" Merkle

10. Walter "Big Train" Johnson

Honorable Mention: "Big Mac" (Mark McGwire), "The Say Hey Kid" (Willie Mays), "Double X" (Jimmy Foxx), Paul "Poison" Waner and Lloyd "Little Poison" Waner, "Dizzy" and "Daffy" Dean, "Donny Baseball" (Don Mattingly), "Rapid" Robert Feller, "The Chairman of the Board" (Whitey Ford), Willie "Pops" Stargell, "Junior" (Ken Griffey), Roger "The Rocket" Clemens, "Dr. K" (Dwight Gooden).



Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames

Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames- 1880-1899

Old Hoss--Charles Radbourn (1880-1891)


Bid--John McPhee (1882-1899)

The Hoosier Thunderbolt--Amos Rusie (1889-1901)

The Cyclone--Cy Young (1890-1911)

Little Napoleon--John McGraw (1891-1906)

Old Fox--Clark Griffith (1891-1914)

Wee Willie--Willie Keeler (1892-1910)

The Flying Dutchman--Honus Wagner (1897-1917)

Happy Jack--John Chesbro (1899-1909)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1900-1909

Three Fingered--Mordecai Brown (1903-1916)

The Mighty Mite--Miller Huggins (1904-1916)

Mahatma--Branch Rickey (1905-1914)

The Georgia Peach--Ty Cobb (1905-1928)

The Big Train--Walter Johnson (1907-1927)

Home Run--Frank Baker (1908-1922)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1910-1919

The Ole Professor--Casey Stengel(1912-1925)

Rabbit--Walter Maranville (1912-1935)

Slug--Harry Heilman (1914-1932)

The Sultan of Swat--Babe Ruth (1914-1935)

Dazzy--Clarence Vance (1915-1935)

Old Stubblebeard--Burleigh Grimes (1916-1934)

The Fordham Flash--Frankie Frisch (1919-1937)



Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1920-1929

The Iron Horse--Lou Gehrig (1923-1939)

Hack--Lewis Robert Wilson (1923-1934)

The Mechanical Man--Charlie Gehringer (1924-1942)

The Beast--Jimmie Fox (1925-1945)

The Lip--Leo Durocher (1925-1945)

The Meal Ticket--Carl Hubble (1928-1943)

The Hoosier Hammer--Chuck Klein (1928-1944)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1930-1939


Dizzy--Jay Hanna Dean (1930-1947)

Old Aches and Pains or Fumblefoot--Luke Appling (1930-1950)

Arky--Joseph Vaughn (1932-1948)

Joltin' Joe--Joe DiMaggio (1936-1951)

Country--Enos Slaughter (1938-1959)

The Splendid Splinter--Ted Williams (1939-1960)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1940-1949

Pee Wee--Henry Reese (1940-1958)

Duke--Edwin Snider (1947-1964)
Stan the Man--Stan Musial (1941-1963)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1950-1959

The Say Hey Kid--Willie Mays (1951-1973)

Killer--Harmon Killebrew (1954-1975)

The Vacuum Cleaner--Brooks Robinson (1955-1977)

Hoot--Bob Gibson (1959-1975)

Stretch--Willie McCovey (1959-1980)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1960-1969

Knucksie--Phil Niekro (1964-1987)

Catfish--Jim Hunter (1965-1979)

Cakes--Jim Palmer (1965-1984)

The Ryan Express--Nolan Ryan (1966-1993)

Mr. October--Reggie Jackson (1967-1987)


Baseball Hall of Fame Nicknames-1970-1979

The Wave--Dave Winfiled (1973-1995)

The Wizard of Oz--Ozzie Smith (1978-1996)

The Ignitor--Paul Molitor (1978-1998)

Need more names? Jeezus, what are you an insomniac? Go here for roughly a jillion nicknames.

***

One last thing. About that link to http://chicago.sbnation.com/chicago-bears/2011/1/17/1939880/nfc-championship-game-chicago-bears-vs-green-bay-packers-soldier-field-of-dreams apparently the author thinks grizzly bears reside in Wisconsin:
 

The Number One Threat To Wisconsin? BEARS!: Two grizzly bears from the Brookfield Zoo feasted on a football and a Cheesehead with the Green Bay Packers logo. They were filled with meat and vegetables. The reason that the cheesehead wasn't sitting on top of a Packers fan's head at the time, is because the zoo doesn't like for the bears to have a lot of 'empty calories'.

Ok, the line about empty calories is pretty fuuny, but don't they have any black bears at the Brookfield Zoo? Maybe the black bears peed themselves and ran for cover when they saw the Cheesehead.

***

Addendum: Somehow the Deep Thinkers compiling the above lists of sports nicknames left out Stan the Man Musial! Stan Musial. I am adding him to the 1940's list of great Hall of Famer nicknames.

To see an even more complete HOF nickname list go to the Baseball Almanac.

nfl coaches talking

UnEqual Time

In the interest of fair play here is some Bear-related crap that is not entirely, 100% awful .

This is the Bears fight song - Beardown - get it? It is only about 94.3% awful.

http://www.bearshistory.com/multimedia/beardown.wma

Here are some Bears players and coaches who didn't totally suck - some of them were actually a little above average.

Gayle Sayers. Very low amount of sucking, except for the major injury. That sucked.




Gayle Sayers at Kansas University




Gayle Sayers Card



Hall of Famers for the Decatur Staleys, Chicago Staleys, and Da Bears:

Doug Atkins (1955-1966)

George Blanda (1949, 1950-58). Not bad..

Dick Butkus (1965-1973) A great radio announcer.

George Connor (1948-1955)

Mike Ditka (1961-1966) Name is vaguely familiar.

John (Paddy) Driscoll (1926-1929)

Jim Finks (1974-1982)

Dan Fortmann (1936-1943)

Bill George (1952-1965)

Harold (Red) Grange (1925, 1929-1934) Truly great. A fellow alum of the University of Illinois. The Galloping Ghost.

Papa Bear



Grumpy Bear



George Halas (1920-1983)

Crikey! They stuffed him!

Dan Hampton (1979-1990) Who?

Ed Healey (1922-1927)

Bill Hewitt (1932-1936)

Stan Jones (1954-1965)

Sid Luckman (1939-1950) First in a very, very, (very, very) short line of decent Chicago QBs.

William Roy (Link) Lyman (1926-1928, 1930-1931, 1933-1934)

George McAfee (1940-1941, 1945-1950)

George Musso (1933-1944)

Bronko Nagurski



Here's Bronko playing catch with a baby!

  Bronko Nagurski (1930-1937, 1943) He was tough and great, so Halas ran him off! Six years later he came back and helped win a championship.

Not very sweet. Mr. Suhey objects to having his drawers pulled down.

Walter Payton (1975-1987) OK, I have to play this one straight. Great player, great person.

I remember Payton running over tacklers more often than jumping over them.

Gale Sayers (1965-1971)

Mike Singletary (1981-1992) Remember when he was he supposed to be the thinking man's middle linebacker? And then he became the insane person's football coach.

Joe Stydahar (1936-1942, 1945-46)

George Trafton (1920-1921, 1923-1932)

Clyde (Bulldog) Turner (1940-1952)

One pass away.

NFL Theme Song

In case you are getting antsy for the game, at least you cn listen to the NFL theme song.

Packer Fans = Smart, Good-Looking

Leonardo Da Vinci - The First Packer Fan?

OK, here is a "joke" from a -shudder - Vikings fan website:

Q: Did you here about the Packer fan that died at a pie eating contest?


A: The cow kicked him in the head!

This is an outrage- stop making fun of our cows!

Not to mention, well-connected.

Well, heck, no, not with the pope in the stands, fer cryin' out loud.

OK, these guys are creepy. But, as long as they're on our side, what the hey!

For any Bears fans, this is a photo of long-time Packer Backer Albert Einstein.

Did I mention smart? Packer fans are the smartest, in fact, according to NFL players.
 
OK, the end. I prmoise to post something nice about the Bears tomorrow....if I can find anything. Oh, oh, oh - Gayle Sayers was pretty good. The Fridge was really big. Ditka is a big a-....Sweat is starting to bead up on my forehead; I'll try again later.

Bears: Small, Common, Primitive

Abe Gibron

In depth research by the entire MononaDoug staff has revealed thatUrsus americanus, the black bear, is the smallest and most common bear in America. The species is also considered to be primitive. That’s the Bears for you, small, ordinary, and primitive.

Jay Cutler doing game prep with TE Greg Olsen.

Not sure what Lovie is up to.

Vince Lombardi What the Hell's Going on?

Lombardi: Brief, succinct, clear, empahtic.

Ice Bowl (1967)

Ray Scott, Jack Buck, and Frank Gifford. According to them it was cold "just plain cold" at the Ice Bowl. Ray Scott, the Packers announcer, called the first half and Jack Buck, the Cowboys announcer, called the second half on TV. Nice hat, too. Production values have changed just a little.

You had to love Scott's sparse style, "Starr, Dowler, touchdown."

Monona City Council Report - Reader's Digest Version January 18, 2011

The Monona city council met last night.


Consideration of Resolution 11-01-1747 Approving a Renewal and Amendment to the Employment Agreement with the City Administrator (Mayor Kahl, City Attorney). Passed 6-0 with a raise and 2-year extension.

Apparently we are not allowed to include an anti-Bears clause in our employment contracts. Perhaps it could be covered under the EAP. Or we could set up a Maoist-style reeducation camp.

(An aside: Wow, I just Googled reeducation camps and stumbled across the right-wing's equation of diversity training with actual reeducation camps. What an insult to all the people who actually suffered through real reeducation camps. Gee, I remember when conservatives actually cared about such real victims.)

New Business
a. Consideration of Ordinance 1-11-624 Amending Chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances Concerning Operation Signs (Plan Commission). Discussed; likely to pass easily at the next meeting.

b. Consideration of Resolution 11-01-1748 Approving an Agreement with Vierbicher Associates, Inc. to Provide Engineering Consulting Services for a Traffic Impact Analysis Study of the East Broadway Corridor (Public Works Committee). Rules suspended and Resolution Adopted 6-0.

c. Consideration of Ordinance 1-11-625 Amending Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances Concerning the City Engineer/Director of Public Works (City Administrator). Discussed; will probably pass at the next meeting. This proposal would split the city engineer and public works director position, which are combined under the current ordinances. The Monona city engineer/public works director resigned effective Friday, January 21, so the city needs to fill those positions.

The mayor and administrator propose to contract out for all engineering services and hire an in-house public works director who might or might not be an engineer (probably not). I asked for a job announcement to be developed by the next meeting so we know what the plan is. My request was joined informally by other alders and agreed to by the mayor. Over the years, Monona has gone back and forth on whether to have an in-house or contract city engineer. I have serious reservations about not having a professional engineer on staff.


d. Consideration of Resolution 11-01-1749 Contract for Brush Collection and Disposal Services (Public Works). Discussed; likely to pass easily at the next meeting. The item came in about $13,580 under budget.  I plan to propose that we add a fifth monthly collection ($8,000). The new contract would be with Johnson Tree Care instead of the city's waste dispsoal contractor as is currently done. Garbage and recycling disposal will remain as is. A new waste disposal contract is due this spring.

Updated Monona Parks Capital Plan

Here are some updates to the Park & Rec capital plan, including the third draft of the 2010-2020 action plan (3rd draft) and the draft 2012-2016 capital plan. These are both works-in-progress. Jake Anderson reports that the Parks Board got through funding years 2012-2013 at the January 2011 meeting and the 2014-2016 plans are still up for debate/recommendation at the February meeting.

The 2010-2020 Action Plan are staff recommendations (2010 and 2011 reflect the actual capital budget adopted by the council).



Once adopted by the Parks Board, the 2012-2016 capital plan will be the Board's recommendation to the mayor and city council.


Like all budgets, these are planning documents and subject to change and moreover, these are *drafts*. If you would like to see priorities changed, you may want to let that be known directly to the director, the Board or the council.

And below is the draft 2012-2016 Parks Board's capital plan (the layout is a little hinky):



Monona City Council Preview - January 18, 2011

The Monona city council meets tonight. A relatively light agenda is on tap. No action is requested at tonight's meeting on New Business items unless there is an asterisk [*]. The council sometimes does suspend the rules and vote on non-starred New Business items.

G. Council Action Items.


1. Unfinished Business (Approval Requested Unless Otherwise Noted).

a. Convene in Closed Session Pursuant to Wisconsin Statute Section 19.85(1)(c) Considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility (Amendment to City Administrator Employment Agreement; Department Heads).

b. Reconvene in Open Session Under Wisconsin Statute Section 19.85(2).

c. Consideration of Resolution 11-01-1747 Approving a Renewal and Amendment to the Employment Agreement with the City Administrator (Mayor Kahl, City Attorney).

2. New Business.

a. Consideration of Ordinance 1-11-624 Amending Chapter 13 of the Code of Ordinances Concerning Operation Signs (Plan Commission).

b. Consideration of Resolution 11-01-1748 Approving an Agreement with Vierbicher Associates, Inc. to Provide Engineering Consulting Services for a Traffic Impact Analysis Study of the East Broadway Corridor (Public Works Committee).

* c. Consideration of Ordinance 1-11-625 Amending Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances Concerning the City Engineer/Director of Public Works (City Administrator).

d. Consideration of Resolution 11-01-1749 Contract for Brush Collection and Disposal Services (Public Works).
 
Miscellaneous. Proclaim that the Bears Still Suck.

Monona Parks Capital Plan

The Monona Parks & Rec Board recently reviewed the 5-year capital plan, including additions for 2015 and 2016 and an action plan extending through 2020.

The January 11, 2011 packet is here:
http://www.mymonona.com/pages/city_government/committees/download_includes/export_file.php?id=88

The capital plan pages begin on page 7. Staff recommendations begin on page 12. Click on the image below to enlarge the document.

Go to http://mononadoug.blogspot.com/2011/01/updated-monona-parks-capital-plan.html to see the update spreadsheets.

Yes, Virginia, Da Bears Still Suck

I received an important question in the randomizer post, to wit, do da Bears still suck?


I'm glad you asked that question because some people are confused by the Bears modest success. The basis of the Bears suckitude is not solely on-the-field performance, but rather goes to the essence of what it means to be a Bears player or, much worse, a Bears fan (After all, most players move on to other teams, but Bears fans are stuck.).

You won't find any references to Packers as hilariously disgusting as this one about the Bears: that blows dead bears: "when something sucks so far beyond normal. after all, what could suck worse than blowing a dead bear? Not much. Used in Western Canada and parts of Ontario."

This phenonmenon is also explained here: After Further Review, The Bears Still Suck! Or at least you can buy a T-shirt and watch a great video from the 1989 Majik Man game.

Try this YouTube: Da Bears Still Suck.

You also don't have to worry about someone asking this question about the Packers:

"Does bears suck their thumbs when they wintersleep?"

And as proven by this photo, the Bears have sucked for a very long time.

Nothing says 'class' like 'Brian Urlacher'.

And finally, this one is cover-your-eyes awful:

From http://ianmcgibboney.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

A Proposal to Name the Football/Soccer Field at Ahuska Park

The Monona Parks Board will be considering a request made by Monona Grove Youth Football to name the existing Football/Soccer Field at Ahuska Park the Haukereid Field. This would be to honor Morrie Haukereid as one of the founders of the Monona Pee Wee Football program and current organizer over the past 42 years.

Here is the proposal click on the image to see an enlarged view.

Current facilities-naming policy requires a public comment period on any naming request before the Parks & Recreation Board will make a recommendation at the February 8th meeting. Tentatively City Council would take the proposal up at the February 21st meeting. Individuals or groups that would like to comment on the naming process are welcome to email Jake Anderson or contact members of the city council or Parks & Recreation board by going to http://www.mymonona.com/

Artist rendering of what the football field entrance.

Bears-Packers replay game, Nov. 5th, 1989

To help you tune up for The Game.

Snow Emergency in Monona

Get your cars out of the street tonight.

P R E S S R E L E A S E

DATE: January 17, 2011

SUBJECT: Declaration of Snow Emergency

CONTACT PERSON: Patrick Marsh

City Administrator

City of Monona

Office (608) 222-2525 pmarsh@ci.monona.wi.us

In preparation for a major snow storm forecast for the area, pursuant to Municipal Code 10-1-26, Mayor Robb Kahl has declared a General Snow Emergency for the City of Monona effective 11:59 p.m., Monday, January 17, 2011 until noon on Tuesday, January 18, 2011. During a declared general snow emergency no person shall park any vehicle at any time on a designated snow emergency route and no person shall park any vehicle on any other street within the city.

The police department will begin towing vehicles that are parked on any Monona Street obstructing the snow removal operation. It is essential to have the roadways clear so that Public Works personnel can clear streets during the early morning hours.

All City of Monona Park parking lots may be used to park your vehicles until the end of the snow emergency.

As an additional reminder, the normal snow ordinance is in effect where it is unlawful for any person to park or cause to be parked any vehicle on any public street within the City of Monona at any time within twelve (12) hours after a snow fall of two (2) inches or more, unless within such time the public street has been cleared of snow.

XXX

Bookmarks

I recently hit upon the idea of making bookmarks from images available on the Internet that relate to the subject of the book I'm reading at the time. The project has possibilities, but I have already found they can be more than one bargained for.

I'm reading Zoo Station by David Downing, the first in a series of books featuring an English journalist living in pre-war Berlin. It's an historical spy novel. One of his ways of making ends meet is tutoring German children in English, especially Jewish children. I began looking around for images of identification papers required in Nazi Germany.

Some especially compelling images can be found at German History in Documents and Images (GHDI) "a comprehensive collection of original historical materials documenting German history from the beginning of the early modern period to the present." The website includes a large section on the Nazi period. The materials I used are in the racial politics section. The descriptions are verbatim from the GHDI.


 

Figure 1 Front and Back Covers of a Compulsory Identification Card for Jews, Issued in Berlin (1939)

The “Third Proclamation on Compulsory Identification Cards” [3. Bekanntmachung über den Kennkartenzwang] was issued on July 23, 1938. According to this new regulation, Jews were obliged to apply for an identification card before the end of the year. Starting on January 1, 1939, they were to present this card, without being asked, whenever they visited government offices or had dealings with authorities. In August 1938, the Reich Ministry of the Interior issued a list of officially approved "Jewish" forenames. According to the “Second Decree on the Execution of the Law regarding the Changing of Surnames and Forenames” [Zweite Verordnung zur Durchführung des Gesetzes über die Änderung von Familiennamen und Vornamen] of August 17, 1938, Jews whose names failed to appear on the government-approved list had to adopt either "Israel" or "Sara" as additional forenames. This decree also took effect on January 1, 1939.



 

Inside of a Compulsory Identification Card for Jews, Issued in Berlin (1939)




Aryanization of a Jewish-Owned Business (c. 1938) http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1945

© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The Nazi regime exploited the Jewish population economically through an increasingly systematic program of expropriation. Under pressure, Jewish owners sold their shops, factories, and land to "Aryan" businessmen at prices far below market value. After the Night of Broken Glass [Kristallnacht], the Aryanization of Jewish property entered its final phase. On November 12, 1938, Göring issued the “Decree on the Exclusion of Jews from German Economic Life," according to which Jews were forbidden to own retail stores and workshops and to sell merchandise and services. Jewish businesses were confiscated by the state, closed, or transferred to "non-Jewish" ownership. This photograph shows one such “Aryanized” business, a rubber goods store in Frankfurt am Main. As the sign indicates, the store was formerly called “Gummi Weil” (or “Weil Rubber Goods”), but now went by Stamm & Bassermann, presumably the names of its new “Aryan” owners.

 




Photographer: o .Ang

© Bundesarchiv

Bild 146-1993-051-07

Table of Colored Classification Symbols for Prisoners in Concentration Camps (1939-1942)

http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=3761

In 1935-36, individual commanders of various concentration camps began forcing newly admitted groups of prisoners to wear badges indicating the alleged grounds for their incarceration. Starting in the winter of 1937-38, these classification symbols were standardized for all camps.

Additionally, colors were introduced to differentiate different prisoner groups: red for political prisoners, green for criminals, blue for emigrants, purple for Jehovah’s Witnesses, pink for homosexuals, and black for “asocials” [Asoziale] or “work shirkers” [Arbeitsscheue]. Inmates wore triangles of fabric in the assigned color on their prison uniforms (left side of the shirt, right pant leg) along with their number and any required additional markings (e.g., potential escapee). Jewish prisoners also wore a yellow triangle that formed a Star of David when placed over the other badge (see below). The origin of non-German prisoners was indicated by the first letter of the German name of their native country (e.g., “P” for Polen [Poland] or “T” for Tschechoslowakei [Czechoslovakia], as shown in the photo,). The cynical social Darwinist classification and hierarchical ranking of the prisoners by the SS intensified the competition among prisoners in the daily struggle for survival.

 



© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz

Deportation to Theresienstadt: Air Mail Communication Sent through the Foreign Service of the German Red Cross (September 15, 1942)

http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_image.cfm?image_id=1968

In this air mail communication from September 15, 1942, Max Jacobson, a Jewish resident of Leipzig, informs his daughter and son-in-law in New York City of his “departure” for Theresienstadt. Apparently, his daughter had emigrated to the U.S. early enough to avoid the Holocaust. Nothing is known of Jacobson’s fate, but it must be assumed that he was murdered in Theresienstadt. It is unclear how much he knew (or suspected) about his coming fate. Likewise, the question of whether he actually believed that he would see his family again – as he writes in his note – remains open. In many cases, people destined for deportation had no chance to tell their families where they were being sent. Often, relatives only learned of their fate years after the end of the war.

This communication was sent through the foreign service of the German Red Cross, which hid its knowledge of the concentration camps and fell silently in line with the Nazi regime. For this reason, the organization has been strongly criticized in recent historical studies.

Jacobson’s message to his family reads: “Dear Children! Before my departure to Theresienstadt in Bohemia, I send you warm greetings and wish all of you all the best. In the hopes that we will see each other again. Father.”



 The following document, Hitler's "Decree on Euthanasia", is on the University of Minnesota's Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies website.




http://www.chgs.umn.edu/histories/documentary/hadamar/the_occurrence.html

Adolf Hitler's "decree on euthanasia", Berlin 1939
Written on his private stationary



"Officially "the systematic killing of inmates of psychiatric hospitals in the German Reich began with Hitler's "Decree on Euthanasia ". Mass killing of sick people had, however, taken place before in Pomerania and Western Prussia. The debates on the implementation of the "extermination of life unworthy of life "did not start later than July 1939. Only in October of the same year did Hitler sign the authorisation as a secret decree on his private stationary, thereby evading all legal rules and governmental agencies. Upon his urging, a copy of this document was handed to Dr. Franz Gürtner, Reich Minister of justice, only on 27th August 1940 by T4 leader Philipp Bouhler.

Dating back the "decree" to 1st September 1939 was done on purpose: since the war was also the beginning of the extermination of European Jewry, it was easier to trigger a "campaign" against sick and disabled persons for whom there should be no room in the victorious Reich. The "decree "did not have any legal force. It is true that there were debates on a law concerning "euthanasia in the case of incurably sick persons" until the autumn of 1940. However, the proposal was then rejected by Adolf Hitler who wanted total secrecy in this matter. Although this killing operation was illegal according to Nazi law, the courts - with the exception of a few courageous but unsuccessful judges - did not intervene.

The following image is located at http://www.dpcamps.org/slaveCampsIntro.html, a website about slave laborers in Nazi Germany.




All Ostarbeiters had to have an employment identification document, called an "Arbeitsbuch" (work book) in German. Persons from Ukraine were classified as subhuman or "untermenshen" under Nazi racial ideology. The Ostarbeiters were required to wear the 'OST' sign on the right lapel.

I never did get around to making that bookmark.



Another Happy Packer Fan

Sudden Bird Death

The mysterious mass death of bird has spread. Now it's happening indoors - in Atlanta. Death occurred at about 9:50 P.M. Eastern Time.

Overnight ratings show that almost 80% of the TVs that were turned on in Wisconsin last night were tuned to the Packers game. The number dropped after halftime when Bears fans got scared and changed the channel.

This one is for Bears fans.

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(Really those bird deaths aren't unusual. Trust us. Here's some sciency guys with statistics and junk about bird mortality.)