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Most out of control political rants can be stopped early if common sense is applied. For the most part, the members of this community are wise enough to not start such discussions, much like you wouldnt aboard ship. There are plenty of communities out there on the internet for this type of talk. I never thought this community was one of them. Be a considerate shipmate and just delete this thread.
This should at least be in the scuttlebutt section.
By the way the reference in German is (and was) actually, “Heimat” not Vaterland. Living there for a few years, you get the idea of Heimat in your village, company or group. It can be described more or less correctly, from the dictionary as:
[I] Heimat refers to a place towards which one has a strong feeling of belonging, and (usually) a deep-rooted fondness. Most commonly this is one’s native region, but it may also be that where one has lived for long, where one’s family are, or where one feels at home for whatever reason.
Heimat may be the whole of one’s native country, but more often it is a relatively narrow region (typically with its particular traditions, landscape, dialect, and so on). Even if it refers to a country, it is always defined exclusively by a person’s emotional ties with it, and is therefore quite different from the French patrie.
[/I]We found Germans rarely move away from their home district, and often everyone in the company is from a distinct region, even just the few villages nearby. This was really different compared to the US and we were often amazed by how “local” everyone was.
The Vaterland, one of Albert Ballin’s “Big Three”, was one of the most attractive ocean liners of the 20th century. The second member of the “Imperator” class, she was over 950’ long, had three stacks, four screws, was steam turbine powered and was difficult to rival in luxury and class. She was seized at her berth in New Jersey upon the United States’ entry into WWI and after a brief stint as a troop transport, entered into the peace time passenger service as “Leviathan” with the United States Lines. She was never a commercial success before she was scrapped in the mid-30’s, but to this day she remains one of the most alluring of the greyhounds of the sea of the 20th Century. Anyone interested should also look at her sister ships “Imperator” (future “Berengaria”) and “Bismarck” (future “Majestic”).
[QUOTE=Flyer69;146282]Most out of control political rants can be stopped early if common sense is applied. For the most part, the members of this community are wise enough to not start such discussions, much like you wouldnt aboard ship. There are plenty of communities out there on the internet for this type of talk. I never thought this community was one of them. Be a considerate shipmate and just delete this thread.[/QUOTE]
Yes, Politics, Religion, and Sex are topics to be avoided in casual conversation. But shipmates that you have sailed with trip after trip become more like family and like it or not when the “inhibitions” wear off, true opinions and thoughts come out.
All depends on your “ship”.
I stepped on a “boat” a couple trips back as a “Trip Pilot”.
The first thing the Captain said to me instead of shaking my hand and introducing himself was, “I hope you are a Republican because we are all ‘staunch Republicans’ on here and so is the owner of the boat and company. So if you are not, it is best to say so now and get back in that cab before he leaves.”
He was dead serious.
I told him, "You need someone to drive this boat while you are sleeping and the customer does not really give a shit what party either one of us vote for. So I can get back in that cab because I am a Democrat or you can find another green man to fuck with and make a hole for me."
He stepped aside and I went to the wheelhouse to assume the watch.
He stomped off to start the shit talking. But I was not there to make friends. I was there to make money.
If you don’t like me or my opinions stay out of the wheelhouse on my watch.
If I can do everything you can do and maybe even better then what ammo do you really have when you call the office?
“Would you believe that F’n Yankee Carpetbaggin’ SOB is a Democrat too?!”
“Wow, really…and?..Can he drive a boat?”
“Well…Yes!..but he is a f’n yankee democrat!”
“Oh, ok…well that is the best we could find and we are paying him trip wage so that you have a relief and we don’t loose our contract. Deal with it.”
I don’t get hired based upon what I do and don’t say. I get hired because I can do what not everyone else can do. Otherwise women and children would be doing my job.
But I deleted my remarks to pacify.
I will end this by saying however, that Homeland is far too similar to Fatherland (whichever word used) for me.
And to see it on USCG letterhead to me is frightening.
And the relevance to this forum is that if you have gotten any correspondence from the CG then you have seen this “new” (to some of us) name also.
I guess I am the only one in the world that does not care for this new name that Bush Jr and his buddies came up with.
Just another rant from a twice removed Jew…oops sorry I did it again…
[QUOTE=Veslog;146354]
…I guess I am the only one in the world that does not care for this new name that Bush Jr and his buddies came up with.
…[/QUOTE]
No Veslog, not really. All this Homeland Security stuff is a bit much to lots of people.
The Nazis used the good cultural feelings associated with one’s “Heimat” to designate people that were a threat to it.
What they did and how many people in society were affected gets pretty deep after that. It was pretty much, [I]“Either you’re with us, or you are against us”[/I] from January[B]1933[/B] onward.
One visit to the Documentation Center in Cologne really makes it clear how widespread the terror went. Like down to the piano club, singing clubs, sports team and rowing club level…
http://www.museenkoeln.de/ns-dokumentationszentrum/pages/715.aspx?s=715
I don’t know what the original post is about but “I’m Vaterland” written by Paul Bacon in 1910 is a good book on pre war Germany. I still have my grandfathers copy. He was born in the German part of Texas in 1892.
From Veslog:
"The first thing the Captain said to me instead of shaking my hand and introducing himself was, “I hope you are a Republican because we are all ‘staunch Republicans’ on here and so is the owner of the boat and company. So if you are not, it is best to say so now and get back in that cab before he leaves.”
He was dead serious."
The Captain’s statement when you boarded the vessel was Facist by any definition. He was trying to dictate the only political thinking permitted on this vessel to a U.S. Citizen. Does that mean that the description “staunch republican” is the new Facism?
Can I trust you to take the con and not endanger my vessel or crew while I am asleep? That’s all I am concerned with, I don’t give a rats ass what your political or religious views are. Of course if your turn out to be some excessive, intolerant shit-stirring, trouble-making, crew member you won’t be there long either. That endangers the crew too.
This old wire boat dinosaur doesn’t speak politics or religion on the vessel not because I’m smart but because I made the mistake of doing so in the past. Some folks call that Wisdom.
After 34 years of sailing, I call bullshit. I’ve never had a Captain tell me something like that upon boarding, or afterwards. And if I did, you can bet your ass I’d be on the phone in a heartbeat.
[QUOTE=LI_Domer;146284]This should at least be in the scuttlebutt section.[/QUOTE]
this should be in the DELETED THREADS section where I hope it goes to its death soon!
[QUOTE=seadog6608;146439]After 34 years of sailing, I call bullshit. I’ve never had a Captain tell me something like that upon boarding, or afterwards. And if I did, you can bet your ass I’d be on the phone in a heartbeat.[/QUOTE]
Call it what you will but it is dead nuts true, brother.
I am used to having to deal with a ridiculous amount of bullshit as a trip pilot. You are a sounding board and everyone from the disgruntled deckie to the asshole captain that is pissed with the office leadership bounces their crap off of you because you are just “temp” help and they assume you have no office “pull”.
I won’t mention any names like Walter Blessey or Blessey marine for instance. But if you happen to end up on one of his boats you can count on endless political fleet wide emails filling your in box.
This particular captain ruled by “fear”. It didn’t work with me. I didn’t care and that not only surprised him but pissed him off.
Fact was, no one else could work for him or there was no one else that he didn’t “run off” and the boat had work to do instead of just “standing by”.
So it was me or him and not because of me. Because of him.
God’s honest truth though.
Oh, and getting on the phone would have turned you into a “cry baby” and the office would have hung up on you.
So what do you do then?
Well, I’ll pack my shit and go!
Go then.
They don’t care. 10 more green pilots standing in line to take that job that would gladly convert to Republican like the rest of his poor fucking crew.
And go home as a man of principle. See how long you can hold out on your principles before the bill man comes knocking.
“But I would sue”…of course you would my dear. Good luck finding an attorney to take that case. They could care less wx you shit or go blind unless you got hurt on the boat.
Arm ripped off by winch…call me.
Political fight on the boat…don’t call me.
peace