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OR VERY "KLUG" (SMART)?
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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The corruption trial of Rod R. Blagojevich is certain circuslike. Mr. Blagojevich kisses well-wishers and signs autographs.
Blagojevich, 53, has pleaded "umshuldik" (not guilty) to scheming to sell or trade the Senate seat and to plotting to launch a racketeering operation in the governor's office.
Sam Adam, Jr. is his "advokat" (lawyer).
On the attorney profile for Sam Adam, Jr.
we read:
FEARLESSLY
FIGHTING FOR YOUR RIGHTS
For over 10 years, I have been dedicated to
providing superior legal service to people
throughout the state of Illinois and
Wisconsin. I have spent most of my life in
the courtroom. Some of my earliest memories including following my
father, Sam Adam, Sr., around the halls of 26th
and California. I take great pride in fighting
for your rights and nothing excites me more than putting twelve in
a box.
In 2008, at the age of 35, I became the youngest member of the legal team that successfully defended R&B Superstar R.Kelly. Currently I am defending the embattled ex-governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. I hope to bring to the pending trial of Blagojevich the same WITTY style and aggressiveness that has made me well known inside and outside the legal community.
Is Sam Adam, Jr. defending a "dreykop"/ "draykop"? For those unfamiliar with the Yiddish word, here are a few definitions:
"draykop" - Literally, "turn head." A nutty illogical person; someone who twists and confuses things. That term has been Anglicized in the espression, "Don't dray your cup," meaning don't worry about it. Source: Dictionary of Jewish Words" by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic
"dreykop" (alternate spelling) _ Literally, "turn-head"; someone who confuses, connives, twists, and ignores the simplest logic very often because he doesn't even realize what he is doing himself.
A dreykop will convince you without a
shadow of doubt that you have to turn left
at the crossroad and then assure you, after
you have followed his directions and gotten
lost that he really meant right. Dreykops
can also give you a headache like you
wouldn't believe.
Source: "Th Complete Idiot's Guide to
Learning Yiddish" by Rabbi Benjamin
Blech
In P.C. Yinglish, a "dreykop" is a swindler
or someone who is "emmes-impaired."
Don't buy real estate--or a used car-- from that emmes-impaired thief.
Perhaps Blagojevich is also a "dumkopf"--
literally dumb-head, dumb-bell, dunce.
Rabbi Blech writes, "Anyone who has ever
seen a German movie will remember this
word. It's the expletive used in response to
any act of stupidity. It usually is more of a
reaction to a specific incident than to the
total person. Dumkopf, how could you have
one this?
Blagojevich has said and done many dumb things:
In 2009, he launched an all-out media blitz before his impeachment trial ("mishpet"). He compared himself to an honest, hardworking cowboy and said he was about to be lynched by a band of black-hatted political insiders eager to raise taxes. Blagojevich, a fan of Western movies, drew a long analogy between his situation and that of a cowboy suggesting the accused thief be hanged, with the other suggesting he first be tried, and then hanged.
"Under these rules, I'm not even getting a fair trial; they're just hanging me. And when they hang me under these rules that prevent due process, they're hanging the 12 million people of Illinois who twice have elected a governor," he said.
The former governor has been a semi- professional Elvis impersonator and Reality TV contestant, and someone who refers to Obama as "this guy" who was elected. And in an Esquire magazine interview he claimed he was "blacker than Barack Obama." (He admitted that, "What I said was stupid, stupid, stupid.") In a 5-minute press conference, Blagojevich used the word stupid "zibetsn" (17) times to describe his comments.
Attorney Sam Adam, Jr. said that a big reason why Blagojevich is on trial is that he is a bad judge of character ("kharakter"). "He's got absolute horrible judgment on people. And that's this case and they want you to find him guilty of these horrible crimes because of that," Adam said. Adam told jurors, "He even talked about Opray Winfrey" to replace Obama in the Senate. "These are ideas that nobody's going to say he's the sharpest knife in the drawer. But he's not a crook ("ganev")."
In its rebuttal, the prosecution said Blagojevich is not the bumbling, naive victim ("korbn") portrayed by defense attorneys. Asst. U. S. attorney, Reid Schar told jurors Blagojevich is a smart man and experienced politician who knows better than to explicitly ask for money or other favors.
If Blagojevich goes to "turme" (jail), the state of Illinois will be 3 for 5 in governors spending time behind bars.
The Yiddish word for stupid is "narish."
Does the word apply to Blagojevich?
Perhaps. And people determine your character by observing what you
stand for, fall for, and lie for.
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