# Oh! HasTERT! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 15, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901 "2003-04-15T16:24:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/1 "2003-04-15T16:24:37Z")
Silly me. His name is “Hastert”. All along, I had been calling him “Hastur”… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/2 "2003-04-15T16:27:11Z")
may I be the first to say : Link??? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/3 "2003-04-15T16:29:12Z")
I assume he’s referring to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/4 "2003-04-15T16:31:59Z")
Yup. I’d been calling him “Dennis Hastur” and thinking his name was eerily approprite… ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/5 "2003-04-15T16:33:06Z")
well, gosh, that would have been good to know. ok, I’m ready then to comment on the OP: ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/6 "2003-04-15T16:36:03Z")
After being warned a couple of times about starting stupid, meaningless threads in the Pit, you should have learned. Begin countdown. **5 … 4 … 3 …** ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/7 "2003-04-15T16:39:18Z")
**Homebrew** maybe you’re getting **Dogface** mixed up with **Golfersomenumberornother** or **somenumberorotherGolfer**? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/8 "2003-04-15T16:45:10Z")
Well, since it’s a stupid and meaningless thread, maybe we can use it to post stupid, meaningless things that Dennis Hastert has said so far this week. I’ll start. [http://www.boston.com/dailynews/102/wash/\_Statement\_of\_Speaker\_J\_Dennis:.shtml](http://www.boston.com/dailynews/102/wash/_Statement_of_Speaker_J_Dennis:.shtml) > [@](#): > > Statement of Speaker J. Dennis Hastert Regarding Final Passage of the Wartime Supplemental > U.S.Newswire, 4/12/2003 12:26 > To: National Desk > > Contact: John Feehery or Pete Jeffries for House Speaker J. Dennis > > Hastert, 202-225-2800 > > WASHIGNTON, April 12 /U.S. Newswire/ – Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert released the following statement: > > ''Today, the Congress took effective action to help our war effort by sending to the President the 2003 War Supplemental. I applaud Chairman Bill Young who did a remarkable job of getting this legislation completed so quickly. > > ‘‘In this war supplemental, we pay for the supplies, the ammunition, the training, so that our men and women in uniform can do their jobs in Iraq, in Afghanistan and around the world. We also pay to upgrade our nation’s homeland security, so we are ready should terrorists attempt to attack America again.’’ > > ‘‘This legislation also makes our nation’s airlines more secure, by helping them deal with the increased security costs brought on by the war.’’ > > ‘‘I want to thank Chairman Young for fighting hard to keep this supplemental focused on the war and on homeland security needs. I am disappointed that some Senate provisions were ultimately included that were not war or homeland security related, but the vast majority of those provisions were stripped from the final conference report.’’ > > ‘‘In the end, we had a job to do to help our troops, and we did that job well.’’ Well, golly, that was IMPORTANT, wasn’t it? Worthy of a whole entire press release. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/9 "2003-04-15T16:46:28Z")
Yes, I believe I have. Sorry, **Dogface**. But this is inane also so you can see the source of confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/10 "2003-04-15T23:18:33Z")
Inane? Maybe. Funny? Hell yeah. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/11 "2003-04-15T23:39:32Z")
Now I’m all confused. Isn’t there a poster name **Hastur**? And isn’t it **Tgolfer345324534563456** or something? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/12 "2003-04-15T23:54:39Z")
Wow, there’s a Lott that Dogface doesn’t know. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/13 "2003-04-16T00:08:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Now I’m all confused. Isn’t there a poster name **Hastur**? > > And isn’t it **Tgolfer345324534563456** or something? \*\* Part A - yes, there is a poster **Hastur** - which is who I thought the OP was talking about at first. Part B. Shrug. I didn’t bother going back and looking up the user name. It didn’t matter to me. I’m sure that for said user, there’s deep and meaningful reasons for the “t” and the numbers and so on, but I gloss over it and just read it as "golfer somethin’ or other’. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/14 "2003-04-16T00:29:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squink \* > \*\*Wow, there’s a Lott that Dogface doesn’t know. \*\* :rolleyes: I love puns…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/15 "2003-04-16T00:36:57Z")
I believe **Hastur** is now **Mockingbird** ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/16 "2003-04-16T01:17:22Z")
So, then, is Dennis Hastert going to change _his_ name to Dennis Mockingbert? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/17 "2003-04-16T01:24:35Z")
Who or what is Hastur? (Besides the Doper-now-known-as-Mockingbird.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/18 "2003-04-16T01:41:30Z")
Hastur is one of the evil, inhuman elder gods from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, popularly known as the “Cthulhu Mythos.” Well, actually from one of his immitators; Lovecraft created one of the original “shared world” fantasies, allowing friends to borrow creatures and ideas freely from his short stories, and borrowing back from them in turn. Makes it a little hard to pin down who invented what, exactly. There’s a book, _The Hastur Cycle_, which collects the most important Hastur stories, starting with Ambrose Bierce, of all people. But it gives most of the credit for the eventual evolution of the character to (ironically enough) August Derleth. Incidentally, I’d been wondering what happened to **Hastur** , and where this **Mockingbird** fellow came from all of the sudden. Now I know. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/19 "2003-04-16T02:45:07Z")
Isn’t it ironic, or odd, or noteworthy, or whatever the word is, that Hastert the **Unspeakable** is the **Speaker** of the House? ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2003, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901/20 "2003-04-16T12:02:43Z")
**Hastur** is now **Mockingbird**?!? Shit, I sure missed that memo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-hastert/168901.md?page=2)