David Henneberry, FBI and a Russian non-parliamentary gesture

I shall start with the gesture, then we'll see what develops:

Before you go into a state of deep shock, read the interpretation of that picture, courteously offered by the Russian Wiki:

Shish, as kukish, dulya, figa, fig (Шиш, также ку́киш, ду́ля, фи́га, фиг) - a type of gesture made ​​with the fingers of one hand (hand folded into a fist with the thumb stuck between the index and middle fingers). This gesture* is used by people in various conflict situations and arguments as unfounded assertion and/or a pressure element (an impermissible ruse), and, as a rule, is aimed at the opponent's face ("under the nose", "shish on the snout", etc). Shish is often accompanied by the words: "Take it and bite it!"**.

So what does that shish has to do with Mr Hennebery and FBI? The point is that this gesture is mostly used as a forceful answer to a person who expects you to do a good deed, frequently of a monetary kind. Which is exactly what FBI has shown to David Henneberry - the citizen that discovered Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the surviving (hopefully not for too long) Boston bomber, in his boat. Which boat was peacefully waiting for the summer (or the weekend, whatever) in his backyard, only to be riddled into a sieve by a hail of bullets from several law-enforcement agencies at once.

Apparently, in addition to being riddled, the boat was later confiscated by FBI as evidence (of what, I wonder? - the cops' addiction to imprecision shooting?). And here is the rub: at the time of the affair, I have ventured a wish re the fate of the boat and its owner:

I hope David Henneberry will get a new boat from the FBI (although I am sure they will try to make the others to pony up too)

Apparently the wish fell onto deaf ears, since this is what that recent article has to say re the boat:

The government has not offered the couple any financial compensation for their 32-year-old boat; their insurance company gave them only about $1,000.

“We generally don’t compensate people for seized items,” said Greg Comcowich, an FBI spokesman in Boston.

It goes to show that I was unduly optimistic (yeah, that's a typical I, the eternal optimist!) regarding the Feds. Who appear not to see any difference between confiscating a few pounds of heroin from a drug dealer and confiscating a valued item from an innocent (and cooperating) family. So I am confident that you understand now the link to that Russian gesture and its (Russian) meaning.

Still: I am glad to say that it pays (no pun intended) to be optimistic where simple people, the salt of the earth, are concerned:

The Henneberrys, however, aren’t complaining.

Like other victims of the Marathon bombings, they have been the beneficiaries of an outpouring of good will.

In less than a week after Tsarnaev’s capture, a Texas man whom they had never met organized an online campaign that raised more than $50,000 to replace their boat. They have also received thousands of letters, countless calls, many handshakes, and gifts, everything from quilts to candles.

Last month, the couple used the money raised online to buy a 24-foot Rampage Sportsman, which they found on Craigslist and cruised from Marblehead to a mooring on the Charles. Henneberry named the 26-year-old boat, which will require some work, after his wife.

Good for Henneberrys - after the shock of having first the terrorist and then a posse of heavily armed bumblers in their yard and their house, they deserve some coddling. Good indeed.

As for FBI: bleh...

And another thing: when, after a few years, them FBI tigers decide that the boat has exhausted its criminal knowledge, can't confess to anything new and could be returned to the good Mr Henneberry, I have drafted a short reply to their offer. Which FBI offer will be, I bet, of the kind "Now,  Mr Henneberry, sir, you can come to pick up the evidence item #1846/BrM22 at our evidence storage in Anchorage, Alaska. Pending payment of the storage and maintenance bill attached to this letter". So, Mr Henneberry, just let me know. It is one sentence only, and it's a doozy...

(*) It will be grossly misleading of me to not include the following from the same Wiki page:

This gesture in China, Korea and Japan is of utmost indecency and rudeness and acts as a phallic symbol . It is a full analogue of the western "brother " - the middle finger .

In Turkey and many Arab countries it is the most severe sexual insult. Whereas in Germany it can be seen as an offer of sex.

It is also used against the evil eye in some countries, particularly in Portugal. The old Russian Orthodox Church followers considered the gesture to be an equivalent of the three-fingered crossing. It serves as a wish of good luck in Brazil.

The gesture is used by motorists to indicate to a truck driver that he has a stone stuck between the dual wheels of his truck.

(**) An exceptionally poor translation, barely conveying the sauciness and vigor of the original.