I too spent hours in that very museum with an American friend married to a German and living in Germany. There is no question they knew; there is no question Hitler had become delusional; there is no question generals, politicians, business leaders followed blindly - just like today. Nothing changed their mind which still exists with the rise of neo-Nazis in Germany and here but overwhelming force. I hope it does not take that here. When we left, my friend said that streets and parks in Munich are still named for the very people documented there. She was embarking on a crusade to get that changed. The new movie out today called Nuremberg is about the mental illness of one of them, Goering I think, which should be very interesting. As was observed at Trumps insane UN speech, he's "mad" and we are in deep trouble.
My fear is the damage has only begun. The fear of the end being in sight is too far away for me. MAGA supporters may have declined some as a result of the government shutdown but the elections next year cannot come soon enough and hopefully more people will vote to support our democracy.
Reading this was heartbreaking to me. My first thoughts went to my mother who an Army nurse in WWII, serving in the European theater. She was at Dachau a couple of days after it was liberated, as well as Morocco, Naples, Rome and Paris, following the troops She saw up close the destruction caused by the war. The Nazis and their philosophy were unspeakably horrendous; did they realize at any time what their actions were calling down on their own people? It's the same with Hamas: they committed such atrocities upon Israelis, even though they must have known that revenge would come to them. The suffering of the innocents on both sides of war is hard to bear. The destruction and the healing will never be finished, and the drive for revenge for the destruction will continue on for generations.
Several years ago, a group of friends and neighbors of mine got together to discuss a Vikings-inspired trip down the Rhine. It ended up being the high point of trips for many, but sadly not for me, as I didn't make the trip. My major in college was history, one of the many lucrative decisions I came to regret later in life; however, it did contribute to my deep love and undying appreciation of America and its democracy. It encouraged me to join the Navy back in the sixties, to support presidents who supported our military, promoted its citizens, and held dear their sacrifices.
I've had many great German American friends whose friendships I've cherished. I think of Germany as a beautiful and inviting country with some of the most brilliant people in the world.
However, my old and frail physique could not put aside the thought of what happened here; I couldn't walk on the same soil on which so much pain and hate had been inflicted on so many. I couldn't put aside how much damage it had done to my Christian beliefs. The thought of that tattooed number I witnessed on my neighbor's arm had left me scared almost as much as it had her. She was so much stronger than I; I couldn't go.
It seems that history absolutely keeps repeating itself. We know this play. We’ve seen it before. We know the costs, and yet we seem powerless to prevent it from happening again in full sight even after 250 years of being a constitutional republic. When will we ever learn? Or are we humans simply incapable of treating one another with compassion?
I honestly think it will take bloodshed, sadly. It will take the Guard or Marines gunning down protestors--it can NOT be protestors rioting first. History shows us when the authoritarians turn their weapons on their own people, they lose. I really, really hope I'm wrong, but look at our precedents: Haymarket, Homestead, Leadville, Watts, Selma, Minneapolis--and more. Change came at a bloody cost, and now the FatFelon is trying to destroy every inch of progress gained.
Just think of what he's demanding from our soldiers and sailors--talk about a massive PTSD epidemic.
My question is: who will be the Allies this time if we are the Nazis? Who will liberate us from the tyrant's rantings and whims?
I too spent hours in that very museum with an American friend married to a German and living in Germany. There is no question they knew; there is no question Hitler had become delusional; there is no question generals, politicians, business leaders followed blindly - just like today. Nothing changed their mind which still exists with the rise of neo-Nazis in Germany and here but overwhelming force. I hope it does not take that here. When we left, my friend said that streets and parks in Munich are still named for the very people documented there. She was embarking on a crusade to get that changed. The new movie out today called Nuremberg is about the mental illness of one of them, Goering I think, which should be very interesting. As was observed at Trumps insane UN speech, he's "mad" and we are in deep trouble.
This post gives one pause to consider: at the end will red hats ever acknowledge the damage they have wrought?
My fear is the damage has only begun. The fear of the end being in sight is too far away for me. MAGA supporters may have declined some as a result of the government shutdown but the elections next year cannot come soon enough and hopefully more people will vote to support our democracy.
Reading this was heartbreaking to me. My first thoughts went to my mother who an Army nurse in WWII, serving in the European theater. She was at Dachau a couple of days after it was liberated, as well as Morocco, Naples, Rome and Paris, following the troops She saw up close the destruction caused by the war. The Nazis and their philosophy were unspeakably horrendous; did they realize at any time what their actions were calling down on their own people? It's the same with Hamas: they committed such atrocities upon Israelis, even though they must have known that revenge would come to them. The suffering of the innocents on both sides of war is hard to bear. The destruction and the healing will never be finished, and the drive for revenge for the destruction will continue on for generations.
Several years ago, a group of friends and neighbors of mine got together to discuss a Vikings-inspired trip down the Rhine. It ended up being the high point of trips for many, but sadly not for me, as I didn't make the trip. My major in college was history, one of the many lucrative decisions I came to regret later in life; however, it did contribute to my deep love and undying appreciation of America and its democracy. It encouraged me to join the Navy back in the sixties, to support presidents who supported our military, promoted its citizens, and held dear their sacrifices.
I've had many great German American friends whose friendships I've cherished. I think of Germany as a beautiful and inviting country with some of the most brilliant people in the world.
However, my old and frail physique could not put aside the thought of what happened here; I couldn't walk on the same soil on which so much pain and hate had been inflicted on so many. I couldn't put aside how much damage it had done to my Christian beliefs. The thought of that tattooed number I witnessed on my neighbor's arm had left me scared almost as much as it had her. She was so much stronger than I; I couldn't go.
It seems that history absolutely keeps repeating itself. We know this play. We’ve seen it before. We know the costs, and yet we seem powerless to prevent it from happening again in full sight even after 250 years of being a constitutional republic. When will we ever learn? Or are we humans simply incapable of treating one another with compassion?
Germany does not shy away from the atrocities they bestowed on the world. Even actions that came before WWII they are willing to talk about.
Most of the trees in Berlin were replanted after the war because our bombing of the city.
I honestly think it will take bloodshed, sadly. It will take the Guard or Marines gunning down protestors--it can NOT be protestors rioting first. History shows us when the authoritarians turn their weapons on their own people, they lose. I really, really hope I'm wrong, but look at our precedents: Haymarket, Homestead, Leadville, Watts, Selma, Minneapolis--and more. Change came at a bloody cost, and now the FatFelon is trying to destroy every inch of progress gained.
Just think of what he's demanding from our soldiers and sailors--talk about a massive PTSD epidemic.
My question is: who will be the Allies this time if we are the Nazis? Who will liberate us from the tyrant's rantings and whims?
With Trump, I can’t imagine what it will take!
So sobering.