tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549963549429593969.post6829686939395639099..comments2024-01-20T06:51:58.729-08:00Comments on Echoes of Tattered Tongues: Memory Unfolded: HISTORY AND NUMBERSJohn Guzlowskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549963549429593969.post-64405906965445593062007-10-20T14:16:00.000-07:002007-10-20T14:16:00.000-07:00Mario, Logic has fallen out of favor, in favor of ...Mario, Logic has fallen out of favor, in favor of whatever will help so-called conservatives sell their talking point. Oh well, we know where the buck stops.Urkathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17086121300436012432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549963549429593969.post-50478550617788670482007-10-17T12:20:00.000-07:002007-10-17T12:20:00.000-07:00I got this from a friend, Mario BartolettiJohn,The...I got this from a friend, Mario Bartoletti<BR/><BR/>John,<BR/><BR/>The problem with any numbers from WWII is that subsequent generations of young people cannot actually get their minds around such atrocities - they are just beyond their ability to grasp. So, the next thing we know, more young people are marching off to another war - with bands playing and flags waving. <BR/><BR/>Maybe it is that misguided "My country, right or wrong!" patriot philosophy, or jingoist refrains that de-humanize another nationality to the extent that they (or we) are prepared to forget any religious or moral restraints that were taught us when we were children that we should not kill. Instead, medals are given for doing just that.<BR/><BR/>This past weekend, we attended the Oktoberfest in Ontario Canada; the German Mennonite communities in that province go back to the 1700s and 1800s. We sat at tables, banging steins of beer on the tabletops, and singing Hofbrauhaus with great enthusiasm along with hundreds of others. My son in law at one point, said: "How could such a fun-loving people follow Hitler?" My reply was: "How can the first modern democracy, the United States, condone torture and illegal incarceration at Guantanamo?" He shrugged his shoulders and I said: "Because we, the people, allow it in the name of patriotism - and "protecting our country" from the evil-doers, to quote President Bush. For the Germans, it was the Jews; for we Americans, it is the Muslims. So, war continues - to kill, to destroy and to consume vast amounts of money. <BR/><BR/>As the old folk song goes: "When will we learn; when will we ever learn?"<BR/><BR/>MarioJohn Guzlowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549963549429593969.post-77849534987826379062007-10-12T17:53:00.000-07:002007-10-12T17:53:00.000-07:00When I see that picture of the piled bodies--human...When I see that picture of the piled bodies--human rubble--I think: they all had to get up that day and put on clothes to be killed in. They're all wearing clothes.Urkathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17086121300436012432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549963549429593969.post-72208602288243707642007-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:002007-10-11T16:11:00.000-07:00Rubble. I remember when I first read about the ru...Rubble. <BR/><BR/>I remember when I first read about the rubble in Germany. It was shortly after 9/11, and I was teaching a class where we were reading Vonnegut's great novel Slaughterhouse 5, about the fire bombing of Dresden and the 35,000 people who were killed by us. <BR/><BR/>I read about how much rubble there was in Germany, and I tried to understand it by thinking about the rubble after the twin towers came down. So much rubble, so long to clean it up. <BR/><BR/>And the rubble in Germany? <BR/><BR/>There are still areas in Berlin where you can see bomb damage. <BR/><BR/>Here's a link:<BR/><BR/>http://www.crystalbay.net/germany/elbing/1.jpg<BR/><BR/>But it's not just Germany. All over Europe there are ruins and the leavings of World War II.<BR/><BR/>In Hungary, in 1990 I came across a ruined bridge over the Danube.<BR/><BR/>The Germans blew it up when they were fleeing from the Russians at the end of WWII.<BR/><BR/>In London, if you go to the Albert and Victoria museum, take a look at the stone on either side of the main entrance. You'll see holes left by the shrapnel from bombs exploding during the Battle of Britain.<BR/><BR/>I've never been to Russia, but I can imagine how much rubble the Russians have to walk around each day.John Guzlowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052735138993479204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-549963549429593969.post-80953196315890236312007-10-11T15:41:00.000-07:002007-10-11T15:41:00.000-07:00When I was in Southern Germany, the tour guide tol...When I was in Southern Germany, the tour guide told us about the mountains of rubble. In Munich, for instance, they were covered with soil and grass grew over them. It's odd to think that what was once a building, destroyed by war, is not a grass hill in the middle of a big city.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01888785080556833183noreply@blogger.com