Hi Joni,

It seems strange to me and disappointing that there seems to be a lot of people who are oblivious to factual circumstances of WW2. The nazis persecuted everyone who wasnt the master race yet the media only seem to be interested in portraying it, with all due respect, persecution of the Jews.

Also, another fact which a lot of people dont seem to know is that WW2 ended in 1990 when the iron curtain fell. The reason for this is that the declaration of war which started WW2 was for the freedom and liberation of Poland in response to the nazi invasion. Poland was freed from one tyranical dictator and given to another and with that the objective of WW2 was never achieved.

It really frustrates me when I hear people moan about Polish imigrants when Polish pilots gave so much for the Battle of Britain and when WW2 was brought to a conclusion their country was not free and independant.

Anyway, sorry to waffle
love
Penny
x

ps please feel free if anyone would like to share some of the lesser know and interesting facts of WW2 as I have quite an anthropological interest on how people survived, coped and fought with their lives. hugs x

Hi Penny-

While no historian, not by a long chalk, I do try to be cognizant of it and how it shapes where we are today. Certainly I take your point about the fall of the Iron Curtain and how countries like Poland the East Bloc were handed over to Stalin at Potsdam, one form of totalitarianism for another. One thing generally not mentioned are the sacrifices made by the Russian people themselves in the Eastern Front. More than anything, I suppose is the fact that history is tremendously complex and most of what we are taught in school is slanted to suit the ideology of the day.

As you pointed out, the Nazis were out to eradicate not only Jews, but gypsies, homosexuals, those transgendered, the physically and mentally infirm, and anyone else not deemed sufficiently Aryan. Even sadder are those who are still adherents today and those who deny that the Holocaust even took place. Sad.

Hugs...Joni Mari

Here in Norwich we have a week long list of organised events to remember the travesty of the Nazi holocaust.

We remind ourselves that 8 million people were euthanised in the death camps of which 40% were Jewish. The other 60% comprised of gay, transgendered, mentally deficient, disabled and other ethnic groups.

I think it’s good to remind ourselves of how religious bigoted people can destroy civilisation and how their attitude makes a mockery of everyone who gave their life in the fight for freedom.

Does anyone have similar events where they live?

Love
Penny x

Hi Penny-

A timely reminder. Sadly, hatred and prejudice based on racial, religous, class, political, and sexual and gender, or any other differences one may care to name, and their expression, seems to be endemic and part and parcel of the human condition. Even worse is that fact that there seems to be no overwhelming evidence that mankind, as a whole, is changing in any way for the better, quite the contrary. Oh well...perhaps I am too cynical. There are those who, in their own personal lives, as you seem to be, or in some organized way, are trying to make a change. Here's to acceptance, toleration and understanding.

My heart goes out to those who suffered and died under the hands of the Nazi regime and to their families and relatives as well and to those who suffer under those sorts of regimes these days as well. May we someday leave such things behind us.

Surprisingly enough, though I did some cursory research online, there seems to be no commeration planned here in the Seattle area, which surprises me, given such an ethnically diverse and politically aware community. Perhaps I need to look a little harder, I do find this somewhat astonishing.

Hugs...Joni Mari