1. I'm Still Worked Up About This - The story of the reluctance of Canadian youth to fight Hitler still has me worked up. Here are some additional stories about the role of the Canadian military in the liberation of Europe:However, some people apparently think otherwise - this letter was in today's Halifax paper:
‘Good War’ not so goodIn the Canadian Press article "Fight Hitler? Today’s young folk not so sure" (May 6), Andrew Cohen, president of the Historica-Dominion Institute, laments the fact that a survey shows 60 per cent of Canadians below age 35 said they’d reject serving in the Second World War. Cohen asks: "Do they know enough?"
In my opinion, yes, the young people are better informed today. They realize, perhaps, that the victors were not saints, proved meticulously by Canadian historian James Bacque in his book Other Losses (available at your local library). Bacque shows how the victorious Allies so wilfully maltreated POWs that millions of German POWs died of starvation after Germany capitulated.
Also, in his later book Crimes and Mercies, Bacque shows how the victorious Allies brutally expelled over 15 million German civilians in ethnic cleansing, causing over two million to die. Perhaps this is one reason why 60 per cent would not serve in the "Good War." Neither would I.
David Morgan, Lower Sackville
I doubt the accuracy of Morgan's comment that young people are better informed today. And, right off the top of my head, I am not sure that James Bacque is the go-to historian on this subject . I would instead suggest that one read The Bitter Road To Freedom by William Hitchcock.
That said, war is not a pretty business, nor is it a black and white business. The famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who knew a bit about the subject, said "It is well that war is so terrible — lest we should grow too fond of it."
Defeating tyrannical regimes such as Hitler's Nazi Germany or the militaristic Japan of World War II requires all-out war. I rather doubt that in the context of the day, many people would agree with this letter writer - and despite what his letter says, isn't he really saying that he would not have lifted a finger to fight the Nazis - a racist totalitarian regime that murdered millions and millions of people? Gee - great to have you on the team!
Mr. Morgan is entitled to his views, of course, (I think that they reflect revisionist baloney that is so in vogue these days) but he is damn lucky that someone fought that war for him - otherwise, if he was even permitted to express his individual opinion in a letter to a newspaper, he might well be writing his letter in German.
4. Interview With Dan Meridor - the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel
"I think we need a Palestinian state alongside Israel, not for them, but for us. Because I want to maintain the Zionist dream of a Jewish state, a democratic state, equal for all its citizens. Because I am Jewish, I want to treat the minorities with equality and humanity, and not the other way around. I think the numbers of the two communities in this land – it is all ours historically, I agree – but the numbers, and the fear and the hatred that grew over the 40 something years and more than that, do not allow for one land. I think one state is dangerous for our dream. As an imperative of our reality, we need to strive for a separation, for a division, partition."
6. Caroline Glick - I know that people have rather varying views on Ms. Glick - some find her alarmist, others find her to be eerily accurate. I tend rather more toward the latter camp of accuracy. Here is one of her latest columns - Caroline B. Glick: Time to plan for war.
10. A Rare Affair - Sunday witnessed the 19th perfect game - 27 up, 27 out - in the history of major league baseball.
The history channel is conducting a series called "Behind Closed Doors" and makes it clear tht dirty deals were made separtely and sometimes jointly with Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt. Eyes were closed when atrocities were committed and the suggestion that sacrifices were necessary in order to restore order was a common theme. Hundreds of thousands of Poles, Russians, Ukranians and of course Jews were cleansed in order to end the war. Witnesses were coerced into rewording statements history was whitewashed. The suggestion was that truth is ephemoral and the ends justified the means. This of course casts doubts about the veracity of anything so why should we be surprised by the cynical view of our youth? Is this a kind of subliminal suggestion that immoral behaviour is relative? I hope not. A.S.
ReplyDeleteThe Red Army did pay a price but so many more ordinary citizens died because Stalin purged them as a Malthusian means of controlling the exploding population that was starving. For that reason I am not sure that I agree with your view that Peres did good by saluting that army who were obeying orders so to speak. The soviets reluctantly joined the allies because the Germans were overpowering them and finally they understood that they wouldn't be partners so they reluctantly switched over to the allies who regrettably only showed moral but not physical support ....A.S.
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