{"id":1161,"date":"2017-01-27T23:50:11","date_gmt":"2017-01-28T03:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beemandave.com\/beemanblog\/?p=1161"},"modified":"2017-01-29T17:11:28","modified_gmt":"2017-01-29T21:11:28","slug":"international-holocaust-day-a-memorial-and-contemplation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beemandave.com\/beemanblog\/blog\/2017\/01\/27\/international-holocaust-day-a-memorial-and-contemplation\/","title":{"rendered":"International Holocaust Day – A Memorial and Contemplation"},"content":{"rendered":"
Greetings and Salutations;<\/span><\/div>\n
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Bergen Belsen
Liberation, 1945<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Today, \u00a0January 27th, \u00a0is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. \u00a0 Today, \u00a0we should spend a moment to cast our minds back to the atrocities that the Third Reich inflicted on\u00a0 a huge collection of people, focusing on the Jews. \u00a0 For those of us that SLEPT through History Class, \u00a0 millions of people, \u00a0the good, the bad, the neutral, \u00a0were labeled “The Others”. \u00a0They were blamed for the economic and social problems of Germany, \u00a0in spite of the fact they were innocent of those charges. \u00a0 They were, after oppression, \u00a0and abuse, \u00a0swept up, \u00a0put in cattle cars, and transported to Concentration camps, \u00a0where ALL were starved, \u00a0beaten, \u00a0and overworked. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Gas Chamber
Dachau Prison Camp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many of them were randomly selected and killed,\u00a0 usually in poison gas chambers.\u00a0\u00a0 Then,\u00a0 their bodies burned to ashes in huge ovens that ran 24 hours a day for years, \u00a0and the remains dumped into nearby <\/span><\/p>\n

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Cremation Oven,
Dachau Prison Camp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

rivers. \u00a0The images that the Allied soldiers saw when the camps were liberated left them with nightmarish trauma that had them waking in a cold sweat for the rest of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Today, \u00a0we should take a moment to contemplate that Evil; \u00a0to honor the lives that were taken; \u00a0and renew a promise that such a horrendous \u00a0event should never sully the face of the Earth again.<\/span><\/div>\n
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That is, at least, \u00a0the idealistic goal of this day. \u00a0 In reality, \u00a0though, \u00a0we, as a race, \u00a0fail to do this. \u00a0 There are still too many deniers who claim that the story of the Holocaust is a lie, \u00a0made up simply to malign the German Nation. \u00a0 They claim that the images recorded by photographers are faked. \u00a0 They claim that the numbers quoted about the death toll in the camps are vast exaggerations. \u00a0 There are many people who say “that was so long ago…and so far away. \u00a0It can never happen again”. \u00a0 Well, \u00a0the deniers are wrong. \u00a0The facts are there that provide evidence that the events did happen. \u00a0 In Museums and private collections, \u00a0there are still<\/span> lampshades made from the skin of prisoners<\/a>\u00a0with ornate tattoos \u00a0and other objects made from the tanned skin of prisoners\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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As for the folks that say “It could not happen again”; \u00a0that is blind optimism. \u00a0 People have not changed that much in the past 2000 years, \u00a0and the same Evil that brought forth the Nazi Party \u00a0 still has deep roots in too many minds. \u00a0 There are too many people who are willfully blind, who would not see it. \u00a0There are too many people who chose to do nothing, \u00a0in hopes that they will not be touched by it.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Look, \u00a0for example, \u00a0at the Political situation in America. \u00a0 We have a president elect who is not only totally unqualified and temperamentally terrible in the Oval office, \u00a0but, \u00a0is also a person eaten up by Greed, and Hate for anyone that is not an old, Conservative, White guy like him. \u00a0 He claims he has a mandate for his actions, \u00a0in spite of the fact that he took the office through a quirk in our electoral system, \u00a0getting some \u00a03 million fewer votes than his opponent. \u00a0 During the campaign, \u00a0he continually used Nazi techniques to vilify his competition. \u00a0He made up childish nicknames for them. \u00a0He lied about what they believed or would do. \u00a0He lied about their record. \u00a0Time and time again, \u00a0he disrespected women, \u00a0people of color, \u00a0other nations, \u00a0and pretty much ever group that he could, \u00a0in order to inflame the emotions of the crowd he was speaking to at the time. \u00a0 He has perfected the use of Goebbels’ Rule of “The Big Lie” – “Repeat a big enough lie, \u00a0often enough, \u00a0and it becomes the truth to people”. \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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He had no platform of concrete ways to improve the country; \u00a0As a matter of fact, \u00a0he said time and time again that America is a cesspool of drugs, \u00a0thugs and rotting infrastructure.\u00a0 In spite of this,\u00a0 his claims on how he was going to fix things consisted of smoke,\u00a0 mirrors,\u00a0 and the repetition of the phrase “Trust Me”\u00a0 Now,\u00a0 I have heard and seen that sort of nonsense enough times in my life that all kinds of red flags are raised when someone starts using these phrases! \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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He is FOR nothing that helps the majority of citizens…but he is AGAINST much that keeps him and his wealthy buddies from draining more money from our pockets.\u00a0 He continues to refuse to divest himself of his commercial interests,\u00a0 and has promised to delete 75% of the\u00a0 regulations that keep\u00a0 the Oligarchs from raping the Earth in search of the last dollar.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Many of the people that voted for the donald said \u00a0“Oh, \u00a0he will not do that…he is just exaggerating”. \u00a0Well, \u00a0look on Social Media! \u00a0There are thousands and thousands of posts from his supporters screaming because he is doing exactly what he said he would do…and THEY are being hurt by his actions. \u00a0 The list of insanely bad decisions he is making and turning into actions through Executive Orders and Memoranda \u00a0is growing by leaps and bounds. \u00a0 They are easily available online through searches… \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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Today is Holocaust Memorial Day. \u00a0How did the president-elect greet it? \u00a0 He issued two items of note.<\/span><\/div>\n
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He (or his staff) penned a short comment on the Holocaust. \u00a0 Here it is in its entirety: \u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
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\u201cIt is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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\u201cYet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest.\u200e As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
\u201cIn the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good. Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
Not to be TOO picky, \u00a0but hardly mentioning the Jews and other groups murdered by the Nazi Regime in this seems to kind of miss the point. \u00a0 I read this, and it seems that almost all of it is focused on how great America was at stopping it, \u00a0 and how WE are going to keep it from happening again. \u00a0 The irony in this is more of a flood than a drip, \u00a0in my opinion, \u00a0since his entire campaign and administration has been based on hate for “The Other” \u00a0and saying how dangerous “The Other” is for us.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Now, \u00a0Compare the donald’s statement with what President Obama said, \u00a0just a year ago.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Statement by the President on Holocaust Remembrance Day<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
Today, on Yom HaShoah, we solemnly remember the six million Jews and the millions of others murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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On this day, we honor the memory of the millions of individuals \u2013 the mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, friends and neighbors \u2013 who lost their lives during a time of unparalleled depravity and inhumanity. \u00a0We reaffirm our ongoing responsibility as citizens and as a nation to live out the admonition, \u201cNever forget. Never again.\u201d \u00a0And we commit ourselves to preserving the memories of those who lived through the horrors of the Shoah, so that their experiences are not forgotten by our generation or by our children or grandchildren.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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We also honor those who survived the Holocaust, many of them spared from death because of the righteous individuals who risked their lives to save Jews and other victims from Nazi persecution. \u00a0The stories of these survivors and their protectors remind us to confront persecution wherever it arises, and that silence can be an accomplice to evil. \u00a0They remind us of our duty to counter the rising tide of anti-Semitism, bigotry and hatred that threaten the values we hold dear\u2014pluralism, diversity, and the freedoms of religion and expression.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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Today, and every day, we stand in solidarity with the Jewish community both at home and abroad. \u00a0We stand with those who are leaving the European cities where they have lived for generations because they no longer feel safe, with the members of institutions that have been attacked because of their Jewish affiliations, and with the college students forced to confront swastikas appearing on their campuses. \u00a0And we call upon all people of good will to be vigilant and vocal against every form of bigotry.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
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When we recognize our interconnectedness and the fundamental dignity and equality of every human being, we help to build a world that is more accepting, secure and free. \u00a0This is the best way to honor the legacy we recognize on Yom HaShoah and to fulfill our responsibilities to repair our world from generation to generation.<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n

While it is very true \u00a0that there were millions of\u00a0 OTHER folks \u00a0swept up and killed in the Camps, \u00a0the Jews were the main focus of the Nazi Party..they were “The Other”. \u00a0 They were non-white, \u00a0they had different beliefs, \u00a0and they were such hard workers that they made “normal folks” look bad. \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

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The donald’s second act today was to issue an Executive Order which bans any person coming from a few,\u00a0 Middle Eastern Countries from entering the United States.\u00a0\u00a0 Here is the text of that Executive Order,
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There are several issues with this Executive order\u00a0 that are designed to make the world less safe for America,\u00a0 and so fail in its goal.<\/p>\n