But Can You Still Get the Open Faced Himmler Sandwich?

[Boy With A Problem]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060824/ap_ ... r_eatery_4

[Extreme Honey]

I'm not offended at all by it, and in fact I agree with the Indians in seeng Hitler as more of a historical figure than some super-meachine capable of destroying humanity and jewish people. In fact south america's view of nazis differs drastically from the west, perhaps being more accurate?

[verbal gymnastics]

Hitler's Cross - I bet he is

[Who Shot Sam?]

I'm not offended at all by it, and in fact I agree with the Indians in seeng Hitler as more of a historical figure than some super-meachine capable of destroying humanity and jewish people. In fact south america's view of nazis differs drastically from the west, perhaps being more accurate?

What do you mean by "more of a historical figure"? Historical figures don't exist in some vacuum independent of their actions. You can't be for real. Hitler was not just CAPABLE of committing genocide - he put his plan into action. How naive can you be?

And no wonder some South Americans go a bit easier on old Adolf - Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay were havens for Nazis at the end of the war.

[Mechanical Grace]

What he said. Though I'll add that Argentina in particular has a large and long-established Jewish population, and I'm gonna guess they're not part of EH's so-called 'accuracy' contingent. Such ignorance boggles the mind...

[Boy With A Problem]

I'm not offended at all by it, and in fact I agree with the Indians in seeng Hitler as more of a historical figure than some super-meachine capable of destroying humanity and jewish people. In fact south america's view of nazis differs drastically from the west, perhaps being more accurate?

What do you mean by "more of a historical figure"? Historical figures don't exist in some vacuum independent of their actions. You can't be for real. Hitler was not just CAPABLE of committing genocide - he put his plan into action. How naive can you be?

But do you think someday that the world will be ready for a Hitler restaurant? A hundred years from now maybe? We don't flinch when we see something like Ghengis Khan's Mongolian Barbeque (a quick Yahoo search shows similarly named joints in St. Paul, Kansas City, Sydney and Brighton). I found an Al Capone's Pizza in Brick N.J. -Would anyone care today about a restaurant called Torquemada's - with inquisition imagery? I'm not trying to compare these guys to Hitler; just kind of thinking about how these people over time do tend to become "more historical figures" than real life murderous bastards.

A current trend is the Soviet themed bar/club.....while not tied directly to Stalin - they do seem a little weird. I saw three of these places in northern Britain last week. (the first one I remember seeing was the vodka bar in Madalay Bay in Las Vegas with the headless Lenin statue out front). It seems the imagery is just too hard for the markateers to resist.

[BlueChair]

I'm not offended at all by it, and in fact I agree with the Indians in seeng Hitler as more of a historical figure than some super-meachine capable of destroying humanity and jewish people. In fact south america's view of nazis differs drastically from the west, perhaps being more accurate?

You've gotta be fucking kidding me...

[Who Shot Sam?]

But do you think someday that the world will be ready for a Hitler restaurant? A hundred years from now maybe?

Never, I hope, but that's probably unrealistic. People don't even know who our fucking president is nowadays (Jay Leno thinks it's funny). I guess I would just answer that I would prefer not to be around when it happens.

I did once dine in a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne, Australia - Post-Mao Cafe on Little Bourke St. - that served Mao's favorite dishes and had a huge mural of him on the wall. Strange concept, but the food was damn good. An evil fucker but Hitler's on a different level IMO.

[RedShoes]

I'm not offended at all by it, and in fact I agree with the Indians in seeng Hitler as more of a historical figure than some super-meachine capable of destroying humanity and jewish people. In fact south america's view of nazis differs drastically from the west, perhaps being more accurate?

You can't be for real.

Yeah. That.

[BlueChair]

I don't think anybody is planning a Pol Pot restaurant anytime soon.

[Boy With A Problem]

I don't think anybody is planning a Pol Pot restaurant anytime soon.

I wish you were wrong -

http://goasia.about.com/b/a/206890.htm

Doesn't look like it went over too well though.

[mood swung]

I don't think anybody is planning a Pol Pot restaurant anytime soon.

only if the Num cha gio pale is to die for...

[Extreme Honey]

What he said. Though I'll add that Argentina in particular has a large and long-established Jewish population, and I'm gonna guess they're not part of EH's so-called 'accuracy' contingent. Such ignorance boggles the mind...

Yeah but even they are on a different level than the west. They have a prosperous community and they seem very settled and comfortable with their lives, they've almost blended in with the rest of the argentines. They don't talk so much about the holocaust like western people or isrealites. But if you bring up his name I'm sure they won't see him as that historical figure I'm thinking of, and I guess it iwll just take time. Did people fear Genghis Khan 60 years after his death? Did people fear Stalin 60 years after his death?

[Extreme Honey]

I'm not offended at all by it, and in fact I agree with the Indians in seeng Hitler as more of a historical figure than some super-meachine capable of destroying humanity and jewish people. In fact south america's view of nazis differs drastically from the west, perhaps being more accurate?

What do you mean by "more of a historical figure"? Historical figures don't exist in some vacuum independent of their actions. You can't be for real. Hitler was not just CAPABLE of committing genocide - he put his plan into action. How naive can you be?

And no wonder some South Americans go a bit easier on old Adolf - Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay were havens for Nazis at the end of the war.

Yes I do think that. I really don't give a damn what King Jung does or did. He's a historical figure like all the other dictators, tribal chiefs and presidents. Westerns really have to adapt to the fact that some people (in which I mean most people) have different views on those far-away murderous dictators. I blame it on the media.

[BlueChair]

Genocide is genocide... being apathetic is what causes it to go on in the first place. That's why it's continuing to happen in places like Sudan as the rest of the world just sits and wonders what Paris Hilton is doing that exact second.

[alexv]

EH, I am amazed that you view Argentina as a non-Western country. I know quite a large number of Argentinians (mostly Jews, by the way), and they are as "western" as can be. Buenos Aires is their pride and joy, precisely because it evokes Paris and all things European. I think you can live in "South" America and have Western roots.

As to your point about Argentinian Jews and their capacity to forget, I strongly disagree, again speaking from personal experience. A number of the Argentinian Jews I know are children of folks whose harrowing experiences as children in Europe escaping from nazi atrocities remind me of the experiences of people like Polanski who spent years on his own as a child traversing Europe by foot. Now, maybe you know Argentinian Jews who have internalized all that in an effort not to draw unwanted attention from their neighbors who may be descendants of nazi henchmen, but the ones I know are acutley aware of that past, and don't view it as just another of history's atrocities. No kidding about Hilter around those Jews.

Speaking of history, I think the difference between Genghis, Torquemada and the rest of our ancient villains, and today's villain is not just the time that has elapsed, but the fact that in their times mass killings and brutality towards the "different" was far more accepted and less questioned than today. Even though we've killed more people in this century in senseless wars than in any prior century, I tend to think that in theory at least human lives are valued more, and it's easier to generate public disgust at genocides of our present era than at barbaric acts committed centuries ago. Similar atrocities committed in the 20th century whether by Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot or Harry Truman (if you include Hiroshima) and others should certainly be taken more seriously, even a couple of centuries from now, assuming we haven't reverted to the Middle Ages (a distinct possibility).

As to why among those the Jewish Holocaust seems to get the most attention I blame it all on Hitler. Perfect villains (who look and talk the part), who kill 6 million or so people just because they follow an ancient religion, and do so with particular savagery, right in the middle of Europe are poster childs for Evil.

[Mechanical Grace]

Genocide is genocide... being apathetic is what causes it to go on in the first place. That's why it's continuing to happen in places like Sudan as the rest of the world just sits and wonders what Paris Hilton is doing that exact second.

No shit. And it's exactly your sort of blase characterization of "far-away murderous dictators" that allows many Americans-- we whose ignorance you love to tout-- to remain in the dark about Argentina's 'Dirty War' (to say nothing of our involvement in it) or about Augusto Pinochet's atrocities in Chile.

Do you favor a deeper, farther-reaching apathy? Or are you just a sophomoric contrarian who thinks that disagreeing with stuff makes you seem smart? I'm guessing the latter. Hoping, actually...

[Extreme Honey]

EH, I am amazed that you view Argentina as a non-Western country. I know quite a large number of Argentinians (mostly Jews, by the way), and they are as "western" as can be. Buenos Aires is their pride and joy, precisely because it evokes Paris and all things European. I think you can live in "South" America and have Western roots.

As to your point about Argentinian Jews and their capacity to forget, I strongly disagree, again speaking from personal experience. A number of the Argentinian Jews I know are children of folks whose harrowing experiences as children in Europe escaping from nazi atrocities remind me of the experiences of people like Polanski who spent years on his own as a child traversing Europe by foot. Now, maybe you know Argentinian Jews who have internalized all that in an effort not to draw unwanted attention from their neighbors who may be descendants of nazi henchmen, but the ones I know are acutley aware of that past, and don't view it as just another of history's atrocities. No kidding about Hilter around those Jews.

Speaking of history, I think the difference between Genghis, Torquemada and the rest of our ancient villains, and today's villain is not just the time that has elapsed, but the fact that in their times mass killings and brutality towards the "different" was far more accepted and less questioned than today. Even though we've killed more people in this century in senseless wars than in any prior century, I tend to think that in theory at least human lives are valued more, and it's easier to generate public disgust at genocides of our present era than at barbaric acts committed centuries ago. Similar atrocities committed in the 20th century whether by Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot or Harry Truman (if you include Hiroshima) and others should certainly be taken more seriously, even a couple of centuries from now, assuming we haven't reverted to the Middle Ages (a distinct possibility).

As to why among those the Jewish Holocaust seems to get the most attention I blame it all on Hitler. Perfect villains (who look and talk the part), who kill 6 million or so people just because they follow an ancient religion, and do so with particular savagery, right in the middle of Europe are poster childs for Evil.

Well all I'm saying is that from what I've gathered in Argentina and many other countries is a very different view on any dictator, president or khan. Argentines (and I will use them because I know them best), don't simply "forget" all the shit that happened and is happening the last hudred or so years, because that would just make them ignorant idiots. But talking about the holocaust as if it happened this year will also make them ignorant idiots. Argentines, along with the rest of the world, keep all that history where it should be, and it shouldn't be at the top of your mind. I don't agree with you on the argentine jews. They don't have any fears in Buenos Aires, the argentines have accpeted them and welcomed them into society, it's their choice to go on with their lives and not live in the past.
Argentines are argentines, not westerners. Try not to tell them they are westerners because some may take that offensively. There are anti-western graffiti adorning every wall. Anti-Bush especially. In fact most argentines will talk about "yankis" ("yankees", we tend to think of americans as if they were all yankees, I don't know why) as if they were the worst of the worst, most uncultured things on earth. Most of the world thinks that way, I think Americans believe that because they are the world's leading economic strength that the rest of the world think as highly of them as they tend to think of themselves, but that is not true. Currently, America has reached it's lowest point in terms of it's image worldwide. And that's due to several things that I'll include in another post.
Alexv, one of the biggest mistakes people make is to classify argentines as "Buenos Airesians", but they are not. There is vast diversity in Argentina geographically and amongst the people. A lot of people live in Buenos Aires, and many of them tend to think of themselves as more european than south american, that it true. But many of them don't, and as for the people who live in Salta, Jujuy, Tucuman, Entre Rios, Usuahia, Santa Fe and many more provinces certainly don't think of themeslves as westerners or westerner-derived.
I think you may be right about the past dictatots, time elapsed and the world's views back then might explain that. But the jewish holocaust dosn;t get attention beacuse of Hitler, I mean he's dead, he's not CNN's anchorman. THe holocaust gets attention beacuse:

1) Jewish people certainly don't want it to happen again (which may be a possibility amongst the arab world), and they will do everything in their power to educate the biggest powers to not commit the same error again. In this same fashion, I think many things have been manipulated about the holocaust. Debate, reasearch amongst other things have been boycotted by them. Although I dont necesarily agree with the boycotting, I do understand that Isreal/Jewish people are under a crisis with the arab world for a long time (take into consideration the fact that Iran hosted a holocaust cartoon contest a little while ago!). So that is perfectly understandable, but if you seek the truth, whatever that is, than it might get a little complicated.

2) Many countries incorporate that into the most basic levels of education and propaganda.

3) Spending so much time about the holocaust shields the west about the other horrible things that have happened since or at that time.

And to close my endless speech, I will only add that I am the sort of person that isn't satisfied with what some high-ranking noble decides to tell me about history, politics and foreign affairs. I will always try to seek the truth about how the world really runs, and try to combat the west's efforts to make us all mindless idiots. Nowadays, the world is covered by layers of lies and wrong motivations. Wars, hunger, death, religion and politics still tear us down while the powers try to take out thoughts somewhere else. In fact the more I think about how f*cked up the world is the more I want to drink a mate in the middle of Corrientes y Esmeralda.

[Mechanical Grace]

I am the sort of person that isn't satisfied with what some high-ranking noble decides to tell me about history, politics and foreign affairs.

Oh, I see, unlike the rest of us brainwashed automatronic idiots. Being outraged at the deaths of six million people doesn't preclude outrage at other, more current offensive events. Unless you're an idiot.

[alexv]

EH, let's take your post one point at a time. Sorry about the long response.

You are right, forgetting about the holocaust would make anyone an ignorant idiot. No argument there. But when you say that talking about the holocoust as if it happened last year makes you an equally ignorant idiot, I begin to take issue.

No one is saying that folks should focus on the holocaust as if it happened last year. We all know it didn't happen last year. But it did happen in the middle of the 20th century, and it is only 2006. In historical terms, it's as if it really did happen last year. This event happened in the lifetime of many people who are still alive today, and many people who actually suffered from it (directly) are also still alive. That makes it very different and much more relevant. When those folks and their children and grandchildren obsess about the holocaust, it may seem odd to young folks like you (with, I assume, no family experience) who, seemingly, lack a historical perspective. "Keeping the holocaust as history" as you say you and argentinias do is fine, but that history is very different and much more relevant and meaningful today, than say the slaughter of Native Americans in the Americas centuries ago.

My crack about Argentinian Jews maybe hiding their identity from fellow Nazi Argentinians was just a wise-crack. Withdrawn.

On your list of reasons as to why the holocaust is so focussed on, I don't think reminding folks of the holocaust is "propagand" nor do I think that focussing on the holocaust lessens the importance of other types of genocide. Those arguments are specious: they are commonly used by people who just don't like jews (I am not implying you are one of them Eh, just noting the point).

Now, about Argentinians, Westerners and Americans (ah, EH, once again your American hobby horse enters the arena). You immediately and incorrectly assume that Westerners=Americans (North Americans, I mean, Yankees). That is flat out wrong. Westerners is a term which includes, in today's common usage, nations that have a predominantly European heritage. The US certainly has that, so does Canada, and all of Europe of course. Portions of South America, primarily Argentina and Chile, also have a powerful Western (i.e. European) influence.

All the Argentinians I know, with the exception of some who live outside of BA have direct Western roots (they are descendants of Eastern European Jews). None of these people would balk at a Western identification. That would be ridiculous. It would deny their direct past. Now, remember, no one is saying they are related to your dreaded Americanos (you know, the ignorant people).

I have an answer for your question as to why you and those Argentinians you cite seem to "tend to think of Americans as yankis". I grew up in Cuba and folks would refer to them as that too. It's the same way some Americans refer to hispanics as spics, or Mexicans as wetbacks, or Italians as ginnys. I could go on. It's ignorance and stupidity that leads people to use nasty names for folks they don't understand.

But that yankee puzzle was only a way for you, consciously or subconsciously, to go on with one of your anti-US rants. I can't wait for your promised post where you will explain to us why the US's standing in the world has reached such a low point.

Let me give you a couple of things to consider as your work your way through that problem. If most of the world thinks the US as the "worst of the worst" or the "most uncultured things on earth", then most of the world is WRONG. If anyone ever tells you things like that about the US, EH, OR ABOUT ANY OTHER PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET, my advice to you is to say the following: PEOPLE WHO MAKE STUPID GENERALIZATIONS LIKE THAT ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE EXPOSE THEIR OWN IGNORANCE AND STUPIDITY. IF A FRENCH INTELLECTUAL WITH THIRTY SEVEN DEGREES FROM THE SORBONNE WERE TO SAY THAT ABOUT THE !KUNG I WOULD RANK HIM OR HER AUTOMATICALLY BELOW ANY !KUNG 5 YEAR OLD'S MENTAL CAPACITY. The caps, EH, are there so that you can remember to scream in their ignorant ears.

Next thought: over and over again, I hear ignorant non-americans (I hear many ignorant americans say equally ignorant things, by the way, but those poor bastards get bashed enough), say that Americans are these arrogant, full of themselves folks who should be brought down a peg or two.

Of course, that is another STUPID IGNORANT GENERALIZATION, but let's assume that there is a sizable group of americans who do carry on this way (in french restaurants and places like that). One of the things that educated people have is the ability to put themselves in other people's places before passing judgment. It's a useful exercise. You'd be surprised, EH, how helpful that is.

Now, put yourself in the place of one of those American folks traveling the world. The more educated they are the less obnoxious their behaivor is, let's assume, but that may just be my bias, so let's assume that whether a plumber more interested in pipes than Proust or a philosophy professor, they are equally arrogant each in their own way. What unites them is that these folks have had the great fortune of living in the nation that has dominated the world's economy and popular culture throughout their lifetimes.

Wherever they go they see evidence of their country's worldwide domination. People speak their language; they gaze in awe as the movie stars they've grown up with, at the musicians they listen to, the televison they watch. The history books they scanned or pored over while in school told them that their country (in addition to doing the bad things that lots of countries do) also played a huge role in saving a whole continent from a Nazi madman, as well as ending Communist domination over millions of people. That country, their country, also has given refuge to millions of people from all over the world over hundreds of years (including their grandparents, probably).

Anyway, armed with all of this baggage, how easy do you think it would be for these happy folk to saunter all over the world feeling mighty smug about themselvesS, and irritating foreigners right and left. I AM NOT EXCUSING OUR ARROGANT AMERICANO, EH, just pointing out that once you step into their shoes you hit upon a possible explanation for their arrogance.

I would urge you to continue the excercise by leaving our Americans, and the 20th century altogether and stepping into the shoes of a successful coal merchant in London, circa the 1850s, or a rich French bourgeois in the 1760s, or a Duch merchant in the 1600s, as they travel the Continent. I dare say, and the record shows this to be true, that they strode the earth with equal smugness, safe in the knowledge that their nation, at that time, represented the best the world, as they knew it, had to offer. Mind do, those poor bastards, had the misfortune of travelling the world in splendor, but during times when middle class wealth was still looked down upon. So they had to ratchet down their arrogance a bit. Our happy americanos are products of times when money is all that matters, and popular culture trumps opera and all that crap, so they are even more fortunate than their predecessors. They, the plumber and philosopher, can be equally smug.

Can you now possible understand why they behave the way they do, EH? I'm not saying you give teem a free pass, but doesn't the historical perspective color the way you would judge them, how harshly you would attack, how incredulous you become at their presumptousness? And of course it would give you an answer for why their Argenine counterparts cannot possibly think as highly of the Americans, as the Americans do of themselves. They haven't lived in the shoes of foks whose country and culture ruled the world in their lifetime. I reiterate, I am not excusing the American coarseness or narrow mindedness (a generalization I am not accepting, but one which you've used and which I am adopting for purposes of addressing your question). I am just saying that it is unrealistic and unfairly harsh to expect Americans to adhere to a standard of conduct that their predecessors over the centuries were never held to, or that you would not expect an Argentinian to abide by. I dare say, knowing as much as I know about portenos, that if one of them switched places with our Americans for just 5 minutes, his arrogance would dwarf the American's, but that's just a guess.

The 20th century, EH, was the American century, just like other centuries were dominated by other nations. When that happens it is natural for the people of that nation (not all the people) to get full of themselves, and for people of other nations to recoil in disugust or envy. That is to be expected. The thing to remember about the American century, is that in spite of all the bad things the americans have done, and there have been many, they have also done many good things, the same way that the Spanish, Dutch, French, and Brits did when it was their turn to rule the world.

Why does there seem to be more recoiling and eny now than before? More travelling, especially by folks with money and no education; people outside of America feeling better about themselves, more confident in their own cultures; greater levels of education etc. Oh, and GW, right?

Next point, don't confuse the Bush years, or the Clinton years, or any presidency, with America. America will be here long after GW is gone. The essential character of this nation, a great character, in my view, is unaffected by political realities.

On your final point about confusing BA with Argentina, you are absolutely right. To think of BA and Argentina as one and the same is a gross generalization. It would be good if you kept that paragraph in mind before your next set of generalizations about Bushy Americans.

[Extreme Honey]

You talk so much about how you hate generalizing, but yet you have classfied me as an anti-US. Goes to prove that all you westerns keep ranting on about how much you hate racism and stereotyping yet you refuse to believe that both are natural resources given to man to defend himself. Anyway I really don't want to explain anything to you. I am not anti-american, tell it to someone who is and hope he/she will actually believe you (but with the way things are forget it!). And I don't know how explaining my views on the holocause suddenly turned into another anti-something...but there you go. In fact I am quite awed by my current ability to turn everything into anti-things. Next time I write something please try to read what I say and not the best thing to attack me with (like MG who loves to misquote me and say something dumb that tries to undermine a well-thought out essay).
And I am not going to scream at any french intellectual or at a german engineer or whatever when they know exactly wheat I'm tlaking about. The world doesn't have americans beacuse they're powerful. Haters are haters and they will hate anything. The people who dislike americans understand them, and dislike them because of their culture (and again, I am not speaking for myself so please restrain the anti-EH's pre-Holocaust's anti-US speech). Personally, (because that's the only thing people here read instead of the actual good stuff) I enjoy a few things from the american culture.
I am not going to put myself in an American's shoes, I am comfortable with who I am and where I'm standing. If Argentines switched places with Americans...During the first 4 minutes they would completely waste all of the US's supply of tobbacco and during the next minute they would all commit suicide, and that would be the new talk for 61 years to come.
I don't confuse the Bush years and the Clinton years. As far as I'm concerned the US's president doesn't make any calls. Bush could gladly come into my house and I'd bake him a cake, give him a push and wink and tell him his golf game is in half an hour. I'd even drive him there.
I wasn't ever going to make a whole essay on why the world hates america in a chat board that wouldn't take a thing I say for granted. I know perfectly well how americans are and how the rest of the world is. I have seen cultures up close. I don't hate any people, from any time or any place. I think all humans are humans no matter how many bronze swastikas you stick up their asses.
But let's suppose you would actually be right for a minute, does it really matter? Even if americans act like they own the world because, as you say, they actually own it (in which they actually don't...many of the so called "owners" of the world couldn't point in a map the location of the country they are completely devouring in an inhumane way), why would it matter? The world will still hate americans and even If I's have learned my lesson (supposing I was anti-american in the first place), you'd have to tell your pretty story to many, many, many more people. But all this fake reality is useless, so it's a waste of time to explain it in the first plaec (both my last paragraph and your entire post after you were done correcting yourself).
However, I do like the fact you took the time to at least read my post and not attack me for senceless things as some people like to do. Dosn;t really matter if you were wrong (or right).
THe first step to recovery is accepting our faults. Accept that we are being destroyed by our crimes against humanity (and I'm speaking of the now, not of the before, I couldn't care less about then) and what our governments have done to us. Westerners have to fight against propaganda (be it Holocause propaganda or McDonalds propaganda). Americans love to fight back against what the world has noted by refusing to believe they are intellectual people and labeling whatever they have to say (such as "Oh they are racists" "Anti-Americans "Anti-Jews" "uncivilized"...w.e it may be).
But w.e americans and westerns and martians are never going to accept their faults and they are never going to see what they are doing and what is being done and how much shit is being poured into their rotting minds everyday because humans are arrogant little creatures, after all we went from "Monkey to Man" as Elvis says.


If you find a little anti-something or a little generalization please don't warn me,
EH, Thomas.

[Mr. Average]

Moving to current events, there is no reason to castigate Ahmadinjad, right? I mean, Kofi Annan thinks he is aw-ite. Unchecked, he has the potential to spread evil to all corners of the globe.
History repeats.............

[BlueChair]

This past weekend I visited the Holocaust memorial museum in Washington D.C. I felt like I had to go, not just because two of my grandparents are survivors but because of the lasting relevance. Despite Nobel Prize lauriete Elie Wiesel's pleas to "Never ever forget," too many people write off the holocaust as distant history.

This is not an issue just for Jewish people. Hitler put homosexuals, so-called gypsies, the physically and mentally disabled, political dissidents, people with African or Asian ancestry, and tons more into concentration or death camps... if they even made it that far. He had a remarkably easy time taking over so much of Europe, if he hadn't have been stopped I'm sure he would have went even further.

In any case, there were two quotes in particular that I wanted to share because I felt they were very important, especially in this age of holocaust deniers and people who feel like it's something worth brushing off:

"The things I saw beggar description... the visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty and bestiality were so overpowering. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give first hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations to propaganda." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, April 15, 1945

"Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky.

Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever.
Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never." - Elie Wiesel

We are not talking about ancient history here. These people are our parents, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles. That's not to say that what isn't going on in Darfur or other regions is any better, because it's not. In fact, I left the Holocaust museum angry. Angry that safe haven countries like the U.S. and Canada turned away people running for their lives. Angry that the world watched for so long before doing anything about people starving to death in work camps. Angry that despite our cries to never forget, that this sort of madness and genocide still happens in so many parts of the world.