As the Second World War and the era of Nazi Germany recede further into the past, and as the last of the survivors and eye witnesses grow old and die, it becomes ever more important that we remind ourselves frequently of the horrors of the Holocaust, so that we may learn from them and ensure that such barbarism will never be repeated. If we disregard this hideous and uncomfortable chapter of world history, or allow time to numb our sense of the injustices done, we run the risk of history repeating itself.
Perhaps someone should tell that to John Tamihere.
Monday 11 April 2005
Lest we forget
Berlin Bear offers good commentary this morning:
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3 comments:
Thanks for that Pete. And I hadn't even linked to you yet! ;-)
Andrei, I appreciate that you didn't direct those comments solely at me, but I still think it's important to note that I didn't accuse JT of being an anti-semite, or a holocaust denier. I was merely making the point that "already knowing" is not enough, and we need to remind ourselves frequently. The 60th anniversary of the Buchenwald liberation (which Pete didn't point out was the *actual* point of my post) seemed like a good opportunity to do just that.
And I'll make the point that we haven't learned from the past, when politicians liken events in NZ that are not at all the same as the holocaust.
This kind of equvilence starts to change history and people's perceptions of it.
I am talking now of Turiana's comments, and blogged it on Sir Humphreys and Zen State.
The Bush=Hilter statements are another example. I despise those who use it - on the grounds that they're rehabilitating a monster!
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