[Leica] May 8, 1945, my Epilogue

[s.jessurun95 at chello.nl (animal)]

You raize many interesting points.When comparing Dutch resistance efforts
against those in other countries it is fair though to point out our
complicated coastline and close proximity to England .
So for the Dutch it was easier to sneak away from shore then say from the
cliffs in France.
Regarding your comments on fundamentalism it is interesting to review the
history of religions of the last 2 millenia.
Especially the crush of multideity religions by the early christians.
Thats were the problems started.
In old Rome one was expected to pay some tribute to a multitude of gods just
in case.
Like wise the greeks had many gods and half gods one could admire as
champions.
Almost by definition those systems were tolerant of other religious groups
The first real succes of monotheism was in the first few centuries of the
first millenium ad.
And achieved by ruthless methods.
Methods which were more or less adopted by the next profet mohammed.
Suprisingly even in Europe there are governing parties who want to have
christian priciples to be included in the law.
Like the separation of church and state did not happen.
Funny it could be but i,m afraid that it is not.
best regards
simon jessurun

>
> Lest we forget :
> Particularly the Netherlands  suffered extremely towards the end of the
> war, there are photos taken secretly by a Dutch photographer showing
> people in Noord Holland dying of starvation on the streets, I have seen
> documents from the British and Canadian troops
> stationed in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein which refer to the
> priority of requisitioning of trucks to transport food and aid to Holland
> referring to the dire situation of the Dutch, and that the situation
> there was  of a priority greater than the "pacification" of German "
> residual
> nests of resistance". In fact the first operations of the RAF and RCAF
> were airlifts to drop food and medicines to the Dutch.
> .
> Although a certain proportion of the Dutch avidly supported Mussert with
> their own  brand of National Socialism, only to bebetrayed when the
Germans
> seized power , the Dutch remained one of the  strongest pockets of
> active resistance to the occupying Nazi troops, supporting and supported
by
> allied agents and infiltrators. Such resistance as there, and in other
> small countries such as Denmark, is often overlooked when the wider
> theatre of war in Europe is considered. Both the Danish and Dutch
> fishing fleets were involved in the ferrying of agents and Jewish
> refugees to neutral countries or to Britain.
> showing a bravery hardly ever  found in the regular armed forces,
> running the gauntlet of both evading German patrols and the difficulties
> of passing
> the British Naval Coastal Patrols.
> I have concentrated on the two northern neighbours of what is now one of
> the important democracies in Europe, but we should alsonot forget
> the Free Polish, the French, Yugoslavian and Greek Resistance, the
> Communist Brigades in Italy and even the meagre resistance within the
> German Reich.
> The members of which also died in large numbers to help make the world
> what it is today.
>
> I only hope that we, our  children and our grandchildren will be able to
> resist the rising tide of right wing politics and the resurgence of
> anti-semitism,
> already raising its ugly head in many parts of the world. And that we
> can resist the incrimination of the whole Islamic world on the basis of
> the acts of
> a few fundamentalist maniacs, whether these be in our own countries or
> abroad, be they  Islamic, Christian or Jewish.
>
> With the present speed of communication and dissemination of information
> we can, if we want, recognize and preempt the advent of any World
> threatening
> movements. If  we react decisively, and on verifiable facts, taking into
> account the religious and social differences in the crisis regions of
> our planet, we have
> a real chance of making the planet a place where we can all live in
> peace and relative prosperity.
>
> We should not only think of those who have died to free us , but also
> those who are living  to make the world a better place,
> Kofi Anaan, Nelson Mandela, Michail Gorbachev, Boris Jelzin, Vladimir
> Putin, Amnesty International, Medecins sans Frontieres, Cap Arcona, Oxfam,
> Pen, on a sad note the recently assassinated Goran Dzindzic and
> countless others too numerous to mention.
> There is yet hope.
>
> Douglas
>
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