RE: Off-Topic, New Orleans Images

DEAR LIST,
        I have been following this thread since Dan's first postings. Dan, behold
what ye hath wrought! I have been amazed, saddened, and shocked by some of
the statements that have been posted. I know obscenities in 6 languages so
I found that entertaining but I was outraged by the sexism and raw hatred
displayed. My delete finger has been VERY busy.
        I can remain silent no more.
        I am an American citizen living overseas. I am old enough to have watched
the Nixon/Kennedy debates for my civics class in school. I have NEVER
witnessed so much divisiveness among Americans; I see and feel it more
intensely due to my distant and perhaps slightly more objective perspective.
As I admit that I am a liberal I also find myself repeatedly saying, "Don't
blame me! I voted for the other guys!" on most of my travels around the
Caribbean, South America, and Europe.
        Last night I watched, for the umpteenth time, the original "TRIAL AT
NUREMBERG" with Spencer Tracy. What I saw as the main thrust of that film
was that people react very poorly to fear and any powerful politician knows
this. They are willing to give up rights and do just about anything,
however illegal, in order to have security or catch the "bad guys" and then
are surprised when they can't get those rights back. The question is,
"What is it we are trying to preserve if we give up our rights and indulge
in illegal acts to catch the enemy?" Sadly, they also often surrender their
reason in favor of the obvious quick fix...the scapegoat. At the end of the
film, Burt Lancaster's character, a judge condemned to life imprisonment for
his crimes states, "I never knew it would come to millions and millions".
Spencer Tracy, who plays the chief of the tribunal who sentenced Lancaster's
character says, "It came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death
whom you knew to be innocent". Both good and bad things have very small
beginnings. Pick up every stitch.
I am part German. (I am also part Czech/Slovak, so you can imagine the
political arguments around dinner!) Germany has given us Bach, Beethoven,
Schiller (author of original poem, "Ode to Joy"), brilliant painters,
philosophers...darn it, Einstein was German! So how did such an amazing
people fall prey to Hitler? FEAR! Fear of communism. Fear of economic
depression and inflation brought on partly by the horrible "war reparations"
imposed in Versailles. FEAR! Played upon by an amazingly cunning man and
his political associates.
        I will say no more. The parallels are obvious.
        Someone on the list said that we should give the spirits from Dachau the
choice between the Nazis and Republicans in reply to someone else's e-mail.
I don't think the first e-mail said Republicans...I think he was referring
to the current administration and, in light of current poles, it appears
that many Republicans do not agree with its policies. I want to state that
some of the most wonderful and enlightening debates I have ever had have
been with my Republican friends over MANY topics. They were reasoned
debates with both sides bringing up many facts, FACTS (repeated for
emphasis) to support their politics. Both sides have left the evening's
discussions having learned something and often, at the same time, feeling
more confident about their own position. What I have a hard time accepting
is demagoguery and fear mongering...politics that plays on fear, emotion,
and, sadly, religious differences. The issue is that NO ONE GROUP should
paint ANY OTHER GROUP with a wide brush. Of all curious people to quote,
Chris Rock said, "The reason the world is so *&%ed up is because so many
people come from their Democratic, Republican, Liberal, Conservative, or
whatever positions. Don't you call it insanity when someone makes up their
mind before they hear all the facts?" I rest my case.
                        CHEERS FROM BARBADOS!
                                BOB

 Please check my website: http://www.bobkiss.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Soemarko [mailto:fotodave@dsoemarko.us]
Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 4:44 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Subject: RE: Off-Topic, New Orleans Images
Received on Mon May 1 00:18:54 2006