- in fact - a comment about recent revelations in german literature instead of a redo of the "i love the pope - the pope smokes dope" t-shirt variety - ie. recent news from gunther grass, with a radical angle to the odd but fast-reacting euro media, then a brief resume of why he is both VERY good with his timing, yet even further - that to "uncondemn" him - with others in the same "boat "- frees all of us
GUNTHER GRASS WAS IN THE WAFFEN SS
(TIN DRUM . . . . you remember) He is a writer, also a commentator, "of the left" in germany - but independent to the extent that he can "tell the left off" - yet with a lot of sense so the "left" listens - as do others.
The news came out this week - it seems it WAS going to come out anyway - but he has also put his version of it - with comments - in his autobiography - even after having kept it secret 50 years - with the pretence that when he was called up it was to a different, innocuous branch, putting out fires after bombing raids or watching for planes.
It was, in fact, to the sort of 1945 (last year of WW2 ) late-comer fast-invented unit that was almost unequipped with adequate weapons ( museum rifles, "tankbusters" that didnt work unless you were pretty much under the tank already, grenades that blew up in your hand )- but very overequipped with very, VERY lengthy names, the most ornate insignia anybody had ever seen - with a few "enforcers" to try to stop you running away sensibly - but even they were -in the main - a myth.
The fact that he has "outed" himself at this time is a VERY good example.
Yes - he's already found ways to do things that help others think in different ways about him, when they balance things up - but it DOES make it easier for others that might otherwise have found themselves blackmailed into frozen acquiescence to watching as events recurred that they might speak out about - to get listened to.
we need to SUPPORT people as they "come out" about "this sort of thing" - much "worse" in fact - so the odd retort of some in the press is even stranger!
also google "TO STOP NEW WARS -remember the "bigger peace"
(TIN DRUM . . . . you remember) He is a writer, also a commentator, "of the left" in germany - but independent to the extent that he can "tell the left off" - yet with a lot of sense so the "left" listens - as do others.
The news came out this week - it seems it WAS going to come out anyway - but he has also put his version of it - with comments - in his autobiography - even after having kept it secret 50 years - with the pretence that when he was called up it was to a different, innocuous branch, putting out fires after bombing raids or watching for planes.
It was, in fact, to the sort of 1945 (last year of WW2 ) late-comer fast-invented unit that was almost unequipped with adequate weapons ( museum rifles, "tankbusters" that didnt work unless you were pretty much under the tank already, grenades that blew up in your hand )- but very overequipped with very, VERY lengthy names, the most ornate insignia anybody had ever seen - with a few "enforcers" to try to stop you running away sensibly - but even they were -in the main - a myth.
The fact that he has "outed" himself at this time is a VERY good example.
Yes - he's already found ways to do things that help others think in different ways about him, when they balance things up - but it DOES make it easier for others that might otherwise have found themselves blackmailed into frozen acquiescence to watching as events recurred that they might speak out about - to get listened to.
we need to SUPPORT people as they "come out" about "this sort of thing" - much "worse" in fact - so the odd retort of some in the press is even stranger!
also google "TO STOP NEW WARS -remember the "bigger peace"
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