[h=1]Our past must not become the future for our children: A deeply moving plea from one survivor as victims return to Auschwitz 70 years after they were liberated[/h]
+60
Auschwitz survivors and their families visit the Birkenau Memorial as more than 300 attended the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation
+60
Attending dignitaries and survivors of the Holocaust walk past the train tracks once used to ferry people into the death camp
+60
Those attending the anniversary carry candles which were later placed at a memorial to remember the millions killed in the Holocaust
+60
The ceremony last night was expected to be the last major anniversary of the death camp's liberation for many of the survivors
- Around 300 people who survived Auschwitz paid their respects at the former Nazi death camp yesterday
- It came on the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation by the Soviet Army near the end of the Second World War
- Hollywood director Steven Spielberg also joined world leaders at the camp to condemn rise in anti-Semitism
- Survivors and their families gathered to lay wreaths at the camp's 'wall of death' and lit candles
- Heads of state and European royalty attended the service at the camp in Poland for poignant commemorations
+60
Auschwitz survivors and their families visit the Birkenau Memorial as more than 300 attended the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation
+60
Attending dignitaries and survivors of the Holocaust walk past the train tracks once used to ferry people into the death camp
+60
Those attending the anniversary carry candles which were later placed at a memorial to remember the millions killed in the Holocaust
+60
The ceremony last night was expected to be the last major anniversary of the death camp's liberation for many of the survivors
+60
Those attending the commemoration ceremony carry candles past the camp's haunting fences and guard towers that still remain intact
+60
A train carriage once used to carry people into Auschwitz sits dormant as those attending the ceremony wander through the snow
+60
The delegation of international dignitaries and survivors make their way to lay candles at the Birkenau Memorial
+60
A floodlight illuminates the snow-covered area where more than one million people, mostly Jews, were killed during the Second World War
+60
Candles are laid in a row at the Birkenau Memorial by 300 survivors, their families, and visiting heads of state
+60
The camp's huge fences offer a poignant reminder of the harrowing conditions under which those imprisoned in the camp were kept
+60
The Netherlands' King Wilem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Mark Rutte stand before a memorial plaque
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (left) and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway pay their respects to those murdered at the concentration camp
+60
Roses left by mourners lie next to one of the many plaques detailing transports of Jews who were taken to the concentration camps
+60
A man places a candle on the monument to pay tribute to those who were murdered at the camp prior to its 1945 liberation
+60
+60
Guests carrying lit candles walk from the 'Death Gate' to the Auschwitz monument as part of the 70th anniversary commemorations
+60
A guard tower remains standing on the grounds of Auschwitz, which remains the most notorious concentration camp to be run by the Nazis
+60
Events at the camp yesterday included a service inside a tent erected at the front of Auschwitz, as well as the laying of wreaths and candles
+60
American film director Steven Spielberg arrived at Auschwitz to unveil a memorial plaque. In 1993, the directed the film Schindler's List, about a German who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust
+60
Mr Spielberg reflects as he looks on the the memorial plaque in Auschwitz. He met Holocaust survivors in Krakow ahead of yesterday's main event
+60
Mr Spielberg, third from right, listens as Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, left, speaks at the unveiling of a memorial plaque inside Auschwitz
+60
Mr Spielberg walks alongside Auschwitz Museum director Piotr Cywinski on the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation by the Soviet Army
+60
Mr Spielberg films with his smartphone inside a tent at Auschwitz, which has been erected for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the death camp
+60
King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands arrives for the ceremony on the site of the former death camp in what was Nazi-occupied Poland
+60
Britain is represented at the commemorations by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, pictured. The US-led delegation is being headed by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew
+60
+60
Prince Charles and David Cameron attended a Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony at Central Hall in Westminster. The Prince is seen speaking with Ann Kirk, while the Prime Minister talks to other survivors
+60
One of the oldest-known survivors of the Holocaust Yehuda Widawski goes to take his seat inside the tent built at the entrance to Auschwitz after travelling from Tel Aviv
+60
+60
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, right, and Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg pay their respects to the dead at Auschwitz
+60
Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg stand with their heads bowed after unveiling a memorial plaque at Auschwitz
+60
Inside the giant marquee, survivors and heads of state sit by the glass covered railway tracks, which were used to bring Holocaust victims to Auschwitz
+60
Rabbis lead the attendees in prayer at the beginning of a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
+60
Survivors pay tribute to those who died in Auschwitz by laying flowers and candles at the 'wall of death' where prisoners were taken to be shot
+60
Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski lays a wreath on behalf of his country during commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
+60
An elderly survivor prepares to lay a lamp next to the wall of death. More than one million people, mainly Jews were killed at Auschwitz
+60
A Holocaust survivor lays her hand on the wall of death at Auschwitz. Survivors and dignitaries are gathering at the former Nazi death camp to mark 70 years since its liberation
+60
A survivor pays his respects by placing his hand on the 'Wall of death'. Around 300 survivors took part in the commemorations
+60
A woman adjusts the ribbon on a wreath, which had been laid at the 'Wall of Death' in the former Nazi Germany concentration camp
+60
A stone with a message to the fallen is seen in a crack in the 'wall of death' after being placed there by people paying their respects to the dead
+60
Two elderly Auschwitz survivors enter the camp under the infamous 'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign yesterday for commemorations
+60
Two survivors try to contain their emotions as they return to Auschwitz. For many of those visiting, it is the first time they have returned to the camp since its liberation
+60
Two elderly Holocaust survivors embrace each other as they arrive at Auschwitz for the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation
+60
Yesterday marked exactly 70 years since the concentration camp was liberated by the Soviet army on January 27, 1945, in the last months of the Second World War
+60
A female survivor is overcome with emotion and wipes a tear from her eye while standing outside one of the camp's detention blocks
+60
Members of an Auschwitz survivors' association show off their medals, which were given to former Polish concentration camp survivors
+60
Ukrainian survivor Igor Malitsky reflects as he looks at one of the detention blocks at Auschwitz. Some 300 survivors have travelled to the death camp in Poland for the anniversary of its liberation
+60
A group of Auschwitz survivors carry roses, which they will lay as tributes during commemorations to those who lost their lives at the camp
+60
Events at Auschwitz included a church service, a laying of wreaths and the lighting of candles. Pictured is a camp survivor returning the site
+60
People gather around to visit the wall of death, the wall where many Jews were executed after being sent to Auschwitz in the 1940s
+60
A Holocaust survivor stands in reflection outside a detention block at the death camp. It was liberated 70 years ago by the Soviet army
+60
Survivors carry a banner as they visit the execution wall at the notorious concentration camp, which was liberated 70 years ago
+60
Dignitaries enter the camp under the infamous 'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign ready to lay floral tributes to those who lost their lives
+60
Three female survivors walk among the snow at Auschwitz, where they have gathered to mark the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation
+60
Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski walks alongside survivors on a visit to Auschwitz earlier yesterday, where he laid a floral tribute to those who died
+60
French president Francois Hollande lays a wreath at the Shoah memorial in Paris as part of Holocaust Memorial Day. Later he was at Auschwitz to pay his respects
+60
After laying the wreath, President Hollande signed the guest book at the Holocaust memorial in Paris to mark international Holocaust Memorial Day
+60
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre at a ceremony in Moscow. He didn't attend events at Auschwitz amid a low point in relations between Russia and the West
+60
Putin sat with the Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar, left, and the Russian president of Jewish Communities Alexander Boroda, right, during the ceremony in Moscow
Soon no more Holocaust survivors will be alive to remind us of the uncomfortable truths of human nature.
Of course humanity will forget.
One of the mottos of modern liberalism is, "those sorts of things happened in the past, we've moved beyond that"
They won't forget. Progressives will just do their best to rewrite history so future generations won't know the truth. It's already happening in certain parts of Europe...the new thing there is all the anti-communist uprisings in the last few decades were fueled not by a desire for freedom, but rather some deep desire to bring about a more perfect form of communism. Or something.
I utterly despise pseudo-intellectual progressives who somehow believe that history has no bearing on the present....we are just too smart and sophisticated today to behave like the barbarians of the past. They really believe they're carrying the torch to lead all of mankind's evolution into some new kind of peace-loving and caring society. It's as if they can't accept the harsh truth, so they invent some alternate reality and choose to live in their imaginary world that "should be."
Moving pictures Superbeets. Thanks as always for making this forum better.
It is sad that the murderer Putin used this occasion to speak at the Jewish Museum to threaten Ukraine. Putin will tell you a cat is a dog and it's sunny out during a blizzard, and you better believe him.
On Auschwitz Anniversary, Leader Warns Jews Again Targets - Vanessa Gera
A Jewish leader stood before 300 survivors of the Nazis' most notorious death camp on Tuesday and asked world leaders to prevent another Auschwitz, warning of a rise of anti-Semitism that has made many Jews fearful of walking the streets, and is causing many to flee Europe. Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, made his bleak assessment on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz where more than a million people were murdered.
"For a time, we thought that the hatred of Jews had finally been eradicated. But slowly the demonization of Jews started to come back....Once again, Jewish businesses are targeted. And once again, Jewish families are fleeing Europe."
"For decades, the world has been fed lies about Israel: that Israel is the cause of everyone's problems, that Israelis are the villains of the 21st century, that Israel has no right to exist. We all learned that when you tell a lie three times and there is no response, then the lie becomes the truth. This vilification of Israel, the only Jewish state on earth, quickly became an opportunity to attack Jews."
"Schools must teach tolerance of all people. Houses of worship should be places of love, understanding, and healing. They should not be telling their people to kill in the name of God. All countries and the EU must make hate a crime. Any country that openly brags about the annihilation of another country should be excluded from the family of nations." (AP-ABC News)
It is sad that the murderer Putin used this occasion to speak at the Jewish Museum to threaten Ukraine. Putin will tell you a cat is a dog and it's sunny out during a blizzard, and you better believe him.
On Auschwitz Anniversary, Leader Warns Jews Again Targets - Vanessa Gera
A Jewish leader stood before 300 survivors of the Nazis' most notorious death camp on Tuesday and asked world leaders to prevent another Auschwitz, warning of a rise of anti-Semitism that has made many Jews fearful of walking the streets, and is causing many to flee Europe. Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, made his bleak assessment on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz where more than a million people were murdered.
"For a time, we thought that the hatred of Jews had finally been eradicated. But slowly the demonization of Jews started to come back....Once again, Jewish businesses are targeted. And once again, Jewish families are fleeing Europe."
"For decades, the world has been fed lies about Israel: that Israel is the cause of everyone's problems, that Israelis are the villains of the 21st century, that Israel has no right to exist. We all learned that when you tell a lie three times and there is no response, then the lie becomes the truth. This vilification of Israel, the only Jewish state on earth, quickly became an opportunity to attack Jews."
"Schools must teach tolerance of all people. Houses of worship should be places of love, understanding, and healing. They should not be telling their people to kill in the name of God. All countries and the EU must make hate a crime. Any country that openly brags about the annihilation of another country should be excluded from the family of nations." (AP-ABC News)
Umm, 'despise' is too soft a word, JDeuce.
Progressivism is all about creating alternative universes, usually hatched in the halls of academia where all untested, unproven half-baked theories fester and thrive, eventually creating political movements which then attack anyone who refuse to "buy in": fascism, no matter how you measure it. Karl Marx, one of the fathers of modern progressive' thought and a total loser, wrote his Utopian manifesto in the classroom (fantasy) sponging off his mother economically (reality).
Welcome to the alternative universe of progressive thinkers.
Three big pillars of modern progressive thinking stand out as big catalysts for a global event like WWII:
1) The alternative universe of the government printing unlimited amounts of money: The Weimar Republic. Prior to the collapse of Weimar, Nazi crazies and their propaganda of hate were marginalized, politically and otherwise. Indeed, Hitler was a social outcast rotting in a Bavarian jail when he wrote Mein Kampf. But something happened after the economy collapsed (another Keynesian fail) and Germans were left homeless, their life savings evaporated, now desperate for a charismatic leader who could lead them back to Utopia. Those damn Jews (evil bankers) and the League of Nations (Treaty of Versailles, etc.) infringing on German sovereignty were to blame for the people's suffering and Hitler promised to fix all of that and them some. (Funny how statists always need a scapegoat to get enough sheep to "buy in" to their radical ideologies.) Now the German people were ready to listen, and listen they did.
2) The second progressive alternative universe which led to the horrors of the Holocaust was the fallacy of gun control. Actually, let me back that up a little and expand on that. The problem with gun control is the second word: control. Specifically, this very naive progressive "trust me govt" ideology...Ya know, 'science' has all the answers, and govt mandates backed by said 'science' will create Utopia. So once Germans were disarmed, including Juden, and Hitler had consolidated power, the govt was free to round up its own citizens up and shove into box cars without pretty much any opposition. Germans trusted everything the govt told them, including the 'science' of eugenics which was used to carry out unspeakable evil. What? Govt abusing 'science' to advance a radical ideology? No way!
3) The third alternative universe of modern progressive thinking which made a global war all but inevitable was classic progressive appeasement. Meanwhile, outside of Germany, progressives on this side of the Atlantic were in denial. Hitler won't expand his empire and what's the big deal about him violating all those League of Nations treaties, anyway? Warmongering a little much, conservatives? After all, Hitler built the Autobahn and gave Germans a car (Volkswagen) to drive it on...and Mussolini made the trains run on time - all these achievements the epitome of govt efficiency, and what progressive didn't like that? From the rise of the Iron Curtain to the fascism spreading across Europe, for progressives on both sides of the Atlantic, ironfisted govt was the wave of future, and leaders like Hitler and Mussolini were proving it in spades. One man stood in the wilderness: Conservative Sir Winston Churchill, who, unlike the liberal progressive establishment at the time, had actually read Mein Kampf and took Hitler at his word. What a concept! Churchill was more concerned about Nazi aggression and expansion for even he didn't imagine the horrors of the Holocaust. Those unspeakable atrocities were only discovered by Allied Forces after the war was won. Churchill, a man with many imperfections (something every run-of-the-mill annoying "petty smart" sanctimonious progressive really loves to harp on) is now considered Britain's best PM ever and one of the best leaders of the 20th century. Churchill saved the West and progressive thinking from itself because he had the moral backbone to recognize and call out evil. Churchill went from "lone wolf" in parliament to British PM leading a coalition of nations out to destroy the scourge that was Nazism. Never a man who believed in "political correctness", is there any doubt Churchill wouldn't be viciously attacked today by the same delusional voices about his equally uncomfortable truths about Islam (the focus of evil in our modern world)?
You betcha!
So what have progressives learned from history?
The Bible says, "ye shall know them by their fruits".
Progressive thinking on many levels made WW II all but inevitable and the same idiotic forces of political correctness and their alternative universes, are hell-bent on leading modern civilization down a similar path.
When will we ever learn?
:neenee:
US president faces stiff Republican criticism for not attending 70th anniversary of death camp’s liberation
Barack Obama will not be attending the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and will be meeting King Salman of Saudi Arabia instead. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque /Reuters
World leaders will gather in Poland on Tuesday to attend the ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The nine-person US delegation, meanwhile, will be headed by treasury secretary Jack Lew – the fifth person in the presidential line of succession.
Of course he won't go! How many of his fellow Muslims would bother going out of their way to a ceremony celebrating the liberation
of Jews. Answer zero!
