[An.American.Expatriate]

It is of course, ludicrous to brand all germans "nazis", then and now!

Hitler's rise to power was a popular movement - he "spoke" to the common man and they fell for his lies. After he assumed power, he did many things publically which the common man wnated - secretly he built his "evil" reich. During the war, many still supported him for trying to "unite" the german people - it wasn't until the "evil" parts of the reich became readily apparent, that the common man began to "resist". This could happen "anywhere".

After the war - and especially amoung the young - the "collective guilt" syndrom became something which several generations have tried to throw off - rightly. It is morally wrong to continueally condemn an entire people for actions which occurred before the majority of said people were even born.

The author of the article though, has missed a crucial point - the german people, as a whole, are not pacifists; instead they have forgotten the REAL lesson of the 1930's - always question the motives of those in charge! Only when you are convinced that your leaders are following a moral path, should you support them.

Bruce Springsteen, in an anti-war song, made the statement "Blind faith in your leaders can get you killed!". This is still true today - in Germany, the USA, and just about everywhere else.

The Germans, based solely on on the words of thier leaders and in defiance of all objective evidence to the contrary, reject THIS war. In Kosovo, the situation was the same - but in this case they easily accepted the war - even the notoriously "pacifist" Greens party!

[DBtoo]

Always question the movtives of those in charge!

Good point. It could happen anywhere, and it does happen because many people assume their country's leaders are always right. When people stick their heads in the sand, and stop questioning, it makes it too easy for those with evil motives to take over.