Memorial Day Sale

To the Editor:

As reported in Monday's Post-Standard, Pope Benedict XVI, looking upon the Auschwitz death camp, asked "Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?" The answer is that He didn't tolerate it: He sent Americans to end it. And Americans did end it, paying the price for Europe's lack of resolve and military impotence. It is ironic that this is reported on Memorial Day. Just thank God for America and the American soldier. Where would freedom be without them?

David

This letter, if nothing else, proves that it is possible to be ignorant to the point of it being offensive.

Don't get me wrong. It's not the sentiment of the letter I object to. I too am grateful for the dedication of our soldiers. There is no doubt that our armed forces are necessary, and that every soldier does a dirty, thankless, necessary job. It's not really ironic that the story appeared on Memorial Day (unless one is writing a song for Alanis Morrisette). It is appropriate, however, to remember the dangers of nationalism and imperialism, and how American soldiers fought and died against the arrogance of power in Europe, struggling alongside their brothers in arms from Allied nations.

The problem with David's letter is that it shows an ignorance of history, and more disturbing, it displays the nationalism and exceptionalism that the Greatest Generation fought against. God did not 'send' Americans anywhere, unless He personally planned the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The concept of America as the Great Global Cowboy does not date back to World War II... America was just as hesitant to become involved as the European Allies. Only when American soil was attacked did America become involved. And while American soldiers were certainly a key element in the Allied victory, it takes a particularly nasty brand of historical revision to make the claim that America saved Europe in spite of the impotence of our Allies.

What does David mean by a 'lack of resolve'? What actions should Europe have responded to earlier? Germany's unilateral military campaigns? German troops occupying other nations in the name of national security? Germany's drumming up of nationalism through the use of internal scapegoating and legislated discrimination? The rumors of secret detention facilities where torture and death were regular occurences? Americans need to be cautious about chastising Europe for not responding sooner to German aggression, as America becomes more and more ominously similar to pre-World War II Germany. People get antsy about comparing any political entity to Nazis, and to some extent, that caution is reasonable. It is not reasonable, however, to ignore the lessons of history. Regardless of what you call the ruling party, what pre-war Germany taught us is that through the manipulation of nationalism and propaganda, a nation can be made to accept the unacceptable. We may not want to call anyone Nazis, but we had better be willing to compare our national sentiment to that of the nation the Nazis were able to sway.

David probably thinks that his letter is simply a tribute to the American soldier. I'm willing to believe that he doesn't even recognize the ignorance or nationalist zealotry in his own words. That, however, is the very essence of the problem. Active nationalist groups have always existed in America, spreading hatred and intolerance. Far more dangerous is the subconscious seeping of those sentiments, unnoticed and unspoken. Americans, it is often said, dislike self-reflection. The same was often said of Germans in the early twentieth century.