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Yes. Rommel didn't like Hitler and if I remember correctly, was murdered by Hitler (or forced to commit suicide) when he joined in the conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. My husband has had the pleasure of meeting some of Germany's finest WWII fighter pilots. Same thing -- they were fighting for the wrong side, but were excellent men. The movie Das Boot also gets this across. I believe that on balance, the Germans have more in the plus column than the minus as far as the betterment of Western Civilization. They certainly have been profound leaders in aviation, engineering, and science, and until only about two generations ago, made up the single largest group of immigrants to our beloved United States -- Texas is what it is because of Germans. Hitler was a fluke who turned the Germans' biggest asset -- discipline and orgnung -- into its biggest weakness.

As compared to Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao, Kim Jong Il, Hillary Clinton -- they were not and are not flukes. The first four were murderers on a scale far exceeding Hitler at his worst, and they were not flukes. They murdered in the name of pursuing an ideal of "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."

Oops. Make that ordnung -- order.

Ja-wohl!

Rommel knew about the conspiracy (although he wasn't an active participant) and didn't rat anybody out. That was enough for Hitler to order him to commit suicide or be publicly arrested and tried. He chose the former, to spare his family.

Plenty of good Germans out there (I studied German for 10 years in jr. high, high school, and college). Even my dad acknowledges that, and he spent four years getting shot at by the Krauts (and shooting back). Without the strong American tradition of a democratic republic, though, they are sometimes prey for demagogues and tyrants. The Weimar Republic, given Germany's history of fragmented authoritarian states, was doomed almost from the start.

We have had our share of demagogues (Huey Long, Wm Jennings Bryan, Aaron Burr) but they just don't get as far under our system. Hopefully that trend will continue . . . .

Ja-wohl!

Rommel knew about the conspiracy (although he wasn't an active participant) and didn't rat anybody out. That was enough for Hitler to order him to commit suicide or be publicly arrested and tried. He chose the former, to spare his family.

Plenty of good Germans out there (I studied German for 10 years in jr. high, high school, and college). Even my dad acknowledges that, and he spent four years getting shot at by the Krauts (and shooting back). Without the strong American tradition of a democratic republic, though, they are sometimes prey for demagogues and tyrants. The Weimar Republic, given Germany's history of fragmented authoritarian states, was doomed almost from the start.

We have had our share of demagogues (Huey Long, Wm Jennings Bryan, Aaron Burr) but they just don't get as far under our system. Hopefully that trend will continue . . . .