Not long ago

"They say there's a heaven for those who will wait,
some say it's better but I say it ain't-
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints,
the sinners are much more fun... only the good die young"

Billy Joel

Not long ago I read a book called "Hitler Victorious", where various authors wrote stories based on a timeline where the Germans of WWII somehow win. It's a sad book in many ways. In most of the stories, we are lead to believe that the world is better off for having the Nazi unification of Europe. After all, as a race the English are treated well (and become English-Nazis) the African people are brought up from poverty and ignorance to great status in the world (and become African-Nazis) and so on (sound familiar???). The authors of the stories by and large fawn over Hitler as being misunderstood and truly a great leader aside from his overzealous followers. Wasn't it Hitler who was Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1936 (true!) for building the expansive autobahn system? In spite of huge wartime debts, didn't he manage to modernize the country and make it a shining example for the rest of the world? (There's a Star Trek episode where this is bought out too) There are still some people today who feel that if Hitler had died in 1939 and @l never started he would have been hailed as one of the greatest men of modem times. They ignore the plight of the sick, elderly, undesirable, and Jews.

I liked one of the last stories in the book though, where the Germans have conquered India and Gandhi tries his "passive resistance" against them. Unlike the English, this doesn't work with the Germans. They simply kill Gandhi and anyone else who won't work and have no qualms about it. Before he is killed, Gandhi is told by his friends that the Germans killed 20 million of their own people, which he cannot believe. "No government could kill so many of its own people without mercy and still stand" (number of U.S. abortions from 1973-1998 was 38 million)

I guess my annoyance today is for those who glorify Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam. Those who claim these are/were men of progress, of peace, of great wisdom. Those who claim that these men and others like them are only evil because we say so, and what right do we have to say so? (They also often say George Bush is evil, and when I ask by what right do they have to say so this often gets them rather angry!) I guess I don't get it. Why do people living in a free society yearn for oppression, murder, fear, and turmoil when they could have peace, justice, and satisfaction? How is it we claim we would rise up against our leaders if they ever tried to kill 7 million Jews, yet we murder our own children in much greater numbers?

As for Mr. Joel, I have heard this kind of thinking before. Satan is not evil at all, simply misunderstood. Satan gives us more choices and freedom, to "do our own thing", while God wants it "His way or else." Why is God painted as restrictive, cold, distant while Satan is fun, friendly, and much more understanding? Because people are selfish. They think tyrants are great because they don't see themselves as being the downtrodden. Rather they think they would be the children of the sun. Throw off the oppressive yoke of Christianity, and express yourself. Attend the church of your choice! Choose your own God! You're free, right?

What they fail to see is that they are made slaves to a master who lies, murders, and hates. Those 7 million Jews don't complain. Nope, they're all dead. Remember that.

Randy