i almost had a heart attack when i realized i agreed with richard bridge. but the union issue doesn't gore his ok(britannia).

i also take exception to the statement that grass was forced into the ss. NO ONE WAS FORCED INTO THE SS, WAFFEN OR EINSTAT GROUPEN. all ss units were volunteers. the worst punishment for anyone refusing to serve in the ss was to be transfered into the regular army. there were great perks being in any ss unit. best equipment, best assignments and with the ein stats groupen, you got to run the death camps and avoind risking you life on the russian front.

i studied history with an expert on german social history bewteen 1920 band 1950. he stated categorically that after over a hunbdred thousand interviews he did not find a single reputable story of anyone being forced into the ss. in addition when probed he found every person he interviewed had a personal story of wirtnessing an atrocity against a jew.

there were disenters in germany and they served in the regular army at great risk to their own lives. and they should be credited for taking the risk that ss men refused.

on israel and iran. we don't like iran having weapons of mass destruction because they will likely use them on us. plain and simple. a tactical nuclear war head would destroy an air craft carrier flotila of the us navy. those carriers keep the persian gulf open. another great reason the use alternative energy and get off the addiction to oil.

now although i condemn israeli policies on the settlements and human rights abuses on the west back, i am not much of a fan of the palestinian representatives. they are mostly fascists. abbas is called a moderate but he did his phd on relying on the protocols of the elders of zion--as truth. that's a moderate out there. i don't support fascists. they occasionally have good issues but i just don't support fascists.