Bless you Kat... my thoughts exactly (except for the bit about the stuff being taken by the editor)...

I've been following this thread, and trying to formulate and answer without any of the various dogma on free speech and the like that I sometimes catch myself falling into. After reading up on what has been said, I'd like to limit my response to the Horst Wessel bit of the thread...

Specifically, my question is: After divorcing the Horst song from the horrific actions taken by the Nazis, would that song be still as abhorred if all German military references were replaced by American references? Or English? Or any other army?

I guess my point is that this song is horrific, but in my view, not for the reasons that several people seem to believe in. To me, this song is just another terrifying example of propaganda aimed at getting the people of a nation 'in line' with the powers-that-be in yet another futile military action. While I do recognize that this particular song has become symbolic of one of the most disgusting acts of humanity to humanity, once away from that point, what makes this song any worse than any of the propaganda peices put out by just about every country that's ever fought?

War's evil. Plain and simple. There never was, or will be a 'good' war, unless it be waged entirely on a philosophical level, with ideas and words instead of guns. Even the most 'justifiable' military action still begins with evil being met with more evil.

Sorry... it's just my ex-military side stepping up. Having been in the clean up crew for 'Desert Storm' (one of the 'cleaner' conflicts of memory), this is a subject that stirs me up to no end.

Stepping off my soapbox, with apologies to anyone I've offended (very serious apologies)

M