ON HOLOCAUST CONUNDRUMS (PART 86)

My usual statement before one of these posts.

I'm not a Nazi and I'm not a Holocaust Denier.  Just a History Geek.

Watched a program on TV a few nights ago about life in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi Occupation.

Bizarrely it was about what the people living there did to make food as the supplies they were given (presumably by the Nazi's) was highly rationed.

Now, riddle me this.

We are told that the Nazi philosophy was to kill every single Jew on the planet.  Man. woman or child.  We are also told that the purpose of the Warsaw Ghetto was just as a staging post where the inhabitants could later be shipped on to concentration camps to be either worked to death or gassed straight away.

It begs the question, at least  it does for me, as to why the Nazi's gave them any food at all? Why make any attempt whatsoever to keep the inhabitants alive when the only purpose for most of them was for onward transmission to certain death?  Why not just leave them all there to starve to death? Would that not have been the main purpose anyway?  That they are dead?  Using trains and personnel to transport them would have been a colossal waste of time and money when they were going to die anyway?

We are told that the Nazi's considered Jews as non human? Did non humans deserve to be fed?  Especially at a time when Germany was being bombed and it's own people were starving.  I would have thought they would have given whatever spare food supplies they had to their own people rather than to a people they hated and were marked for death anyway?

One of the many things we are told as fact that just doesn't make sense.

ON OLIVIA NEWTON JOHN

Really saddened to hear of death of Olivia Newton John.

In 1977 when Grease was released I was either 13 or 14 and The Clash already had or were just about to change my life forever.

I remember going to see it at the old Avenue Cinema on Royal Avenue in Belfast.  It's long gone now.  I went with my old friend John Gray and recall we had to queue outside for ages.

There's no denying what a phenomenon Grease was then and to some extent still is.

It was everywhere.  You couldn't escape it.

I loved it.  Still do and have watched it more times than I care to recall.

More innocent times then.  The songs are timeless to everyone no matter which genre you're a fan of.

ONJ was stunning.  Anyone at that age and that time that denies they had a massive crush on her lies.

'Hopelessness Devoted' is a beautiful song and she nailed it perfectly. It's still one of my favourites.  Ever.

I watched a stage show of it once in London many years ago and enjoyed it too.  Lots of the audience were dressed like characters from it.  Some bloke from Steps was in it but I had no idea who he was?  The girl who played Sandy was really good and did the role justice.

As you get older is all about deaths sadly.

Another part of my adolescence is gone and it makes me sad.

R.I.P. Newtron Bomb.

AFTER THE WATERSHED

I've been using the Internet basically since there was an Internet so I do know what I'm doing there now. I obey all the sensible rules.  Don't open email attachments from strangers and all the other stuff that just makes common sense.

Facebook is the only Social Media site that I'm a member of and I do enjoy using it most of the time.  Unlike many others I'm not one of those users who stupidly accept every 'friend' request I receive and like everyone else I get a few every day.  If it's not someone I personally know, a family member, a friend of a friend or at the very least someone I've had some sort of contact with I ignore and delete straight away. There are lunatics out there and they are best avoided.

Anyway, a few days I received a message from one of my Polish acquaintances on Facebook Messenger.  Someone I've chatted to in the past and an all round genuine guy.  His account had obviously been hacked in some way.

There was no attachment or dubious link or anything like that.  To my horror what the message contained was a compendium of pictures of child sexual abuse.  I deleted it immediately as soon as it registered with me what it was.  It was appalling.  Probably the vilest thing I've ever had the misfortune to see. 

Now I'm not an angel and don't pretend to be.  I watch 'normal' porn like probably a fair percentage of the adult human race.  Not all the time but once in awhile.  I'm not apologising for that or making an excuse for it.  It's pretty normal I'd imagine.  But this was something else.  I've never come across anything like what was in those pictures ever before and hope to never do again.

The problem now is that I can't 'unsee' it and it's effected me terribly.  I can't get it out of mind at all no matter how hard it try.  I keep thinking about those poor kids forced to commit those terrible acts.  Surely they must have parents?   What makes a parent agree to subject their children to that sort of thing.  It must effect them the rest of their lives.  In nothing but negative ways.  What are the adults that take part thinking about?  Have they no guilt?  They must be aware of what they doing and how totally wrong it is?

I'm trying really hard but no matter what I do those imagines are now in my mind and are there forever.  I'm also worried that they are now hiding somewhere on my PC?  You hear about that sort of thing happening.  

I've been trying to find a Charity or somewhere that deals with this to at least have a chat with someone about the trauma I feel.  Because it's real.

So far no luck with that but I had to write about it just to get something out there.

It's a Godless, horrendous world we live in it really is.

IN THE CORNER OF SOME FOREIGN FIELD

'Someplace to stay

Enough to eat

Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down the street

Where you can speak out loud about your doubts and fears

And what's more

No one ever disappears

You never hear that standard issue kicking in your door'

'You can relax on both sides of the tracks

And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control

And everyone has recourse to the law

And no one kills the children anymore'

I have a few problems with Roger Waters these days.  His vocal anti-Israeli views and trendy far left politics are completely at odds with what I believe but just sometimes his lyrics really just hit the spot.

Like these.

I don't watch the News much now.  It depresses me.  Seems to be wars or disruption everywhere.  It's always bad news.  

The World just seems to thrive on division.  Be it race, religion, nationality, gender, whatever.  It saddens me.  Someone like me isn't allowed an opinion anymore or I'm branded as a Nazi amongst other things.

Here in the UK the murder of baby Star Hobson by her mother and her mother's 'partner' recently was heartbreaking.  

Just how could anyone, let alone two people torture and murder an innocent 16 month old baby is beyond belief.  

What sort of people are they?

Most of the world has some sort of religious beliefs. Christianity, Islam, Judaism or one of the thousands of others.  Most have some sort of deity figure to believe in.

As Christian I fail to understand how a kind, loving God lets something like this happen.  I know how my Minister would answer that question.  He would say God gives us all a choice in how to live our lives and that freedom of choice defines how we are and how we act.  I don't know?

The Bible also says (somewhere) that every individual and that every act they commit has a purpose.

Begs the question - 'Just what in the name of f*ck' was the purpose of this one?'

I'll leave it there.

'SHADDERS. ON ME LUNGS.

Was watching 'Alfie' late last night again for the umpteenth time.  The Michael Caine version obviously.

It's one of my favourite movies and I watch it on a fairly regular basis.

It's actually pretty uncanny just how many of my favourite films that have Michael Caine in them.

It never gets old and some of the subject matter is still pretty relevant even today.

It does irritate me a little that it's often described as a Comedy?

Yes, it is pretty funny at times but at other times it reaches some very dark places especially considering it was made in 1966.

The abortion scenes are as disturbing and unpleasant now as they were then.  How they made it past the censors in 1966 is another matter.

I take something new from it every time I watch it.  Life lessons for all.  

The fact that Alfie becomes a sad, pathetic figure at the films end was a brave choice considering what had come before.

I did watch it on Laserdisc.  The format of choice.

Also good that Carter USM used samples from it throughout their 2nd album '30 Something' and the young Julia Foster was stunning.

PERCHANCE TO DREAM

Probably the only Shakespeare quote you'll ever get from me.

Anyone who has ever had the misfortune to spend the night in the same room as me or be around about me when i'm sleeping will be more than aware of the problems I have with sleep disturbance.

Over the last few years it's gotten much worse.  I usually sleep on average around 14 hours of any 24 hour day.  I tried to make it different but nothing seems to work.  I go to bed now just whenever I feel like it and get up whenever I wake.  Could be anytime day or night.  If I have an appointment somewhere I will get up but otherwise it's just sleep, sleep and more sleep.

My Doctor has put me through every test known to man but it seems that it's not something physical and she puts it down to either medication or a symptom of depression or a mixture of both.

That's only the beginning of it.  It's the nightmares that get to me.  Every single night or day they come.  Not many times now when I don't wake screaming and bathed in sweat.  It's a difficult one to understand. One of those things about how the mind works I suppose.  I hate falling asleep as I know that within minutes of closing my eyes it will begin.

As usual with dreams most of them are totally bizarre and don't make any sense at all. Some are pretty common visitors.  The latest 'thing' from my Doctor is that it might be therapeutic to try and write them down as a way to try and understand them better.  Not the full details but what memories they bring up and what way they make me feel and that sort of thing?  Utter bollocks probably but I'm willing to give it a go?

Back in my mid to late teens I was never all that much a big hit with the opposite sex. The whole 'one night stand' thing never really happened for me.  I never really had much confidence then (or now) and I've always been aware that I'm not the most attractive man to ever walk the Earth.  There were a few but compared to every other normal human being probably not that many.

One of my dreams always involves a girl called Leigh. I won't give her surname just in the off chance that someone actually reads this.  She was a lovely girl and just my type.  Small and dark.  Nothing ever changes with me that way.  Must have been about 40 years ago I suppose.  Me and Leigh actually had a few go's at it.  Three I think.  Met her once years after by accident on a Bus and then again when I used to call deliberately for Petrol where she worked. I liked her and have really no memories now of what happened that it didn't work out?  I always considered her to be one of the ones that got away I suppose?  My Dad really liked her too and said she was a 'keeper'.  Suppose I was young then and had no experience or idea of how to actually be in any sort of relationship either casual or otherwise.  I haven't physically seen her for years now but I do say Hello once an awhile now on Facebook which is nice.  As far as I know she likes girls now.  I'm frequently called a Homophobe but like a lot of things I'm accused of i'm not.  I won't even pretend to understand but if 2 people are happy together then who am I to judge anyone?  

For some unknown reason she is frequently in my dreams.  And. no, it's not one of 'those' dreams. 

The first one is always at her house.  Only it's not actually her house.  It takes place further up from where she lived at the turn off to Burney's Lane beside where Pamela Gordon used to live.  There is apartments there now I think but in my dream it's always a bungalow. I'm waiting outside for her and she doesn't come out.  Why I'm waiting there i've no idea?  This waiting thing can go on for days without any purpose.  It seems i really need to speak to her about something important but it never happens?

Second one is even more bizarre.  I'm in the house and there is some sort of party going on.  I hated that sort of thing then and hate it even more now.  I always have the dog with me.  I miss Clippy terribly and If I remember it right Leigh used to have a lovely Collie called Carly  (I think).  Lynne Millar and Sharon Williams are always there too.  I'm trying to move some furniture or something too and it doesn't end well.  People are drunk and getting on my nerves.

Makes you think about what actually goes on in your mind during nightmares?  

Bizarre?

Answers on a postcard to the usual address as to what this one is all about?

ON THAT COVID PASSPORT THING.

It appears that locally SDLP leader Colm Eastwood is calling for so called Covid Passports to be mandatory for entry into certain venues here in Northern Ireland?

Before I go on please note that I am not an Anti Vaxer or a Covid Denier.  I have a Auto Immune Disorder so am particularity at risk from Covid.  I have had both doses of the vaccine and wouldn't even know where to start on those idiots who think that it doesn't exist.  The evidence is there and is overwhelming.  

But. here's the thing.

If those imbeciles up at Stormont do bring in something making a Passport mandatory to be effective it will have to be made law.  Law is the only thing that is enforceable.  A policy or a mandate or whatever is not.

The only people that can enforce the law are the Police.

I would assume that this Passport would have to have some sort of individual photograph on it.  Otherwise it would be pointless.  Anybody could use someone's passport and there would be no way of proving it was or wasn't you? Unless the individual was asked to give an other form of pictorial ID along with the Passport?  It's all pretty unclear right now.

Herein is a huge problem The only people that can legally ask to see your ID are the Police.  Even then that is only in certain circumstances.  

A member of the door staff at a Restaurant e.g. has no right whatsoever to demand your ID.  They would be breaking the law by even asking for it, not you. 

So are they now going to change the law that a civilian will be able to demand to see another civilian's ID?

And if you refuse  the only course of action for them would be to call the Police?

There are other confusions surrounding this e.g. whether or not it's Private of Public property you would be trying to enter.  No one can be trespassed from Public property or from Private property that is open to the Public. 

You might be thinking but staff in places like Off Licensees can ask for ID.  Well actually they can't.  In a case like that if the staff think you are under age or have presented false ID they should call the Police as you would be suspected of breaking the Law.  They get away with it as most members of the public are unaware of what they should do in a situation like that. 

Whether or not, generally, a Passport is a good idea is neither here nor there.

It's totally unworkable and in it's present state would be a looming disaster.