Day 5a - Lest We Forget

For events of Tuesday, September 1, 2009

6:00 AM - Just woke up after a really great sleep last night. I feel so much better, and ready to go for the day. Plan to do the same thing tonight and I'll be ready for vacation tomorrow. Not much to do around this immediate area at night anyway - most businesses close around 8:00 PM at the latest, including stores.

6:30 AM - BBC News this morning is broadcasting a major ceremony with all the leaders of Europe in Gdansk, Poland to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of that terrible 1939 morning, at 5:15 AM Polish time, when German soldiers flooded across borders from the south, east and north by land, sea and air - the first shots of World War II had begun. Within two days, Britain and France were forced to declare war on Hitler as they had threatened to do days earlier, should Germany carry out the rumors of invasion.

I read a story in yesterday's Guardian newspaper (from the UK) at breakfast that apparently Russia is now trying to rewrite history, blaming Poland for its own invasion by the Nazis, and declaring that Russia in fact saved the world from the Nazis. Britain and Churchill might have something to say about that.

Russia seems to have forgotten (and is doomed to repeat history?) that Hitler and Stalin actually made a non-aggression pact and agreed to carve up most of Europe between them. They forget that as soon as they had 'liberated Poland' from the Nazis, they enslaved Poland themselves for over 40 years. Just a small gap in memory of events that cost the lives of 50 million people in Europe, Asia and Africa in a six-year war that changed the world forever. Leaders of Europe are meeting this morning in Gdansk, Poland to commemorate the events of that terrible September day. By war's end, over 6 million Poles had been killed in the war.

Yesterday morning I was at the Arc de Triumph, and was reminded of photos from 1940 (see picture left, click for larger) when thousands of German soldiers marched by that very Arch, under the watchful eye of Hitler himself, after they had successfully invaded France and conquered Paris. It was almost creepy standing there yesterday and within half hour, being reminded of the related WWII anniversary. The French want to forget the war sometimes, as it was a dark period in their history, having collaborated with the Germans to avoid being smashed by the Nazi blitzkrieg that hit the rest of Europe. Some say it saved France from assured destruction - others believe that they, like Britain, should have stood their ground to the last man.

7:00 AM - As if even nature reacted to the news, it was a very grey day to start out and rain clouds look like they are coming fast - it's supposed to rain all day today. (see picture right, click for larger). Here is a completely unedited picture of what it looked like this morning - the sun is up, you just can't really see it!

In unrelated news, there is big talk this morning in Europe about a new law that has just been passed making it illegal to import or sell old-fashioned 100 watt electric light bulbs into the European Union by 2012. People are rushing out to stores this morning across Europe to stockpile them, as it won't be illegal to use them, just buy or sell them in Europe. These people are crazy - those stupid new light bulbs have so much mercury in them it's ridiculous. The pendulum really swings back and forth a lot in Europe. I'm sure someone will figure out a way to keep selling them.

Lest we forget.