Blind Spot was a great documentary shot just before the death of Junge. She was honest about her role and gave insight into what it was like living in Hitler's bunker during the last days before Hitler committed suicide. She was unrepentant to the very end.

I own Downfall. It's one of my favorite movies. It doesn't take long to believe Bruno Ganz is Hitler as the actor becomes completely engrossed in the role.  The movie is in German with English subtitles for those who don't like foreign films.

I watched "The First Amendment Project" this weekend. I highly recommend it.

I made the mistake of renting National Treasure I and II. Awful movies. Jon Voight as the father? I was expecting to see Angela Jolie show up as Lara Croft.

I saw a movie based on this woman's last years with Hitler.  She was naive but willing to serve a monster.   How could she have been ignorant of the extermination of the jews? 

She says she was a personal secretary~ did dictation for personal letters,speeches~ and had "not" realized the "extent" of the destruction. The day this documentary was shown for the first time,she died from cancer.She does say in the film if she could meet Hitler again,she would ask him why. As I said it gives a unique view of the peoples mind set at the time,as for her? I can only imagine what blinders she had to wear to live out her days in some semblance of peace. She did have a nervous breakdown,and devoted much of her time after that to reading for the blind

TSM~ I watched National Treasure at the laundry mat~;-) not one of Nicks best,eh?

How could she have been ignorant of the extermination of the jews?

The Nazi party did an excellent job of convincing the German people the Jews were merely being relocated.

And her job was to dictate and type up Hilter's mundane documents. Documents relating to the extermination of the Jews was done by Rademacher's staff, as he was in charge of Jewish affairs (and carrying out the Final Solution).

I watched National Treasure at the laundry mat

At least you had something else to distract you.

It was like watching an Indiana Jones movie made with a fraction of the budget. I thought "King Solomon's Mines" was better, and it was garbage.

Cage has been spotty in the few years. The last one I liked of his was "Next". Well, I liked Jennifer Beale a lot more.  ;)

"Adaptation" was the last Cage movie I liked, and that was 6 years ago.

Agreed on Nick's career~ which is sad because he has potential.

I found her comments about a Nazi concentration camp guard really revealing: When asked if he did not feel pity for those he so mistreated and killed,he said yes but he had to make a sacrifice for Germany,put aside those feelings for the "great good".....she also said if anything came up along those lines Hitler would say " do not worry I take complete responsibility". She has a long pause and adds "as if anyone could take anothers conscience."

There are several more clips at YouTube,just search for Traudl Junge.

but he had to make a sacrifice for Germany, put aside those feelings for the "great good"

The Nazis did a great job with their propaganda convincing the German people they were the master race.

Not unlike the Bush administration convincing Americans Iraq was an imminent threat.

*Smiles* I did see some comparison there,as well as with the Scott McCellean(sp?) dust up,but I like to leave people room to view art/history and draw their own conclusions,not lead them down the garden trail.

The Nazi were great at propaganda and controlled every accepted of daily life, but this does not relinquished the guilt the Germans of that generation.

I wonder how far we as Americans could go down that path, and who would or wouldn't speak up or resist?

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."
-- Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda

One difference is that in the Nazi 1930's everything was controlled.  Media, what there was of it, was easily controlled by the party.  In todays world we have access to world news that is NOT controlled by our country or by the president. 

We're way past being able to be controlled by one persons maniacal vision.  You can rant at Bush all you like and try to compare him to Hitler but that's just downright silly and insulting to the people in this country who make their own decisions.  Just because their thoughts don't gee haw with yours doen't make them sheep.  TSM, I disagree with you politically but I would guess you read, listen, and then make your decisions based on YOUR beliefs.  Too bad you don't extend that same courtesy to others.

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

"Not every item of news should be published.
Rather must those who control news policies endeavor
to make every item of news serve a certain purpose."

Joesph Pual Goebbels

My first concern is why did someone take so long to interview this person who was on the cusp of world history? But comes the question, would she have been as introspective and insightful decades earlier? I've always maintained that history is much more than events, dates and names of dead people. A passion for history is a passion for truth. 

I recall in my fuzzy brain the play Devil's Advocate, set during the American Revolution. An aide asks a British general, "What will history say?" The reply: "History will tell lies."  

The most reliable source for the truth of  our past is naturally the people who were there.  It's up to us to ask them about it before it's too late.

The general public was a lot more naive in those days as they certainly were not well informed.  After all, they didn't have TV, wide variety of radio, or computers with internet access to the world.  Todays Jr. High kids are probably better informed than the adults in the 30's.

The wars and atrocities in those days were not fought on television.

Uhm...I wasnt even remotely trying to compare Bush & Co to the Nazi's. I was wondering how far would we as Americans would go down the road that the Germans went down. I personally dont think we are any different from those Germans or anyone else. aWould it another attach by terrorist to push us over the edge? Would we turn a turn away while our government rounded up people? What about torturing those people to regardless if they are innocent or not? Just how far would we go? Who of us (Americans) would speak up and at what cost?

Nancy you are right the Nazis controlled the communication, travel, daily life for everyone, they used some Churches to help preach their message.

Sf..note that comment was to TSM.

edited..Also note the reaction of the public to the message sent out by Obama former church. 

"It is the absolute right of the state
to supervise the formation of public opinion." 

Joesph Paul Goebbels 

Our propaganda ministry is run by 5 media giants who control content and censorship, If it is not in the interest of profit for the shareholders it doesn`t get aired or it`s manipulated to fit the agenda, Free press is a thing of the past, media is for profit not information, very few unbiased media outlets are available to the mass uninformed public,but they are there and not for entertainment therefor not mainstream The media is not looking out for your interest and can not be trusted to inform...entertain yes.inform.no... you only watch what you agree with and promote that, very few seek answers

"The efficiency of the truly national leader consists primarily
in preventing the division of the attention of a people,
and always in concentrating it on a single enemy."

Adolf Hitler

"The great masses of the people ...
will more easily fall victims
to a big lie than
to a small one."

For my part there are small parallels,but there is no real comparison of Hitler and Bush .My observation was the comparison of Junge to say  Scott McClellan or the like. Thank the God(s) most of us do not have to face these kinds of situations,but it made me,at the least,pause to consider what blinders I wear to live this life.

I would also care to remind folks of China and the "Internets" in that country~ theirs is still one very controlled society.

"All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level,
that even the most stupid of those toward whom it is directed will
understand it... Through clever and constant application of propaganda,
people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way
around, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise."

When I went to Germany to visit my best friend 12 years ago, we were walking around the village of Weisloch when he said "Just over that hill was the insane asylum.  That's where they put people with mental disabilities in the '30s.  One night the Nazis came and snuck all the patients out and they were never seen or heard from again."  Then later, my friend's sister's mother-in-law (Grandma) told me that she had to hide her mentally handicapped daughter from the Nazis during WWII.  Later I wondered--WHAT?  Was it really brain-washing and hubris on the part of the German people, or was it fear?  Or both?

Actually, terrorism has failed in its objective every time except one:  September 11, 2001.

Well, there was the USS Cole.  And the original World Trade Center bombing.  And you could count the Oklahome City bombing, if you are including domestic terrorists.

Cat~ those folks were the very ones who "tested" out the "ultimate solution" gas chambers,and started Mengela (so spelled wrong!)"research". Each person had a file,you either got a red line,or a blue line which meant death~ it is a famous disability rights slogan and T-Shirt~"never again".

 I worked with a woman who lived there at the time~she said for most citizens it started out as love of country and quickly became simple fear,obey or die.Nothing mattered except the goal.

Which of those three caused a fundamental shift in government policy towards one more liked by the terrorists, Cat?  Objectives, not tactics.

.

But you did remind me of something--one prior successful terrorist act in December, 1983.  That's probably where bin Laden got the idea he could manipulate US policy.

I recently saw a book (didn't check it out, just skimmed a few minutes) which was trying to make the point that Hitler's "Final Solution" could not have been implemented without serious technological help--which they obtained from IBM.  Don't forget he had many sympathizers among the Republicans in the US government.

Well, you have a point there, Random.  I just think the usual objective of terrorism is to "blow stuff up real good."

Financial ties to a BushCo family bank also.....

God, I wish someone would lose the Barlett's Quotations.

ROFLOL~ me too!!! 

Again, that's tactics, not objectives, Cat.   Only Reagan and Shrub capitulated to the terrorists.

.

We blew stuff up real good in Iraq and even achieved the short-term objective (gas over $4 a gallon).  But we're coming in second in the long run.

Bush Property Seized--Trading with the Enemy

In October 1942, ten months after entering World War II, America was preparing its first assault against Nazi military forces. Prescott Bush was managing partner of Brown Brothers Harriman. His 18-year-old son George, the future U.S. President, had just begun training to become a naval pilot. On Oct. 20, 1942, the U.S. government ordered the seizure of Nazi German banking operations in New York City which were being conducted by Prescott Bush.

Under the Trading with the Enemy Act, the government took over the Union Banking Corporation, in which Bush was a director. The U.S. Alien Property Custodian seized Union Banking Corp.'s stock shares, all of which were owned by Prescott Bush, E. Roland "Bunny" Harriman, three Nazi executives, and two other associates of Bush.[1]

http://killtown.911review.o...

Just as Maggie said, our media is controlled by a handful of corporations (all leaning right, like GE and Viacom) whose main objective is profit driven. If doesn't bleed, it doesn't lead. If they had their way there wouldn't be any news, just entertainment.

The media stories on the run-up to the war is a perfect example of that. Studies show that pro-war stories were run constantly and very few critical voices were heard. Recently media figures are admitting they failed in being objective in their coverage during the run-up to the war.

And as far as Bush vs. Hitler, Hitler wishes he had a mouthpiece like Faux News. There were alternative sources of news in Germany just as there are here through the Internet.

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda."
-- George Bush