discussion and this BBS........ A lot of what has been said is making me re-examine some assumptions............and , so far at least, no-one has thrown the line at me that "We Americans came and saved your asses in two world wars.. if it wasn't for us you'd all speak german".

Isn't it ironic though ( A quick flick through a history book on WW2 might be in order for some folks) that if it wasn't for that murderous b*stard Stalin and the godless Soviet hordes... everyone reading this would be speaking german.

They were had fought, and beaten, 350 german divisions in the east, while we allies faced less then 30 in the west, and that only in the last year of the war.

Fifty million Soviet dead, thousands of towns reduced to rubble, and yet, and despite the economic, technological, political blockade we in the west applied almost instantly.. ( Note.. Even the Germans who were our enemies got help through the Marshall plan to rebuild thier economies.)............they recovered and became a world class power..... and first into Space.

Now.. ten years after the big collapse and the application of Reagan \Thatcher economic policy where are they? Life expectancy down to 57 years, economy smaller then that of new York, and thier country owned by thieves.

A remarkable culture.... what might they have achieved if they had been allowed to develop freely?

Who knows.... I might have admired it.... would not have wanted to live under it.... but that's just a monday quarter back guess.