"Lone gunman"

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 4:09 PM Share

"Lone gunman" -- that evocative phrase that crops up a lot in American history. It may be the foundation of Clint Eastwood's career, which in total is a meditation on violence and how it fits into our society. In his earlier films I think he sought to redeem that psychotic figure, and then in his maturity repented of that impulse, especially in my favorite of his films, Unforgiven.

I mention this because the phrase came up Wednesday in connection with the shooting at the Holocaust Museum here in Washington.

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KENNETH SORENSEN

6:17 AM ET

June 12, 2009

Why is this museum not in Burundi or Honduras?

Why is this museum not in Burundi or Honduras - two countries that also have zero guilt for the percecution of Jews? Why is there nothing similar in Europe, where the attrocities took place? It is of course because the people behind this museum wants to influence honest Americans when they come to Washington, something that can later be cashed in as support for Israeli policies, or to convey an understanding that todays Israel also could face an existential holocaust [and so Israel must be supported at all costs]. I assure you that if there were no Israel, then there would be no holocaust museum in Washington, because America would then have accumulated a few million more Jews, who would have gone into 'the great meltingpot' that is America.

America has no guilt
Why should there be a museum like this in the Capital of the land of Freedom, - a country that have no guilt or part in these attrocities, but without whose efforts there hardly would have been any Jews left?

I was shocked the other day to see on a map how close this museum are to The White House and to the place where Americans remembers the fallen in all their wars.

Many holocausts at the time

The fact is, there were many holocausts at that time, for instance the 5 million (Christian) Ukrainians who died of hunger in the 30'ties - incidentially due to policies decided in Moscows Politbureau - the majority of which members were Jews. So there you have a connection, as undoubtely many Ukrainians took revenge on the Jews ten years later, as indeed they were encouraged to do by the invading Germans. It is also well known that the German Authorities thought the Soviet state was an evil sustem, that have sought to instigate revolutions in Germany, and it was a private motivation for many soldiers to get rid of this un-Godly regime. Of course it is indefensible that any Jew they encountered on their way should pay for this, but this is what happens in war when two dictatorships clash. It is always a perilous situation to be in, to be a minority under a dictatorship, and being disliked by that dictatorship - and there is very little outside forces can do about it.

And we must never forget the 6 million Poles and the 26 million Russians who died in this war. Of course from their perspective, it must seem odd and out of proportion that only the Jewish Civilians should be remembered in this way.

MARCOS EL MALO

4:06 AM ET

June 13, 2009

Nice work, Kenneth. Blame the

Nice work, Kenneth. Blame the murder of a security guard by a white supremacist on the Jews. Stay classy.