Jesus, I just had a flashback:

[PCIntern]

I grew up in Bucks County, PA and near us there were a couple “famous” flea markets. One of them, called Rice’s Market was near New Hope where I lived and was open every Tuesday. Lots of exhibitors came and there was one area where lots of Nazi memorabilia was displayed snd IIRC, the prices were high in those days for this stuff. Metal Iron Crosses, swastikas, officer’s caps, decorations were common. I was very surprised by all this, since I grew up in a Jewish household and my father served for four years during “The Big One”, and I asked my parents who bought all this horrible stuff? Who would want it?

My mother’s reply was: More people than you could imagine.

Yup. Once again she was right. Years later I had a guy in college actually say to me: “ya gotta admit, Nazi uniforms were pretty sharp!” I never had a serious conversation with him ever again.

And here we are…

[Gaugamela]

1. Yep, I remember seeing Nazi memorabilia in flea markets and antique stores in upstate NY.

It was usually tucked in a corner along with old copies of Playboy. It seemed more desperate and pathetic than shocking.

[BSdetect]

2. The Nazi uniforms got pretty shabby at Stalingrad, Kursk and all the way to Berlin.

[Vdizzle]

7. Weren't they designed by Hugo Boss?

[Larissa]

9. You are correct

In my opinion, the uniforms were designed to be psychologically daunting; to direct the eye to the pinnacle on the cap: the Nazi eagle. The use of shades of black and gray -- colors of finality -- added to the effect.

"Hugo Ferdinand Boss (8 July 1885 – 9 August 1948)[1] was a German fashion designer and businessman. He was the founder of the fashion house Hugo Boss AG. He was an active member of the Nazi Party as early as 1931 and remained loyal to the Nazi German ideology throughout the duration of the party's existence."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss_(fashion_designer)

[Tanuki]

11. Wow, I never knew this.

[Thunderbeast]

3. I am most alarmed by the younger generation.

Their parent's hateful beliefs were sequestered for nearly a generation. The relatively few haters that raised their heads were quickly scorned by the media, politicians, and society in most parts of our country.

Once the power of hate and division were legitimized and exploited by the likes of TFG, evangelicals, and Fox News, the spiral began again. The torches in Charlottesville were carried by YOUNG men...not the elder segregationists. We are over a generation beyond MLK and Jim Crow. It has been over 75 years since the holocaust.

Sadly, the sons and daughters of hate now shamelessly carry the banner of their racist ancestors.

It was too easy.

[NBachers]

13. Yeah, and I was surprised at the young ones at work who had no concept

Of Pearl Harbor day, or the allies or the axis, or the timeline. It’s pretty much lost too many of them, and they are ripe for a repetition here at home.

[captain queeg]

4. Gun nuts for sure, and people just interested in history.

I know a lot of soldiers brought home souvenirs including weapons. I friend of mine showed me his dad’s closet where he had a Japanese rifle and sword. My BIL inherited a German pistol from his dad taken in Europe. He thought it was a Luger but it was a Walther which was way more common. I didn’t correct him. Kind of like Tiger tanks, GIs saw them everywhere but in reality US forces rarely encountered them. But to the troops almost every tank was a Tiger. It’s pretty surprising what the troops were allowed to bring back.

I find it disturbing that the gun nuts just love SS memorabilia. The SS did the lions share of atrocities. Their military branch, the Waffen SS got a reputation for being elite troops later in the war so I suppose that’s what they focus on rather than the concentration camps they ran.

I just watched a video about the battle of Brisbane and they talked about the friction GIs caused when stationed in Allied countries. One thing was they made about 3X what a British soldier made, at least twice way an Australian soldier made. Plus they had access to lots of stuff at their PXs that the native soldiers didn’t. They had dress uniforms with them so they could look pretty spiffy when they went into town. The old saying about american soldiers; overpaid, oversexed, and over here.

As far as uniforms went the Germans certainly were lavish at least at first. I read the average German soldier had 7 uniforms when stationed at home. I’m sure that didn’t carry into the field. All part of the illusion the Nazis propaganda machine presented.

[Kid Berwyn]

5. "I'll be back!"

Note the death’s head belt buckle on Arnold I can’t believe he’s one Schwarzenegger.



There's a growing body of evidence showing the Republican Party has a paramilitary wing

by María Isabel Puerta Riera
Alternet, March 16, 2021

United States Senator Ron Johnson said recently that he wasn't scared when, on January 6, armed insurgents sacked and looted the United States Capitol. They "love this country," the Wisconsin Republican said. But "had the tables been turned and President Trump won the election and tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa [stormed the seat of government], I might have been a little concerned."

That statement was disturbing not only for the implicit racism it carried, but for the stunning confirmation of what's becoming clear to those of us who are paying attention. The Republican Party has a paramilitary problem, and it isn't new.

Snip...

The Republican Party seems to be very comfortable with these groups around, as we have seen in Nevada, Oregon, Michigan, and other states. However, this is not a recent venture, since the accounts of strengthening ties can be traced back even before Trump won the election in 2016. The openness about their common interests is perhaps new, but it's not surprising. Alarms were sounded when state Senate Majority Leader, Republican Mike Shirkey of Michigan, participated in a rally organized by paramilitaries that stormed the Michigan Capitol back in April 2020 alongside a member of a group involved in the planned kidnapping of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Though Michigan has a history of paramilitaries, the state GOP had tied itself to them, especially since the election as party co-chair of Meshawn Maddock. She organized a protest to interrupt ballot counting in Detroit, where paramilitaries were present.

Continues...

https://www.alternet.org/2021/03/republican-paramilitaries/

Never forget.

[lastlib]

6. You folks need to read "A Force Upon The Plain," by Kenneth Stern!

Published in 1996, it documents the rise of the militia movement and its ties to white nationalism & Klan. It scared the sh*t out of me! It will do the same for you. This crap goes back way farther than you might think.

[Stuart G]

8. You are totally correct..."And here we are.." k and r

[BlackSkimmer]

10. Prince Harry apparently thought so. nt

[LuckyCharms]

12. Not related to the point of your post, but...

New Hope (as well Bucks County in general) is one of my favorite areas to visit.

I've probably made 30 overnight trips to New Hope over the years. I used to especially like going during the week when the tourist population was not quite so hectic.

It's so beautiful there, and I remember visiting the seemingly endless number of flea markets in the area.

There used to be a record store (may still be there) in New Hope, right downtown at the beginning of the bridge there that crosses the river into New Jersey. Used to spend hours in that store. Also, I remember an ice cream shop on the main drag that was on the second floor, and you could eat your ice cream while sitting on a stool while resting your elbows on a bar-like ledge in front of a big window, enabling you to watch all of the people walking on the sidewalk below you.

Also, I'm a big fan of the band Ween. The two founding members are from New Hope, but I never saw them perform there (they played a lot at Jon and Peter's).