You can’t rewrite history

But you can tell another story.

Which is the current WOKE approach to life.

Winston Churchill was fond of saying “that history is written by the victors”. And the victors, of course, often color the truth.

Being sick and tired of reading about and seeing the antics of the majority of clowns, scumbags, jerks, and spineless individuals that stalk the corridors of power in Jerusalem, I have spent time reviewing rants and raves from 2017 and 2018 that I initially posted on Facebook. My FB account was closed several years ago but much of my writing from that period was saved.

The following is from January 2018.

I was thinking about Lily Allen, well, maybe not Lily Allen herself (she seems a waste of space) but rather her, in my opinion, banal comments of last week regarding marking the anniversary of the Defense of Rorke's Drift January 22/23, 1879.

Access this link to read a newspaper report on Lily Allen’s remarks. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/lily-allen-hits-back-at-critics-in-row-over-rorke-s-drift-tube-notice-board-a3750001.html

History can’t be rewritten to meet the needs of changing times. Of course, with hindsight, much of history can and maybe should be challenged, inspected, and dissected. After all, “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. Just as “those who do not remember their past are condemned to repeat their mistakes”.

The former European colonial powers: Britain, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland (did I forget anyone?) have much to be ashamed of, and yet at the time and under the circumstances of the time, the action(s) taken seemed correct.

Again it’s easy to look back and demand a rewrite, the pulling down of statues and moments. Rather, take note of the circumstances and look forward to ensuring that there can be no repetition of events. (Learn from our past.)

Maybe I missed it, but have not seen/heard Ms. Allen and her like-minded brethren berating Germany over their Nazi past. Possibly she thinks Hitler was a good guy who was simply misunderstood.

What about Mussolini (OK, so he did ensure that Italian trains ran on time)?

What about Spain’s Franco, Portugal’s Salazar, and let’s not leave Uncle Joe out of the picture?

And did Ms. Allen and Co. raise their voices to challenge generations of African despots including Idi Armen and more recently Robert Mugabe? Don’t think so!

Has she raised her voice against Rocket Man and his father and grandfather? Don’t think so.

What about Assad in Syria?

Ms. Allen needs to remember that millions in Britain have perished in wars fighting tyranny (as they saw it), defending freedom (as they understood it) so Lily Allen and others could today enjoy ranting and raving and free speech.

Much of the rage seems, for example, to be directed at Winston Churchill, some even scooping to call him a "murderer".

There is no doubt that Winston Churchill is regarded as one of the greatest leaders in British history for his leadership during World War II. His defiant, rousing speeches played a significant part in boosting the morale of the British people in the early years of the war. However, like many historical figures, there are also criticisms and controversies associated with his actions.

Churchill's policies towards India have also been heavily criticized. During his time as Prime Minister, Churchill opposed India's independence and was responsible for policies that led to a famine in Bengal, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people.

It is important to note that Churchill was operating in a complex and challenging context during World War II, and his decisions were often influenced by the needs of the war effort. Nevertheless, his actions have been criticized by some as being overly aggressive and lacking in compassion for civilians.

Reviewing history from the comfort of an armchair is an easy option. How would Britain, indeed the whole of Europe be today had Hitler triumphed?

Recently I noted that 70 years on there is at last a memorial to RAF Bomber Command. During the 1939/45 war, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris (“Bomber Harris” as he was known) oversaw the bombing of Nazi Germany and was hailed by the public and press as a national hero. And yet at the time of his death in 1984, a new generation was calling him a “butcher”. How quickly we forget.

Harris, with Churchill’s approval, was dogged in his determination to bring Nazi German to its knees via constant aerial bombing. And once the USAAF under Curtis LeMay joined the party, both men ensured that German was bombed 24/7 (weather permitting).

And yes, the controversial fire-bombing of Dresden in 1945 which killed an estimated 25,000 civilians was and is still a much-berated issue.

Critics point to the fact that the Dresden bombing took place in 1945 and that the war in Europe was nearing closure. But at the time the decision was made to bomb Dresden, no one knew that in just a few months the war would be over. Decisions are made on the actual information available at the time. Looking back through rose-colored glasses and criticizing is an easy option.

It’s due to the “butcher” and tens of thousands of RAF personnel that I can sit at my PC and write these words.

Britain and America for that matter have done much in the past which is shameful; the USA’s internment of Japanese American citizens while Britain did the same with British citizens of Italian, Austrian, and German descent.

But before shouting, remember the times!

Nazi Germany may have refined the notion of a concentration camp, but it was the British who used such camps in South Africa during the Boar Wars, while years early the American government used crude such camps in an attempt to wipe out the American native population – remember blankets spiked with smallpox.

These things happened but history can’t be rewritten.

We need to look to the future to ensure a better society not dwell on the past.