MY 5 "NAZI MARKINGS"

Today I had a lot of thoughts after the visit to the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM in DC. I was thinking to this patchwork I saw in the museum ... these are some "examples" of the MARKINGS that the NAZI used in the CONCENTRATION CAMPS in order to easily identify the prisoners. The most (in)famous one is the YELLOW DAVID STAR given to the JEW, but they weren't the only one.

Most of the people tend to forget that in the WWII German concentration / extermination camps (*) were concentrated / killed not only JEWS but also POLITICAL PRISONERS, PRISONERS OF WAR, GAY, LESBIANS, ROMA (i.e. what we call normally GIPSIE ... but they prefer to be called ROMA), HABITUAL CRIMINALS, RELIGIOUS SECTARIANS, FOREIGN FORCED LABORERS ... and for each "group" there was a special "mark" ... for example ROMA had a black triangle, and if the ROMA was coming from ITALY it had an "I" in it ... you can check this website ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camp_badges.

So, today after I left the museum I start thinking to all the reasons why a NAZI would like to put me in a CONCENTRATION CAMP ... mmmm ...

* I am a RELIGIOUS SECTARIAN (not sure in what I believe ... :o).
* I am a GIPSY (I love to travel anywhere I can w/ my backpack).
* I deserve a DAVID STAR because I did work and live in ISRAEL.
* I am for sure a POLITICAL ENEMY (I am lost 99% of the elections).
* I am a FOREIGN FORCED LABORER (I did work in 4 countries).

... mmmm ... the result is pretty dramatic ... here my new T-SHIRT (**) ... according to the "NAZI MARKINGS" ...

I guess I wouldn't have resist more than 5 minutes in a concentration camp ... too much troubles to deal with me ... directly to execution ... :o

This game sounds funny but believe me ... it makes me think a lot ... for example ... in how many countries could I do, even today April 2006, such a webpage w/o having serious troubles? How many people out there think that I am a real troublemaker and at that someone should put me straight? Scary ... isn't it!? Yep, scary. Really scary. But, I believe, each of us can do something ... each of us need to continue to speak about the INSANITY of the believe that if someone is different from us is wrong. I actually believe that the DIVERSITY is the real JUICE OF LIFE.

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(*) There is actually a huge difference between the two ... extermination camps were the one where people was just sent there to die ... they didn't even try to make them work, for example. My grandpa was in a concentration camp were he was forced to work otherwise he was killed ... but is wasn't an extermination camp . Also the US during WWII had concentration camps for American Citizens of Japanese origin ... but, fortunately, they didn't systematically kill them ... so they never became extermination camps. One of them is now a NATIONAL PARK in CALIFORNIA (WWW.NPS.GOV./MANZ/) ... I think I will go to visit it sooner or later.

(**) Original picture, before the digital patchwork, is from Mt. ALBAN, MEXICO ... a stunning place ... if you have the chance ... visit it ... it is very close to OAXACA.