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From the Washington Times, Commentary:"What Happened to History?" An interesting question to explore, given the 60th anniversary of V-E Day. Having spent a great deal of time with my grandparents growing up, there's so much to learn from them -- things we should do, things we shouldn't have done, and should know better; there's stories of sacrifices made; children lost to illnesses we can now treat; of a rural South where nothing stayed open during the Depression, save the textile mill in their hometown -- a textile mill where most of the family has worked and even retired from. But what happens when my grandparents -- when their generation -- passes on? Where will the memories go? What about the books and the other untold, unwritten stories? Will the movies and music of their generation die out? Unless we, as a younger generation pick up the pieces, so much of it will be lost. We have a responsibility to remember -- a responsibility to ourselves and to our own kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids; we have a responsibility to learn from their mistakes and to learn from their triumphs. Today is just as good a day as any to pause and think for a moment on the sacrifices and stories of our forebears. I ask that you please take a moment and help preserve that history.

(no subject)

Little bit of something I started working on last night. Not sure just where it's going, but I think I'm headed down the Dumbledore vs. Grindelwald path. Or it could finish here, and just be a bit of a writing exercise.


It had been "The Great War" -- a Muggle war of such ferocity man had never seen before. Entire societies -- men, women, even children, were mobilized, finding ways to support their beloved countries: They fought, they sewed, they worked; the lines between fighter and civilian blurred. Time marched on and neither the Allies nor the Entente could gain ground. Technological advances mounted: Airplanes took to the air and submarines to the sea; gas crawled along the stagnant front lines. Finally, claiming four years and thousands of lives, the "War to End All Wars" ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. There was hope then. An American, Woodrow Wilson, offered such hope that Germany saw a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. As the other allies joined in the peace process, however, that light began to fade. Britain and France, drawn into the vortex since day one wanted retribution for the lost souls and the smoldering ruins of countryside.

It was during this time of turmoil that Grindelwald began gathering power. Like a leech, he fed upon the vengeful nature of Britain and France, feasted upon the humiliation of Germany; he even sowed the seeds of discontent among the Americans, ensuring that Europe would remain his. Then, as law after law failed -- indeed as the fledgling German republic crumbled, the odd mix of national pride and national anger fuelled him forward. He had grown strong through the failures of Muggles. He needed only a means of keeping the Muggles occupied as he used that power to exact his own revenge on the Wizarding World, disordering that which had cast him out.

In former Army corporal Adolf Hitler, Grindelwald found a more than willing accomplice.