Germany Wins World Cup - Congrats!

Germany: 1 || Argentina: 0

Admittedly, I'm not much of a team sports guy, but I was happy to see the land of my family's ancestors (Germany) win the World Cup. So, congratulations! As Sgt. Schultz would say, "Wunderbar!"

As news was breaking about Germany defeating top South American contenders, Argentina and Brazil, I thought about how those two countries were the prime recipients of fleeing Nazi party members and collaborators after World War II who sought to avoid prosecution at the Nuremburg Trials. A lot of Europe's plundered wealth ended up in South America with them. Nearly 70 years have passed since the era, so most if not all are dead by now, but their families who benefitted from the ill-gotten wealth still exist there in South America. I have not heard of any of them volunteering to repatriate artwork, jewelry, precious metals, cash, etc. Maybe I just missed it.

Germany's modern government, to its great credit, has done much to atone for the atrocities of its errant Third Reich madmen. It is a shame that the incredible technical, artistic, medical, and financial talent that has emanated from Germany over the centuries was tainted by the greed of a generation. A popular phrase has been coined to help remind people what can happen when a few people in government accrue too much power: "Never Forget!" The current population of entrepreneurs and creators might be the ones who reestablish Germany as the world's leader in many of the aforementioned areas.

Posted  July 14, 2014