EDITOR – On January 3rd a video short popped up on my YouTube screen about a young woman, Sophie Scholl, executed for high treason, age 21, by the Nazi regime in 1943 in WWII. I decided to find out more about her.
Last year the European Parliament named a building after her in a ceremony where German actress, Julia Jentsch, who won two film awards in 2005 for playing her in the German movie Sophie Scholl – The Final Days gave a talk about her life and times.
She was executed in a Munich prison by guillotine. The Nazis killed people in ways that would instill terror in the population. She is not forgotten, particulary in Germany.
Sophie was born in Germany on 9th May 1921 and was one of the leaders of the non-violent ‘White Rose’ student resistance to the Nazi regime. She and her brother Hans and others distributed anti-Nazi leaflets in their university and elsewhere. She was seen by a Nazi supporter and soon arrested. It was the fourth year of the war and millions of Germans publicly supported Hitler and would be terrified to oppose him. It meant certain arrest and death.
On the day she died, she said: ‘How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself individually to a righteous cause? Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?’
The 82nd anniversary of her execution is on February 22nd. Her brother Hans was executed on the same day and their friend Christoph Probst within a few mins of each other – 5pm, 5.02pm and 5.05pm. Six seconds from when she was slid on a board under the guillotine to her death. Hans shouted in German ‘Long live freedom’. The three were buried side by side in a Munich cemetery.
There are many today who do what they did. They stand up for humanity through aid agencies to deliver assistance to war-torn parts of the world. They speak up for the imprisoned and oppressed. Sometimes they pay with their lives, as Sophie, Hans, and Christoph did. Resisting and ending brutal regimes continues.
Mary Sullivan,
Cork.
Paying road tax for very poor roads
EDITOR – When the Local Property Tax (LPT) was introduced in 2013, Cork County Council said that the maintenance of roads depended upon it. I believe that all West Cork house owners now pay the LPT, but our roads are worse than ever. We now have two annual payments – one for the LPT, and another for repairing the damage to our vehicles caused by potholes.
Swithun Goodbody,
Ballydehob.
Is it time for a local gardening club?
EDITOR – A couple of issues ago I noticed Ms Russell’s tip for supporting runner/stick beans with hazel sticks. Nothing wrong with it but they won’t last more than two seasons and anyone who’s interested is welcome to details of my own equivalent that has already served 10-plus years and would probably do another 10.
Gardeners usually fall into two types – those who use it for recreation and those who benefit financially from the crops it provides. Somewhere in between others find ways and means of creating economies in effort and cost. I’ve now abandoned my veg patch but still have the various pieces of kit that I used for my 15 active years.
All my bean and pea crops used everlasting supports for the seed I saved each year for nil cost. Onions will occupy a weed free plot using a special mat. My dual purpose dibber(s) avoid back ache and help with irrigation/weed prevention. With their long cropping season parsnips can be kept weed free with fresh farmyard manure and two-litre plastic bottles, etc, etc.
Maybe Skibbereen could justify a gardening club?
Nick Turner,
Drimoleague.
Dáil charade makes us a laughing stock
EDITOR – The government, along with Michael Lowry and his regional group, and the Healy Raes, negotiated a programme for government.
The independents have stated publicly that they are part of this charade and are going to support this government for the next five years.
We, the public, find it incredible that they have the neck that they can use opposition speaking time to hold this government to account, even though they are part of this government.
We must be the laughing stock of the world that speaking time should be allocated from government time and not opposition time. It is a blow against true democracy.
Noel Harrington,
Kinsale.
Not impressed with Bono’s new medal
EDITOR – The hypocrisy of so-called good people was very much evident when rocker Bono was presented with the presidential medal of freedom by US President Biden who has Palestinian blood on his hands for shipping large scale weapons to Israel.
Surely the first freedom Palestinians should have is to be free from having their families and homes bombed daily?
Michael Hallissey,
Mayfield,
Bandon.
