Recently an overzealously religious lady wrote a Letter to the Editor of The Weekend Sun.
Since she compared the voluntary euthanasia practised in the Netherlands with the so-called 'voluntary euthanasia” committed in Nazi Germany, I thought I'd better wrote a public reply.
All in all, I don't like how some people and the media in NZ easily use the word 'Nazi” and 'Hitler” for anything bad - just to get people's attention. I will write another Letter to the Editor about that - but it will be a separate one. It seems most countries get away with a lot in their historical past (regardless how many they killed / imprisoned / tortured of their own people or enemies). Just we Germans, Austrians and Japanese have no way of escaping. However, compared to Japan, that part of history is thoroughly taught in Germany and Austria. But I often notice that many Kiwis have no clue about world history. Or if, it is very British / US American tinted, unfortunately. Being politically informed is often not very popular in NZ but being overly 'PC” with NZ things: 'yes”.
People like Paul Henry do not just hurt NZ born Indian-Fijian Governor-Generals with a darker skin. By the way, there are approx. 40,000 Germans, Austrians, German-Swiss and people from Liechtenstein here in NZ, with approx. 30,000 Germans. Not bad for a country of 4.3 Million people.
Shortly after being granted NZ citizenship in May 1999 I had been thinking about changing my name (especially my family name since Adolf Hitler's long-time girl-friend and wife of three days was called Eva Braun. And I'm also not related to her.) 'Braun” is the German word for 'Brown”. Thousands of German speaking people are called 'Braun”.
(Mrs) Uschi Braun, Otumoetai.