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Oachau

A Hell on Earth for Jews, gypsies,
homosexuals and anyone else the
Nazis deemed unacceptable.

Ray Walker

As 1 entered the barbed wire gates of this Hitler and his frenzied followers had no Big

man-made hell, 1 vowed not to use my cam- Bird as far as 1can tell. Hitler wanted a new

~ra'.1felt this would be a sacrilege and an in- world, a better world. He failed. There is no
justice to all the innocent people viciously way to make a world better by killing inno-

slaughtered here. People who were mur- cent people. People judged on guidelines so
dered, not because of who they were or be- absurd, so ridiculous one can't help but ask
cause they had committed some heinous how he got away with it. Someone some-
crime, but because of what they were. They where must have known. Someone did. In
were the undesirable, the unwanted, the un- fact, many people knew, but no one wanted
acceptable. They were minding their own to rock the boat. So as innocent people were
business doing no one any harm, when Hitler, treated like objects, dehumanized and humili-
Satan incarnate, decided to create his ideologi- ated, someone sat dryly in his, or her, boat.
cal world. 1felt that photographs of this place Dachau is a place like no other 1have ever
would serve to gratify Hitler and his power been. Thank God. Yes, Thank God. When 1
to build a monstronsity fascinating to the entered Dachau 1felt chills. 1entered a place
world. However, once 1 opened my eyes, 1 where thousands of people died for no good
saw that this place was no longer the beast of reason, as if there is a good reason for people
the Fuhrer, but a memorial to all the souls so to die. 1 was not alone; my tour group was
with me. Nonetheless, 1was not with them.
violently beat from their earthly vessels.
It is hard to capture the feelings 1 had as 1 As 1 walked into Hades, 1 was alone, com-
entered this place. 1 did not want to go pletely alone, except for my God and my soul.
there--more than anything 1 did not want to The gravel crunched under my feet--gravel

go there. However, at the

same time, 1 felt it was my Hitler tried to destroy them, to make us
duty. Not so 1could say 1had forget them. But they live on, the
gone or say that 1had paid my

respects to the victims of this millions of victims united under their title,
atrocity, but because 1 had to condemning from the grave, waming
go for myself. 1needed to see

the infamous concentration from the grave.

camp so 1 could understand.

1wanted to know why, and to hauled in for the express purpose of my walk-
learn the reasoning behind such a demonic
ing there. 1 am sure it was not there when
device. 1know why, but 1 they were there. It was too clean and too se-
1still do not understand.
do not understand. Difference is the spice of rene to have been there when they were there.
life, 1 learned in kindergarten. The teachers They. Who are they? Am 1lumping them all
and Sesame Street pounded it into my head. together? Taking their identities from them

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