The Old Bones

I have looked in the American news media for stories about this and have so far been unsuccessful finding them. The German government announced this week that they have found what they believe are the remains of people with disabilities who were essentially the first victims of the Nazi holocaust. Here is a link to the BBC where I found the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5410834.stm

The so called "t4" project was signed into law by Adolf Hitler on the very day he invaded Poland. The office where Hitler signed the decree authorizing euthenasia for people with disabilities was located at Tiergaarten4 in Berlin. Under the leadership of Hitler's  personal physician the program was designed to rid the Third Reich of the disabled who Hitler refered to as "useless eaters".

Families with disabled children or relatives were told to bring their disabled people to the local hospital where they would be given physical treatment. Instead they were gassed. False medical records would report that the disabled man, woman, or child had a heart attack or a seizure.

Now that the United Nations has adopted a charter on international disability rights perhaps we can propose a moment of worldwide silence? One further advantage of this idea is that for a singular moment the talking heads and cheap politicians who justify cuts in health care spending would have to be quiet too.

SK