Eva Brauns Among Us

Posted on by Claremary P. Sweeney

Adolph Hitler had a fondness for pretty young girls. Eva Braun was seventeen when they met and she became his mistress. He was forty. It was said that he adored her. For sixteen years she stood faithfully by him, enjoying their life together as he went about the daily business of destroying of millions of people. At the end, forty hours before they both bit into thin glass vials of cyanide, he awarded her for her loyalty by giving her what she’d always longed for. He made her his wife.

I can’t help but think that, had she wanted, Eva Braun could have made a difference. She could have interceded and perhaps, things may have turned out differently. A ripple in the water slowly fanning out, changing the course of time.  It was said, however, that she empowered him to do more evil by enhancing his emotional needs.

I am always astounded by women who choose, unquestionably to follow men as they inflict their obscene beliefs on others. In 1978, when the Rev. Jim Jones told his followers the time had come to commit suicide, Odell Rhodes, the only survivor of the massacre, described how they started with the babies. “Mothers gave their own children the Kool-Aid mixed with cyanide before taking it themselves.” Four hundred and five souls died that November day in Jonestown.  More than three hundred of them were seventeen or younger.

As I watch the crowd of people on stage at trump rallies,  I’m particularly struck by the frenzied exuberance of the women – the signs they display; their laughing faces. The unfettered glee with which they jammed their fists into the air chanting “Lock her up!” still resonates with me. Women who longed to see another woman incarcerated. As though we haven’t had our fill of bondage in the great American evolution that has brought us, finally, into the Me Too Movement

And then there are the women who clutch desperately to trump’s coat tails, riding above the masses. Flying high on the trump jet stream. I find them the most abhorrent of all. Kelly-Ann, Sarah, Kirstjen, Betsy, Ivanka, Hope, Nikki, Elaine, and of course, Melania. I wonder if they all have that $39.00 olive green Zara jacket in their custom walk-in closets filled with their expensive, designer clothes?

I question if any of them care. Care enough to tell the truth? Care enough about the health of old people; sick people? Care enough about gun massacres in our schools; in our churches? Care enough about young men of color dying in our streets? Care enough about inconsolable babies being kept in cages; children being incarcerated because parents want a better life for them; families being ripped apart?

Last week, on her way to the border and her latest photo op, FLOTUS, an immigrant, herself, wore a  jacket with the words:

I REALLY DON’T’ CARE DO U 

Such callous cruelty in a world crying out for compassion.

It took us seventy years to get the right to vote. The 19thAmendment was passed in 1919 and ratified the next year. Why? Why were women, for years, not considered bright enough to understand the complicated matters of politics, law or government? Why were we relegated for decades to the role of the “good wife”? Why has it taken us so long to ask “Why?”

I am heartened by the number of phenomenal women candidates running for office this November. If one good thing has come out of the chaos, it is that women have gained  enormous confidence in the knowledge that they could never do as bad a job as this guy has done during the year and a half since he moved into the White House.

And so, although there are Eva Brauns still among us, there are more women who will enable each other to soar – and not on the coat tails of  self-absorbed, insecure men who wouldn’t think twice about giving them the order to poison their own children.

As I’ve said in past posts, I have great hope we’ll get through this crisis. We’ll become a better country for recognizing and correcting the flaws in our history. We have been a country which has incarcerated and has torn apart the families of slaves, of Native Americans, of Japanese citizens.The false illusion that a civilization can be great which seeks to oppress its most vulnerable will be acknowledged and rectified. We’re a nation of immigrants and this has made us stronger. The incestuous nature behind the racist belief of white supremacy has no place in this country. I have great hope and in answer to the question posed last week as our first lady flew off to her latest photo-op:

YES,  ALONG WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, WE DO CARE

 

 

 

 

 

42 thoughts on “Eva Brauns Among Us”

  1. Yes, you are right. I know many more women who care than those who remain blissfully ignorant about the how the laws of karma will effect us as a nation. Those that endorse the current president’s policies are on a very slipper slope and have put our national at great risk for catastrophe.

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    1. Hi, Bernadette. Yes, he hated the Republican Party and used is as a means to destroy itself. Hopefully the Rebublicans who have abandoned ship will re-form into a party that is representative of their once- held ideals. I’d hate to think that are only 2 choices in future elections would be Dems and the Party of Trump.

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  2. Claremary, what a strong, clear and rousing post you have given us.
    Every paragraph is of importance so I will only add my voice to yours.
    I had forgotten about the horrible event in Johnston -78.
    That typifies what can happen when one blindly follows a leader.

    We all need to look at our world with compassion, intelligence and keep
    the dream of good.

    ~ miriam

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    1. Miriam, Being surrounded by compassionate, intelligent people in my own life, I find this bitter, rascist, uncompassionate underbelly alien. And we are walled up inside our country with them because they are our fellow citizens. So ironic!

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  3. I don’t understand the whole immigration hatred he has as she is his second immigrant wife and I’m sure he paved the way for her naturalization (and her parents’ too). Do you have to be pretty to immigrate? My grandparents were immigrants and I hope they were not treated this badly. They were good people. There are no shithole countries. Only countries with oppressive regimes that ignore basic human rights.

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  6. Well said, Clare! I have hopes for a better world when more women hold more power, but then I look at some of the women you named—those who are blindly following a man both voraciously evil and profoundly stupid—and I fear our gender may be just as greedy and flawed as men. This November’s election will be a litmus test for our values and what our nation’s future will be. Let’s hope intelligence and compassion reigns.

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    1. Donna, I wonder if they became the avid coat tail clutchers because that is the only way they saw to feel protected and not powerless in the world in which they grew up? Hopefully there will be another path for women in our future

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  7. We have come to expect compassion from women – more than from men – maybe because we are mothers. I too am saddened by the cruelty I’ve seen… and not only cruelty, but a certain glee in that cruelty. I read just this morning that trump has a 90% approval rating among republicans. How is that possible?

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    1. The conservatives are happy with the job he’s doing placing judges on the benches. They realize this will have along-time effect on the country. And then there is the rich backers getting richer by the day from the tax reform and the 30%Trumpers who want to be told how to think. Yes the Rebublicans are a greedy , Let Them Eat Cake bunch. But I don’t think it’s going to end well for them and their families, knowing the history of the French and Russian Revolutions.

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    1. Hello, Mary! I’ve missed you, too although I do check outyour tweets from time to time. I’ve been a bit busy. In April I launched the 2nd book of the South County Mystery Series and I’ll finishing writing the 3rd book by the end of June. It won’t belaunched until next July, but the way I edit, I’ll welcome the time.
      It’s been hard for me to write blog posts because everything seems trivial in comparison to the serious situation here in our country. I’m sure this will pass, but it is a difficult time for all of us. I’ll try to post more often once I’ve finished the book.HOw’s the weather in Scotland? Charley and I really do intend to fly over next year some time. St. Andrews calls!

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      1. I know what you mean some visits to Zuzu’s barn and catching up on what your cats are up to these days may be the perfect antidote to trumpism and all its horrors.
        We’re actually enjoying some lovely summer weather. In fact, we’re all walking round with awestruck expressions after having over a week of sunshine followed by a week of rain and gloom but then, it clearned up again. This doesn’t usually happen – we have some sun then the rain forgets to stop. I hope you’ll be lucky next year. It would be wonderful to meet you.
        Sounds like you’ve been keeping busy. Congratulations on publishing your second book.

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  9. Clare, sadly selfishness and greed are not gender specific. Women, those that could and choose not to make a difference have abounded through generations and will continue to do so. Those that are co-dependent to their husbands and lovers and male bosses. Those that know that their husbands are rapists and murderers but protect them, those that stand by and let their fascist or whatever other flavor of dictator spouses and lovers reap havoc. Those women. Those men. Those deflowerers of the liberty and equality that the majority of women and men have fought for at exactly the same time as they choose, through selfishness, through greed to make a travesty of such efforts. But in the end karma bites them hard, of that I am sure. As ever this is a beautifully crafted cry from the heart which it should be hard to ignore. I hope many will take it to their own hearts. It would be nice if even one of those was someone who had previously thought to support a disgrace of a husband or lover or brother or father and to turn a blind eye. Just one. It would be nice.

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    1. Bonjour, Osyth! Yes, one would be nice, but I think they will all need the passage of time to realize the place they forged for themselves in history. The worst part of it all isn’t their political views but the constant boldface lying. It is such a form of mental and emotional abuse for those in this country who value the truth and the respect in telling the truth.
      How is France? I will stop by your blog tonight and have a little visit. Take care, my friend, Clare

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      1. Oh, I’m not in France. I’ve been here in New England since April. I have only written two pieces since arriving ‘Song Long Marianne’ and ‘A Sword and a Pistol by his Side’ and The Bean wrote her own crie de cœur called ‘I’ve Been Everywhere, Man’. I wish I could make a difference, I guess my particular malaise is born of feeling utterly helpless. But it will pass. I have never been one to lie down and roll over and I won’t this time and as a Canadian friend commented in an email when they had the news that I was finally a Lawful Permanent Resident of this country, ‘now, darling, you can make a difference’. I can only try ….

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      2. Yes, I realized that when I finished my reply and went to your blog.
        Welcome to my side of the world! I’m happy the litlle family is now together once again and understand your pining for that lovely, French countryside.

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      3. It’s taken the past two months to feel settled again but that has mostly been due to a baby bird (the step-bird) feeling entitled to overstay it’s welcome and abusing the notion that we might want to be ‘young marrieds’ if only in spirit! That niggle will be at an end at the weekend and I have smiled gracefully throughout (mostly) and I am so looking forward to just being with my love and The Bean and welcoming visitors when we feel like it not when we are expected to put our lives to one side in perpetuity. My

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  10. Clare, you raise an interesting point that has current importance. This can be seen as a personal flaw among these particular women but also as a reflection on the social context. For as far back as we can see among hominids and other animal species, it’s nearly always the male who is bigger and therefore the protector and provider. It’s male against male to claim female partners who are enslaved in many ways. And it’s women who are forced to submit in order to enjoy the highest possible status. To be able to eat, to be safe.

    True across the globe among all cultures despite notable independent women who’ve stood out for recognition, almost always to protect the underserved, the down trodden, and the oppressed. Women of intelligence and vision, Amazons and rebels in their way.

    Seen in this fabricated atmosphere of forced male dominance, the Eva Brauns are powerless women staking their place in an unfair world. It takes courage, which Braun didn’t have, to declare oneself just as deserving and noble as any man. Deep down I suspect they don’t believe they can be independent “in a man’s world,” so they see no benefit to standing up for others. It’s better for them to attach themselves to a strong male figure.

    There’s also an element of bullying involved. “My daddy beat me, mommy didn’t protect me, so I take pleasure in beating others, no matter how underserved it is.” Selfishness as well as a hope that when the dust settles they will be on top of the pile with a crown in place. I make no excuses for these horrid people but I see how powerless they must feel.

    I don’t know how to account for someone like Ann Coulter who declared that refugee babies crying for their mothers are just child actors reading lines given them by liberals. Had I not seen the interview, I wouldn’t believe even she could stoop so low to declare something so outrageous and unbelievable. But then, she’s Coulter – I don’t imagine she actually has a human heart.

    The other issue is the whole problem we see with the divisions happening in the U.S. Them vs. Us, the Other vs. the Entitled, the Religious vs. the Damned. And in its worst manifestation but probably the one that is closest to their sense of skewed righteousness, it’s white vs. dark skinned, Christian vs. Unsaved. It’s the attitude that God told them in the bible that they’re right – God did not, nor did Moses, Jesus, Buddha, or the Dalai Lama.

    With trump* in the WH, it’s so easy to hide behind the flag and pretend it’s about immigration laws. He’s built his brand by pretending to be an outsider and I guess that’s true. My daddy didn’t give me “only $14,000,000,” so I guess I’m an insider and therefore despised. (I’m also the grandchild of immigrants whose English was limited, a Jew, and a lifelong Democrat.) It’s easy to see all the factions and pretend they are united by cause when they’re united by two issues only: fear and hatred. The Eva Brauns are afraid of losing their places to the darker skinned folks who they only allow on their property to clean their houses – literally they are only worth the right to pick up sh-t.

    I’m with you, Clare – I DO CARE, VERY MUCH. THAT BABY IS CRYING FOR ITS MOTHER. CRYING SOUNDS THE SAME IN ANY LANGUAGE AND FROM THE MOUTH OF ANY PERSON NO MATTER THEIR COLOR. I’M CRYING TOO.

    Melania trump does not represent the United States of America, most certainly not as First Lady. How dare she flaunt such a message while boarding her fancy jet that the citizens of this country pay for.

    *I do not capitalize trump’s name, nor for any of his brood, nor “nazi.”

    (Edit as you choose.)

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    1. Yes, Charley and I had a long talk today about the origins of why women have taken so long to demand their rightful place – especially here in the US and we certainly agree that physical strength played a large role. Now that we have come into an age which requires more intellect than brawn to succeed, women have the means to be on an equal footing with men – as long as they have the same educational opportunities. Another facet we explored was that of religion, the grand patriarchal institution which has always kept women in their place. We’re seeing the last vestiges of that in the fundamentalists. But THESE 9 women I name, the trumpettes, are a whole different breed. They have been given the education, the financial means, the opportunities, yet they still have chosen to do it the easy way on a man’s coat tails. I find them deplorable.

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    2. Oh, I forgot – I watched the documentary on Eva Braun and she was as much an opportunist as Melania. She was a spoiled child who used Hitler to live a frivolous life. As for good ole Melanie – I’ve always thought she’s a Russian plant put into place years ago by Putin when plans were being hatched to put the moron in the WH. If I didn’t have so many writing projects going on, I’d use it for a story plot.

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  11. A great post, Clare. This needed to be said, and I really hope that the necessary changes can happen, whether they are brought about by women or men – probably women, as men haven’t done well so far. The US of the past 18 months has been viewed by those of us in other countries with amusement, bewilderment and now complete horror. Fingers crossed that the midterms put the brakes on before this lunatic destroys your country, or at least relegates it to the role of an isolated bit-part player on the world stage.

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    1. Hello, Clive! The American people, not his deplorable base, are working very hard to take care of each other and make things right agiain. Yes, he is a horror! Evil personified. Hopefully, his pact with the devil has an expiration date and he will be dragged down to his final resting place with his buddies among the cinders.

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      2. Clive- 2017 was SOMETHING ELSE! I finished writing, published and launched Last Train to Kingston in July. Then I finished working on Carnivore Conundrum with an art student I mentored fom the university and we launched it in December while I was finishing wrtiting and editing Last Rose on the Vine which launched in April. It was bit too much and my poor blog suffered. But I am now leisurely finishing Last Rose on the Vine which is due to be launched in July of 2019 – so I have oodles of time on my hands when I’m not selling books and doing signings and giving talks. I think one book a year is going to be enough for this old lady from now on. Great to chat with you, my friend. A vicarious visit to jolly old England is definetly in order. See you there!

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      3. I’ve been following your exploits via Facebook. It does seem to have been a busy and exciting time for you. I hope all is going well with all of your projects and that you are also finding time to relax and enjoy some downtime too. If you ever do a book signing here I’ll be there!

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      4. Clive, I am definitely going back to England as soon as possible. And I’ll make sure we meet when I do.My very first blog follower was in New England from London last week and we had a nice few days together. It can happen!

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      5. That would be lovely, hope it happens – not too soon though, as I’m not allowed either to travel or have visitors at the moment, due to health issues. Sounds like you had a good time – did you know that another follower has deserted France to live in the US now? All because her husband lives there – tsk 😂

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  12. Congrats on launching your second book, Ethel! What a huge accomplishment!!
    Any violation of human rights is despicable.
    I never understood Eva Braun, the nazis who murdered all the Jews in the Holocaust, Jim Jones’ followers. How deceived do you have to be to blindly follow to the death?? And kill your own children??
    And abortion today, is just as bad as the Holocaust, and worse than Jim Jones. We are killing our own children. It is tragic.
    Love, Lucy

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    1. Hello, Lucy! and thank you.
      I’m aware that we feel very differently about religion and the abortion issue. I think in this critical time in our nation, I should be transparent with you about how I live my own life. I truly believe a restrictive organized religion and its self-righteous male patriarchy always has been an easy way for entitled white men to make women know they are in charge of our minds and our bodies.
      My own beliefs are much deeper than what I was once told to believe. (I was brought up Catholic.) I know that we are more than flesh and that a soul is an entity that moves on to another place, another “future” body when a pregnancy is ended. By imposing views and narrowly defining beliefs and telling us when we become living, human beings, religious leaders (mostly males) have been able to ensure they will be the ones who control us and how we live our lives. Very heady for them, don’t you think?
      As an atheist, I and I alone choose how I live my life. I choose to follow the Christian path, taking care of people and respecting rather than controlling other people’s lives. I believe that ALL children are OUR children, not just little white babies and we should be doing whatever it takes to protect ALL of them.
      I clearly see the hypocrisy of people who will condone bombing birth control centers, killing doctors, doing nothing to help immigrant children whose parents are trying to find them a safe place to grow up and become caring adults. The religious groups who practice this hypocrisy in the name of their “one true faith” are of the same ilk as those poor, brainwashed “religious” followers of Jim Jones. They cannot think or they choose not to think for themselves. They are seriously blinded by what they have been told to believe about abortion. It doesn’t surprise me how blindly they follow a demagogue like Trump. A hypocrite leading hypocrites to destroy what is truly good in our world, in our democracy and replace it with an autocracy that is comfortable for anyone who wants someone else to do the thinking for them. I’ll take democracy any day. I’ve always been one who prefers doing my own thinking and I believe I should be taking care of the LIVING among us to the best of my ability.
      Just as my beliefs may be alien and objectional to you, fundamentalist’s beliefs cause me to wonder why some people do not want to look deeper into their own souls to discover right and wrong instead of letting it be defined for them. I just can’t comprehend choosing not to make my own decisions.
      And so, in this tumultouosus time in our country, I feel we all need to be transparent and clear about where we stand. Democracy and our Constitution empower women and it was something we had to fight to get. So, here’s to the Year of the Woman. The Eva Brauns among us who choose to let religion and the men who control religion, control them, are free to accept their fate. It’s not a role I could ever see myself comfortable in. Love, Ethel

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  13. Hey Ethel, I totally agree about bombing the abortion clinics, and killing the drs is wrong. Murder is always wrong, no matter what.
    I’ve come to my own beliefs by basing myself on reading the Bible.
    I’ve come to understand you quite a lot by reading your posts! 😉
    Also, that we disagree on many issues. But I’m so happy we can agree to disagree, and still remain friends!!
    Supporting the Constitution is one of my firm beliefs also.
    Sad news, my blog is moving again. 😦
    http://purpleslobinrecovery.blogspot.com
    Love, Lucy

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    1. Lucy, And that is what is great about bloggers. We read each others posts and get to know people’s thoughts and ideas from all over the world. It causes us to stop and ponder and sometimes even to reassess our priorities. Please make sure you keep in touch so I know where your blog is. You have my email, so you can send me information. No excuse for losing track of each other. Love, Ethel

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