After my big blog debut, I couldn’t figure out what to write for a second entry. After all, I pretty much conquered the world with my first one.
And then I saw the new movie Valkyrie. Voila.
We all know it is about an assassination attempt on Hitler. And we all know how it went, so nothing I am going to write will spoil that for you. It is the thoughts that screamed though my brain in that quiet moment when the movie ends and the credits roll that inspired me to write.
I was furious. I was steaming. And okay I wasn’t gnashing them, but I was audibly grinding my teeth. You’d think I was upset that the assassination attempt failed. Well, yeah. Or you’d think that I was angry because it’s a crazy planet where people who wanted to rid the world of a mad man were considered mad. Well, okay, you’re right. But that didn’t cause me to implode.
The thoughts that exploded like a Luftwaffe bomb were much more modern, more specific to my own heart and life. They revolve around the star of the film, Tom Cruise, and the irony that flew from the screen.
In recently publicized events about making Valkyrie, “the German Defense Ministry banned the actor from setting foot on key military sites in the German capital that were to have featured in the production. The ministry said the actor’s membership of the Church of Scientology was the reason behind the ban, and insisted that the makers of the film would not be allowed on its premises “if Count von Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise, who has publicly professed to being a member of the Scientology cult.”
From the U.S. Department of State website:
“Since 1996, government employment offices throughout the country have implemented an Economics and Labor Ministry administrative order directing them to enter an “S” notation next to the names of firms suspected of employing Scientologists. Employment counselors are supposed to warn their clients that they might encounter Scientologists in these workplaces. Some private job centers have also adopted this practice. Scientologists have claimed that the “S” notations violate their right to privacy and interfere with their livelihood.
In 2004, Scientologists continued to report instances of societal discrimination. According to Scientologists, when the Ministry of Trade and Commerce of Baden Wuerttemberg learned in October 2004 that the winner of the “Baden Wuerttemberg Support Prize for Young Companies” had been awarded to a Scientologist, the Ministry withdrew the prize of approximately $20,250 (15,000 euros). In Hamburg, the city refused to renew a Scientology lease of exhibition space, reportedly following complaints from citizens about the Church’s aggressive recruitment activities.
Since the 1990s, four of the major political parties–the Christian Democratic Union, the Christian Social Union, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the Free Democratic Party (FDP)—have banned Scientologists from party membership. Scientologists have unsuccessfully challenged these bans in courts.”
So, let me get this straight. Count von Stauffenberg is a respected war hero in Germany because he attempted to rid the world of a man who committed genocide against millions because of their religion. While this shows that there is appropriate widespread censure and shame, it is doubtful that over the coming centuries Germany will ever be able to wipe clean the stain of nationwide complicity in the holocaust. Now, thanks to Tom Cruise, one German hero shines in our minds against that dark image. But Germany is confirming and repeating its history against the very man who has offered this illumination. Tom Cruise, whose religion is banned from voting in four main German political parties. Whose affiliation is marked with an “S” on government papers. This is a fundamental violation of human rights that has become acceptable in Germany today. And perhaps has always been acceptable.
Another recent report states, “Actually, it turns out the Defense Minister who announced that Scientology and Cruise would not be permitted, overstepped his boundaries. He doesn’t have the authority to ban the project, nor does the Ministry of Defense. There is a separate company in charge of governmental buildings that heads that up. And while von Stauffenberg’s son has not yet given his verdict, his sister, Konstanze von Schulthess-Rechberg, attended the New York premiere and declared the film “a success.”
And the film is a success, not just artistically, but educationally as well. I learned that not all Germans supported Hitler, that not all Germans followed an insane man’s death orders against millions, despite extreme danger to themselves and their families. And of course it must still be true that not all Germans are or were anti-Semitic or anti-Scientology. Because of these Germans, even though religious persecution is the legacy of Germany, it doesn’t have to continue. Only Germans can heal their legacy or forward it. Instead of banning rights for certain religions in Germany, it is time for Germany to seize the opportunity to ban religious discrimination in Germany forever. In this way Germany can truly honor the memory of Count von Stauffenberg, just as Tom Cruise did by making this film.
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