THE BIOPIC JOHN RABE CELEBRATES A NAZI WHO SAVED 200,000 CHINESE LIVES
Historians record the death of 300,000 Chinese in the “Rape of Nanjing” of 1937 at the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army. Similar to Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), the film John Rabe, directed and written by Florian Gallenberger from John Rabe’s diary, reveals heroism by the head of the Siemens power plant in Nanjing and the cruelty of the Japanese conquerors. With the approach of the Japanese army, Rabe (played by Ulrich Tukur) is about to be replaced by Werner Fleiss (played by Mathias Herrmann). But Fleiss has no plans to take care of the Chinese who have faithfully worked for the power plant, which is responsible for electricity as far away as Kiangsu. So Rabe ousts Fleiss, unfurls a Nazi flag under which Chinese are saved from bombing, is voted to head the expatriate community, and arranges to create a safe zone within Nanking that will be free from aggression. Outside the zone, the Japanese take no prisoners, preferring brutal aggression against the trapped residents and summary executions under orders from Prince Asaka Yasuhiko (played by Teruyuki Kagawa). Fleiss, however, plots revenge, which comes in the final scene, followed by titles reporting more on the historical context—that Rabe died uncelebrated in 1950 because he was a Nazi Party member. John Rabe has been nominated by the Political Film Society for best picture in all four categories—democracy, exposé, human rights, and peace. MH
PLEASE REMOVE YOUR SHOES DOCUMENTS REMOVAL OF REASON BY TSA
Airline passengers are annoyed not only by long lines and gruff treatment at confusing airports but recall first being required to remove their shoes (after the shoebomber) and then being limited to small containers of creams. But has anyone asked why there were breaches at Logan Airport on 9/11 and why we were not asked to remove shoes or limited to small cream tubes immediately afterward? The answer is provided in the documentary Please Remove Your Shoes, directed by Rob DelGaudio, a DVD of which is now available for purchase. In regard to the Logan Airport security breach, the film provides evidence that warnings were ignored in a Congressional investigation report, a video aired on Boston television in May 2001, and testimony from security testing agents before 9/11. Although there is no specific mention of shoe inspections and cream inspections, the answer to the question is that bureaucrats put their own careers and prerogatives above public safety. The evidence in the film comes from security testing agents, air marshals, journalists, passengers, members of Congress, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) refused to respond to the claims made in the film. The film concludes with a series of recommendations for changes at TSA that would convert the agency into a teamwork-based, results-oriented organization similar to the U.S. military. Some of the most disturbing facts, in support of the thesis that TSA has brought an increase in terrorist threats, are that (1) those experienced in matters of security and undercover operations have been fired, (2) standards of professionalism have been reduced, (3) suggestions by air marshals and other line personnel for improvement are ignored and discouraged, (4) 98 percent of funding focuses on only one form of travel (air travel), and (5) TSA published its own screening manual online and revealed its onboard modus operandi with an ad on television. Although TSA refused to deal officially with the FBI, CIA, and the State Department regarding potential terrorists during the Bush administration, and Congress held up President two of Obama’s nominees for TSA administrator, a former FBI official was finally confirmed on June 25, 2010 (after unqualified Bush-era appointees). Press leaks have been the only way to provide constructive suggestions, including the documentary itself, so time will tell whether the TSA continues to be staffed by amateurs creating a façade of protection for air travelers that can be exploited again in the future. MH