This from wikipedia:

The Western Allies turned over increasing authority to German officials and moved to establish a nucleus for a future German government by creating a central Economic Council for their zones. The program later provided for a West German constituent assembly, an occupation statute governing relations between the Allies and the German authorities, and the political and economic merger of the French with the British and American zones. On May 23, 1949, the Grundgesetz (Basic Law), the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, was promulgated. Following elections in August, the first federal government was formed on September 20, 1949, by Konrad Adenauer (CDU). The next day, the occupation statute came into force, granting powers of self-government with certain exceptions.

After the Petersberg agreement West Germany quickly progressed toward fuller sovereignty and association with its European neighbors and the Atlantic community. The London and Paris agreements of 1954 restored most of the state’s sovereignty (with some exceptions) in May 1955 and opened the way for German membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). In April 1951, West Germany joined with France, Italy and the Benelux countries in the European Coal and Steel Community (forerunner of the European Union).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Germany_since_1945

Also to add to Charlie’s post not only would we shell towns when we received sniper fire we would also execute German POW’s as a reprisal. The Russians would do what the Germans did and randomly pick male civilians off the street and publicly execute them as a reprisal. If you read the above wiki link you’ll see that German POW’s were used as slave labor and at one point 2,000 of them were dying each month from clearing landmines.

Between the preachy left wing politics, the pretentious crap being made by baby boomer and GenX directors, and all the bathroom humor and gratuitous sex scenes, I haven’t stepped foot in a theatre or a video store in the past 4 or 5 years.

Robert Redford is a perfect example of what liberals like about other liberals. He appears intelligent, mature, deep thinking, self assured, etc. Rather than get involved in a pointed debate with conservatives, and actually have to defend their positions, most liberals prefer to take comfort in the fact that there’s lots of other people who agree with them. Having a guy like Redford on their side makes liberals feel all warm and fuzzy.

*Our* combat phase lasted less than four years in WWII. In Iraq, our combat phase lasted 3 months.

During the long occupation of Germany, when an American soldier was killed, it was standard practice to set up an artillery piece and shell the offending town randomly through the night. The Geneva Convention did not outlaw such reprisals against civilian populations until 1949.

No one longs for a return to the harsher measures tolerated during WWII. My youngest son spent this past summer working for friends in Germany. A couple of years ago, my middle son lived with friends in Japan and went to school there. What does that tell you about the value of combining strength with respect for others, a formula that looks to be working perfectly well again in Iraq and Afghanistan?

And I can’t seem to stop looking at Redford’s surgically enhanced eyelids.

And I can’t seem to stop looking at Redford’s surgically enhanced eyelids.