Journal: To 12/31/03

Ruth Hanna Sachs

December 31, 2003

To recap a long anIt's hard to remember on days like these that somewhere tulip bulbs lie dormant, expectantly awaiting warm spring mornings. Or that our mulberry tree will ever have leaves. Everything looks like death, yet hopes of new life. Difficult year... Besides our own health issues, our family lost a dear friend in August. Dr. Johann Forster ~ Hansi to me and Denise ~ died tragically on August 4. He was only 46. His encouragement, both emotional and tangible, in the White Rose work had kept us going through some discouraging days.

This was also a time when we learned how closely mental, physical, and intellectual health are related. When one goes, the others are hard put to stay intact. It's nearly impossible to work well when you're not. Small things like data entry into the Access database took far too long. Everything slowed down to molasses.

On the bright side, in October I got to present our White Rose work at the Women in German conference (Carrollton, Kentucky). I could barely participate in many of the "extracurricular" activities and spent more time than I like holed up in my hotel. But it felt good to get a positive response from real, live people.

Lilo Ramdohr continues to encourage us. She embraces our vision. Amazing how the people who have nothing to hide don't mind it when you expose their warts!

Also got a very nice letter from Traute Lafrenz. She answered a bunch of additional questions, including queries I had about Werner Scholl (Hans Scholl respected and admired his younger brother far more than has been told to date), as well as about Katharina Schueddekopf (she did more than she's been credited with).

But we are going to have to evaluate the status of this work. That will come at the first of the New Year.

October 28, 2003

We have had a great deal of illness in our family this year. Common Ground has been all but abandoned. For now. The illness has meant that simple tasks take twice, if not three times as long.

We know that we are among the lucky few in this America ~ a place that can be harsh, if not deathly for someone in bad health. For all of us have health insurance. And we have doctors who can treat the IBS and skin cancers and infections and debilitating inflammations.

We're all getting healthy once again, slowly but surely. We are looking for 2004 to be a time of uncommon goodness. You're forewarned!

May 1, 2003

First Common Ground column posted. Truly hoping this can turn into a forum for honest, meaningful discussion. Talking to a Turkish fellow we met at the Dreyfus Conference on using an excerpt from his discussion about historical attempts to establish a secular Muslim state in Turkey. This is the kind of thing that needs ~ desperately needs ~ a wide audience. War solves nothing.

April 25, 2003

Starting on the next White Rose "thing" ~ publication of the indictment, trial transcript and partial interrogation transcripts for the third White Rose trial (Josef Soehngen, Manfred Eickemeyer, Wilhelm Geyer, and Harald Dohrn). Also, the 1937-1938 interrogations and trial for Hans and Werner Scholl, and Ernst Reden.

Have to proceed cautiously with the latter ~ not out of fear of Scholls, though I have no doubt they'd be livid. But because it includes information about Hans Scholl's sexual activities with boys who were minors at the time. Can't publish their names.

And have to make certain that we don't sell to minors. Pretty explicit text.

April 18, 2003

Taxing time of year, even if you don't count the IRS. Oh well. At least filing income tax returns gives me an excuse to clean up paperwork I've put off for months now. Massive filing campaign ~ I can see all of my office floor for the first time in a year!

Thanks to Dr. Ziegler, I now have a copy of Detlef Bald's new White Rose book. It's pretty awful. Bald goes on and on about how wonderful it is that he has Dr. Wittenstein's diary entries and letters to use to expand his White Rose knowledge. Too bad Bald wasn't honest enough to admit that Wittenstein's diary entries etc. are "reconstructed" (yes, I have a copy!) and that they don't mention White Rose work.

Bald's book is one more example of horrible, fake "scholarship" by someone who just wants to cash in on the legend. So frustrating.

April 4, 2003

A week to play catch-up and not much else. Loads of emails to answer. Starting on the next White Rose project already. Very tired. Hard to get motivated.

Ruth's journal, January 1 through March 31, 2003

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