Well That Didn't Work

DON'T MESS WITH A HISTORY MAJOR
Someone anonymously posted this comment under my last entry:
"hitler was suspected to be gay- he married his wife as he came to power just to be a symbol- he shot her before he shot himself...he was also arrested for possesion of narcotics (i believe cocaine but i forget which) and during his incarceration wrote mein kampf, and how did fdr have 2 mistresses? he had polio and could barely move? when he stood up to give speeches he had steel braces on his legs that wouldnt allow them to bend and kept him upright to the point where when he 'walked' to the podium he was dragged by men on both sides"

First of all, I'd like to remind this gentle reader that my previous entry was a copy of two well known jokes that are circulating around the internet. As for their merit, let me start with his/her comments about Hitler before I move on to Franklin D. Roosevelt.

While Adolf Hitler is by few, if any means, admirable, the information presented in that joke is true. Hitler was a vegetarian, didn't smoke, drank occasionally and never cheated on his wife, Eva Braun, who he married not as he rose to power (to become a symbol as my reader claims) but right before both committed suicide. Eva Braun was the only woman Hitler ever took as a wife and there has never been any historic or documented evidence that he had any sexual relations outside of his marriage, although years prior to meeting Eva, it is believed that Hitler fell in love with one of his nieces (the daughter of his half sister, Angela Raubal) named Geli Raubal. While their relationship and her death is the cause of continued controversy, the claim that Hitler never had a mistress while married to Eva Braun has remained completely uncontested. As for the claim that Hitler was arrested for cocaine use, I'm afraid that my reader is again mistaken. Hitler was arrested twice, first in 1919 after being accused of being a socialist and again in 1923 for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch, where he and other leaders of the Kampfbund made an unsuccessful attempt to gain power in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It was after his conviction for this offense that Hitler wrote Mein Kampf. Hitler was never arrested for drug use although it is common knowledge that the Germans did experiment with cocaine for performance enhancement of their soldiers around 1883 (but stopped such treatments shortly thereafter due to its ineffectiveness.)

As for FDR...
Franklin D. Roosevelt had at least three mistresses while in the White House. The first was Lucy Page Mercer, secretary to his wife, Eleanor. Eleanor was frequently away from Washington and it was in these years that Roosevelt met, and perhaps fell in love with, Lucy. While emptying his suitcase after a European trip in 1918, Eleanor found some love letters from Lucy to FDR. She was devastated by the discovery, and confronted her husband with the letters. Although she offered FDR a divorce, he did not want to hurt his family or abandon his political ambitions -- both of which would have occurred had the divorce proceeded. Eventually, Eleanor agreed to remain married -- but on the condition that he stop seeing Lucy. Unbeknowst to Eleanor, their affair supposedly continued until FDR's death in 1945. FDR also dallied with Marguerite "Missy" LeHand, his secretary begining in 1923. Finally, it has been documented that FDR shared several "intimate moments" with Princess Martha of Norway who stayed in the White House during World War Two. (And just FYI, FDR was afflicted with polio at the age of 39, i.e. 1921. His affair with Lucy Mercer began considerably prior to that point even though he had been married to Eleanor Roosevelt since 1905.)

I understand why my reader (whoever he or she may be) could be offended by the joke I posted in my previous entry, but its just food for thought. I do not believe that Hitler was a better person or leader than FDR; the things mentioned in that entry were only minute portions of both men's lives. The fact that Hitler planned to kill millions of Jews, homosexuals, etc. was not mentioned, nor was the fact that FDR is credited with pulling America out of the great depression. Lighten up...and get your facts straight.

All of the above information can be verified at Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica ,and a number of various websites containing the biographies of both men as well as numerous novels about them including several written by people close to both men and the situations aforementioned. Thanks everyone, have a great day!

P.S.-Don't mess with a history major. Just kidding.
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