Oh yeah. Imagine Werner's future as a human and husband/family man had he refused to join the party, wear whatever uniform they considered appropriate for him and his position, refusing to build rockets to attack the Island. He spent time in jail for far less. They killed dissidents, and their families. We have no idea. I wasn't there. Neither were you.
Only he knows the personal demons he faced in later years, knowing all that was learned later, by him and us. I will never, I hope, have to walk in his shoes. This guilt by association is wrong...so few who raise it have any idea of the situation of those days. It's so easy to throw rocks, having never lived under very visible supervision of the SS and Hitler as he did.
The man was a rocket scientist at heart, and the leading countries of the world knew damn well what that meant, and made what, in retrospect, may have been "uncomfortable" decisions (for the US at least, no comment on the Soviet side). The Soviets found their scientists. When a man of Von Braun's stature in rocketry seeks the Allies out for surrender, what should they have done? Same with their nuclear scientists who fled. How would the future (our present) have changed? Oh, Werner should have fled? Are you him?
Hindsight is 20/20, but, in the decades following, I think that turning Von Braun's V-2 development into the triumph of the Saturn and Apollo program (and the numerous interim steps) needs to at least be considered as a turn for the better. American political sensitivities (using a MRBM) prevented the earlier employment of the Jupiter/Redstone for the first US satellite, what matters a political loss in the name of....what? Symbolism? There was a buidup going on.
We can read about Facism, and the Nazi regime, but we were not there, I suspect none of us were. I see it as a grossly overused and desperate argument. It has absolutely nothing to do with the reality of Apollo, just an attempt to fling mud when all else has failed.
Joe really beat on it. Why would that be? Maybe the impact of the word? I find such tactics cheap and cowardly. Especially on what seems a comedic toned radio show. You don't fling such words so hapahzardly, it cheapens what those days in Germany and their occupied countries really meant.
It numbs us to the real meaning. Just quit that crap, Joe, et al.
I've edited this numerous times, let me know if I'm out of line.
Another rant done.
Dave