I would like to trace my German roots.  My great-great-grandfather on my fathers side emigrated from Saxony in the 1860's, but I don't know the name of the town he came from.  I do know the original spelling of my last name, which was anglicized during WWI.  I am not a genealogist though so I really have no idea where to start looking and I refuse to pay some service several hundred dollars with no certainty of any answers.  I know my grandmothers side came to America in the 1770's because my aunt did the research to join the DAR about ten years ago.I think I said in another thread that my wife can trace her family for something like 900 years in the village where her parents still live.  I wish I could trace my family back that far.  It would be fascinating to feel the personal touch of my ancestors when I am doing historical research.  Putting myself in the shoes of the past is why I love history to begin with.

I think my mother, who is English, can trace her family back to 9th century Peterborough, England.  If I remember right I am descended from minor nobility through her.  I am also descended from Irish Nobility on my Dad's mother's side.  I guess that makes me noble, though the folks I work with would probably disagree and I have no Patents of nobility.

I guess I would have to say that you are right if Unemployment numbers are the only indicators of a nations economic health.  The next sticking point becomes, to which beginning for WWII do you refer.  The conventional date for the start of the war in Europe is 1 Sep 1941.  The US did not become formally involved until December 1941.  Some historians date the war's start to the early 30's and japan's invasion of Manchuria.  Niall Ferguson claims that WWI and WWII are but one war with a twenty year interregnum.  Everything is subject to interpretation.I am in the middle of a move right now so will actually be off the net for about a month and a half starting in July.  When I have more time, I will dig up the relevant numbers on industrial output, GDP, GNP, and provide citations for the sources of my contention that WWII did not end the Depression.  I will try my best to not forget.You should notice that nowhere do I say that the war did not aid the recovery, I simply claim that WWII was not solely responsible for the economic recovery from the Depression as popular perception would have it.Lastly, are you now claiming that the depression didn't end until 1954 because that is when the stock market recovered,  Depending on which indicator is chosen, I suppose that argument could also be made.  Everything depends on which benchmark is used, and perception is everything.

I actually got a little offended over the people blatantly trying to influence my vote for the leader of MY country.  I asked them if I should then campaign for Merkel, they said no, that would be intruding on their prerogative.  But had no answer when I asked them if so, why can you try to tell me how vote?  They said that America was so powerful they thought they deserved a say as well.  All I could do was laugh in their face.  I thought oh well, there some birthday parties I won't be invited to.

I mentioned in another thread how my son's history teacher hated the sound of my name because I publicly corrected errors of fact in the curriculum.  My wife and I are also the nemesis (what is the plural for nemesis?) of my sons math teacher.  I have a real problem with the New Math they teach in our local school system.  We got into it with the fifth grade math teacher because we made our son memorize the times tables to twelve.  We were told that we were interfering in the learning process.  We made her eat crow when my son got the highest math score in his class in the standardized TAKS tests they have take here in Texas at the end of the year.I am continually amazed at the poor level of education High school graduates have today.  I first noticed it six years ago when I was a Drill Sergeant.  I initially thought I was just getting old but now that I have a son in Middle School I am certain that schools have been dumbed down from even twenty years ago when I finished High School.  I also notice it in the poor English of some of the board posts on my school discussion boards.  It is almost as though kids are not even taught how to construct a sentence.  Here is some more info on New Math, it is the thing that alarms me the most.  No wonder kids cant make change.  http://mathematicallycorrect.com/

The rise of Sarkozy certainly helped Bush.  It might also be the case that some Europeans are realizing that Bush isn't the warmonger they thought he was.  One thing he is not good at is marketing himself or the message he wants to portray, so this hurts him abroad.  In contrast, Bill Clinton and Obama seem to be all about marketing their images.

With little substance to either of Obama's or Clinton's message.

I dont expect Israel to look out for our best interests except where those interests intersect.  I expect them to look out for themselves, which is what they and WE do.  Like I said previously, we give Israel the support of a fellow democracy.  There are no Arab democracies except maybe for Iraq, and we are supporting the hell out of them too.  Israeli and American interests coincide much more than they diverge.  That cannot be said for most of the countries in that region of the world.  That is another reason we support them.  Our support is also not unconditional either.  I like to think I take a realists approach to foreign policy, the Israeli's are not ideal but they are what we have and the best of the available alternatives.I just think you are too quick to throw Israel under the bus.  They have done and are doing some things that even I the hardliner, think are despicable.  The caveat is that there is no other viable ally of the US in the region, period.  therefore, we are stuck with supporting Israel, like it or not.