Machine Gun God

"Hans, do you hate the Jews?"

"Pretty much do now."

"But before - before the camp was built. Did you hate them then?"

"I heard the talk but never much thought about it. You expect me to go out on some sort of research expedition?"

"No, no. But you hate them now?"

"It's our duty. They wouldn't have us loading them into the kilns for no reason. They must have done something pretty awful to cause all this to happen."

"Ja, that's what I thought too. It would be crazy to order this unless there's a good reason. But my wife says we should each judge for ourselves what is right and wrong."

"Don't talk treason, Frederick. No man is bigger than the state. If you're going to start causing trouble I'm going to stop talking to you."

"Oh, it's nothing like that. But her Christian god will punish us, she says, if we are unjust."

"You think too much."

"But what if it's true!"

"It can't be. If this is all murder then what justice can there be? How can these people be brought back to life? All these orphans growing up alone, how can that be fixed? Punishing us later fixes nothing. If there's a god of justice that god has to stop the wrongs before they happen, OK?  I don't see anything stopping us."

"The Americans are coming."

"I've heard that too. But are they your god of justice?"

"I don't know. I don't know if they fight for the Jews or not."

"If they win the war, will they stop? Will they let go of war or will they go on warring, always looking for someone new to kill? They could be just like us."

"Will they be angry for us working here at the camp?"

"How can they be? Wasn't our idea to do this. The commandant says we are serving our country. We just do as we're told like good people do."

"Even Heinrich? He has a picture of the Fuhrer in every room in his house. He says the Fuhrer is a force for good. They'll leave him alone too?"

"Heinrich is an asshole. He just likes anybody that makes him feel good about being an asshole."

"Do the Americans put their Jews in camps?"

"How should I know? But I don't believe they are any better than us. If their President said to kill and rape women and children, they would do it. It's OK to do that to the enemy."

"So Jews are our enemy?"

"That's what's been decided. They cause bad things to happen. You can read about it anywhere."

"Yes, I know. So when they're gone, you'll be happy?"

"Me? My life is shit. I got no life. No woman can want me. To die would be good."

"You blame the Jews for that?"

"Feels better to blame them than me. I'll do anything not to face myself." Hans turned to look directly at Frederick. "Anything."

"But what if everything we're doing is wrong? Maybe we shouldn't be killing anybody. If this is a giant lie, how do we wash the blood from our hands? How can we be forgiven?"

"Stop it, Frederick! That is too horrible to contemplate. We mustn't think of such things. Do you not like providing for your wife and children? Do you remember how we struggled before we got camp jobs? Do you want to go back to that?"

"Of course not...but not everything can come down to money, can it?"

"Sure as hell has been so far."