A coincidence of names

The Herald reports on a controversy over Nazi uniforms at a military re-enactment dinner:

Steve Goodman, of the Military Re-enactment Society, said the photos of Nazi images had been taken out of context. He said different army units – including American troops – were represented at the dinner which had been themed as 1940s Germany.

Mr Goodman said he was taking legal action against the person who had been spreading highly defamatory information about the society.

The chairman of the Jewish Council of New Zealand, also called Stephen Goodman, said the photos did not show anything “insidious”.

I would not have thought Stephen Goodman was that common a name!

In terms of the main issue, I think this is an over-reaction. The dinner was firstly a private event, but secondly many army units were represented there. That is different to the normal bouts of stupidity around Nazi uniforms.

Secretary Cliff Tuckey said they dressed as German soldiers, but every effort was made to downplay the symbol. “We never want to upset anyone if possible,” he said. “We don’t fly swastika flags, we don’t wear any insignia that can be seen at a distance.”

Its not a hobby I would choose, but if you are going to re-enact WWII, it is hard to do it without the Germans!