Originally written in 2002 and as relevant today as it was four years ago, an updated version of the article was prompted by my foray into political message boards dominated by neoconservatives, fascists, Christian jihadists, and political ideologues whose allegiance to George W. Bush is reminiscent of Germans who vowed allegiance to Adolf Hitler. Any criticism of Bush is deemed anti-American and dissent is deemed treasonous. Increasingly, the Bush Administration, the political ideologues who vow allegiance to Bush, and Bush supporters in the corporate-owned media display an open hostility against those who raise legitimate criticisms of Bush. This “circle the wagons” or “bunker mentality” indicates the ruling party views American citizens as enemies to be controlled through illegal wiretapping and more powers to the police state in the form of the Patriot Act.
“If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” – James Madison while representing Virginia in the United States Congress (1789-1797)
----------
It was the old Nazi, Hermann Göring, who said, "Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship." When reminded the people in a democratic country, like the United States, have some influence on the matter through elected leaders and only the United States Congress can declare war, Göring replied, "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Today, little effort is required to find similarities between the United States of 2006 and Germany of the 1930s. With a court-installed leader, two elections with numerous instances of voting fraud by the ruling party, and a compliant Congress using meaningless nationalistic slogans, the American people receive either too little information, half-truths or, in some cases, outright lies. Disturbingly, Americans seem all the more willing to blindly follow on a road of never ending war, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and possibly Iran, that in addition to slaughtering innocent people is destroying the very foundations of American democracy.
Any serious study of Nazi Germany reveals a German populace that became, in many instances, willing travelers on a road of violence eventually leading to the arrest, detention, torture, and mass murder of countless millions. In an eerie resemblance to Nazi Germany, millions of Americans, right-wing politicians, extremist talk radio hosts, and other hooligans of the far right, advocate the arrest and detention of Muslims for unspecified periods of time as well as supporting the torture of those arrested. In a society where those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty, large numbers of Americans appear willing to throw out this sound legal principle for political expediency with little regard for the consequences. If we permit the state to ignore the constitutional liberties of Muslims or permit the torture of Muslim prisoners, how long will it be before these policies are extended to other groups such as African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, homosexuals, antiwar protesters, members of the clergy, or those with dissident political views? Where does it end?
During the Nazi-era in Germany, Pastor Martin Niemöller, who initially supported Adolf Hitler’s rise to power, addressed his moral failure when he wrote, "In Germany, they first came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Catholic. Then they came for me -- and by that time there was nobody left to speak up." Today, who has the courage to speak out against the all-out assault on our civil liberties?
If we are to achieve the stated goals of the “global war against terrorism”, punishing and/or killing terrorists and protecting American citizens, we could better achieve these goals by insisting our government adhere to the democratic principles that made the United States a great nation. Additionally, we must insist our government institute economic, foreign, and social policies to make the world a more equitable place. Working to end racism, sexism, ending discrimination against gays and lesbians, and eliminating the tremendous disparity between rich and poor will go a long way toward eliminating the root causes of terrorism. Rather than waving little flags and blindly following, we can begin a serious dialogue to eliminate these evils. Only then will we achieve peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment