— from David Kobrin —
Of course no one knows what the future –even the near future – may hold. Still, there is the possibility that the treatment of many in our nation soon may be determined by factors such as country of origin, skin color, religion, disability or gender, rather than by an assessment of the individual him or herself.
Because of this concern on my part I offer the following quotation from the prosecutor’s summary at the Nuremberg Trials (1945 – 1946). The Allies – including the United States – set up these trials just after World War II. Their purpose was to judge major Nazi leaders for their part in “crimes against humanity.”
“…the individual human being, the ultimate unit of all law, is not disentitled to the protection of mankind when the state tramples upon his rights in a manner which outrages the conscience of mankind.”
It’s startling to me even to imagine there could be any similarities between the Germany of many years ago and our potential situation today. I certainly hope that my fears are never realized in our nation, whose laws are based on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, including the first Ten Amendments.
Thank you David. I feel we must each personally resolve to stand up for those who are singled out because they are “different” — or else WE may be those for whom no one is left to speak up. I found this little guide very helpful: https://www.themarysue.com/bystanders-harassment-guide/
Thank you, David. I, too, hope that Nazisim of the past will not revisit the United States of the future. I can only hope that the days and months to come include the ability to move forward on a rational course as we did after the assassination of Kennedy in 1962. Let’s please all try to work together, assess problems together, seek solutions together, and join together to make the world a better place for this and future generations. I hope my optimism is not in vain.
Donald Trump reminds me more of Richard Nixon than the Nazi party leader, and the economic circumstances of Weimar Germany were a far cry from today’s economy (hyperinflation, currency collapse, etc.), so I think it is premature to embrace such a black swan scenario. We marched against Nixon, perhaps it will be time to dust off that sixties playbook to protest erosion of our precious civil liberties and the rights of those threatened by the rise of “conservative” or nationalistic values.
Walls or curtains do not work, study history, they are either torn down or crumble. The ramifications of the Trump administration are something to behold we need to be thinking at least seven generations into the future when making decisions. What is most important is that the house, senate and white house are under one party the last time this took place was with the Hoover Era ,(food for thought.) I shall not be moved , at this point i cannot forgive this “leader” more important i don’t forget .
But be ready for a Reichstag Fire-type event. Right after Hitler was elected to form a coalition government in early 1933, the German Parliament building was set on fire. Hitler blamed the Communists, got President Hindenburg to issue a decree suspending civil liberties, then began arresting Communists. Once the Communist members of Parliament were expelled, Hitler was able to take a majority of seats and consolidate his power.
In our country, Trump has been elected without a majority of the popular vote. Should we have another 9/11-type event, watch out for the Donald trying to suspend many of our rights and moving ahead into a dictatorial mode. Far-fetched? Yes. Possible? Absolutely! We must remain vigilant and ready to take action.
David, you are dead right.
Scott Gianola said: “What is most important is that the house, senate and white house are under one party the last time this took place was with the Hoover Era.”
Actually Scott, that’s incorrect. Single party rule has happened frequently and as recently as the 2009 – 2010 Congress. GW Bush had three different Republican congresses: 2001, 2003 – 2004, and 2005 – 2006. Clinton had one Democratic majority congress: 1993 – 1994. As we ponder the results of last week’s election, there’s no need to create inaccurate facts and correlations to prove a point.
Thanks Rob for researching the frequency of “one party rule” in Washington. Trump has a lot of good o’ boy appointments to take care of, some of which are very troublesome, but history is quite clear that total control on paper doesn’t always translate to 100% unity when it comes to the process of law making. But… the danger that is so clearly articulated by David Kobrin does exist. We must not let a danger slip over into a reality. Senator Kevin Ranker’s “sermon”, entitled BEYOND FEAR, printed in the November 16 issue of The Cascadia Weekly is an excellent read. (available at The Coop)