Just in case there was ever any doubt that Republicans are sore losers and have to now appear more hardline just to keep their base of ignoramuses happy (also known as the Marilyn Manson effect), here’s a very interesting article.
The original link’s at the bottom. In short, this guy’s father was a Nazi. Yes, a real National Socialist from Germany during WW2, not one of these “neo”-nazis or other trailer-trash with shaved heads (not that it’s a good thing, mind you, just adds an aura of authenticity). He was an ardent Nazi, got de-nazified by the Allies in the aftermath and leaned left, hard. Here are some excerpts:
My Dad eventually completely abandoned his former political views. In fact, he became a progressive. In their younger days, he and my mother were both active in their union, and my mother is a member of the SPD to this day (when former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder visited San Antonio, I got to have a beer with him). When my father moved up in the company, he would be conflicted during labor disputes since he was now middle management and couldn’t participate in strikes anymore.
And of course, when drunk, he pulled out the Horst Wessel.
In spite of his complete 180, my father never forgot the propaganda he was subjected to in his childhood. Whenever he was really drunk, he would start singing Nazi songs, and my mother had to drag him home before he got beaten up.
And before he died, he visited his son and the son had Faux News on, and look what ensued.
In 2004, my father visited me in San Antonio for the last time. Due to his strong opposition to the war in Iraq and the death penalty, he was not crazy about coming to Texas, but he was curious to see the new condo that I had bought. So he and my mother came for Christmas.
One day, we had the TV on, and for whatever reason (that I have forgotten), we were watching Fox News. My father watched for about ten minutes, then he said, “What is this?”
“Fox News,” I answered.
“This is some kind of joke, right?”
“Uhm, no.”
“You mean this is an actual news show? Not satire?” My father obviously thought I was pulling his leg.
“No, it’s not satire. Why are you asking?” I said.
“Because all you have to do is change a few adjectives, and it’s Nazi talk.”
Anyone surprised yet? And then the author repeats stuff straight out of a sociology text, but still valid nevertheless.
Now I am not saying that Republicans are Nazis, but they do employ totalitarian rhetoric, and sometimes… well, they do sound like Nazis. Here are some eerie parallels:
- “homeland” and all the imagery connected to it (also prominently featured in patriotic songs)
- Invocation of patriotism, of which there is supposedly never enough
- Glorification of the military while regarding actual soldiers as disposable
- Glorification of motherhood with ulterior motives (the Lebensborn movement got started with homes for unwed mothers to prevent abortions)
- “We” are the good guys, not because of what we do (or don’t do) but because we say so
- “We” are superior at anything and everything, again because we say so – Discrimination against a particular minority is morally justified to preserve national security
- Even though racism and gender discrimation are considered morally right, ideology supercedes racial, ethnic, or gender affiliation. Minority members are tolerated (“We decide who’s a Jew”) and women can have careers if they are useful to the party
- A crime or injustice was committed against us, so we must punish somebody, whether they had anything to do with it or not
- If we lose a war, it’s the left-wing traitors’ fault
- Everybody else is out to get us, and we must get them first
- Messed up grammar and nonsensical sentence structures interrupted by bumper sticker-style slogans. If you ever tried to read Mein Kampf in the original (I don’t recommend it), you would be reminded of a Sarah Palin speech
Anyhow, we all know about the incessant militarization of the US and all that, but this article is just a gentle reminder of where these guys get their ideas from.
A wise man once said “Strong talk poisons weak minds”, and look at what’s on the news stations right now.
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said. Friends said he had been upset recently about losing his job and that he feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns.
Three officers were killed, said a police official at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Police spokeswoman Diane Richard would only say that at least five officers were wounded, but wouldn’t give any other details.
…
The shootings occurred just two weeks after four police officers were fatally shot March 21 in Oakland, Calif., in the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001.
Police did not immediately release the gunman’s identity, but his friends identified him as Richard Poplawski, 23. They described him as a young man who thought the Obama administration would ban guns.
One friend, Edward Perkovic, said Poplawski feared ”the Obama gun ban that’s on the way” and ”didn’t like our rights being infringed upon.” Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said Poplawski feared that President Obama was going to take away his rights, though he said he ”wasn’t violently against Obama.”
Of course, no is openly “violently” against the goverment, but wanna bet this moron watched Faux News all day? Or had his radio turned to Rush and Hannity like a good little wingnut dittohead? Give the vitriol a few more years and out of the cauldron of seething resentment and right-wing lunacy, another McVeigh shall rise.
Sources:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/4/3/715956/-This-is-a-joke,-isnt-it-My-Ex-Nazi-Fathers-Reaction-to-Fox-News
http://www.baytzim.com/blog/2009/apr/4/man_shoots_three_police_officers_be-26/
