Quoting from an article I read on the internet:
[Adolf] Hitler came to power in Germany on January 30 1933 and almost immediately set out plans that would give the Nazis total power over all newspapers.Read the entire article "Newspapers In Nazi Germany" by following the embedded link contained within its title.
Donald Trump came to power in the United States of America on January 20, 2017 and he immediately went to war with the free press here in the USA. And now, as I now compose this Roland Hansen Commentary, earlier today, February 24, 2017, Trump has started a brand of press censorship on media outlets. I quote:
"CNN and other news outlets were blocked on Friday from attending an off-camera White House press briefing that other reporters were hand-picked to attend, raising alarm among media organizations and First Amendment watchdogs."You may access the full CNN Media audio/visual report, White House blocks news organizations from press briefing, here.
Apparently, Donald Trump is neither a true believer in nor an advocate of a free press.
Is the United States of America under the Trump Administration on the path to that taken by Nazi Germany under Hitler?
Please read each of the following articles to which I am placing embedded links:
You may think I go too far in my analogies. But, I think not. I am reminded of Martin Niemöller.
I feel I have to scream at the top of my lungs to get Trump supporters to learn from history. However, I suspect that Trumpsters are avid practicioners of selective perception.
I say, as did Barry McGuire:
Don't you understand, what I'm trying to say?And now, I say. "That's all, folks."
And can't you feel the fears I'm feeling today?
If the button is pushed, there's no running away,
There'll be no one to save with the world in a grave,
Take a look around you, boy, it's bound to scare you, boy,
And you tell me over and over and over again my friend,
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.
22 comments:
Roland,
Really! You and I think so much alike! If you haven't seen this yet, please read my the latest article I posted in the Swamp: "IS HIS THE START OF SOMETHING SINISTER?" http://swampbubbles.com
And I say, that's fearmongering. You are confusing being shut down and imprisoned with someone just not wanting to talk to you. This is ridiculous for a man who says he wants to post based on provable facts.
Sorry about a typo. It should read "THIS," not "HIS."
CW -- The Nazis did NOT start out imprisoning people. After their earlier actions were received with little protest, and even some who poo-pooed their early persecutions, (recognize anyone here?), and even many who applauded their limiting freedoms, they were emboldened to go further. I am NOT predicting that such extremes will occur here and now. But, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke.
Roland and I prefer to do SOMETHING!
Read this and ask yourself why Trump SHOULD talk to the press...
http://ijr.com/2017/02/810273-reporter-accuses-trump-of-racism-at-wh-presser-websites-check-her-claim-say-hold-on-a-minute/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Owned&utm_term=ijamerica&utm_campaign=ods&utm_content=Culture
Please, CW, don't get me started on all of the lies stated by Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like!
The bottom line is this...ALL Presidents complain about false media coverage. That is nothing new. None, at least in my nearly 70 years of life, had ever closed off the White House to any major news organization.
Lyin' Don's actions are right out of the Hitler play book. The Nazis under Hitler passed this law in October of 1933: http://alphahistory.com/nazigermany/editorial-law-nazi-censorship-1933/ Among other things it states, "Editors are especially obligated to keep out of the newspapers anything which: offends the honour and dignity of Germany;" Obviously, Lyin' Don is offended!
Hitler stated clearly, "If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed."
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/adolf_hitler.html
I will say this one last time, and then I am done with this comment line. Go back and read what being a Nazi really meant. The slaughter that Hitler and his people perpetrated. It is beyond anything in the imaginings of mankind. Personally I think that anyone who can accuse ANYBODY of being like that is guilty of reprehensible slander. If you truly think telling CNN you aren't welcome here equals what happened in Buchenwald et al, and the callous lack of regard for life itself that those who carried it out, well... I just don't have the words for you. Roland, as one of the Chosen People, you should be ashamed every time you use the phrase on another human being. And quite frankly, I think that Hitler's quote could far better be applied to your actions in this vein than anything Trump has done.
CW -- With all due respect, you just don't get it! You are referring to things Hitler did AFTER he consolidated power over many years as Germany's leader. HITLER DID NOT START OUT KILLING MILLIONS!! He started relatively modestly.
In addition, German Jews felt more integrated into German society than any other Jews in Europe. And, Germany was among the most well-educated societies on earth in the first half of the 20th Century.
The point is...if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. Those of us who are among the survivors and their families have pledged "Never again." And to repeat: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke.
And now, Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like refuses to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Ronald Reagan -- hardly a media darling -- addressed that dinner from his sick bed when he was recovering from being shot!!
I'd like to see Lyin' Don get as tough on North Korea and/or Vlad the Impaler as he has been on Mexico, Canada, and the American media! Seems as though he is tough on our friends and a pussycat with our bitter rivals and enemies!
CW -- You've been around for awhile. Which other POTUS banned major media from the White House in your lifetime? Name one, and I'll quit asking.
No Dale, you don't get it. This all has a lot less to do with worry that Trump MIGHT be acting like Hitler and a lot more to do with how the left side of the US is trying any and all means to destroy anyone who doesn't agree with what they think is best for us. Trump is a convenient target, easy to hate, but you guys would have done this to any conservative. With Trump, though, it isn't just disagreeing, it's out and out hate, and it has spilled over to his wife, his family, and anyone who dares disagree with the almighty left. I honestly think anyone who dares compare anyone to the Nazis needs look in the mirror and ask themselves what is REALLY in their heart.
And the press? They need to look upon access as a privalege, not a right. Ronald Reagan attended that get together, because, though they disagreed completely, it could be done with a sense of humor. How much of a sense of humor do you think would have been evident had HE showed up? In the current climate- a climate both he and the press share blame for- there was no good thing that would have come of it. So if you want to go around yelling "Onkel Adolf", be my guest. Just understand that the rest of us perceive it as chicken little BS andhope that you will soon get over your paranoia and live your lives. I would have been glad to be silent, but the Hitler garbage ... I just look at the TRUTH about Hitler and these comments make my blood boil.
A direct quote from Mike K. Azad:
Gagging the press & mocking the media is a deliberate policy intended to undermine its credibility.
• Step 1 for Hitler was to discredit the media.
•Step 2 was to silence scientists and government employees.
Hate crimes against minorities grew to the highest in their country’s history. Clashes between parties became so extensive that
•Step 3 Hitler ended civil liberties giving “law and order” as the cause. Those who opposed Hitler were ridiculed and threatened.
•In Step 4 wealthy supporters purchased media outlets, employing only those faithful to the ruling party.
•Step 5 In his final step Hitler declared that the only way the country could be unified was to restore traditional values. Minorities including gays, the disabled, Jews, Roma, and people of color were considered “inferior” and sent to death camps for slaughter.
We're between Step 2-4.
I was always confused how so many people could go along with Hitler's Final Solution. This is exactly how it happened. In case you are confused or bothered by some people comparing Trump to Hitler, This is why!
Source:
https://www.facebook.com/jerryrosen/posts/10211771598069458
CW and Roland,
Obviously, I agree with Roland, and disagree with CW on the possible dangers, here.
CW -- Did Ronald Reagan try to silence the media as Lyin' Don has done? Did either George Bush? Let's go back to Nixon...did he? Few POTUSes have been ridiculed as much as was Democrat, Lyndon Johnson. Did he kick out any media?
Really, CW, again with all sue respect, you just don't get it. This administration IS an anomaly! Remember, the current term is only in its second month! You'd better educate yourself on the steps that Hitler took, as Roland outlined them. Hitler did not start out jailing a lot of his enemies, nor ordering mass murders. As John McCain warned, shutting down the media, taking over control of the message going out to citizens, is placing us on a road toward tyranny!
Is Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like just like Hitler? Not yet. But, as Roland so well documents, he's moving in this direction. Is this different than any other POTUS before him, Democrat, Republican, conservative, or liberal? Yes! Will we sit idly by and watch it happen? You may, CW, but Roland and I look at it from a different perspective. We say, "Never again!"
And how is silencing of it more tyrannical than democratic control of most of the MSM? After all, the other person's POV gets through either way. I am truly sorry this got so ugly, but I think you both are letting your feelings about the "other side" coat your thinking with paranoia. There isn't one of the things that Trump has ACTUALLY done that can't be pointed out about Obama in a similar vein. When CNN DOESN"T HAVE THE RIGHT TO REPORT, you let me know. Trump has every right to do as he did, even if he should have just said, "I have no comment for the following outlets" and left it at that.
BTW, I see you are both so willing to fight this battle over the "corpse" of the media, and have no problem with comparing it to all the corpses Nazism REALLY left. Dale, you chastisted me for not responding to "Why did Reagan go and Trump didn't?" but neither of you dared respond to MY statement.
Frankly, I don't fear Trump near so much as the rabid left. I have been told that I couldn't possibly disagree with Obama's policies without being a racist, I cannot possibly be against the opening the flood gates to refugees without being an Islamophobe, and now I can't be in favor of Trump's opinion of the media without being a nascent Nazi. Frankly, if your arguments did have any merit, it would be buried by all the hateful BS your fellows (not yourselves) have spewed. I fail to see why it is so hard for them to grasp someone MIGHT listen IF you act like sane human beings and work within the system. And for the record, I consider Nazi comparisons as NOT acting like sane human beings, and resorting to partisan fearmongering.
Lyin' Don's actions against the media are unprecedented. You have presented nothing here to refute that. Nothing like it under ANY POTUS, Democrat or Republican -- period!
Of course you don't fear Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like. You're not a minority!
There is a GIGANTIC difference between Lyin' Don's policies and "...opening the flood gates to refugees." FACT -- Obama had more illegals deported than any other recent POTUS. W had a lot deported. Obama INCREASED the number deported.
Roland and I both have relatives who escaped Nazi persecution. I do not know his entire background, but all four of my grandparents left Czarist Russia before World War I. Thank heaven, they were allowed to emigrate from Russia, and immigrate into the United States. Almost every one of my familys member who did NOT emigrate, died in the Holocaust! Never again!
Back in the 1840s, many Americans did not want Irish immigrants to leave the Potato Famine and come to America because they were "papists' [Catholics]. That was the wrong policy then, and using a religious test for admittance is the wrong policy now. Few, if any want to "...open the floodgates." Discriminating against immigrants based upon any criteria over which they have no control, was and is blatant bigotry anti-American!
BTW -- Why isn't Saudi Arabia, the nation from which most of the 9/11 high jackers originated, on the list of non-admittance? Does Trump Enterprises have any major investments in any of the countries that ARE on the non-entry list? Isn't Lyin' Don the most self-serving person we have EVER had as POTUS (as bad as many others were)?
"There is a GIGANTIC difference between Lyin' Don's policies and "...opening the flood gates to refugees." And Hillary wanted to boost it into the stratosphere. Next case.
"Lyin' Don's actions against the media are unprecedented." Never before has the press been so activist against one political side or the other. Again, nothing to see here, next case.
"That was the wrong policy then, and using a religious test for admittance is the wrong policy now. " True. But if you were- as a friend put it, "intellectually honest"- you'd realize that out of over 50 majority Islam nations, only 7 were banned- Iran and 6 others whose governments are in no position to help with the vetting process. That is not a religious requirement, that is a "you guys can't even run your own country" requirement.
"BTW -- Why isn't Saudi Arabia, the nation from which most of the 9/11 high jackers originated, on the list of non-admittance? " See last statement. Frankly, I would have added Nigeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Morocco. But, as I said, it wasn't a "ban the Muslim" list, it was a "you guys can't run your own country" list. On that basis, I wouldn't mind adding Mexico and Venezuela.
"Isn't Lyin' Don the most self-serving person we have EVER had as POTUS (as bad as many others were)?" Sorry, all you have here is opinion and innuendo. How about back when Obama was a Chicago shyster defending slumlords for kicking out tennants in the middle of winter? The man of the people got the slumlords off with a slap on the wrists, and this was from a WaPo article I read during his first term. When Donald served himself, other people got jobs out of it. When Obama was self-serving, people lost their homes. Next case.
"Roland and I both have relatives who escaped Nazi persecution." Which is why I find it so hard to understand your "liberal" use of the Nazi comparison. And don't give me the "before he took over" garbage again, you cannot honestly parse out the parts you want of an evil that deep.
There is no evidence that Hillary would have "opened the floodgates." That's Lyin' Don lying as usual. Next case.
The nastiest press against any POTUS in my lifetime was against LBJ. Lyin' Don and his apologists are the most thin-skinned political people EVER! Next case.
People want to leave chaotic places where they are victimized. Sounds a LOT like why my grandparents came to America, too! By targeting only Muslim nations, Lyin' Don has given Muslim extremists their greatest recruiting tool EVER. Please note...Trump Enterprises has a LOT of investments in Saudi Arabia. Next case.
I guess this shows that you're a xenophobe! Glad your grandparents weren't making policy when my grandparents escaped persecution a hundred years ago! Next case.
No POTUS has misused the office of POTUS in their entire terms as much as Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like, in a little over one month in order to enrich himself! Next case.
And, finally, John McCain: "I hate the press. I hate you especially," McCain joked. "But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital."
"If you want to preserve — I'm very serious now — if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press," McCain said. "And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started."
Argue with John McCain, CW. How thin-skinned can you and Lyin' Don be!?? Next case!
I do have to address that MSM remark! How out of touch are you, CW? You're living in the past! The most watched 24 hour news on cable in FOX! Are they part of the MSM?? NO!!! They are part of the newer MSCM [MainStream Conservative Media]. There are so many conservative media outlets now you cannot even count them. Media control is already in the hands of the MSCM!
The actions of this administration are censorship; they are unnecessary; and they are unprecedented. Might they also be nefarious?
My message to Lyin Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like is, "Suck it up, you oversensitive, spoiled, Caspar Milquetoast!" What a weakling!
1- Hillary said HERSELF she was going to increase the amount of refugees coming in. Oops, forgot that, didn't you.
2- Thin skinned. How unlike all the Obama supporters who cried racism every time someone stood up to him.
3-Dale, you really need to drop the hamburger insult. It is retarded, makes you look stupid, and is getting old. Plus it proves what everyone says about liberals having to resort to insults when their talking points get shot down. Stop stereotyping yourself. Even in arguing with you constantly, I know you're better than that. At least I think I do.
4- Misused? He's been in office a MONTH. Get a grip. Just because he supports (as do I) policies you don't like doesn't constitute misuse.
5- You would agree with McCain. He is rapidly passing Evan Bayh for the worst vote I ever cast. At least he had the decency to lose anyway.
6- Your media tantrum is a bit ingenuous. Fox on one side. Three broadcast networks, CNN, MSNBC, and the BBC at minimum on the other.
7- Censorship is banning something. Nothing has been banned. You are overreacting.
8- I have unsubscribed from this post for a second time, and am finished with this thread. Your last comment alone marks you as unreachable by observation or common sense. Your constant insults demean your arguments. And your misconstruing of no comment for censorship and mass murder show a world view that an intelligent man isn't likely going to- or want to- grasp. So have a nice day, if you can while running around yelling "the sky is falling."
CW, Point by point...Next Case
1. You talk about logically disagreeing with issues, yet you equate "increase" with "opening the floodgates." That shows bias on your part! Next case.
2. I NEVER claimed attacks on Obama's policies were racist. Don't place me in that category! EVERY POTUS gets attacked by the media. As John McCain said, that's their job! It's just that Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like is such a spoiled narcissist that he cannot take ANY criticism at all! I did not think that of you, CW, but you're changing my mind here and now. Next case.
3. I will stop personal insults of Lyin' Don, whenever he stops insulting others of importance in our society. I will not bother to list them all here. But, the one personal insult which upset me the most was when said this about Senator John McCain, a Republican who ran as the Republican nominee for the White House and is a genuine war hero, since he refused to be released by his captors unless his entire crew would be released with him. Lyin' Don on McCain: "He's not a war hero," Trump said. "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured." And this from a man who never served in the military at all. Yes. I call Lyin' Don a coward!
And, I'll keep calling him Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like BECAUSE he says nasty personal things about the veracity and the appearance others. He does lie. He is built a lot like the Michelin Man. And he makes no apologies for the consumption of burgers. These are all truths about Lyin' Don! Next case.
4. And in the last month, Lyin' Don placed an embargo on immigrants trying to escape terrorism to come to freedom from nations where Trump Enterprises have no appreciable investments. And he left off that "no immigrant" list a country like Saudi Arabia where his enterprises just happen to have a LOT of money invested, even though MOST of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia! That did more to enrich him and his family than have all POTUSes before him serving FULL TERMS in office! That's both self-serving AND unpatriotic! Next case.
5. I have always admired John McCain, even though I disagreed with him politically. The same is true for George H.W. Bush, whom I also consider to be a war hero. Next case.
6. FYI -- FOX News has more viewers than ANY of the outlets you list. "In fact, celebrating its 20th year on cable, Fox News finished 2016 as the most-watched basic cable network in prime time and total day..." http://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/2016-ratings-fox-news-channel-is-cable-tvs-most-watched-network/315009
Get into the 21st Century, CW! The MSCM is the most powerful, influential area of news today! Next case.
7. Here is the first definition of "censorship" listed: "1. the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, POLITICALLY UNACCPETABLE, [emphasis added] or a threat to security." "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing," CW. Next case.
(continued below)
(Continued)
8. Unsubscribe? To me that translates as, "I'm losing this argument [game], so I'm just going to take my marbles and go home!" Doesn't anyone in your life ever disagree with you, CW? I do not pretend to know everything. I argue with my daughter all of the time, and she's more to the left politically than I am! Sometimes, I know that I am right. I knew that Reagan's policies would lead to record deficits, and he nearly TRIPLED the total debt in his 8 years. Remember, it was George H.W. Bush who labeled Reagan's ideas of cutting taxes drastically while increasing defense spending dramatically "Voodoo economics," during the 1980 Primaries. Then he became the assistant Voodoo master. After 12 years of Reagan and Bush #41, our total debt TRIPLED! [Fact #1] (These are facts, CW. I know that most conservatives HATE facts. They LOVE emotional appeals instead.) Even though Clinton ended his 8 years in office with significant surpluses, and had us on the road to PAYING OFF THE ENTIRE NATIONAL DEBT IN ONE GENERATION [Fact #2], W then led Congress to cut taxes drastically, increase defense spending dramatically, and drive us into the Great Recession [Fact #3].
Now, we have another POTUS who wants to cut taxes drastically, while increasing defense spending dramatically, and purports to balance the budget. Right! His followers claim to want the truth, then buy into his lies completely. IMHO -- Lyin' Don will be no more successful doing the same basic policies.
I must add my opinion that the tax cuts by every recent Republican POTUS have given the biggest cuts to the wealthiest taxpayers, most of whom do not spent the money in a way that boosts the overall American economy. The best example of this is that all three of the major stock market averages boomed under Clinton, tanked under W, and boomed under Obama. I find it most ironic, that billionaires and multi-multi-millionaires made a LOT of money under Bill and Obama, and LOST money under W. Lower tax rates don't help too much when you have no income taxes to pay because your investments lost money! Next case
Finally -- I NEVER said, "The sky is falling." What I said was to quote Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke. You, CW, are choosing to deny, deny, deny, stand by, and do nothing. Roland and I say, "Never again." Next case.
#8. I mistyped. After 12 years of Reagan and Bush #41, the total national debt QUADRUPLED!
PLEASE -- Let me be clear. I hope that I'm wrong about Lyin' Don the Michelin Man who never met a burger he didn't like! I hope that ALL of his initiatives make America a better place. I hope that they all work for the best. I hope that he is not bigoted in any way. I WANT TO BE WRONG!!
I want what is best for America. But, I do want an America that is just as open to my progeny and their progeny as it has been to me and my contemporaries. I want an America which opens its arms to those seeking a better life, away from terrorism and persecution, just as my grandparents were able to do over 100 years ago. I cannot imagine this happening with the current POTUS, but I WANT TO BE WRONG!!
CW Martin has made an interesting blog entry of his own that alludes to this Roland Hansen Commentary blog entry and its accompanying comments.
Chris also makes reference to Tweets I have made on Twitter, some of which were posts with links to news and other media articles, some which were satire, and some which were an exercise in sarcasm. CW Martin also takes exception to the fact that I do not and did not engage in quid pro quo, point - counterpoint argumentative dialogue.
Oh, well.
Here, go on over and read Chris' blog entry for yourself; just follow the embedded link conained within its title:
Coming back into the sunshine.
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