Bitter cold in North Carolina. It is too much to ask the oligarchs to spare some change to help us prevent the homeless from freezing to death. The serfs voted for this, the bootlickers are joyful, the jackboots are rampaging, and Hitler is smiling.
I have had my copy of On Tyranny for approximately 8+ years. Little did I know then, this would be our new reality. It is truly bone chilling the direct parallels that Steve has so perfectly illustrated.
Just downloaded it (On Tyranny) earlier today. The warnings are out there but half the country has been bamboozled by the Billionaire Fake News Media. The mid terms are crucial to salvage what is left in two years. RESIST MAGA....
He is and his essays slowly help lift us out of the darkness that has been permeating throughout the US and has now reached Canada. His words remind us of historical events as they light the way to knowledge and an understanding of what the present holds not only for our friends and neighbors, but also for democracy and freedom from tyranny.
Thank you! However, does the author care if everyone is reading it for free? Just curious! I'm an artist and like writers and musicians, we have to make a living. The Kindle version is just $10. I'm going to buy the book to support his work.
I ordered the hard copy book several years ago. It might be helpful to send this book to people who don't understand 'Tyranny'. Snyder has a substack page and shares chapters of his books on a regular basis. He is making videos, too. Here is one (originally on his newsletter page) "Do Not Obey In Advance" 7min:
I bought his book through Audible. I don’t know if the current print or Kindle versions have the extended part that is a many hours long history of Ukraine vis-a-vis Russia, that goes way way back to ancient times; but my Audible version has it, read by Dr Snyder.
He uses that ancient history through to today to explain why Putin is hell bent on having Ukraine; it’s like mythology almost. I found it incredibly fascinating.
I agree. The world would be a better place if our first allegiance was to preserve the biosphere, second to all sentient beings, third to humanity and fourth to our nation, provided it deserves allegiance.
Thank you, Tracy. I have looked up Aubrey in the past. I don't know much of the Beardsley history. Yet, one of my earliest discoveries was my love for drawing!
Pastor Budde perhaps would have said this, John D.-
"Try to understand the hate coming from MAGA, for hate always has a good reason for existing...All people are your brothers. We must understand the hate and then we can fix the problem that caused the hate.. Demonizing our brothers causes them to become less and less human in our eyes until someday we can slaughter them without a guilty conscience"".".
Yes. I was raised in the Christian faith. But I puke about it now in this country. As Gandhi once said, if it were not for the Christians I would be one.
A good portion of this country believe God sent Trump to save the horrible state of the country that Trump portrays. They think he survived an assassination because it was the will of God. That is absolutely nonsense yet they believe anything Trump says... it is truly a cult and cults NEVER end well for anybody.
Fully and completely agree with this view. I have also commented on the past about putting an end to the toxic language and instead working to bring light to the darkness of hatred. The only thing more abhorrent than the antics committed by MAGA is the mocking and laughing and enjoyment seeing them act out their stupidity. If it was a dear friend we would try to help them.
Steve, you are not imagining the similarities.They are stunning, frightening, in-your-face. I especially was bowled over by this line, "you, men and women, must save us from the necessity of giving answer. When they ask what we have done, you 15 million must answer: “They have given us faith once more, they have given us hope. They have awakened a sleeping ---------AMERICA."
Trump, is a student of Nazi tactics and an admirer of Hitler and the Third Reich; his dream is obviously to be America's Hitler. This is not hyperbole. It is an opinion supported by overwhelming evidence, this speech being part of that evidence.
Shame on the Scott Jennings, Joe Scarboroughs, NY Times, WAPO, and all other media that have not made this clear to the American public. Thank you for your research and for telling all who will read and listen who Trump is and what he wants to do.
The intimidation that has led former journalists like Scott Jennings and Joe Scarborough to kowtow to Trump has reached down to the local TV station level:
"A Milwaukee weatherwoman who criticized Elon Musk’s inauguration salute has since been stripped of her professional responsibilities.
Sam Kuffel, 31, made two posts to her personal Instagram story in the wake of the inauguration, torching Musk for making a gesture that millions of people around the world recognized as a Nazi salute.
“Dude Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration,” read one of Kuffel’s posts. “You fuck with this and this man, I don’t fuck with you. Full stop.” In the second post, Kuffel shared a meme from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, in which one of the show’s characters is subtitled as saying, “Screw that old bitch. He’s a Nazi.”
But that was, apparently, too far for the meteorologist’s station, WDJT-TV (Channel 58), which notified staffers by email on Wednesday that the popular weather forecaster would no longer be employed by the network.
As this kind of political interference with individual liberty filters down, hopefully more and more Americans will come to see the threat Trump's administration is to all of us and our values.
Since we know from the current president that his administration is going to restore true freedom of speech, maybe the current administration will be Sam Kuffel's ally in a lawsuit against WJDT-TV. Irony anyone?
Within the quote these words stand out, "...save us from the necessity of giving answer." What had the Nazis done? The same thing Trump is doing, working on "dumbing down" the population so they will accept whatever they say because they have "faith" in the party and its leaders. And what is faith other than the acceptance of doctrine without evidence! Remember Trump stated that he loves the uneducated.
He wants to be greater than Hitler. He wants to inflict more pain and suffering - that is his goal. There is an evil there that knows no bounds. He is consolidating all his power right now. He will form a world government and with the Tech Bros and AI he will control nations, a world economy, and individuals. Only then the final wars will escalate and nukes will be used.
I think the most likely outcome, if Trump stays in office and incrementally increases his power and achieves his goals, will be a nuclear war between a Russian and American empire that will result in the death of all humans and most other forms of life.
I said it before and I'll say it now. I believe Trump and Putin are such narcissistic sociopaths that they can't stand the thought of world without them and thus want to destroy humanity as they approach they end of their lives.
That may be half their predicament: if humanity is destroyed, who will love them? (They'll just be left with loving each other, and blaming each other.) Talk about a love-hate relationship! THAT would be awkward.
A huge part of Trump's strategy is inspired by Hitler's use of the Big Lie; a lie so contrary to truth that people fall for it because it renders them brain-dead. Trump's take on Bishop Budde's speech is a glaring example of the power of the Big Lie:
"The sermon ignited a strong reaction from Trump, who criticized the service as “not good” and labeled Budde a “radical left, hardline Trump hater” on social media. He accused her of bringing politics into the church and demanded a public apology."
Of course, the truth is the exact opposite. Bishop Budde's sermon was based on Christ's actual words. It was not political. However, Trump's Bible, complete with the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and his willingness to base laws on the teachings of far right fundamentalist "Christian" scam artists to gain their support has brought religion into politics.
Well, what should we expect from tfg when he calls the Bible his favorite book? "When people hold up The Art of the Deal, I say my second favorite book behind the Bible." Maybe, just maybe, he got his interpretation of Budde's prayer from "Two Corinthians". 🙄 Or more likely, out of his ass.
Trump has no religious beliefs. It is the only thing I have in common with him. However, rather than accepting consequential ethics as part of a secular humanist way of life, he exploits his freedom from religion to fulfill his megalomaniacal and narcissistic goals with no regard for morality and no sense of empathy.
I am certain he never read the Bible; it is boring. So, I choose your second explanation; he pulled it "out of his ass" as a way to criticize the Bishop.
"You have come from dark and joyless apartment houses."
That line prompts me to think of one particular MAGA friend of mine.
He lives a joyless life in a dark apartment.
I can see his still quiet rage hidden behind his jubilance at Trump's election. He is sneering these days. Everything Trump does is right. It's as if my friend has morphed into the creature from the black lagoon.
I believe that stark wealth inequality brought us to this day. Our politicians have steadily ceded power to the rich.
How do you heal the heart and mind of a person with a victim mentality, especially when he is now in a deep religious fever of certitude?
I can't heal him. He doesn't know he's sick.
The comparison to Goebbels is spot on. Disaster looms.
Explain the truth to theme without becoming passionate or triggered or name-calling. They know not what they do. It's almost an impossible situation but we have to at least try.
“And finally, just a general sense, that he can solve all of their problems. I mean, you hear that over and over again with people you speak to in his base that whatever their problem might be because of public safety, concerns about their own family and drug addiction, concern about, their financial security and inflation that they believe. And they have so much faith, that President Trump can cure all these ills. And that extends as far as veterans that believe he can bring world peace. So that's kind of the vibe here. They don't speak about specific policies. They don't have the details about tariffs. They speak in terms of vibes and the way they feel,” said Stephanie Sy on PBS after the Inauguration.
Or you're down with the plan, which sadly, is a large part of 'Merican voters. When the average literacy level is 5th grade, that means no abstract thinking capacity. They really are mostly too stupid to understand what they are doing. But also too dug in to listen to any reason. The cult has taken them over. Anchoring keeps them there no matter how one may try to reason with them, it just reinforces their false beliefs in their cult leader.
"... no matter how one may try to reason with them, it just reinforces their false beliefs in their cult leader." There is little to no common base of facts, AND so almost nothing counts against their beliefs. If there were something that might count against their belief, then we often get the "well, I just don't think that ..." kind of response. YET, many of our believers tell us that our challenge is to meet our fellow Americans "where they are," so to speak. Some people say,... well, ok, a-lotta-people-say 'spare the rod and spoil the MAGA' is a good Christian principle.
Eerily prescient. There is one difference though, the Germany that turned to Hitler actually WAS a country that was in tatters, brought to its knees by the Great War , humbled by failure. Post-Biden America has an enviable position in the world economy and we enjoy a remarkable standard of living overall. The income inequality here, though, creates a “haves vs have-nots” situation, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer and more dissatisfied. The desire of the masses to believe a snake-oil salesman with weird hair and a humongous net worth seems out of step with any real solution, but these are largely also the people who think that God wants the leader of their megachurch to have a new jet, and they donate accordingly. Sadly we share one major similarity with pre-Hitler Germany, and that is a profound racist and xenophobic, homophobic and misogynistic streak that makes many feel willing to terrible things to the vulnerable few. Even if those terrible things are actually against their own self-interest. If there’s a time to push back hard on the ugliness and evil being prepared for our nation, it is RIGHT NOW. Speak now, because later you may well be silenced. Act now, because later you may he restrained. Every representative and Senator needs to see these words. Let’s each communicate with them. We don’t have to repeat history.
I believe part of our problem stems from our cultural choice to admire people in direct proportion to the wealth they control; we also pretend that if the government could be made small enough to "drown in a bathtub," (Grover Norquist) anyone with the will to become fabulously wealthy could do so. This has caused enormous discontent, because it is not true and the government is actually rigged to advantage the wealthiest; disappointed, unhappy, frustrated people are drawn to the solutions offered by con men like Trump, Musk and the other oligarchs in his camp.
Yes, yes, yes. But you see that while the good position that the U.S. has "on paper" may be true for a good part of the country, and in your view and Wall Street's view, the president's spreadable, incredible, delusional message is that America is in very bad shape, in horrible shape, just like Germany after The Great War. That same victimhood may not be true in your view, but the president has been spreading this whiny, whimpering blame-aimed message for many years. Whether true or not, EVERYTHING not to his liking, and every failure, and every threat is _someone_else's_fault. Always. He's evolved from the 5-year old's "because...!" to "you made me do it!" and now "it's THEIR fault!" In Trump's world as soon as you can say "it's THEIR fault!" you can stop thinking and start acting.
Yes, Steve has illustrated that the playbook and propaganda for Nazi Germany is EXACTLY the same as Trump's tactics (adjusting a minimal amount of words, numbers, dates). There is NO "coincidence" at all here. Trump's tactics are by design and they are working: Intentional Evil and brainwashing of the masses for power and control. Thank you, Steve.🙏
The only difference is the time it will take to destroy and reshape America. My only hope is that enough people will tire of the MAGA promise when they see that their lives are not better under the populist regime. I vaguely remember Musk in the first announcement of him leading DOGE saying that Americans would need to first endure the draconian changes before things got better for them. How can a billionaire say that to us and get people to buy in? We expect immediate gratification and words and ideas travel fast. People are filled with hope right now, but soon the honeymoon will be over and they will see the stark reality of change. That’s when the campaign must begin.
15 years. Hmmm. Hope it doesn't take that long for the traitor-in-chief and those trying to enact his treason to find their way into a bunker, thereby sparing us most of the fate that Germany experienced.
Speak the truth often and to everyone you meet. Do not obey illegal orders. Get everyone you know to vote in upcoming special elections and in 2026 to change the course of the country before it is really too late.
Steve, this comparison is ripe for a TV segment and wider conversation. I hope you either push it out to as many audiences as possible, even Fox News, where it would be pilloried but still might break through to some of their audience. FoxNews spends a lot of time denouncing MSNBC personalities, so maybe Wallace or Maddow would find this to be an interesting show that might push it to more corners. It is revoltingly predictive and prescient, so perhaps fodder for wider play than us who are a preached-to Warning choir. It’s the sort of comparison that can get otherwise inattentive folks (combined with nazi newsreel footage, radio broadcasts, nazi and musk salutes) to sit up a little higher and take notice. Folks are used to Ken Burns style archival history, and this could be presented in just such a package. Maybe even Instagram reel it. BlueSky it. Put it under as many noses as possible.
Orange diaper baby has 2 playbooks, Mein Kampf and Project 2025. Both are racing toward full implementation at a pace none of us "overreacting" soothsayers could have predicted. Resistance needs to get with it, faster than the psycho-dictator can use his Sharpie.
Your modified speech should be read into the Congressional Record and published in the NY Times and local news outlets. If I had been an unemployed and starving worker in 1932 Germany, that speech would have motivated me to become a Nazi.
Read a book, maybe 20 years ago by Milton Mayer, "They Thought They were Free". It focuses mostly on the late 1930s and 1940s Germany, but an amazingly well documented study of what made so many in Germany drink the proverbial Nazi Kool Aid (my words, not his).
That said, neither the NYT or any major media outlet would print this. And Congress is gone. Sad, but true.
A very seductive (and maddening) read. It is a sad truth that so many of our fellow citizens are listening to and accepting the same lines of thought and the siren song that is causing our ship of state to head for the rocks of destruction. I look to Steve and other truth tellers to guide us through this very difficult moment and to help us resist the temptation to succumb. Wax in our ears or lashing us to a post would only be a temporary solution. No, we need to hear the siren song and develop a strong immunity to its seduction, strong enough to keep us on track and work together to help others to see what’s happening. Where do we start? What do we do? Reading this and knowing what’s coming is a start. Don’t be fooled again, and don’t be afraid. (Easy to say, harder to accomplish!) If you’re afraid, and I admit I am at times, remember what has been said of courage, it is not the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to keep going in spite of being afraid. I’m pretty sure that is what we’re called to do. Ever on!
I can’t do this so early in the morning, but I am relieved it is all now out in the open. Thank you for posting the Elie Wiesel speech. It made me nostalgic for the era and all the missed opportunities because of out of bounds egos. People thinking they are more important than they actually are and look where that got us. A panoply of inhuman freaks parading across our lives, now none are protected. Russell Vought, one of your own, is coming after the professional class. I hope they all have their escape bags packed. I look forward to the read later, after coffee and a Pennington Market Bakery apple fritter.
Bitter cold in North Carolina. It is too much to ask the oligarchs to spare some change to help us prevent the homeless from freezing to death. The serfs voted for this, the bootlickers are joyful, the jackboots are rampaging, and Hitler is smiling.
Following is a link to a free online PDF file of Timothy Snyder's short book "On Tyranny"::https://ia804705.us.archive.org/10/items/on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the-twentieth-century-by-timothy-snyder-z-lib.org/On%20Tyranny%20Twenty%20Lessons%20from%20the%20Twentieth%20Century%20by%20Timothy%20Snyder%20%28z-lib.org%29.pdf For anyone who doesn't understand Trump/MAGA propaganda tactics, please read this and share it far and wide.Urgent!🙏
I have had my copy of On Tyranny for approximately 8+ years. Little did I know then, this would be our new reality. It is truly bone chilling the direct parallels that Steve has so perfectly illustrated.
Just downloaded it (On Tyranny) earlier today. The warnings are out there but half the country has been bamboozled by the Billionaire Fake News Media. The mid terms are crucial to salvage what is left in two years. RESIST MAGA....
If only we could get all Ameruicans to read Timothy Snyder's books. Thanks for the link. Prof. Snyder is a truly great man and historian.
He is and his essays slowly help lift us out of the darkness that has been permeating throughout the US and has now reached Canada. His words remind us of historical events as they light the way to knowledge and an understanding of what the present holds not only for our friends and neighbors, but also for democracy and freedom from tyranny.
Thank you! However, does the author care if everyone is reading it for free? Just curious! I'm an artist and like writers and musicians, we have to make a living. The Kindle version is just $10. I'm going to buy the book to support his work.
I ordered the hard copy book several years ago. It might be helpful to send this book to people who don't understand 'Tyranny'. Snyder has a substack page and shares chapters of his books on a regular basis. He is making videos, too. Here is one (originally on his newsletter page) "Do Not Obey In Advance" 7min:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tocssf3w80
(I agree with your comment, here, about supporting our artists.)
I buy a copy of "On Tyranny" for family and friends. Everyone should have one.
I bought 2 of his books as ebooks. Ensures no dog-eared pages and they can be kept for ever.
I bought his book through Audible. I don’t know if the current print or Kindle versions have the extended part that is a many hours long history of Ukraine vis-a-vis Russia, that goes way way back to ancient times; but my Audible version has it, read by Dr Snyder.
He uses that ancient history through to today to explain why Putin is hell bent on having Ukraine; it’s like mythology almost. I found it incredibly fascinating.
Thanks for this!
This is a namesake of yours; a Beardsley
https://guides.loc.gov/medievalism/beardsley.
Meanwhile I will open the attachment you have in your comments
I read that great list of things that constitute Fascism. I would change only one bulleted item, and change the word Patriot to Human Being.
I agree. The world would be a better place if our first allegiance was to preserve the biosphere, second to all sentient beings, third to humanity and fourth to our nation, provided it deserves allegiance.
I concur, I believe we must learn to respect & to share this earth with all sentient beings.
Thank you, Tracy. I have looked up Aubrey in the past. I don't know much of the Beardsley history. Yet, one of my earliest discoveries was my love for drawing!
Wow, that is impactful.
Thank you! Just downloaded and sent to all my email list!! Right! Urgent!!!
Pastor Budde perhaps would have said this, John D.-
"Try to understand the hate coming from MAGA, for hate always has a good reason for existing...All people are your brothers. We must understand the hate and then we can fix the problem that caused the hate.. Demonizing our brothers causes them to become less and less human in our eyes until someday we can slaughter them without a guilty conscience"".".
Yes. I was raised in the Christian faith. But I puke about it now in this country. As Gandhi once said, if it were not for the Christians I would be one.
A good portion of this country believe God sent Trump to save the horrible state of the country that Trump portrays. They think he survived an assassination because it was the will of God. That is absolutely nonsense yet they believe anything Trump says... it is truly a cult and cults NEVER end well for anybody.
Fully and completely agree with this view. I have also commented on the past about putting an end to the toxic language and instead working to bring light to the darkness of hatred. The only thing more abhorrent than the antics committed by MAGA is the mocking and laughing and enjoyment seeing them act out their stupidity. If it was a dear friend we would try to help them.
Steve, you are not imagining the similarities.They are stunning, frightening, in-your-face. I especially was bowled over by this line, "you, men and women, must save us from the necessity of giving answer. When they ask what we have done, you 15 million must answer: “They have given us faith once more, they have given us hope. They have awakened a sleeping ---------AMERICA."
Trump, is a student of Nazi tactics and an admirer of Hitler and the Third Reich; his dream is obviously to be America's Hitler. This is not hyperbole. It is an opinion supported by overwhelming evidence, this speech being part of that evidence.
Shame on the Scott Jennings, Joe Scarboroughs, NY Times, WAPO, and all other media that have not made this clear to the American public. Thank you for your research and for telling all who will read and listen who Trump is and what he wants to do.
Jennings is one of the main supporters of this plan in the former MSM. CNN continues to promote tRump, as it has done since 2015.
The intimidation that has led former journalists like Scott Jennings and Joe Scarborough to kowtow to Trump has reached down to the local TV station level:
"A Milwaukee weatherwoman who criticized Elon Musk’s inauguration salute has since been stripped of her professional responsibilities.
Sam Kuffel, 31, made two posts to her personal Instagram story in the wake of the inauguration, torching Musk for making a gesture that millions of people around the world recognized as a Nazi salute.
“Dude Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration,” read one of Kuffel’s posts. “You fuck with this and this man, I don’t fuck with you. Full stop.” In the second post, Kuffel shared a meme from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, in which one of the show’s characters is subtitled as saying, “Screw that old bitch. He’s a Nazi.”
But that was, apparently, too far for the meteorologist’s station, WDJT-TV (Channel 58), which notified staffers by email on Wednesday that the popular weather forecaster would no longer be employed by the network.
“Meteorologist Sam Kuffel is no longer employed at CBS58,” news director Jessie Garcia wrote in a staff memo obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “A search for a replacement is underway.” https://newrepublic.com/post/190580/elon-musk-salute-meteorologist-job?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tnr_daily
As this kind of political interference with individual liberty filters down, hopefully more and more Americans will come to see the threat Trump's administration is to all of us and our values.
The obedience of the media is spiraling this country into autocracy. Soon there will be harsher retribution to the truth tellers.
Since we know from the current president that his administration is going to restore true freedom of speech, maybe the current administration will be Sam Kuffel's ally in a lawsuit against WJDT-TV. Irony anyone?
Within the quote these words stand out, "...save us from the necessity of giving answer." What had the Nazis done? The same thing Trump is doing, working on "dumbing down" the population so they will accept whatever they say because they have "faith" in the party and its leaders. And what is faith other than the acceptance of doctrine without evidence! Remember Trump stated that he loves the uneducated.
He wants to be greater than Hitler. He wants to inflict more pain and suffering - that is his goal. There is an evil there that knows no bounds. He is consolidating all his power right now. He will form a world government and with the Tech Bros and AI he will control nations, a world economy, and individuals. Only then the final wars will escalate and nukes will be used.
He will oversee all of this.
I think the most likely outcome, if Trump stays in office and incrementally increases his power and achieves his goals, will be a nuclear war between a Russian and American empire that will result in the death of all humans and most other forms of life.
I said it before and I'll say it now. I believe Trump and Putin are such narcissistic sociopaths that they can't stand the thought of world without them and thus want to destroy humanity as they approach they end of their lives.
That may be half their predicament: if humanity is destroyed, who will love them? (They'll just be left with loving each other, and blaming each other.) Talk about a love-hate relationship! THAT would be awkward.
What is happening in America couldn’t be clearer. Trump’s “Mein Kampf” is underway.
A huge part of Trump's strategy is inspired by Hitler's use of the Big Lie; a lie so contrary to truth that people fall for it because it renders them brain-dead. Trump's take on Bishop Budde's speech is a glaring example of the power of the Big Lie:
"The sermon ignited a strong reaction from Trump, who criticized the service as “not good” and labeled Budde a “radical left, hardline Trump hater” on social media. He accused her of bringing politics into the church and demanded a public apology."
"https://www.christianpost.com/news/bishop-defends-plea-to-trump-to-have-mercy-on-lgbt-people.html?utm_source=Daily&utm_campaign=Daily&utm_medium=newslette
Of course, the truth is the exact opposite. Bishop Budde's sermon was based on Christ's actual words. It was not political. However, Trump's Bible, complete with the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and his willingness to base laws on the teachings of far right fundamentalist "Christian" scam artists to gain their support has brought religion into politics.
Well, what should we expect from tfg when he calls the Bible his favorite book? "When people hold up The Art of the Deal, I say my second favorite book behind the Bible." Maybe, just maybe, he got his interpretation of Budde's prayer from "Two Corinthians". 🙄 Or more likely, out of his ass.
Trump has no religious beliefs. It is the only thing I have in common with him. However, rather than accepting consequential ethics as part of a secular humanist way of life, he exploits his freedom from religion to fulfill his megalomaniacal and narcissistic goals with no regard for morality and no sense of empathy.
I am certain he never read the Bible; it is boring. So, I choose your second explanation; he pulled it "out of his ass" as a way to criticize the Bishop.
"You have come from dark and joyless apartment houses."
That line prompts me to think of one particular MAGA friend of mine.
He lives a joyless life in a dark apartment.
I can see his still quiet rage hidden behind his jubilance at Trump's election. He is sneering these days. Everything Trump does is right. It's as if my friend has morphed into the creature from the black lagoon.
I believe that stark wealth inequality brought us to this day. Our politicians have steadily ceded power to the rich.
How do you heal the heart and mind of a person with a victim mentality, especially when he is now in a deep religious fever of certitude?
I can't heal him. He doesn't know he's sick.
The comparison to Goebbels is spot on. Disaster looms.
“I can’t heal him. He doesn’t know he’s sick”…
and that’s the problem for all of us. How does one re-program a wild eyed zombie, let alone a multitude of’em?
At the very least we mustn't feed the trolls.
Explain the truth to theme without becoming passionate or triggered or name-calling. They know not what they do. It's almost an impossible situation but we have to at least try.
“And finally, just a general sense, that he can solve all of their problems. I mean, you hear that over and over again with people you speak to in his base that whatever their problem might be because of public safety, concerns about their own family and drug addiction, concern about, their financial security and inflation that they believe. And they have so much faith, that President Trump can cure all these ills. And that extends as far as veterans that believe he can bring world peace. So that's kind of the vibe here. They don't speak about specific policies. They don't have the details about tariffs. They speak in terms of vibes and the way they feel,” said Stephanie Sy on PBS after the Inauguration.
As horrifying as this is, it is brilliant…an absolutely brain exploding read. I will now try to get my breakfast down..
If this doesn’t terrify you, you are brain dead.
Or you're down with the plan, which sadly, is a large part of 'Merican voters. When the average literacy level is 5th grade, that means no abstract thinking capacity. They really are mostly too stupid to understand what they are doing. But also too dug in to listen to any reason. The cult has taken them over. Anchoring keeps them there no matter how one may try to reason with them, it just reinforces their false beliefs in their cult leader.
"... no matter how one may try to reason with them, it just reinforces their false beliefs in their cult leader." There is little to no common base of facts, AND so almost nothing counts against their beliefs. If there were something that might count against their belief, then we often get the "well, I just don't think that ..." kind of response. YET, many of our believers tell us that our challenge is to meet our fellow Americans "where they are," so to speak. Some people say,... well, ok, a-lotta-people-say 'spare the rod and spoil the MAGA' is a good Christian principle.
Eerily prescient. There is one difference though, the Germany that turned to Hitler actually WAS a country that was in tatters, brought to its knees by the Great War , humbled by failure. Post-Biden America has an enviable position in the world economy and we enjoy a remarkable standard of living overall. The income inequality here, though, creates a “haves vs have-nots” situation, the rich become richer and the poor become poorer and more dissatisfied. The desire of the masses to believe a snake-oil salesman with weird hair and a humongous net worth seems out of step with any real solution, but these are largely also the people who think that God wants the leader of their megachurch to have a new jet, and they donate accordingly. Sadly we share one major similarity with pre-Hitler Germany, and that is a profound racist and xenophobic, homophobic and misogynistic streak that makes many feel willing to terrible things to the vulnerable few. Even if those terrible things are actually against their own self-interest. If there’s a time to push back hard on the ugliness and evil being prepared for our nation, it is RIGHT NOW. Speak now, because later you may well be silenced. Act now, because later you may he restrained. Every representative and Senator needs to see these words. Let’s each communicate with them. We don’t have to repeat history.
I believe part of our problem stems from our cultural choice to admire people in direct proportion to the wealth they control; we also pretend that if the government could be made small enough to "drown in a bathtub," (Grover Norquist) anyone with the will to become fabulously wealthy could do so. This has caused enormous discontent, because it is not true and the government is actually rigged to advantage the wealthiest; disappointed, unhappy, frustrated people are drawn to the solutions offered by con men like Trump, Musk and the other oligarchs in his camp.
Yes, yes, yes. But you see that while the good position that the U.S. has "on paper" may be true for a good part of the country, and in your view and Wall Street's view, the president's spreadable, incredible, delusional message is that America is in very bad shape, in horrible shape, just like Germany after The Great War. That same victimhood may not be true in your view, but the president has been spreading this whiny, whimpering blame-aimed message for many years. Whether true or not, EVERYTHING not to his liking, and every failure, and every threat is _someone_else's_fault. Always. He's evolved from the 5-year old's "because...!" to "you made me do it!" and now "it's THEIR fault!" In Trump's world as soon as you can say "it's THEIR fault!" you can stop thinking and start acting.
Yes, Steve has illustrated that the playbook and propaganda for Nazi Germany is EXACTLY the same as Trump's tactics (adjusting a minimal amount of words, numbers, dates). There is NO "coincidence" at all here. Trump's tactics are by design and they are working: Intentional Evil and brainwashing of the masses for power and control. Thank you, Steve.🙏
The only difference is the time it will take to destroy and reshape America. My only hope is that enough people will tire of the MAGA promise when they see that their lives are not better under the populist regime. I vaguely remember Musk in the first announcement of him leading DOGE saying that Americans would need to first endure the draconian changes before things got better for them. How can a billionaire say that to us and get people to buy in? We expect immediate gratification and words and ideas travel fast. People are filled with hope right now, but soon the honeymoon will be over and they will see the stark reality of change. That’s when the campaign must begin.
People never seem to think that the pain will come to them, only to those who "deserve" it. And there's always the scapegoat to blame.
Same song. Second verse.
15 years. Hmmm. Hope it doesn't take that long for the traitor-in-chief and those trying to enact his treason to find their way into a bunker, thereby sparing us most of the fate that Germany experienced.
Speak the truth often and to everyone you meet. Do not obey illegal orders. Get everyone you know to vote in upcoming special elections and in 2026 to change the course of the country before it is really too late.
Spread "the Warning".
Steve, this comparison is ripe for a TV segment and wider conversation. I hope you either push it out to as many audiences as possible, even Fox News, where it would be pilloried but still might break through to some of their audience. FoxNews spends a lot of time denouncing MSNBC personalities, so maybe Wallace or Maddow would find this to be an interesting show that might push it to more corners. It is revoltingly predictive and prescient, so perhaps fodder for wider play than us who are a preached-to Warning choir. It’s the sort of comparison that can get otherwise inattentive folks (combined with nazi newsreel footage, radio broadcasts, nazi and musk salutes) to sit up a little higher and take notice. Folks are used to Ken Burns style archival history, and this could be presented in just such a package. Maybe even Instagram reel it. BlueSky it. Put it under as many noses as possible.
Rachel Madow has done extensive work on this topic of the parallels under discussion here and the run-up to politics & WWII history.
Orange diaper baby has 2 playbooks, Mein Kampf and Project 2025. Both are racing toward full implementation at a pace none of us "overreacting" soothsayers could have predicted. Resistance needs to get with it, faster than the psycho-dictator can use his Sharpie.
I say "opposition" rather than resistance. Resistance is to try to prevent something. We're beyond that. Opposition is to fight what has happened.
Your modified speech should be read into the Congressional Record and published in the NY Times and local news outlets. If I had been an unemployed and starving worker in 1932 Germany, that speech would have motivated me to become a Nazi.
Read a book, maybe 20 years ago by Milton Mayer, "They Thought They were Free". It focuses mostly on the late 1930s and 1940s Germany, but an amazingly well documented study of what made so many in Germany drink the proverbial Nazi Kool Aid (my words, not his).
That said, neither the NYT or any major media outlet would print this. And Congress is gone. Sad, but true.
A very seductive (and maddening) read. It is a sad truth that so many of our fellow citizens are listening to and accepting the same lines of thought and the siren song that is causing our ship of state to head for the rocks of destruction. I look to Steve and other truth tellers to guide us through this very difficult moment and to help us resist the temptation to succumb. Wax in our ears or lashing us to a post would only be a temporary solution. No, we need to hear the siren song and develop a strong immunity to its seduction, strong enough to keep us on track and work together to help others to see what’s happening. Where do we start? What do we do? Reading this and knowing what’s coming is a start. Don’t be fooled again, and don’t be afraid. (Easy to say, harder to accomplish!) If you’re afraid, and I admit I am at times, remember what has been said of courage, it is not the absence of fear, but rather the willingness to keep going in spite of being afraid. I’m pretty sure that is what we’re called to do. Ever on!
I can’t do this so early in the morning, but I am relieved it is all now out in the open. Thank you for posting the Elie Wiesel speech. It made me nostalgic for the era and all the missed opportunities because of out of bounds egos. People thinking they are more important than they actually are and look where that got us. A panoply of inhuman freaks parading across our lives, now none are protected. Russell Vought, one of your own, is coming after the professional class. I hope they all have their escape bags packed. I look forward to the read later, after coffee and a Pennington Market Bakery apple fritter.
I had a coffee cake muffin with raisins instead. Love a good bakery!