Nobody needs a permit to fight Nazis.

The recent events in Charlottesville along with Trump’s immoral response that further revealed his true nature, prompted me to again peruse the book entitled “Hitler’s Willing Executioners,” by Daniel J. Goldhagen, an in-depth study of the causes of the Holocaust.  The lessons to be learned are undeniable, and yet they are currently being denied. 

The following paragraph is a direct quote, but subsequent notations are my paraphrasing:

The [perpetrators] were Germans acting in the name of Germany and its highly popular leader, Adolf Hitler.  Some were ‘Nazis,’ either by reason of Nazi Party membership or according to ideological conviction; some were not …The perpetrators killed and made their other genocidal contributions under the auspices of many institutions.  Their chief common denominator was that they were all Germans pursuing German national political goals.”

People who staffed the political system as well as the broader German public, accepted Hitler’s authority as desirable and legitimate.

Hitler’s non-interventionist leadership style created a great deal of leeway for subordinates to design the policies.

Germans deemed the press to be especially “poisoned.”

The German government temporarily settled on legally and administratively isolating Jews and pressuring them to emigrate.

German society was focused on an urgent threat with accusations of rape and murder against Jews.

The Holocaust constituted actions at odds with the intellectual foundations of modern western civilization, as well as Christian and secular ethical norms and yet everyday Germans accepted them.

Historically, the expression of nationalism has gone hand in hand with the expression of antisemitism.  In Germany and elsewhere, nationalism and antisemitism were interwoven ideologies.

Calls were made to keep the Jews out and to expel those already in the country.

The Nazi Party was the most radical political party in history to gain control of a European government and it did so through electoral means.

The Nazis came to power due to a confluence of factors, including the seeming threat of a leftist takeover.  Many Germans voted for the Nazis as the only political force that appeared capable of restoring order and social peace and of restoring Germany’s status as a great power abroad.

 

Keep in mind that a German government spokesman has said that the Charlottesville events were diametrically opposed by the entire German government.  Apparently, Germany has learned the lessons, but Trump denies those lessons.

For the multimillions of us who are appalled and worried that history is repeating itself, we must continue to fight with every ounce of strength.  We will OPPOSE hatred, racism, white nationalism, Nazism, fascism in all forms, voter suppression, exclusionism, bullying, suppression of the press, antisemitism, anti-religion of any kind, anti-diversity, anti-immigrants, the KKK, and DONALD J TRUMP.   We will continue to say, “NEVER AGAIN,” and “WE SHALL OVERCOME,” and we will act on our words.  Our gloves have come off.  I know that I will be marching again!