I took the time last winter to read William L. Shirer's classic: _The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich -- A History of Nazi Germany_.
It was sobering to learn how a single, and largely uneducated man, could take a dysfunctional view of society and influence an allegedly advanced society to become the number one outlaw nation on the planet.
News broadcast over that winter seemed to parallel some of the actions and concepts of characters like Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, and Goering.
Recently Naomi Wolf has defined another concept for controlling an unwitting public with 10 steps taken by dictators in recent history.
They too seem familiar:
1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens' groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals
8. Control the press
9. Dissent equals treason
10. Suspend the rule of law
Read the full story here. (See: The Guardian)
Some added commentary. (See: Harpers)
Take care,
jim
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1 comment:
Jim,
I love your blog! It is well thought out and refreshingly insightful. I think that your thoughts reflect those of many silent Americans whose voices are rarely heard. On any points I may disagree with you, I would not be afraid to discuss them with you because you appear to be a sane, rational thinker. That seems to be a rare comodity these days.
Your blog on Facism was great. Wasn't it Goehring who said (and I am paraphrasing) that the best way to get pacifists to go along with your agenda is to accuse them of being unpatriotic. Isn't that exactly what is happening here? The minute you question the huge price tag this war is generating, the lack of progress and the imminent danger of our solders(with on results) you are accused of "not supporting our troops." Now this entire mess will be turned over to someone else come election time. How sad, but you have to admit that the Goehring technique has been effective, at least to this point!
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