An afternoon with a former member of the Hitler Youth, re: America's RW media

[DFW]

Yesterday, I spent a delightful afternoon with my wife and her mother in Northern Germany to celebrate her mom’s 82nd birthday. As an added bonus, close friends of her mom came along. This is a wonderful old married couple who was so close to my wife’s family that she calls them Onkel Alfred and Tante Emmy.

“Uncle Alfred” used to be the manager of a bicycle factory in northern Germany. He was known for fair treatment of the factory workers, and for making it a powerhouse exporter of bicycles worldwide. When he retired, comfortably though not rich, the sons of the founding family that gave the bicycles their name took over the place, looted the finances and drove it into the ground. It went bankrupt. Uncle Alfred’s departure was its downfall. Uncle Alfred tends to vote CDU (the German mainstream conservatives) but hates their more conservative wing, and is delighted that Obama was elected in the USA. He was horrified at the two “elections” of Bush Lite, recognizing them as fraudulent although he hasn’t been to America in decades and speaks no English.

You see, Alfred knows perfectly well what insidious right-wing propaganda can do to distort the thinking of people. He knows because it was practiced on him and his whole generation. Uncle Alfred was born in 1928. In 1938, at the age of ten, he joined the Hitler Youth, as did all boys his age. He was immersed in the Nazi propaganda, was taught that his country and the Nazis were the greatest, and when he was inducted into the Wehrmacht in 1945 at age 17, he got his uniform just in time to see Germany be defeated. Even then, as his country was going down in flames, he was told that the Führer was surrounded by “traitors” and “betrayers.” Otherwise, the promised victory would have been theirs. Only after the war, when the Nazi propagandists were slowly removed from the schools and media, did he finally realize what had been done to him and his generation. His good friend, my wife’s father-to-be, already knew, as he was four years older, and had come back from Stalingrad in 1942 minus a leg at age 18. Uncle Alfred came to develop a fiery hate for the people who had lied to him, cost him his youth, and his country a generation.

Uncle Alfred is well aware of what kind of thing is going in America today, with Fox “News” and National Hate Radio spouting out their lies and shrill hate propaganda. He doesn’t quite understand why it is tolerated, and sure as hell can’t figure out why it gets any traction at all, figures that it must be fear, but on the part of people who have nothing TO fear. He asked me if we (Americans) were at all aware of the evil that can come from having such widespread propagandists posing as media and news outlets. I explained that many of us in America were aware of it, but many were not, and that intellectual laziness and poor education (See Mad Floridian’s post on Reagan and his animosity toward education) were the friends of extremism. He agreed fully, and deplored the existence of such organs in the USA. He asked if I thought there was any danger of them convincing a majority of the population. I said so far, no, that they were only louder than their numbers indicate, and fewer than their own photos indicate (as in Sep. 12 march, which he had not heard about).

He hoped that our population was not as susceptible to such dangerous indoctrination as his generation in his country was, and that Obama would succeed where Bush failed so miserably. I said it would be an uphill battle, but one that we could not afford to lose, and didn’t intend to. He patted me on the back, and said he hoped a majority of American thought like I do. I said that in a country as diverse as mine, it was a fair bet that a majority of Americans did not think as I do, but it would be enough if a large majority of Americans did NOT go along with the rightist extremists. He said “das wollen wir hoffen (let’s hope so).”

I do indeed hope so.

[AllentownJake]

1. We have corporatist propoganda

The "marketing departments" of most fortune 500 firms would make Hitler envious.

[Selatius]

21. Many marketing specialists have to take human psychology at university nowadays.

What we know now about how the mind operates and the catalog of techniques tried in the past at influencing people is much more extensive than that available to the Ministry of Propaganda back in the 1930s/1940s. I was partly exposed to the psychological aspects when I obtained my business degree.

What I learned was that repetition is key, and half-truths tend to be far more powerful than out-right lies. Sometimes one can even avoid lying altogether simply by reporting certain facts and omitting others or downplaying them. The terminology for that last technique is still being formed, but I've personally dubbed it propaganda by omission, and it can be just as effective as any other form of thought control. An important tool that is also used is the aesthetic quality of the propaganda. Does it sound good to the ear? Does it look good visually? Do the people who spread the propaganda look respectable and approachable? Things of that sort.

Did you know that the Nazi regime was known for employing fashion designers to design the uniforms of the 3rd Reich? And from a purely aesthetic point of view, I would have to say their uniforms did look stylish, impressive, and posh. The installation of steel heels on the boots of soldiers during parades was a touch of genius. The sound of rhythmic marching boots enhanced by the sound of steel against pavement is impressive, still sends chills down my spine whenever I view old propaganda footage of their soldiers marching in rank.

[Echo In Light]

39. Corporations employ entire psyche departments devoted to marketing to & shaping the public mind

It's funny when people disavow the notion of thought control in a phony rep democracy given that it's essential in maintaining the overarching ruse.

[gateley]

2. It Can't Happen Here -- just ask Frank Zappa. nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

3. a scary thought indeed! Would they every be able to convince a majority of Americans?

Under normal circumstances, I would have to say no.

But what if something highly abnormal were to happen, such as total economic collapse triggered by a devastating war in the Gulf that choked off the oil supply to a trickle causing oil prices to shoot into the stratosphere?

Or what if, God forbid, another major and far more deadly terrorist attack?

Even Retired General Tommy Franks once said that he did not think civil liberties in America would survive a large scale WMD attack on the American mainland.

Under situations of catastrophe of one kind or another, then I would have to say that the rise of a completely unrestrained, authoritarian and vindictive far right supported or at least accepted by the majority, would not be impossible.

[laughingliberal]

4. It has been common to ask how the German people taken in by the propaganda

We are witnessing the relentless corporate propaganda in our own country. Although there are few buying the whole ball of wax as yet there are large numbers of people who buy into parts of the message. I saw us at great risk during the Bush years and believe we have pulled back a little from the abyss at this point. But it is by no means assured we have won against these forces. Thank you for sharing this wonderful perspective with us.

[DFW]

5. There is an important thing to consider

Alfred said that the major disillusionment with the Nazi Propaganda came when it was no longer the only thing
the people heard. Now, Fox etc is not the only thing we can hear, but it IS the thing many people CHOOSE as
the only thing they hear, and it is ongoing. We can't legislate away their right to spew it out without legislating
their right to remove legitimate sources of information should they once again seize power. Too bad for us that we
can't legislate compulsory common sense, and Republican degrading of our public education has been a de facto boost
to the public's willingness to soak up their poison like a sponge.

[unpossibles]

43. That is where they were quite the geniuses

People like Rush Limbaugh got the people to first distrust the rest of the media as being too liberal, then when FOX was introduced as the cure, a lot of people bought it hook, line, and sinker. I sadly know more than a few people who will refuse to listen to anything other networks have to say because they've been told the ridiculous lie that CNN, MSNBC, etc. are all Liberal propaganda and they believed it.

[msongs]

8. german culture ALREADY believed what hitler preached, hitler was not an innovator

he just took what those good german christians already loved and made it the law of the land. It was easy for him, he had no original thinking to do at all.

Msongs

[Uzybone]

12. Not quite true

by and large they didn't believe Jews were like vermin who needed to be "eliminated" from the German homeland. They didn't believe the mentally infirm should be culled out to keep the German race strong.

[olegramps]

32. Sorry, but many if not most Europeans held anti-semitic views.

[RaleighNCDUer]

45. Which includes the Brits, the French and the Poles - all of whom were

enemies of the Nazis. There was far more to Nazism than anti-semitism. Just as there is far more to the tea-baggers than racism.

The rise of the Nazis was a confluence of many dangerous ideas that were united under a single banner. It was given legitimacy by the industrialists and conservatives who thought they could control the beast, when actually the beast controlled them.

Nationalism, religious fervor, belief in the man on the white charger, and a chosen enemy of the people.

Any of that sound familiar?

[tuckessee]

20. Not true. The Nazis never got more than 36% of the popular vote.

And that was achieved with coalition efforts.

Many German elements, particularily the Junkers, Prussians and professional military class were adamantly opposed to the Nazis.

The average German, however, loved the Nazi socialist welfare programs. Most Germans, Nazi or otherwise, were passionate socialists.

Did you know that in order to be an SS officer one had to renounce his membership in Christian churches?

What aided the Nazis was the thought, which is not unique to Germany, of "My Country Right or Wrong". Once the war got under way it was all matter of "supporting the troops".

[mmonk]

31. Hitler patterned Germany in many aspects with Italy's Fascists.

Therefore, it's overriding "socialism" was crony capitalism or corporate welfare.

[wuvuj]

35. Our "troops" are of course "family guys"...

...and with the well known and accepted idea of "family values"...we all should of course "support the troops".

This is a back door method of promoting the wars. Can't get people to support the wars...so they try to get them to support the warriors...all encouraged by the last set of "warriors" to be inducted into the war cult...Nam vets.

[unpossibles]

44. I think that is true of FOX as well

Look at the bullshit Rush and FOX and Lou Dobbs throw out there all the time; do you think they aren't just playing into existing fears and prejudices?

[fascisthunter]

6. My Mother was born in Germany before the end of the war

she too, as well as many of other German members of my family consider the right wing movement in this country to be a parallel to the rise of the nazis. I consider the right wing in America to be a cross mixture of nazis and fascists, as well as a bunch of religiously brainwashed fanatics. All extremists to be sure.

The threat is real, unfortunately, three groups already invested in much of corporate America and have their tentacles in our very government today. Politicians from greed and lust of power have used all three factions to rise to power, letting the genie out of the bottle. The GOP itself, have foolishly allowed this right wing problem to metastasize, and many democrats have ignored its dangerous potential until now. Big mistake...

[DFW]

7. I agree--the cancer analogy is valid

Take it on early, treat it aggressively, and it can be eradicated.

Allow it to grow, it will change itself and kill the organism on which it is feeding.

[fascisthunter]

9. it is why the German government will not tolerate nazis

as we do here. They learned the hard way...

[Enthusiast]

37. And they know, if it walks like a duck

and quacks like a duck, it doesn't matter what you call it, it is still a duck.

[Windy]

11. I agree totally, having toured the Nazi Documentation Center last year

When you do so, you get an in depth history lesson on the rise of the Nazi party and tactics employed. There are a lot of similarities. Whenever I have brought this up on DU, I get flamed for even mentioning it. I think it is important not to put your head in the sand and ignore what is happening around you. That is what enabled the nazi part in Germany. We can't allow that to happen here. The old adage, those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it certainly applies here.

[madamesilverspurs]

13. Indeed, many of us who objected

to the PATRIOT Act were chilled by its similarities to the Enabling Act. We were, of course, routinely dismissed as ridiculous and alarmist.

[DFW]

14. It's so easy, isn't it?

Laugh it off until it happens, and then shrug your shoulders and ask "well, who knew?"

[RaleighNCDUer]

50. Well, of course, the Enabling Act was arbitrary and excessive, and designed

to allow the fascists to take over.

The Patriot Act, OTOH, was necessary to protect us from international terrorism.

Right?

[conscious evolution]

17. Never Forget Never Again

That was drilled into my head as a child by uncles and nieghbors who had seen the death camps first hand.

[glitch]

10. Thanks for posting. Those of us lucky enough to have older German friends

were given a heads up sooner then most. Invaluable!

[madamesilverspurs]

15. One of my friends in that category

expressed early in W's first term a fear of the direction he would take the country. She and her family had barely escaped Germany when she was a teenager, warned by the things they saw and heard. One particular conversation with her is indelibly stamped in my memory: She said that "...watching George Bush is like watching Hitler come up all over again. Where can I go NOW to be safe?" And she said that as her eyes filled with tears and her hands shook with very real fear. And with all the vicious Beckishness that informs the 9-12 events and 'tea party' gatherings, she rarely leaves the comfort and safety of her home. She's a staunch Obama supporter, but she remains terrified of the right wing in this country.

[glitch]

22. That is heartbreaking. My friend is in her mid sixties so she only saw the result of the third reich

She didn't see it grow in the twenties-thirties. But she could tell what Bushco was from the very beginning. German students are much better trained in what to watch out for than we are.

It must be absolutely horrifying for your friend. :hug:

[Cartoonist]

23. But, but, Obama is Hitler.

I had a talk with an elderly German who saw a display of my cartoons, a few of which depicted Bush and cronies as nazis. He said I was right on, and that he saw the same similarities. Now, the right is calling Obama Hitler, and saying it's OK because the left portrayed Bush as Hitler. I think that Hitler is now just used as an evil person, completely disregarding his actual policies and ideology, because clearly, Hitler was right-wing, and could never be mistaken for a liberal.

"I'll put an end to the idea that a woman's body belongs to her. . . . Nazi ideals demand that the practice of abortion shall be exterminated with a strong hand." A.H.

Pro-lifers generally like to say that "Hitler started with abortion". The truth is that Hitler outlawed abortion for German women, the better to increase the numbers of "pure Aryans" for his Third Reich. At the same time, he made sure abortions were performed on pregnant women who were members of groups he considered "genetically inferior" or "undesirable". The lesson here is that a government which can outlaw abortion can mandate abortion. -Beth Grimes

[Fedja]

29. Regarding abortion

Hitler did more than what you say, he pretty much claimed population growth decisions as a matter of the state. The state would decide when a child would be born or aborted, and practiced both.

While this may seem like a middle-road, it's not. In the same way as pro-life, Himmler (in charge of project Lebensborn) would take choice away from mothers and impose the decision on them. In that context, the pro choice movement is the direct opposite of Nazi policies.

More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensborn

[Javaman]

40. I will begin to worry in ernest when the teabagger start wearing uniforms

of their own design.

They then become our own little "brown shirts".

[RaleighNCDUer]

46. If you wait for the uniform, they WILL take you by surprise.

Uniforms mean nothing. Ideas are everything.

You should be worried NOW.

[Javaman]

49. Good point. nt

[bluesmail]

16. Don't forget Operation Paperclip. The Nazi's are 'out of this world'

intelligent. Secretive. Occultist.

[TankLV]

18. I fear that he may be wrong in that there are already TOO MANY who believe the bullshit...

I'm an Architect for chrissake, and ALL the repukes - they're not "republicans" - totally spew the teabaggers and palin crap - SERIOUSLY!

These are supposedly college educated intelligent persons!

They are among the FIRST to regurgitate the lates limpball and FUX crap - and that's all they EVER listen to - ALL THE TIME!!!

When I begin to point out their LIES and HYPOCRISY, they change it to "but I'm not a (repuke) - I'm a LIBERTARIAN or "Independant" or "they are ALL corrupt, lie, cheat (insert comment here)"

Half of them are "religiouS" and the other have see themselves as "soon to be rich" instead of "soon I could be unemployed like the others who have been laid off"

And even the so-called others are not afraid to say they don't like Obama and actually PREFERRED bush* now!!!

I am dumbfounded and don't know how to react to that since I have to work with these persons...

[DFW]

19. My sympathies. If I had to work with people like that, I'd go bats

One of the advantages of being stationed overseas, and head of a widespread, but very small circle of specialists
is that I ultimately end up deciding who I have working under me. Here in Europe, ALL the people who work for my
little outfit are natives of the countries they work in--very loyal to us, but not in the slightest reachable by
the likes of Fox or American National Hate Radio. Some of the people at HQ Stateside have those kind of sympathies,
but most do not, and almost all of my top brass is progressive Democrat--rare in my line of work, so I'm lucky.

[RaleighNCDUer]

47. Hey, I'm in the "soon to be rich" group!

I bought three lottery tickets just yesterday!

[DFW]

48. Well, I wish you luck......

You'll understand if I don't hold my breath, but I'll be there with the rest to cheer if you win.

I only won one lottery, if you can call it that, in my life, although it made me set for life, so I'm not complaining.

[EFerrari]

24. People are much more vulnerable to propaganda than they realize.

Look at how easy it is to get people into a huff about ACORN, Chavez, "the far left" (as if such a thing existed in this country), "anarchists". They don't stop and gather facts, they just buy in to the sound bite believing they're getting a bit of truth.

Look how easy it is to distract them from government-backed atrocities. Iraq is far away and so is Afghanistan but Honduras is right on our doorstep and people are being snatched, tortured and murdered there while Zelayed is ridiculed in our media.

It's a lot easier than we think to manipulate the public, to manipulate us.

[bertman]

25. If the Nazis had teevee they would probably be ruling the world overtly right now.

Our biggest vulnerability is the addiction of a large percentage of Americans to the ultimate propaganda tool--the teevee. Anyone who watches network news is getting spoon-fed with corporatist propaganda. Fortunately, there are a few antidotes on the left who are making inroads: Ed Schultz, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow.

Thank you for the post, DFW.

Recommend highly.

[DFW]

27. But will those few antidotes be enough to counteract the poison on the right?

Every time I go back to the States, it seems like both camps just preach to their own choir, and
where our choir rests on fact and reason, theirs rests on loud fiction backed up by very real weapons
and a lot of money. Being correct doesn't mean you win a debate if your opponent can shout you down,
and then shoot you if you're still talking.

[bertman]

36. I don't know the answer to that. Your perception is correct and the sad fact is that our

police and security elements are not the most well-read or the most familiar with the concept of democracy. Many are right-wingers. That adds to the problem.

On the other hand, recent polls indicate that as many as 75% of Americans understand that we need major healthcare reform--despite an onslaught of media efforts to convince them otherwise.
Of course, that came at a price. Apparently the President had to make a deal with Big Pharma that they would be allowed to make even bigger profits if they did not fund an anti-healthcare ad campaign.

On the issue of the right-wing and weapons, you are correct. We are very fortunate that the tide has only barely turned in the direction of violence against the left. It could be much worse, so many of us are advocating for tougher measures against terrorists of the right. It will be critical in the struggle for the soul of democracy that the government and the armed "authorities" come down on the side of law and order and not on the side of the fascists.

Only time will tell.

[Autonomy]

26. We have a First Amendment

right of freedom of speech. I don't believe Germany has that. Germany has outlawed anything to do with the Nazis, including denying the Holocaust and other speech acts, and has outlawed some "religions" that are protected here, such as Scientology.

I guess it turns out the the liberties granted in the Bill of Rights are a mixed bag. Gotta take the good with the bad. It's sad to see ignorance, fear, hatred, and intolerance spread like a virus while protected by our very freedoms.

We could require equal time on radio, like prior to the 1980's, but I don't think that would solve the problem. They'd still find a way to spew their bile. On TV, we have Keith and Rachel, they have Glenn Beck and Billo. It's not the quantity of the inequality that is the problem; it's the quality of the inequality. How can we stop that with laws? I don't think we can.

[DFW]

28. It's a matter of interpretation.

Germany does protect freedom of speech, but what they consider as incitement (also prohibited in the USA)
is different from what we consider to be incitement--understandable, considering their recent history.
Germany has its own "never again" sentiments, as does Israel. Germany doesn't consider Scientology to be
a religion, and therefore does not consider it to be protected. Germany certainly wouldn't consider Fox
to be a news station, and therefore would not treat its propaganda as protected under press freedom laws.
Freedom of the press applies to the press, not to party propaganda, especially when such propaganda
contains deliberate lies and incites its own political "events."

As for Fox, I see the remedy not in the big issues such as freedom speech, but in little details. I think
that the FCC should go after them for little things, such as violation of Truth in Advertising laws,
incitement statutes, etc. I see them sort of the way the Federal Government saw Al Capone. They never
were able to get Capone on all his murdering and racketeering, but finally did get him on tax evasion,
which was so far under Capone's radar, he never saw it coming.

[Hubert Flottz]

30. America would do well to study what happened in Germany

and to realize that the German propagandists had coaching from corporate America's "PR" experts.

Ever read about Ivy Ledbetter Lee?(Ivy Lee)

The BushReich's "Big Lie"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4383772

IG Farben and Hugh Nibley

Snip...

American I.G. sought to improve its public image in America during the 1920s and 30s:

This miserable picture of pre-war military preparation was known abroad and had to be sold — or disguised — to the American public in order to facilitate Wall Street fund-raising and technical assistance on behalf of I. G. Farben in the United States. A prominent New York public relations firm was chosen for the job of selling the I.G. Farben combine to America. The most notable public relations firm in the late 1920s and 1930s was Ivy Lee & T.J. Ross of New York. Ivy Lee had previously undertaken a public relations campaign for the Rockefellers, to spruce up the Rockefeller name among the American public. The firm had also produced a sycophantic book entitled USSR, undertaking the same clean-up task for the Soviet Union — even while Soviet labor camps were in full blast in the late 20s and early 30s.

From 1929 onwards Ivy Lee became public relations counsel for I. G. Farben in the United States. In 1934 Ivy Lee presented testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee on this work for Farben. Lee testified that I.G. Farben was affiliated with the American Farben firm and “The American I.G. is a holding company with directors such people as Edsel Ford, Walter Teagle, one of the officers of the City Bank …. ” Lee explained that he was paid $25,000 per year under a contract made with Max Ilgner of I.G. Farben. His job was to counter criticism leveled at I.G. Farben within the United States. . . .

The remaining four members of the American I.G. board were prominent American citizens and members of the Wall Street financial elite: C.E. Mitchell, chairman of National City Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Edsel B. Ford, president of Ford Motor Company; W.C. Teagle, another director of Standard Oil of New Jersey; and, Paul Warburg, first member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and chairman of the Bank of Manhattan Company. MORE...

http://www.believeallthings.com/2554/ig-farben-hugh-nibley



LEE, IVY LEDBETTER


Ivy Ledbetter Lee (1877–1934) created the model for professional U.S. public-relations promotions and a giant industry that is generally called the publicity business. Ivy Lee believed that facts themselves could be artfully shaped and placed before the public so that they would be seen in a favorable light. Though he is a largely forgotten figure in U.S. history, his impact on commerce, politics, entertainment, and the general business of the United States cannot be overstated. He was the father of all the modern "spin doctors" and public-relations people who seek to present in a favorable light that which is not always pleasant.

Ivy Ledbetter Lee was born in 1877, in Cedartown, Georgia, the son of a Methodist minister. Lee grew up in Georgia and finished his college training at Princeton University in New Jersey, and later, for a single semester, he attended Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lee began working for newspapers in 1899, working first for the New York Journal and later for the New York Times. After marrying in 1903, he quit newspapers and went to work with a fellow journalist, George Parker, in an effort to get Seth Low elected as mayor of New York. Lee and Parker afterwards went on to work for the Democratic National Committee in the 1904 presidential campaign.

In 1904 Ivy Lee and George Parker decided to form a public relations company called Parker and Lee. It was the second public relations firm established in the United States. Lee began to represent the interests of large firms, such as the Pennsylvania Railroad, who wanted public images as good, ethical companies benevolent to public interests. More...

http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/eueh_02/eueh_02_00522.html

Ivy Ledbetter Lee

(July 16, 1877 – November 9, 1934) is often considered the founder of modern public relations, or PR. Lee was an influential but controversial pioneer in this field; working with George Parker, he established the United States's third public relations firm, Parker and Lee. Lee also handled publicity for Judge Alton Parker’s unsuccessful presidential race against Theodore Roosevelt. The author of the Declaration of Principles, the first literary piece describing the concept of public relations and its obligation to the people, Lee is also credited with issuing the first press release. He was a career-long competitor of public relations agent Edward Bernays, and was significantly influential in convincing large corporations to create public relation departments within their firms.

Criticized as many in PR have been, as selling propaganda instead of truth, Lee was a dedicated professional who accomplished much in pioneering his field. While some of his clients appeared suspect, Lee did outstanding work for the Red Cross during World War I, bringing the organization to the attention of the American public at a time when they greatly needed support. As a result of his work, the Red Cross became the major organization for Americans to contribute to for disaster relief. A legendary figure, Lee’s contributions to the field of public relations throughout the early part of the twentieth century are undeniable, and mostly beneficial to society. More...

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Ivy_Lee

[penndragon69]

33. K&R

Wisdom from the old country!

[DFW]

41. Wisdom from one who was fully indoctrinated

And who had the good fortune to get out from under the yoke of repressive brain-washing.

It's difficult to explain to someone who barely escaped with his life as to why the country
that conquered his, and liberated it from the repression of purposeful ignorance, would ever
willingly submit to the same kind of propaganda media that help destroy his own country in
the first place. It would have taken all afternoon to explain Pogo to an 80-something German,
but Pogo's most famous phrase still rings out: "we have met the enemy and he is us."

[Hannah Bell]

34. i've been convinced of this for the last couple of years; the media

conflict is being intentionally jacked up. to what end, i haven't decided. but onkel's not the only one who's reminded of the Völkischer Beobachter.

[Octafish]

38. Thanks, DFW. Here' a bit on the subject for those interested...

Thank you for sharing your story.

Here's a bit for those new to the subject of the NAZI role in post-war USA:

Know your BFEE: Nazis couldn’t win WWII, so they backed the Bushes.

Know your BFEE: Spawn of Wall Street and the Third Reich

Know your BFEE: Money Trumps Peace. Always.

Know your BFEE: Alito is just another word for Mussolini

Know your BFEE: Like a NAZI

Know your BFEE: Reinhard Gehlen

Smedley Butler Stopped American Fascist Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR

My wife's family also is from Germany. The ones old enough to remember also say what your "Onkel" and in-laws say.

[Ishoutandscream2]

42. Graduate history course taken on Hitler and Nazi Germany

taught by Robin Rudoff, a Jewish man born and raised in Tennessee. Told us on the last day of the course in July of 1991 - "It could very well happen here."

He passed away in the late 90's. I always think of him when this is brought up. I think he would be terrified.