Posted on 06/16/2003 12:46:18 AM PDT by PeaceBeWithYou
During the 2000 elections, I was enrolled at the University Of Georgia. A large university campus is a fascinating place to be during a presidential election; it is a microcosm of political views ranging from the mainstream to the absurd. I was involved with both Republican and Libertarian club events, but the colorful activities of other political ideologies did not escape my attention. The daily panorama of politics ranged from the banality one would expect to be a reflection of the Gore/Lieberman ticket, to the playfully politically incorrect witticisms that have come to be expected from College Republicans. But the fun did not stop there. We were treated to Libertarian gun raffles which were hugely successful in numbers attracted, media attention and funds raised. There were parades of Greens with their usual macabre signs and costumes, decrying capitalism, environmental destruction and the military, with their ever present drums and threats of violence. The smaller organizations ranged from racial identity groups (who seemed very serious), hard core communists and hold-out supporters of Jell-O Biafra, Frank Zappa For President boosters (surely a boon for the running mate, as Zappa had recently expired), and even a loose-knit cadre of anarchists and Marxists who leafleted and graffitied the campus with "Pigasus For President" messages. I can only assume that this was not the same pig that the Yippies ran against President Nixon, but given that many in this group identified themselves as witches, I will not rule out reanimation. After all, the Democrats tried it in 2002, with former Senator Fritz Mondale and former Senator Frank Lautenburg.It was just before this bewildering time that I met a girl who would give me insight into the Left that I otherwise might not have. When I met her (she will remain unnamed), she was not committed to any political ideology. She was an unusually bright girl; attractive and well humored, with a scathing wit. We spent a good deal of time together. At some point, she began a strange transformation. Gradually, her mood darkened, her humor became far more negative and surfaced less frequently, and she began avoiding discussions of politics with me. Eventually, she admitted that she had become a Nazi (yes, an actual Hitler-quoting Nazi). Of course, I tried to talk her out of it. I tried my best to explain the failures of socialism to her, and to defend the Jewish people. I attempted both reason and emotion. I debunked the "Protocols Of The Wise Men Of Zion," as Czarist propaganda, and countered the conspiracy theories concerning the Rothchilds and Israel. I listed the great accomplishments of famous Jews, and even convinced her that science, philosophy, religion, art, economics and literature have been greatly furthered by Jewish accomplishments. It was all for naught. She had surrounded herself with charismatic Nazis, and had been completely taken in by their lies. It was the end of our friendship.
Time passed and as we were traveling in different circles, our paths did not cross. It was during the election that I next became aware of her. I spotted her among the Green Party mobs, agitating in support of Ralph Nader being allowed on the ballot. I will admit that I always hoped Nader would be a bit of a Ross Perot to Al Gore, so I approached her and offered to sign her petition. "Hey, ____," I said, "I thought you were a Nazi; what are you doing supporting Nader?" "I am a Nazi," she replied, "That's why I'm supporting Nader." I must have looked a bit puzzled, because she continued, "What do you think Nazism is? It's national socialism. Only we don't support any one nation. We want an end to all capitalist governments, and the environmental destruction they entail. Also, we're all against the Jews. The Jews run everything; they are responsible for capitalist exploitation and environmental destruction. They are responsible for poverty, war, and global warming. What they are doing to Palestine they will do to all of us if we let them." "So," I asked in disbelief, "the Green Party is anti-Semitic?" "Most of us are," she replied, "Some of us even call ourselves Nazi Greens, especially in Europe." "You are insane," I told her, as I walked away, feeling nauseous.
This exchange helped me understand what would otherwise be a puzzling phenomenon. An honest appraisal of the Left over the past few years will show that it is growing increasingly anti-Semitic. On its face, this just does not make sense. Jews are generally associated with liberal causes, but modern liberalism is growing less accepting of Jews. Perhaps Edward Said's continuous parroting of Palestinian condemnations of "Zionism" is at the root, but the tree has grown far beyond the Palestinian cause. What began with Israeli divestment campaigns on college campuses, that equated Israel to Apartheid South Africa, has grown to the point that the phrase "Zionist conspiracy" has become a virtual shibboleth (if you will pardon the metaphor) of not merely Timothy McVeighs, but of increasingly mainstream liberals.
The rise of anti-Semitism on the left seems to have come to a head following the September 11th terrorist attacks. With the appearance of books claiming to prove that Israel was behind the terrorist attacks, the Zionist conspiracy became common currency. Liberal websites and leaders spread this message, until blatant anti-Semitism became common place at every war protest. Filthy, French style, protesters held signs blaming the world's ills on Jews, while their French counterparts defaced synagogues and graves, and attacked Jews on the streets.
This tide of sentiment is not limited to the dirty and the youthful. Indeed, a veritable cottage industry has been formed of lawyers, led by the ACLU, who make a living defending those who seek to, or who actively encourage killing Jews in Israel and abroad. More and more, the Left makes it clear that the only religion they approve of is the one that preaches the killing of Jews (and Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc.) - Islam. Even among mainstream democrats, anti-Semitism is not condemned. When Jesse Jackson used the slur, "hymie town," he was not denounced by a single liberal, nor was Al Sharpton rebuked when he said he would not tolerate a Hadassah (Lieberman's wife) in the White House. Even Hillary Clinton is forgiven for reportedly calling Dick Morris a "Jew bastard." The "Zionist conspiracy" is even being leveled against the Bush administration as the term "neoconservative" has resurfaced as synonymous with Jewish conservative. From the radical fringe to the democratic party proper, the Left claims that the Bush administration is merely a pawn of Israel.
I do not pretend that my experience with a Nazi turned Green is evidence that all Greens are Nazis; I am sure many are not. I also do not believe that all liberals are anti-Semitic, nor that all liberals are tolerant of such. However, evidence proves that anti-Semitism is increasingly common on the left. What was formerly agreed upon as the greatest evil of the twentieth century is being embraced and tolerated by many of the most influential leaders and constituencies of the Left. As an active Republican, and committed conservative, I can attest that neither this kind of rhetoric, nor ideology, is tolerated on the Right. Any Republican who espoused such racist nonsense would be roundly condemned, and forced out of any leadership position.
This is what makes so much of the Left's rhetoric so maddening. After all, the Left frequently likens Republicans to Nazis, from the protesters carrying signs depicting President Bush with a Hitler mustache, to Janet Reno's Nazi reference at a group of Jewish voters in Florida just last week. The Left simply can't have it both ways. If a leader were to arise-a man who was a vegetarian, a radical environmentalist, a tea-drinking, nature worshipping, anti-smoking fanatic, a socialist, a proponent of abortion and of medical research utilizing fetal tissue, who would outlaw speech and ideas that he didn't approve of, an animal rights activist, a controversial artist and writer, a pagan who's harshest rhetoric was directed against Jews and Christians - he could rise quickly to the leadership of the Green Party. Indeed, such a man would find few critics among democrats, and would be welcomed by the faculty of most colleges. Such a man did once exist, and did become the leader of a modern nation only a few decades ago. That man was Adolph Hitler.
Enjoy.
For years, Greens in Europe have been toying with a Himmler type mysticism. It is beyond Gaia worship. It has a nasty "Olympia" and "Triumph of the Will" flavor to it. The antisemitism is a new development.
I'm sure I wouldn't last long among any of the green organizations. I'd prefer to work with conservatives on conserving natural resources with common sense. I support the Healthy Forests initiative, for one thing! President Bush is doing good work. I also support drilling in ANWAR and off of our coastlines if it can be done cleanly.
Facism/Nazism were blunders of the "right" just as communism was the blunder of the "left". I would like to think that both the modern left and right having learned from history would never want to repeat it.
It's not hard to see how a right wing racist can wind up a left wing racist. These nuts aren't concerned about the core ideologies of left or right; they're just nuts. They'll do silly mental gymnastics tring to jump on board with anyone who will tollerate them. Your friend tring to explain how she's a Nazi, but wants to "end captialism" and doesn't "support any one nation", is a great example. Hitler supported his one nation and he had few problems with captialism.
In America's two party system there's kind of a displacement affect. When blacks were supported by dems, dixicrats hopped over to the reps. When pro-Isreal groups gained support of the reps, antisemitists will pop up with the dems and other left parties. This tends to make for some strange bed fellows. We just have to make it 100% clear to our politicians if you support these racists in any way, we don't care how nice your platform is; we'll vote against you.
Have another cocktail.
N.A.Z.I is National Socialists Workers Party. How were the Nazis from the "right"?
"Hitler supported his one nation and he had few problems with captialism."
"And if we ask who was responsible for our misfortune, then we must inquire who profited by our collapse. And the answer to that question is the "Banks and Stock Exchanges are more flourishing than ever before." We were told that capitalism would be destroyed, and when we ventured to remind one or other of these "famous statesmen" and said "Don't forget that Jews too have capital," then the answer will now be destroyed, the whole people will now be free. We are not fighting Jewish or Christian capitalism, we are fighting every capitalism: we are making the people completely free." "
Adolf Hitler
Speech of April 12,
http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111hit1.html
You really should look into it a little more. The problem with most people is that they view Hitler as one-dimensional. A cartoon character with a silly mustache who started WW2 and killed a lot of Jews.
He was a vegetarian. He was - for his time - a radical environmentalist. The Nazis did worship nature as part of their Pan-German desire to take Germany back to the imaginary world depicted in Wagner’s operas. He was opposed to smoking. And he persecuted the Christian Church and threw many of its leaders into concentration camps. Unmentioned in the article, he was also a war hero and a sex object for German women.
The John Kerry of his day?
Nice quote notice that it's from April 12, 1921 when he was pandering to the left. In Germany at this time there were communists on the one side, the nationalists on the other, and in between a couple parties that were failing to deal with the people's needs. Hitler picked the name national socialist, to buy support from both sides. As he was complaining about capitalism then, he was being funded by banks and rich buisnessmen. He formed a coallition government in the begining with other parties being considered good for buisness. Private industry fueled the Nazi German economy. Constrast this to the USSR or Socialist China. Stalin and Hitler probably could have agreed on things like subservience of the individual to the state, but thier echonomic views were far apart. Today neonazis in Germany are still "rechsextremisten" -- "right extreamist".
Definately at the time he was considered to be right wing (that's where he sat in the Reichstag). I can understand people from the modern right not wanting to be identified in any way with Nazis, but don't try to rewrite history as a conflict between the "right" and all that is evil. There were things that grew out of the so called "right" movements of their times that were horible too.
Sorry this is the first time I've heard of people tring to paint the Nazis as leftists. I always thought Stalin and Mao made better examples of that. Once you start giving everything up to totalitarianism, I guess what ever extrem crap you have all looks alike.
Have another cocktail.
I'll take a White Russian. Thanks. :-)
Many Germans, including my grandfather, have a very romantic view of nature, and the NSDAP made full use of this volkisch romanticism.
Then you don't know very far.
He was all of those things, but the NSDAP was very, very green.
Hehe, I doubt John Kerry is considered a sex object :-).
I also don't think everytime a politician is sexy, artistic, vegetarian, or a war hero who likes the enviroment, we should immediately compare him with Hitler.
I thought that wasn't possible. Too bad we cann't seem to do it in a democracy. I'm not saying I'd ever trade, but boy that's scary.
Seriously though, totalitarian states are free to ignore enviroment and social problems. In the long run they tend to screw both. Just look at East Europe.
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