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'Bush equals Hitler' adds up to holocaust denial
Townhall.com ^ | September 5, 2003 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 09/05/2003 5:51:17 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife

We may be living in the worst period of Holocaust denial since the Nuremberg trials. I'm not referring to the twisted morons who insist that the Holocaust never happened the way the Monty Python guys insisted the parrot wasn't dead. I'm referring to the legions of Holocaust deniers in the Democratic Party, on the Web, on college campuses, in the mainstream press and, most acutely, in my e-mail box every morning, who reduce to the Holocaust to a triviality.

In America today - never mind Europe and the Middle East - ostensibly sophisticated and enlightened people see nothing particularly controversial about comparing George Bush to Adolph Hitler and the United States of America to Nazi Germany.

The examples are everywhere. Vanity Fair magazine asks if Richard Perle and Joseph Goebbels were "separated at birth." Whole Web sites are dedicated to the most astoundingly stupid and superficial comparisons between George Bush and Hitler (they both liked dogs, for example).

At every event protesting war, Bush, America, this, that and the other thing, one can find pictures of various administration officials in SS garb or bearing Hitler mustaches. On the Web, leftwing forums like Democraticunderground.com overflow with insubstantial people bolstering their self-esteem by pretending to "speak truth to power" to the unfolding Nazification of America.

Putatively intellectual magazines, like the leftwing Nation and the New York Review of Books, feature articles that are more measured in tone and more nuanced in style than the hysteria one hears from C-Span callers or rabble-rousers at Howard Dean events, but the upshot is still the same.

James Traub, writing in The New York Times last June, detailed the trendiness of the Bush-Hitler comparison: "That's grotesque; and the fact that is has achieved such currency among what the French call the bien pensant is vivid proof that in much of the left, 9/11 and its aftermath have increased the visceral loathing not of terrorism or of Islamist fundamentalism but of President George Bush."

But no one seems willing to name this grotesquery plainly. It is, simply, Holocaust denial (not to mention slander against Bush and America).

If your son is murdered and I claim that it never happened, I am denying the existence of a crime. But if your son is murdered and I compare that tragedy to losing your car keys, that is a form of denial, too. And this is precisely what the "Bush equals Hitler" crowd is doing.

The Nazis murdered millions of men, women and children. Their victims weren't "collateral damage" in a war, and they were not executed after a long and fair trial. The Nazis sent their victims to gas chambers and ovens in boxcars. Nazi scientists injected dyes into the living eyes of small children to see if they could be made "Aryan." They made soap out of people.

What on earth has George Bush done that deserves such comparisons? What could he possibly do?

If you're going to call the man a Nazi, show me the children with tattoos on their arms. Show me the stockpiles of emaciated corpses. Show me files cabinets full of memos detailing how Bush and Cheney plan on disposing of millions of dead American citizens killed with poisonous gas.

If you can't show me any of these things - and you can't - then stop calling the man a Nazi. Because when you say he's no different from Hitler, you are also saying that Hitler is no different from George Bush. And that means that Hitler's crimes were no worse than George Bush's "crimes." And whatever you think of what George Bush has done or might do, if you think any of it is the moral equivalent of the Holocaust, you are in effect saying the Holocaust really wasn't that bad.

This isn't a partisan point. I would make the same argument if Al Gore were president. I loathed Bill Clinton as president, but I always took pains to chastise conservatives who compared him to Stalin or Hitler. As bad as Clinton's behavior was, only a man in leave of his senses would compare it to the systematized and bureaucratized mass-murder of millions of people. The same goes for Bush.

To what should be their enduring shame, leftists have a particular problem understanding this point. In their do-gooder arrogance, many on the left assume that anyone who stands in their way must not be merely wrong on the facts, but evil in their hearts. And, worse, they have a very difficult time differentiating between evils.

My favorite example of this moral myopia comes from a few years ago. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said of the Contract With America: "Hitler wasn't even talking about doing these things." And his colleague, Rep. Major Owens declared of the new Republican leadership in the House, "These are people who are practicing genocide with a smile; they're worse than Hitler."

If you believe such nonsense, just get it over with and say the Holocaust never happened at all. Because at least that form of Holocaust denial admits that if it "had happened," it would have been a really bad thing. Saying the Holocaust is no worse than tax cuts or some such doesn't even give the victims of Nazism that dignity.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2004; ads; bush; democrats; denial; hitler; holocaust; moveon; nazigermany
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1 posted on 09/05/2003 5:51:17 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
My favorite example of this moral myopia comes from a few years ago. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., said of the Contract With America: "Hitler wasn't even talking about doing these things." And his colleague, Rep. Major Owens declared of the new Republican leadership in the House, "These are people who are practicing genocide with a smile; they're worse than Hitler."

Rangel quotes should leave the listener with their eyes bulging and their mouth hanging open. How can he say such things, and still be re-elected?

2 posted on 09/05/2003 5:53:12 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
What has been making me angry is that all over NYC there are little swasticas spraypainted everywhere with "=Bush" following them. Sorry, but if someone were to go around painting swasticas anywhere in the city without Bush's name they would be immediately cleaned off, and the police would launch a hate-crime investigation to find the perp.

WTF does BBG think he is doing? By not treating these hate-symbols seriously, he is condoning the statement that these little pukes are making. It enrages me everytime i see them.
3 posted on 09/05/2003 5:56:01 AM PDT by max_rpf
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
Great article. bump
4 posted on 09/05/2003 5:59:01 AM PDT by Tribune7
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
On the Web, leftwing forums like Democraticunderground.com overflow with insubstantial people bolstering their self-esteem by pretending to "speak truth to power" to the unfolding Nazification of America.

Speaking the truth is not a strong point of the dumbocRAT party.

Anyone who ever heard El Slicko or Hitlery talk, should know they could not tell the truth.

Now lies are flying out of the 9 dwarves mouths left and right.

5 posted on 09/05/2003 6:01:27 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Clone Ann Coulter, the woman sent by God)
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
How can he say such things, and still be re-elected?

'cause he keeps da gummint welfare checks comin'.

6 posted on 09/05/2003 6:02:20 AM PDT by WestPacSailor (Sorry folks, this tagline's closed. The moose out front should of told you.)
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
The traditional epithet of a communist is to label the opponent a Nazi or Fascist. By using this label the person involved indicates his political leanings.
7 posted on 09/05/2003 6:07:11 AM PDT by meenie
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
At every event protesting war, Bush, America, this, that and the other thing, one can find pictures of various administration officials in SS garb or bearing Hitler mustaches.

The current issue of City Link magazine here in South Florida features a painting of George W. Bush dressed in a Storm Trooper uniform and holding the Nazi flag. I couldn't find it in the online version so perhaps I'll scan it from the hard copy version and post here if you want.

8 posted on 09/05/2003 6:34:06 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
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To: PJ-Comix
Please do so, if you can find it.
9 posted on 09/05/2003 6:40:03 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: meenie
Excellent point.
10 posted on 09/05/2003 6:40:27 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: max_rpf
Who is BBG?
11 posted on 09/05/2003 6:45:24 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Yehuda; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; ...
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
12 posted on 09/05/2003 7:14:26 AM PDT by SJackson
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
Bloomberg, I presume.

NFP

13 posted on 09/05/2003 7:42:23 AM PDT by Notforprophet (There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who can read binary and those who can't.)
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
ostensibly sophisticated and enlightened people see nothing particularly controversial about comparing George Bush to Adolph Hitler and the United States of America to Nazi Germany.

Well they both a males'
they both are leaders of countries,
they both a well thought of by large portions of the people,
they both are war leaders,
they both like dogs.
they both have worn military uniforms.
There you go! Practically twins!
14 posted on 09/05/2003 7:45:45 AM PDT by Valin (America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.)
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To: Valin
They both use catchy phrases like, "Fatherland" and "Homeland Security". :)
15 posted on 09/05/2003 7:52:30 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
OMG You're right!!! :-)
16 posted on 09/05/2003 8:00:34 AM PDT by Valin (America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.)
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
Axis of Evil: Hitler, George W. Bush and the Dajjal (Anti-Christ) By Brother Abdul Karim Hattin (Producer of 'From The Shadows' Series)

Islamic Circles

The Froud CentreRomford Road (on the corner with Toronto Ave),- Manor Park

London E12 5JFUnited Kingdom

Sunday, 21 September 2003Start time: 11am End time: 1pm

On September the 11th 1991, former American president George Bush proclaimed the birth of a New World Order, 11 years later his son current American president George W. Bush declared a crusade against an Axis of Evil but behind the media propaganda is the greatest secret of the New World Order, a secret plan that was brought to life by Adolf Hitler and the creation of the Aryan God

. Brother Abdul Karim Hattin reveals the links between the mysterious Order of the Skull and Crossbones, Bohemian Grove, global racism and the Coming of the Dajjal (Anti-Christ) with the plan to subvert true Islam and it’s replacement with “Aryan Islam”. Please note this is the full un-edited version from the talk first given at the Al-Ansar centre which had to be shortened due to time constraints, this talk will reveal more and will leave you both shocked and amazed as the true foundations of modern society are torn down in this eye opening talk, due to it’s serious nature it is highly recommended that you bring your families and a non-Muslim with you so they can benefit from this event.

17 posted on 09/05/2003 8:27:58 AM PDT by Helms ("I Want My MTV" (More Televised Vulgarity))
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To: Helms
Skull and Crossbones, again? Nothing like trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

And to suggest that GWBush would support Aryan Islam is beyond ridiculous... he is a Christian.
18 posted on 09/05/2003 8:41:15 AM PDT by Pan_Yans Wife ("Life isn't fair. It's fairer than death, is all.")
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
How can he say such things, and still be re-elected?

His constituents are black Americans who have been taught from the cradle that (1) the Middle Passage was worse than the Holocaust and that (2) Jews were responsible in a special way for the slave trade.

19 posted on 09/05/2003 8:49:17 AM PDT by wideawake (God bless our brave soldiers and their Commander in Chief)
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To: Pan_Yans Wife
BBG = Mike Bloomberg
20 posted on 09/05/2003 8:59:33 AM PDT by max_rpf
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