[SML] WAY, WAY, WAY O.T. : Death and Politics

[Chip Wood]

Two things happened in early Nov.  My oldest dearest friend died and 
T---- got elected.  So I don't have my buddy anymore to talk that over.  
I am feeling scared and lonely.  We have very lightly tiptoed around 
politics on the list, but I am finally going to post this, since nothing 
seems to have changed.

If you don't want to read anymore, here is a good place to stop. The 
rest will be highly biased.  If any of you wants me banned from this 
list, so be it , I'll be gone forever.

Way too many similarities to 1933 in Germany even to the coziness to the 
Russians (Putin, Stalin) before Russia was invaded. Putting Bannon, 
Sessions,  and others of their ilk as close advisors is way too similar 
to Himmler and Heinrich. Pence w/ his outspoken anti-LGBT  statements 
and Indiana state laws.  Mr. Bannon the chairman of Breitbart News 
<http://www.breitbart.com/> has for years given voice to anti-Semitic, 
racist and white nationalist ideology.  This scrid is not about tax 
policy, health care, or education – even though all those and more are 
so important. This is about racism, bigotry, intimidation esp of 
females,  and the specter of corruption and possible treason.

My immediate family is a mix of Anglo, Jew, Black, and Native American. 
3 out of 4 makes us particularly antsy. Now pics w/ Trump signs on rail 
cars  and Auschwitz are appearing on Twitter

Trump throughout the course of his entire election, shifted blame to 
Mexicans, Muslims, Blacks, and China for all our problems. Blame the 
other (Jews), then there’s no need to blame ourselves. Instill a sense 
of unabashed nationalism and people will uber enthusiastically follow 
the Fuhrer.  (Big Brother- 1984).  Within 3 months the Nazi-led 
Reichstag forced a bill through to give minority elected Chancellor 
Hitler unlimited power.  The rest is history.

When the Munich tax office reminded Hitler in 1934 that he had never 
paid any income tax and now owed them more than 400,000 Reichsmarks, 
pressure was brought to bear and before long they had agreed to write 
off the whole sum and destroy all the files on Hitler’s tax affairs.

The United States has much stronger institutions than Germany did in the 
1930s, or Russia does today. Both Clinton and Obama in their speeches 
stressed the importance and strength of these institutions. The problem, 
however, is that many of these institutions are enshrined in political 
culture rather than in law, and all of them—including the ones enshrined 
in law—depend on the good faith of all actors to fulfill their purpose 
and uphold the Constitution.

As George Santayana wrote (The Life of Reason, 1905): “Those who cannot 
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  Thanks -- Bill Conner

Heil 2017!

Chip 1

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