Who's A Nazi?

Like many of you, I enjoy a nice cup of tea now and then. It is such a calming and civil thing to do. And it got me thinking.

Those pitiful Tea Baggers can't even enjoy their tea; all they can drink is the kool-ade.

Here’s what one of them asked Barney Frank yesterday.

As she clutched her photo of Obama with a mustache drawn onto it, she self-righteously posed this artificial raspberry flavored challenge. “Why do you continue to support a Nazi policy as Obama has expressly supported this policy...Why are you supporting it?”

Frank’s response was eloquently on target. “On what planet do you spend most of your time?”

So he answered her. “As you stand there with a picture of the President defaced to look like Hitler, and compare the effort to increase health care to the Nazis, my answer to you is, as I’ve said before, it is a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated. Ma’am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing so.”

I guess she likes to listen to Rush Limbaugh. Rush has been the most vehement pourer of the Nazi kool-ade lately. You may remember this began when Rush falsely claimed Nancy Pelosi called Town Hall shouters Nazis. She didn’t. But that’s no reason for Rush to not come unhinged from reality.

Here are some samples of his loathsome bile, from just ONE SHOW on August 6th, followed by a classic lie at the end.

The Speaker of the House accusing people showing up at these town hall meetings of wearing swastikas -- that is not insignificant, folks. That is -- this woman is deranged. ....She's basically saying that we are Nazis. She is saying that the people who oppose this are Nazis. And I'm gonna tell you what, I'm going to run down a list here later on the program, but this party -- the Democrat Party, and where it's taking this country, the radical left leadership of this party bears much more resemblance to Nazis' policies than anything we on the right believe in at all.

It is Obama who is astroturfing. It is Obama who is manufacturing right from the White House, sending out his brownshirts to head up opposition to genuine American citizens who want no part of what Barack Obama stands for and is trying to stuff down our throats

They accuse of us being Nazis, and Obama's got a health care logo that's right out of Adolf Hitler's playbook. Now, what are the similarities between the Democrat Party of today and the Nazi Party in Germany? Well, the Nazis were against big business -- they hated big business. And of course we all know that they were opposed to Jewish capitalism. They were insanely, irrationally against pollution.... they banned smoking. ...and they were for cradle-to-grave nationalized healthcare.

This is why I have always bristled when I hear people claim conservatism gets close to Nazism. It is liberalism that's the closest you can get to Nazism and socialism. It's all bundled up under the socialist banner. There are far more similarities between Nancy Pelosi and Adolf Hitler than between these people showing up at town halls to protest a Hitler-like policy that's being heralded like a Hitler-like logo.

Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, also ruled by dictate.

Oh, another similarity. Obama is asking citizens to rat each other out like Hitler did.

These are just a few examples. Believe me, there are plenty more.

Here’s the kicker from August 10th: “Nobody was comparing Obama to Hitler.”

What the...? So Nazis were against big business, pollution, and smoking? Anything you say, Rush. Poor Rush has been obsessed with comparing liberals and democrats to Nazis. He was also calling all of us who disagree with him kooks.

Those of us who have a basic understanding of psychology can clearly see the projection being displayed here.

If you listen to Rush, you’d think Hitler was the first person who had the notion of universal health care.

Not surprisingly, that’s not true. Germans had the right idea before Adolf, before Paul von Hindenburg, and before the Kaiser, even. It was Otto von Bismarck, not the Nazis, who established a national health care system in Germany. And he was not a socialist or a Nazi. He was the Chancellor of Germany and Minister-President of Prussia. He was also an anti-socialist aristocrat, kind of like George W. Bush, but more compassionate. The Bismarck model featured regulated insurance coverage for everyone. The key factor was coverage, not profit.

Somebody must have told Rush about Bismarck, because recently Rush declared Bismarck was a “lefty”.

Let’s make something clear. Socialists, liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, or even American Reich Wing fascists are not Nazis.

However, American Reich Wing fascists share more than a few of the Nazis’ attitudes toward others. They despise democracy, liberalism, the arts, humanities, unions, real socialists, intellectuals, ethnic and racial minorities, homosexuals, and black presidents.

It can be tempting to call them Nazis by their adoration of militarism and unquestioning worship of law enforcement. We may be reminded of Nazis when we see them embrace the anger and hatred fed to them by their authoritarian leaders.

Like the Nazis of old, they are excited into a flag waving frenzy when their country invades countries that never attacked or threatened them. The American Reich Wingers angrily attacked anyone who questioned the Bush/Cheney wars and illegal surveillance programs as unpatriotic or worse. The RW’s also supported spying on peace groups, regarding them as potential terrorists or threats to America.

Yes, the Nazis did all this and more, but our rabid Righties in America are still not the same as Nazis. There are differences that need to be examined.

American Reich Wing fascists are so ignorant they don’t know what real Nazis were like. Real Nazis would scoff at them and regard the tea bagging, Fox-indoctrinated, ditto head imbeciles as mere oafish amateurs, corporatist stooges and useful idiots.

American Reich Wingers are for the most part a cheap imitation by comparison.

Most of the two-bit, tin-horn, dimwitted American Reich Wing fascists pale when compared to the original Nazis. Sure, American fascists destroyed our economy and devastated the middle class and public sector. And yes, they engendered world-wide anger, resentment and disappointment towards their country by belligerent war-mongering and war making. It just wasn’t accomplished on as grand a scale.

Our RW’s are only capable of implementing the destructive aspects of the Nazis. They build nothing to benefit their fellow citizens. They contribute nothing to advance education, health care, jobs, workers’ rights, public works, culture, and services for the unemployed and homeless.

The original Nazis could at least build something. Apart from the munitions and armaments they did construct Olympic stadiums, railroads, the autobahn and infrastructure for their country.

The horrible destruction they wrought came from their hatefulness, brutal authoritarian police state, and wars of aggression.

Thankfully, most Americans will never be fascists. Very few even call themselves Nazis.

But fascists live in America and they don’t need to be a majority to do their harm. Look at the type of folks at Blackwater/Xe. The rest of us need to watch them closely and do our best to keep them out of power.

The overreaction by the crazed racists to a black president is bad enough.

The horror of it all is these angry, frightened, ignorant people are capable of becoming even more dangerous. As the abortion doctor killers, Pittsburgh cop killer, Holocaust Memorial killer, and thousands of wannabes seethe in their hatred, all they need in order to be set loose on innocent Americans is another Dick Cheney in the White House with his corporate media propagandists calling those who dissent socialists or communists, or... Nazis. It doesn’t matter. Stupid Americans have proven they don’t know the difference anyway.

And right now, another Dick Cheney, or worse, is thinking about running for president.

But we liberals, Socialists, Communists, Anarchists, and yes, kooks as well, have learned so much from the rabid Righties lately, haven’t we?

Let’s review our most important lesson from those town hall shouters.

We learned Obama is a Democrat, foreigner, liberal, Marxist, authoritarian, Communist, Socialist, AND a Nazi...all at once. His wallet must be so full of membership cards he'll never need to find a chair to sit on.

Misinformed Christians

Maybe you saw the woman holding her Bible up in the air and chanting “This is the only truth.” She was one of a group of conservatives following instructions to disrupt Democratic representatives meeting with constituents. Perhaps she was inspired by Republican lobbyist Dick Armey’s Freedom Works’ guide "Rocking the Town Halls-Best Practices."

Maybe she was following Conservatives for Patients' Rights. It's a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying organization that's run by a former hospital executive and generally slippery greedy fellow named Rick Scott. Or maybe she was taking her cue from Americans for Prosperity. They’re listed on the RecessRally.com page under the name of their own subsidiary, Patients First. The national chairman of Americans for Prosperity is the 19th richest man in the world. A man named David Koch.

These are organizing forces behind the Right Wing offensive against the free speech and democracy being attempted at these meetings. The Republican Party tells us, "What Democrats call mob rule, the average American calls democracy. These kinds of despicable characterizations of middle-class Americans smacks of elitism."

So let’s get this straight. The 19th richest man and his fellow Republicans are in no way promoting anything resembling elitist interests.

Right. And Hitler’s Brown Shirts were promoting democracy by doing the exact same thing. The Brown Shirts were charged with disrupting political opponents’ meetings.

Now, I’m not saying these duped citizens are Nazis. Although Rush was telling his brain-dead listeners today how much Democrats are like Nazis. You all know how famously those Nazis promoted nationalized health care and questioned their military/industrial complex. Oops, that last part was from Republican President Eisenhower. He fought against the Nazis.

What I AM saying is these conservatives shouting down meetings are doing the same thing Hitler’s Brown Shirts did. And I’ll bet there were many German Christians among them. Many German Christians believed Hitler was one of them. They were misinformed and blinded by ideology, of course. Today we see many American Christians who are similarly misinformed and ideological.

Let’s take a look at what misinformed Christians have been up to and see if we can find any historical pattern.

Misinformed Christians set out to kill for Christ on their Crusades.

Misinformed Christians launched a bloody Inquisition.

Misinformed Christians burned people at the stake in Europe.

Misinformed Christians hung “witches” in Salem.

Misinformed Christians followed Hitler.

Misinformed Christians believe Obama was not born in the US.

Misinformed Christians believe Obama is a racist.

Misinformed Christians don’t want government-sponsored health care.

Misinformed Christians want VA health care for veterans.

Misinformed Christians want to keep Medicare.

Misinformed Christians don’t know VA and Medicare are successful government-sponsored health care.

Misinformed Christians believe government-sponsored Health care is Communism.

Misinformed Christians are frightened by Socialism.

Misinformed Christians do not know what Socialism is.

Misinformed Christians watch Fox News.

Misinformed Christians believe Right Wing propaganda.

Misinformed Christians are frightened and angered by Right Wing propaganda.

Misinformed Christians repeat Right Wing propaganda.

Misinformed Christians don’t know Right Wing propaganda is funded by Mammon.

Misinformed Christians believe government sponsored health care will kill old people.

Misinformed Christians don’t know for the top 10 corporate health insurers profits are up over 430% the past 7 years.

Misinformed Christians prefer the insurance companies influence our politicians.

Misinformed Christians believe in free speech.

Misinformed Christians will disrupt others’ right to free speech at meetings.

Misinformed Christians follow instructions titled "Rocking the Town Halls-Best Practices."

Misinformed Christians don’t care that "Rocking the Town Halls-Best Practices" was funded by corporate money.

Misinformed Christians shill for corporate profits against the public’s health.

Misinformed Christians serve the interests of Mammon.

Misinformed Christians forgot Jesus said, “Ye cannot serve God and Mammon.”

Misinformed Christians don’t care that health care costs cause bankruptcy.

Misinformed Christians would prefer $10 trillion go towards war than care for our own.

Misinformed Christians want to deny health care to millions of Americans

Misinformed Christians forgot Jesus healed the sick.

Misinformed Christians forgot who said, “Blessed are the merciful”.

Misinformed Christians believe we are a Christian Nation.

I think I see a pattern here...

Misinformed Christians aren’t very Christian at all, are they?