I finished reading "the rise and fall of the third reich" last night and

[Very_Boring_Name]

Absolutely amazing book, I'd recommend it to everybody here as a must read. The similarities between the tactics used by the brownshirts and and modern day teabaggers are absolutely chilling.

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Read it.

Twice. And it IS amazing. It pretty much counters the "it couldn't possibly happen here" mentality, doesn't it? And the thing is, you can actually watch it happening in Real Time, so to speak.

[stray cat]

5. If you make the most extreme tea party members president and in charge of congress

It can happen here. However, there are violent extremists and idiots in every country in the world

[PavePusher]

12. And on either side of politics. n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

13. That is what I see as well. n/t

[toddwv]

20. Definitely alot of parallels

[LiberalEsto]

2. It must be the Teabaggers' Bible

I wouldn't be surprised if many of them had little swastikas tattooed on their butts.

[Very_Boring_Name]

3. The book describes how the brown shirts would be used to disrupt the political rallies

of hitlers opponents. My very first thought was the health care town halls during the summer of '09, how the teabaggers would shout down anybody who had a different opinion than them. And of course the threat of physical violence (too many examples of the teabaggers threatening violence to list here), or the actual physical violence (i.e boot stamping rand paul incident) existed throughout the early days when hitler was first trying to come to power. It really helps you to understand that old adage about how those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Did you see the old film "Triumph of the Will"?

It was a pro-Hitler propaganda movie made during his lifetime. I saw it years ago, but it made an indelible and terrifying impression on me about the way he manipulated crowds of people into practically worshiping him.

[Donnachaidh]

6. Glenn Beck is on that road. n/t

[HillbillyBob]

8. I saw a doc about the film that used most or all of footage in it

And I was chilled and I guess I'm a professional paranoid since I have been seeing the parallels for many years. Though it does not help that many 30 40 (Auschwitz survivors) at a guess have told me similar stories and concerns from my Great uncle who survived Buchenwald to a bunch of Miami Beach neighbors who lived in my apt building. Being the cat the curiosity has not killed (yet), I snooped in Dominionist churches and KKK meetings and several other group.
They overlap. they claim to be christian and that anyone who is browner or less kreestian, less murickkan, less hetero sexual, less konservative or less krzy than they are should convert or be murdered. The real scary part is how well armed they are and how many other wise normal folks can get sucked into their madness. Dems its time to take that Second Amendment to heart and arm yourself.
So many are cowards who are only brave in groups against a single person.
I cannot speak to individual bravery, but I can tell you they are cruel and hate filled and will not generally face you, but shoot you in the back or try.

They love to lynch people, burn down fags homes, rape 'less than' woman(brown or other wise 'furrin'. If anyone thinks I am raving, remember I have been watchin these folks and been the object of their ire too many times since about 1978. I did not make it a life's interest it kind of found me.

The nazi movement went underground after ww2 and has been slowly and steadily gaining followers and fans. It seems they have kept it slow as not to alarm anyone, but us paranoids until they gain enough power to dictate to us......

[Donnachaidh]

15. it's on youtube --- Triumph des Willens (Full movie - English subbed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcFuHGHfYwE

:wow:

[woodsprite]

10. Anybody for reading that out loud as a filibuster when needed?

Could someone even do that? Maybe it would be an education to some people.

[lonestarnot]

16. Come on now AZ has to earn a living with all those private prisons.

[raccoon]

7. I haven't but I read BERLIN DIARY, also by William L. Shirer. I'll have to put

The Rise & Fall on my list to read.

[Javaman]

9. Why read a book that tells you the ending in the title?

Just kidding.

Fantastic book. I read it years ago and upon your comments, I think I will reread it.

Here's a great follow up: Seduced by Hitler -By Boyes and LeBor


Cheers! :)

[TreasonousBastard]

11. Read it many years ago, but itr still affects me...

and is still a worthwhile read. Some of the history has changed with new revelations since he wrote it, but not much of substance. Definitely a must read for anyone interested in history, politcs, and such.

The techniques of the brownshirts and teabaggers are nothing new, and were used here by leftists long before the teabaggers got hold of them. You have to remember that Germany was in much worse shape than we were during the Depression, and Hitler was seen as a force against the rise of Communism, so it was a lot easier for the violent Nazis to get a foothold then than the relatively milder teabaggers to take over now. And the German social structure at the time sealed the deal.

Yes, it could happen here, but I don't see anything more than a temporary shift to the right for a while.

[lovemydog]

14. Yes, amazing book.

And there are some parallels with the tea party.

[fascisthunter]

17. I keep saying it... read folks

it's not just rhetoric.

[kctim]

18. So their next step

will be to attack the 2nd Amendment?

[old mark]

19. Read it years ago - sounds pretty familiar, doesen't it?

Also similar is the backing Hitler got from the large industries and bankers...


mark

[phatkatt]

21. I was reading this when 9/11 happened.

To this day I am convinced that Rove and the neocons studied Nazi tactics to consolidate power.