Imagine yourself, for a moment, living in pre-World War II Germany. If you read the papers regularly, you may have heard of a guy called "Adolf" who was running this up and coming political parties. Perhaps you'd know the name of the party, perhaps you wouldn't. Most likely, you'd be too busy with your job, or raising your family, or just taking care of your own life to notice.
But then, many days later (perhaps many weeks later) that you hadn't seen a good number of your friends lately. You decide that they're probably just busy with their jobs, raising their family, or just taking care of their own lives to stop by for a visit or go for coffee or anything like that. No big deal.
Weeks later (perhaps months later), you're at the market, or perhaps at a friends house for a small get together when you hear a rumor. Something about certain locals getting rounded up in particular areas of cities in your country. Nothing big, just mentions by vague acquaintances of how someone like you wouldn't want to go into those 'types of places' anyway. After all,
you're not Jewish are you?
"Uh, no - of course, not." is you instant, gut response. You don't think about what it means because you're too busy thinking about being social. Get-togethers like this are for relaxation and friendly companionship, not discussions of moral issues.
Months after that (or was it longer?), you go to the movies for a relaxing night out with friends, or perhaps your loved ones. Perhaps "Das Gestohlene Herz" or "Ein Mann will nach Deutschland" or was it "Triumph des Willens"? That was it. And what a problem those Jews are. You had never really thought about it before. But it was difficult to not think about those Jews in a bad light - there's such an anti-Jew movement in the country right now - just think about those crowds from the movie. They were all together because they wanted to fight back the influence of the Jews.
But still, you're not Jewish and you don't know many Jews, so you think it's just best to go back to your life and concentrate on your job, your family, general things like that. This is precisely what you do. Too much to worry about in your own life to think about these Jews. They were in their own areas of the city, so it really wasn't a big concern of yours. Especially since after poor President Hindenburg died, Adolf Hitler was now in charge. He was the most outspoken of the people calling the country's attention to the Jew-problem. If anyone could take care of it, he could.
Months after that, you hear something in the newspapers about Jews losing rights or something, but you don't give it much thought. They were, after all, a problem according to the leaders of the country. This was just a necessary step. It's not like they were being physically harmed, or anything.
More months pass (or was it years?) and one morning on your way to work, you look around to discover a section of town you pass by every morning was a mess. It was as though the place had been torn to bits by a riot. You read in the paper later that it was some sort of retribution for a Jew who killed a Nazi. Well, that makes sense. If you can't keep your own people in line, how can you blame others for not trusting you?
The newspaper, radio and Television reports that Germany is expanding - good news, certainly! Of course, you're just trying to concentrate on personal and professional issues. You've got a family to take care of.
Then the newspaper informs you that German forces have moved into France. This is exciting for you because you've always wanted to visit Paris and think it might be easier to visit now that it's part of Germany.
At another get-together with friends, you hear more vague talk about what happened to the Jews. Your friend tells you that it's no big deal but that all of the ghettos are being emptied of the Jews. The Jewish problem is over.
A few days later you find yourself with business near an area that has come to be called a 'ghetto'. You happen to find an opening in one of the walls that separates the ghetto from the rest of the city. You watch as people, you assume they're Jews, are forced at gun point to climb into the back of a large truck. One refuses and struggles to get free. He is summarily shot and killed on the spot.
Good. Damn Jew.
How does it come to this? Did the non-Jewish Germans just wake up one day and find themselves hating the Jews? Of course not. Then how did this happen?
Slowly� very slowly� but surely.
This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while.
-- George W. Bush
Every nation in every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.
-- George W. Bush
[T]o give law enforcement the additional tools it needs to track down terror here at home.
-- George W. Bush
The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.
-- George W. Bush
We're fighting people that hates our values. They can't stand what America stands for.
-- George W. Bush
We're now interested in finding those who may attack America and arrest them before they do. We've had over nearly a thousand people have been detained in America and questioned about their motives and their intentions.
-- George W. Bush
If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator.
-- George W. Bush
That last quote is obviously just a joke, but if little hints like the above quotes are repeated slightly differently enough times, you'll buy into them and come to agree with anything their speaker suggests. Think about how many car commercials you see in a single hour of TV. You think they'd be pounding us with those ads if they didn't work?
I'm not saying Bush = Hitler, but the propaganda techniques are similar, you have to admit� So, listen to what he says and make sure you don't take him too seriously. What's right and wrong is really up to you anyway, right?