They Thought They Were Free

[rambone]

I found this to be a powerful excerpt. A story of how the Nazi movement subtlely spread fascism throughout German society. Creeping erosion of liberty, until one day, people woke up and realized that they didn't recognize their country anymore, and they had become slaves without even knowing it.


They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 by Milton Mayer

"Uncertainty is a very important factor, and, instead of decreasing as time goes on, it grows. Outside, in the streets, in the general community, ‘everyone’ is happy. One hears no protest, and certainly sees none. You know, in France or Italy there would be slogans against the government painted on walls and fences; in Germany, outside the great cities, perhaps, there is not even this. In the university community, in your own community, you speak privately to your colleagues, some of whom certainly feel as you do; but what do they say? They say, ‘It’s not so bad’ or ‘You’re seeing things’ or ‘You’re an alarmist.’

"And you are an alarmist. You are saying that this must lead to this, and you can’t prove it. These are the beginnings, yes; but how do you know for sure when you don’t know the end, and how do you know, or even surmise, the end? On the one hand, your enemies, the law, the regime, the Party, intimidate you. On the other, your colleagues pooh-pooh you as pessimistic or even neurotic. You are left with your close friends, who are, naturally, people who have always thought as you have.

"But your friends are fewer now. Some have drifted off somewhere or submerged themselves in their work. You no longer see as many as you did at meetings or gatherings. Informal groups become smaller; attendance drops off in little organizations, and the organizations themselves wither. Now, in small gatherings of your oldest friends, you feel that you are talking to yourselves, that you are isolated from the reality of things. This weakens your confidence still further and serves as a further deterrent to—to what? It is clearer all the time that, if you are going to do anything, you must make an occasion to do it, and then you are obviously a troublemaker. So you wait, and you wait.

"But the one great shocking occasion, when tens or hundreds or thousands will join with you, never comes. That’s the difficulty. If the last and worst act of the whole regime had come immediately after the first and smallest, thousands, yes, millions would have been sufficiently shocked—if, let us say, the gassing of the Jews in ’43 had come immediately after the ‘German Firm’ stickers on the windows of non-Jewish shops in ’33. But of course this isn’t the way it happens. In between come all the hundreds of little steps, some of them imperceptible, each of them preparing you not to be shocked by the next. Step C is not so much worse than Step B, and, if you did not make a stand at Step B, why should you at Step C? And so on to Step D.

"And one day, too late, your principles, if you were ever sensible of them, all rush in upon you. The burden of self-deception has grown too heavy, and some minor incident, in my case my little boy, hardly more than a baby, saying ‘Jewish swine,’ collapses it all at once, and you see that everything, everything, has changed and changed completely under your nose. The world you live in—your nation, your people—is not the world you were born in at all. The forms are all there, all untouched, all reassuring, the houses, the shops, the jobs, the mealtimes, the visits, the concerts, the cinema, the holidays. But the spirit, which you never noticed because you made the lifelong mistake of identifying it with the forms, is changed. Now you live in a world of hate and fear, and the people who hate and fear do not even know it themselves; when everyone is transformed, no one is transformed. Now you live in a system which rules without responsibility even to God. The system itself could not have intended this in the beginning, but in order to sustain itself it was compelled to go all the way.

​

 

[dlbrown75]

ouch

 

[Bapak2ja]

I found this to be a powerful excerpt. A story of how the Nazi movement subtlely spread fascism throughout German society. Creeping erosion of liberty, until one day, people woke up and realized that they didn't recognize their country anymore, and they had become slaves without even knowing it.


They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 by Milton Mayer

​

Excellent analysis. Very prophetic.

 

[Constructionist]

Glad to see something like this posted. I was told just last week to "stop being so paranoid, dude. There's nothing you can do about it so you might as well just settle in for the ride."

Really? And this from a very close acquaintance.

My father has been a student of WWII history for some time. He has said for a couple decades now that we are on the same path as 20s/30s Germany. And just as the posted excerpt states, the few will be decried as paranoid until the majority wakes up one day under the iron fist of a tyrannical regime.

 

[AllenM]

Wow looks like a great read and Christmas gift to someone I know as well

 

[hondatech2k2]

Strange isn't it? That sadly the current version of the United States resembles pre war Germany in the late 20's to early 30's. This is why it is so important to know history......so it is not repeated! Unfortunately for most of us, I am afraid we are all "labeled" crazies, lunatics, and paranoids. I sit and ponder what kind of world we are leaving for my daughter and our children... and the thought makes me cringe. The voting system has failed us- left or right makes no difference anymore, our basic liberties are being stripped from us with no resistance to it, and we are made to believe that every muslim wants to detonate a "dirty bomb" in our cities. Dark clouds are on the horizon....

 

[snorko]

I read that for a paper in college. I think I still have a copy and need to re-read it.

 

[nawainwright]

One thing I feel compelled to point out. With the advances of technology today, it is far less likely that it will get as far as it did then (that is my hope anyway). There is no reason to feel disconnected from people who think the way you do as they are a mouse click away. This technology can obviously work against us (1984), but it is merely a tool.

 

[Lex Concord]

I hope you aren't trying to draw parallels with this great nation.

If you are, you're seeing things.

 

[ATM]

I hope you aren't trying to draw parallels with this great nation.

If you are, you're seeing things.

The parallel doesn't strike as being one of nations or even eras but of human and societal tendency to normalize and accept change (whether engineered or natural) as long as it happens in gradual steps.

I see it everywhere, including our great nation.

Boiling the frog by slowly turning up the heat is the classic example.

 

[indykid]

One thing I feel compelled to point out. With the advances of technology today, it is far less likely that it will get as far as it did then (that is my hope anyway). There is no reason to feel disconnected from people who think the way you do as they are a mouse click away. This technology can obviously work against us (1984), but it is merely a tool.

You actually think a collaborative effort by a corrupt or self-serving government would allow the internet to survive? What would happen when the mouse click is but a sound on your desk?

The old saying, those who fail to learn from the past are destined to relive it is oh so true. We still have time, but not much.

Oh, and to repeat a very true phrase, it ain't over 'till it's over, and I guarantee you it is not over yet as long as we have some people who see through the lies.

 

[RockofStrength]

I hope you aren't trying to draw parallels with this great nation.

If you are, you're seeing things.

In the course of 100 years we've gone from being a largely self-sufficient people who refused welfare when it was offered or took it with shame and regarded any interference from government outside of our local areas with suspicion to a people who will openly and proudly boast of the money they get from their 10 welfare kids and who see nothing wrong with the government intervening to prevent people from smoking or using firearms to protect their families.

But no, we're nothing like Germany. They had to lose everything so that one man and his Nazi party could offer them the world if only they would follow him out of their deep depression. We gave up our liberty and power in the zenith of our strength and prosperity, beguiled by lies a child could see through.

 

[ATOMonkey]

It is precisely because of our Strength and Prosperity that we so willing give away our Liberty. People would rather live comfortably as a slave, than toil in destitution as a free man.

 

[spearheadersarge]

Many people have recently seen the extent our govt may be wiling to go with this domestic terrorist thing and the utter failure of Congress to address our addiction to borrowed money. A correction, if you will, is surely on the very near horizon and will be earth shattering when it comes. Woe to those unprepared and not ready to accept the new normal. Pray for good men to rise to our nation's defense when her call rings out!

 

[Paco Bedejo]

Many people have recently seen the extent our govt may be wiling to go with this domestic terrorist thing and the utter failure of Congress to address our addiction to borrowed money. A correction, if you will, is surely on the very near horizon and will be earth shattering when it comes. Woe to those unprepared and not ready to accept the new normal. Pray for good men to rise to our nation's defense when her call rings out!

I wish I could be so certain. Reading what you wrote, however, it could easily be a translated quote from a random, optimistic German in 1936 with just a few minor changes.

This is what really scares me about our nation. I went 31 years without liking guns. I still don't *enjoy* them. But I now carry an XDm in every part of my daily routine, own an SKS, & am shopping bullpup rifles (FS2000? RFB?). I have guns because I now believe it is my civic duty. I don't cream at the thought of a day at the range. It's merely a duty. Now that I'm adopting a 13 year old, I'm fighting to rearrange the family budget to fit in some prepping (reliable 4x4, water, beans, bullets). Now that the wool has been lifted, I'm doing what I can to become politically aware & attempting to become active when life permits.


-------An aside-------
My wool was lifted by listening to the 2008 presidential race while driving 45 minutes to my new job, on my new car's XM radio. The progressive-socialist ideas I had simply inherited from my parents, schools, & the media, melted in the presence of the libertarian ideas expressed by Ron Paul's campaign, on the free XM POTUS station. It didn't take long for me to put 1 & 1 together. Shortly after, I was on INGO learning about guns & politics.

TLDR - Screw you guys...now I'm all scared & paranoid

 

[IndianaSigma]

If you DON'T see that our great nation is taking our freedoms one by one under the guise of protecting us from terrorism, then you're blind.

Here are a few:

1. The Patriot Act reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies' ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records including wiretaps and surveillance on people suspected of terrorism. Remember the DHS memos for both the Left and the Right Wing extremist from DHS? The definitions pretty much put every American into the "suspect" category.

2. Fusion Centers have popped up all over the US and are there solely to gather information about US citizens and their affiliations, relationships, etc. from credit card companies, internet posts, social networking, etc.

3. Indiana law now states that a citizen is not allowed to resist an officer that breaks into their home without a warrant.

4. Obamacare forces citizens to buy a service from a private company. This is blatantly unconstitutional as the government does not have the authority to force citizens to purchase goods or services from private companies.

5. The right for our children to pray wherever they want to has been stripped from them as they can no longer pray in schools.

6. Freedom of Speech has been butchered. Yelling certain things on an airplane is a crime, as is yelling "fire" when there is none. Openly supporting the overthrow of the government is also a crime. Mention something about the President and you will likely be visited by the Secret Service.

7. Now let's look at Freedom to Peacefully Assemble. This barely exists anymore. You now have to obtain a permit to have a parade, political rally, or anti-government protest. If you don't have a permit, you'll likely end up getting arrested.

8. We are still paying for Congress to represent us, but they don't represent us anymore. A majority of citizens were against the Obamacare bill, yet it was still forced through. Had they been representing the people, the results would have been different. They represent their party....not the people.

There are many more. But for fun, Lets compare today with the mythical creature known as Benjamin Olsen from Kansas from the past. He did not pay property tax, did not have to get permission from government to remodel his house or cut a tree. He did not need permission from government to operate his vehicle on the public right-of-way, could wear his guns in town and had real American gold & silver money instead of paper IOUs called Federal Reserve (bank)notes. He did not have to fill out the income tax forms nor pay the tax. He did not have to hire an entire staff to fill out government reports and answer to the EPA, OSHA and 26 other agencies. When he got sick the doctor came out, did what he could and Ben paid him.

I'd say that the 20th century took quite a few freedoms away.......

 

[rambone]

How Do You Kill 11 Million People?



www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH_Izul6J5M

 

[rambone]

Papiere Bitte
By Doris Colmes on June 6, 2005

Those were the magic words of the time: "Papiere Bitte. (Translation:

"Papers, Please.") Hearing those words, even now, causes
dull echoes of sounds akin to bodies hitting dirt, or bullets penetrating
flesh to thud into my mind. Because, if those papers weren't correctly
in order, or, if you were a Jew sneakily present in any place (including
the grocery store) which displayed the usual "NO JEWS OR DOGS
ALLOWED" sign, you were dead meat – literally. And, yes, of
course I'm talking about my childhood as a little Jewish kid in
Nazi Germany.

No one ever forgets stench. Whether it is a long-forgotten encounter
with a ripe skunk, or a ripe egg, or a ripe decomposing body, once
one of those odors has been brain-documented, then even the slightest
tinge of such an aroma pops back up immediately, along with the
circumstances under which it first offended the nostrils.

And, that's what's happening now. I smell the long-forgotten skunk, the
long-forgotten rot of fascism. What is happening all around can
no longer be denied. What I ran away from so desperately in 1938
is coming back full circle. Only the jack-boots have not yet arrived.
​

 

[dirtfarmerz]

Rambone posted this about one year ago. Look at how things have changed for the worse in one year. The Left, including Obama, tried to limit the 2A and they are still trying; we found out the NSA has been spying on millions of U.S. citizens; the IRS was used to limit political opposition and nobody gets in trouble; more States are allowing police and government checkpoints; the Attorney General of the U.S. lied to Congress and nothing is done about it; both parties are tripping all over each other trying to get an immigration bill passed and there will never again be a republican majority again if a bill is passed. There's more, but that's bad enough to make a point. It took Hitler about 10 years to be in total control. The NWO has been at it for a lot longer and they have made a lot of progress. Give them another crisis and they'll manage to make us even safer. If the points in this paragraph happened 20 years ago, there would have been outrage. The NWO is moving very slow so they don't wake up "the sleeping giant".

The Real ID Act mentioned in the article will probably change into a law to microchip everyone, it won't happen soon, unless there is a dandy crisis. Here's one of my favorites, again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQw68jl7KXc

 

[yepthatsme]

dirtfarmerz, rambone, thanks for bumping this old thread as a reminder for all of us. It is a prophecy that is quickly becoming reality. God help us.