"In 1939, I didnt hear war coming. Now its thundering approach cant be ignored"

[bronxiteforever]

The Guardian August 14th

"This August resembles too much that of 1939; the last summer of peace until 1945. Then aged 16 and still wet behind the ears, I’d go to pictures with my mates and we’d laugh at the newsreels of Hitler and other fascist monsters that lived beyond what we thought was our reach. Little did we know in that August 1939, life without peace, without carnage, without air raids, without the blitz, could be measured in days. I did not hear the thundering approach of war, but as an old man I hear it now for my grandchildren’s generation. I hope I am wrong. But I am petrified for them.

Because I am old, now 94, I recognise these omens of doom. Chilling signs are everywhere, perhaps the biggest being that the US allows itself to be led by Donald Trump, a man deficient in honour, wisdom and just simple human kindness. It is as foolish for Americans to believe that their generals will save them from Trump as it was for liberal Germans to believe the military would protect the nation from Hitler’s excesses."


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/14/1939-second-world-war-fascist-thundering-approach-hitler?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

[Foamfollower]

1. Powerful article!

[bdamomma]

2. ................

[smirkymonkey]

3. A must read!

From one of the commenters:

"The chilling signs are there: the fire-storm of economic inequality, political and social unrest, discrete, but prolonged and historical warfare, displaced people, the effect of climate change across the continents, right down to the highly- replaceable sycophants, insidious, bigoted sidekicks and compliant media outlets, who serve to amplify and entrench in power the threats of deluded, narcissistic megalomaniacs, for whom reason, fairness, negotiation, self-control and lack of self- interest operate in an alternative universe."

I don't think that it would take much under these conditions to start another world war. Madmen like Trump and Kim Jong-un only make this scenario more likely.

[Wounded Bear]

4. An old saying that comes to mind...

You have to learn from other people's mistakes. You don't have time to make them all yourself.

Not sure the origin, but seems apropos.

[MichaelSoE]

5. Just read it and was going to post but I do check to see if it has been posted already

And I thank you for doing my job today.

Other DUers ... it is a great read and if you can, share it on your social platforms.

[Stuart G]

6. Very frightening...nt

[Cosmocat]

7. I have talked to some older folks

who are more than a little skeeved out at where things are - particularly those who had jewish grand parents in Europe in the 30s and 40s.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. The only reason the author of the piece didn't hear war coming was his youth.

It was obvious to the most casual observer that it was only a matter of time.

I used to read old Life magazines. It started publication in 1936, and one of the things it often did was to meet people coming off the passenger ships from Europe and ask them questions. By 1938 they were asking people if they thought war was coming. And most people said Yes.

Sensible people hoped it wouldn't happen. England adopted appeasement and the United States tried very hard to be isolationist.

Today, I keep on hoping that our generals would ignore an order to launch missiles, but I'm probably hoping in vain. In the military, despite sanctimonious assertions that soldiers shouldn't follow unlawful orders, we still have things like Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.

[LiberalArkie]

9. They make the orders semi realistic with things like

the Gulf of Tonkin

Like weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

China is cutting off N Korea, they will start going even more hungry and have less electricity. Someone has been smuggling in Ukrainian rocket engines, maybe guidance and warheads also.

Much like Japan was blockaded years and felt they had no choice but to attack, I feel N Korea will feel they will have no choice.

Then, the Game of Thrones begins.

Which oligarchy will win?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

18. Japan was not blockaded for years.

We established an embargo on oil and gasoline exports to Japan on August 1, 1941. Apparently Roosevelt was opposed to that move, foreseeing correctly that it would prompt them to attack us.

[L. Coyote]

10. kick for visibility

Link to tweet

[onit2day]

11. We are being led by a man who has never cared

about another human being his entire life. A selfish, vindictive, petty, pathological liar is a PINO who is not capable of holding office responsibly. We wish someone would have killed Hitler in '39...are we any smarter?

[bronxiteforever]

14. We depend on our institutions. Violence is embraced by the other side, never us.

The Weimar Republic was less than 25 years old when Hitler destroyed it. We hope our 240 year old Republic withstands this assault.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

12. K&R a must read

[BainsBane]

13. I saw it coming last fall

As did many others. They insisted we were hysterical, fear mongering. No. We were right.

[bronxiteforever]

15. +1000

[Honeycombe8]

16. So powerful. So powerful. Many of us have felt the shadow of Hilter in Trump for some time.

We hesitated to say it. To speak Hitler's name is considered flaming, baiting. I get that. But really....there were similarities there that were scaring many of us. How many, I'm not sure, since we spoke around it, not quite saying it, until lately.

It's not exactly the same. This is a different country, with a different govt system and a Constitution with a Bill of Rights. But it's scary how close we are to all of that not mattering, as we have seen the party in power look the other way, for a dollar.

I think...I hope...this is the beginning of the end for Trump and his kind. And the mini-Trumps in Congress.

[Texin]

17. "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it."

--Santayana

[Myrddin]

19. Bloody Hell Fire n/t

[inanna]

20. Kicking.

Thread needs more recs.