I have re-shelved my bedside stack of anti-Bu$h books. I am now reading ..

[DemoTex]

The Nazi Seizure of Power, The Experience of a Single German Town 1930-1935 by William S. Allen. In the preface, Allen states "It is an attempt to understand one of the central political and moral problems of the twentieth century: how a civilized democracy could be plunged into a nihilistic dictatorship."

Part One is called The Death of Democracy, January 1930 to January 1933. Part Two is called Introducing the Dictatorship, January 1933 to January 1935. Look at the chilling names of the chapters:

Part One

1. The Setting
2. The Anatomy of the Town
3. Enter the Nazis
4. Exploiting Victory
5. Authoritarians Unite
6. The Depths of the Depression
7. Political Crescendo
8. Things Fall Apart
9. The Last Winter

Part Two

10. The Last Elections
11. The Uses of Electoral Success
12. The Terror System
13. Whipping Up Enthusiasm
14. The Atomization of Society
15. The Positive Aspect
16. Reaction and Resistance
17. From Enthusiasm to Ritual
18. The Great Justification
19. Conclusions

I am afraid for our nation. I think I now understand where it is headed. I aim to hone that understanding to better fight the Bu$h Juggernaut. I will succeed if I can die knowing that I did everything I could to stop Bu$h and that I never get one drop of the oceans of blood spilled by his rapacious regime on my hands.

[kcwayne]

1. I have been reading William Shirer's book

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

It is disturbing to see how easy it is for a small band of zealots seize the reins of power while a dumbfounded public stares on like placid cows.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

2. Just ordered it on half.com

Sounds really interesting. It's scary how many parallels there are between our situation now and pre-WWII Germany.

[Logansquare]

3. I just read a review of this on amazon.com

The Nazis ascended primarily not by using force, but by being well-organized and delivering their message constantly through thousands of meetings and events.

The message is clear; we have to get out there and wear off some shoe leather, or the right wing will imprint their message on a greater and greater part of the population.

[Sequoia]

4. "It'd be a lot eaiser if I were dictator"

Yea, I guess we'll find out. Thanks for the book tip, I'm going to get them at the library. Last week I tried to read "Night of the Long Knives" but I was so full of hope and such that I didn't want to read anymore of that. Things have changed. I hate his smug look and Osama does too.

Another great little book is "Five Marks" by James Jess Hannon who was a POW and escaped through Poland and saw those death houses and said how eaisly the German people were seduced into the hype and how people would turn others in to the Nazis for the sum of Five Marks. Very remarkable story. I wanted to interview him at our station for Vets Day but he lives around Palm Desert and told me his war wounds have made him 100% disabled. He still could talk the talk though.

And a novel, "The Children's War" by Monique Charlesworth (sad but powerful).

[abelenkpe]

5. good book

I have also turned to history in order to better understand our possible future reading about Caesar and the end of democracy in Rome. The only good news is: Life does go on.