You Don’t Build East Germany In A Day
Such are the thoughts of Nina Totenberg, NPR correspondent at-large. At least, that is what one might infer from her comments on “Inside Washington” the other day. A great past time of the Left is to attribute fascist tactics to those who differ with them. If you can’t invoke the Nazis, then invoke the next best thing, East Germany.
"You know, this is the way it used to be, this is the way it was in East Germany. I mean this, when you really have this kind of thing going on, this is a very, it’s a, I'm not speaking from a personal point of view because I think we probably will try to find ways of dealing with this. Throw away phones and all kinds of things like that. But this is the kind of talk really in a police state."
If we could only bottle such genius, the world would be far greater for it. Like Nina, I wasn’t in East Germany in the 40’s through the 90’s, but I’ve been able to view the actual historical accounts. I’ve heard stories from soldiers who fought the Cold War near and in such places. To compare the true fascist police state of East Germany to the United States is insulting. It insults the memory of those who fought that system and those who lived and died under it. East Germany wasn’t even Moscow Lite. It was, perhaps, Little Moscow, a tiny sliver of the USSR separated by the unfortunate souls stuck in Poland. No one was free. Everyone was watched and informants were everywhere. North Korea and East Germany could easily be said to have had a lot in common in their day.
That the NSA is conducting surveillance, as it’s done pretty much since it was founded, both inside and outside the U.S. is no surprise. It did it during the Cold War. No one told it to stop. It’s merely changed who it has to survey. Of course, this goes to the case for viewing all of history and not just the convenient parts.
Such arguments, careless cries of fascism, are usually all one needs if one wishes to discredit any policy that does not fit the current agenda of the Left, or Democratic Party (a wholly owned subsidiary). It is easier to say “Well, the Nazis did the same thing” or “The Nazis loved their country and waved the flag too” or “East Germany started out this way before it got worse” without the slightest legitimate argument or comparison. This is possibly because such arguments disintegrate when one tries to examine them against the historical perspectives from which they attempt to grow. If there’s one thing I hate more than ignorance of history, it’s willful distortion, which brings us to her kicker when she was confronted by Charles Krauthammer who made some of the above argument.
"But, you, you don't start out as East Germany."
His simple but smart response:
"No East Germany did start out as East Germany. Let me tell you, day one. Stalin insisted."
The “And then they came for me” argument certainly has merit, when properly applied. In this case, it was not, and I don’t think Totenberg really has the knowledge or background to do so. Communism was far more efficient than simple Nazism in terms of stripping its citizens of freedoms and rights. East Germany mimicked its fellow Pact nations well in providing the illusion of freedom but leaving no doubt with the citizenry that they faced imprisonment or death for violating the whims of the State. No subtlety was required.
If Nina or her like wants to make a case for future developments from the current NSA issues or other Bush agenda items she dislikes, she’ll need to be a little more intellectually honest, but that might tip her own bias. Hence, we are doomed to more of her misguided analogies. They make for amusing reading, though and half-way decent educational tools. It’s always cute to see someone working without a historical net. There are always concerns that the government will step one step too far. All it takes is the politician with the will to do it. When that politician or politicians pushes that direction, we'll need more direct and correct arguments to counter the push, not partisan drivel like this standard Totenberg fare.
Such are the thoughts of Nina Totenberg, NPR correspondent at-large. At least, that is what one might infer from her comments on “Inside Washington” the other day. A great past time of the Left is to attribute fascist tactics to those who differ with them. If you can’t invoke the Nazis, then invoke the next best thing, East Germany.
"You know, this is the way it used to be, this is the way it was in East Germany. I mean this, when you really have this kind of thing going on, this is a very, it’s a, I'm not speaking from a personal point of view because I think we probably will try to find ways of dealing with this. Throw away phones and all kinds of things like that. But this is the kind of talk really in a police state."
If we could only bottle such genius, the world would be far greater for it. Like Nina, I wasn’t in East Germany in the 40’s through the 90’s, but I’ve been able to view the actual historical accounts. I’ve heard stories from soldiers who fought the Cold War near and in such places. To compare the true fascist police state of East Germany to the United States is insulting. It insults the memory of those who fought that system and those who lived and died under it. East Germany wasn’t even Moscow Lite. It was, perhaps, Little Moscow, a tiny sliver of the USSR separated by the unfortunate souls stuck in Poland. No one was free. Everyone was watched and informants were everywhere. North Korea and East Germany could easily be said to have had a lot in common in their day.
That the NSA is conducting surveillance, as it’s done pretty much since it was founded, both inside and outside the U.S. is no surprise. It did it during the Cold War. No one told it to stop. It’s merely changed who it has to survey. Of course, this goes to the case for viewing all of history and not just the convenient parts.
Such arguments, careless cries of fascism, are usually all one needs if one wishes to discredit any policy that does not fit the current agenda of the Left, or Democratic Party (a wholly owned subsidiary). It is easier to say “Well, the Nazis did the same thing” or “The Nazis loved their country and waved the flag too” or “East Germany started out this way before it got worse” without the slightest legitimate argument or comparison. This is possibly because such arguments disintegrate when one tries to examine them against the historical perspectives from which they attempt to grow. If there’s one thing I hate more than ignorance of history, it’s willful distortion, which brings us to her kicker when she was confronted by Charles Krauthammer who made some of the above argument.
"But, you, you don't start out as East Germany."
His simple but smart response:
"No East Germany did start out as East Germany. Let me tell you, day one. Stalin insisted."
The “And then they came for me” argument certainly has merit, when properly applied. In this case, it was not, and I don’t think Totenberg really has the knowledge or background to do so. Communism was far more efficient than simple Nazism in terms of stripping its citizens of freedoms and rights. East Germany mimicked its fellow Pact nations well in providing the illusion of freedom but leaving no doubt with the citizenry that they faced imprisonment or death for violating the whims of the State. No subtlety was required.
If Nina or her like wants to make a case for future developments from the current NSA issues or other Bush agenda items she dislikes, she’ll need to be a little more intellectually honest, but that might tip her own bias. Hence, we are doomed to more of her misguided analogies. They make for amusing reading, though and half-way decent educational tools. It’s always cute to see someone working without a historical net. There are always concerns that the government will step one step too far. All it takes is the politician with the will to do it. When that politician or politicians pushes that direction, we'll need more direct and correct arguments to counter the push, not partisan drivel like this standard Totenberg fare.
posted by Rob Beck | 7:18 AM
1 Comments:
Actually, Rob she didn't make a connection to Nazi's. The connection she made was to the Communist DDR and its surveillance state. The parallels between any communist police state and the US are there. The TIPS program, NSA surveillance, the REAL ID/National ID/internal passport, No Knocks and sneak and peek searches, etc... The list becomes longer every day. If it didn't Libertarians wouldn't be as concerned as they are about the abuses of power under the current regime.
As someone who has lived under communism and in police states I can state that I find our progress in that direction disturbing.
Don't dismiss the so called Left out of hand. Every clock is right twice a day.
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