Yes, it's bad. No, it's not Nazism. [View All]

[Taxloss]

The "frog soup" version of events is a very common misconception about the Nazis - that Germany's civil liberties were chipped away bit by bit over time, so that no one noticed what was going on until it was too late.

The reality was actually very different. For a start, the Nazi programme of the destruction of civil liberties was widely publicised in advance - the destruction of democracy, curtailment of human rights and subordination of formerly democratic institutions to an absolutist central authority was not only the centrepiece of the Nazis' stated programme, it was the basis of their support - the c30% of Germans who formed core Nazi support and voted for them in 1933 (power was achieved by a coalition with other right-wing parties) WANTED civil liberties destroyed because they saw that as the only way to drag Germany out of the domestic chaos (streetfighting, etc.) it was experiencing.

Once the Nazis actually achieved power, in 1933, Weimar democracy was destroyed with incredible speed. There was no long period of erosion. The Weimar constitution, all German democratic institutions, nearly all freedom of speech and every anti-Nazi organisation had been swept away entirely. All prominent dissidents were in the temporary concentration camps that had appeared almost immediately - permanent camps were being built. (The camps were far from secret - the opening of Dachau was announced with some fanfare.)

Further than that, all organisations in Germany that could potentially become focii for resistance to the regime - whether political or not - had been subjected to a process called "coordination", whereby their leadership were removed and loyal Nazis put in their place - or the organisation was declared illegal. This applied to every organisation down to local chess, beekeeping, boat and book clubs.

This was all within six months.

The left was so shocked by the speed of the process it did almost nothing.

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The passing of this torture bill is a very sad day for America. But DU, KOS, Raw Story, and their ilk are still online. Keith Olbermann, Noam Chomsky and Molly Ivins have not been rounded up. You can read the furious reaction of columnists in American newspapers, and more importantly you can read foreign reactions.

This is bad, but it isn't Nazism. It really isn't - you still have free speech, freedom to protest and resist, freedom to organise and plan, freedom to nominate and vote, in fact an impressive number of freedoms that would be envied by the citizens of half the world's states, comprising at least two thirds of the world's population. You are less free today, but you are STILL FREE.

This is not a plea for complacency - far from it. It is a plea for hope, for perspective, a plea to rouse you to make use of the freedoms you have to turn back this tide. Don't give in to the despair-mongers and their message that it's all lost, everything is fucked, you might as well emigrate or commit suicide. They're doing nothing to protect you or help you. Organise, write, vote. Participate, dammit. Every time you say "I give up", Rove gets a hard on.

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One key word - participation. From what campaigns I have helpd in, I know that donations aren't everything. Far from it. Donating money is nothing compared to giving time, and everyone can give time in one way or another, and that is often more beneficial to a campaign and also more satisfactory for the donor. Campaigns can't put a cash value on time, it's priceless.

If you're at a loss as to what to do, I recommend joining Amnesty International. You don't have to donate, although of course that helps. The important thing is to sign up to get their action alerts. These will tell you of times when you should sign a petition, write a letter or whatever. There are always many alerts active. Every time you see an "OMFG WHATS THE POIUNT THE NAZIS HAV WON" thread, resist the urge to reply and respond to an action alert instead.

Trust me, you'll feel better for it. More importantly, though, you might actually change something for the better.