Sunday, October 26, 2008

the Downfall

I picked up The Downfall because I'd read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (which I highly recommend) and I had heard that the movie was pretty historically accurate. As William Shirer tells us, part of the reason that we know so much of what went on during Hitler's regime is because the fall of Berlin was so sudden that they didn't have a chance to destroy all of the records. The creepy thing about this film is that it manages to make you feel bad for Hitler (if you can forget about all of those people massacred in concentration camps). It reminds me of what people have said about the recently released film about the Current Occupant (against whom I voted twice). People left the film saying "I almost feel bad for him."

Although this was not my intention when renting the film, I look at the current state of my own country. And I think, for the hundredth time in the past 8 years "Thank God we have our Constitution!"

I am a scholar of Stalin and Hitler and I can say that although the current regime may envy what these deceased dictators accomplished, they have been hindered in arriving there themselves by our Constitution. They (the regime in power) have chipped and shaved away at it as much as they could and I am *not* excusing them ( I really can't believe I live in a country that has concentration camps) but the damage is not irreperable and the next regime will (hopefully) roll back much if not all of it.

After WWII the nations of Europe got together and looked at what conditions lead to the rise of Hitler(economic problems + dissed because of last war + charismatic speaker = boom). They then did their best to make sure such conditions would not arrise again in Europe. I'm sorry to say that there is no such excuse for America. We were a prosperous nation with respect of our felow UN members (in spite of the impeachment michigas Clinton was still brokering peace in Northern Ireland) when we elected this cretin and his gang.

*sigh*

Like I said, thank God for our Constitution. And this is why my home's in Cambridge-I'm goin' there.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

a truth-thumper

I have in the past several years felt alienated from my family (good liberals all) when I try to explain What is Actually Happening. They follow politics, but they have children and grand children to watch and beer to brew and plays to attend. So perhaps they don't have time to read all the blogs and books that I read. (not that I don't have a social life, but I don't have small children around me-which tends to decrease one's attention span)

I feel like when I explain what I see I sound like some nut who hangs out in Harvard Square or some person who has recently taken to some cult-like sect of Christianity. When I try to explain what I have learned about the way things work to my parents there is an odd silence after I speak. I can almost hear the "isn't that nice dear?" in my head.

I have just finished Gore Vidal's Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace and although I agree with much of what it says, I don't think the average American would understand most of it (sadly) and as a result he'd sound like a crank. So I can't even ask my well educated parents to read it and discuss it.

This is why My Home's in Cambridge I'm goin' there.