Let's hope there are enough good Homo Sapiens on November 5th. Sadly given whose behind dipshit 45, if we cut off his head, the threat to our way of life does not go away. Project 2025 is a relentless adversary. But some breathing room will be greatly appreciated.
The one claim the Germans of 1933 can make is that they had no ready precedent to turn to. We know better, or should. And I think it will matter come November.
No one can say we weren’t warned, but that many people refused to take a wannabe dictator at his word. We think “ it can’t happen here,” but it did for Native Americans and African Americans, and it may very well happen here for the rest of us.
Greg, brilliant speech by Trump next January. I know it is the cliche of all cliches, but it IS like Hitler. All the way down. I also like your 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 statement. That’s the real problem. If you add all the racists, the fascists, the MAGA cultists, even all the Christian nationalist true believers (including 6 on the Supreme Court), etc., you are still a long way from even 40% much less enough people to come close to electing Trump. The remaining 1/3 are oblivious to the danger, including many, many in my own church and even my own family. I am TERRIFIED right now. They pay no attention to what is really happening with Trump, and will even acknowledge he is not the greatest guy, but R’s good, D’s bad. D’s Communist and, worse than that, woke liberals, R’s hate abortion, hate gays, and have good traditional “family” values. What a joke, right? I wish…..However, these people are now robots programmed by Fox News, their “spiritual” leaders and others, and it is groupthink personified.
Those 1/3 are sleepwalking into Germany 1933. The frightening thing is they are mainly decent people and would never behave personally as Trump does. Or as “Official Acts” describes, maybe they would or will…….love your new title for the book
by the way!
As the future governor of North Carolina said in a CHURCH last Sunday, some people just “need killing.” We are messed up and close to chaos and horror, we really are.
I really enjoy your perspective on the present day. I read a lot of different wise and courageous political types on this threat, but yours is unique. Thank you.
I'm scared, too...everyone is, and should be...but the last few days have been uplifting. Biden, it turns out, has many more supporters than the NYT thought. The "old man" narrative will continue to dog him, but Project 2025 has broken into the discourse, and that won't go away either.
I read The Kindly Ones (actually a great title referring to the Greek Fates who determined much of human life) a couple of times when it came out. The inspiration for the protagonist is the intellectual Nazi technocrat & mass murderer Otto Ohlendorf, whose capacity for rationalisation & self-acceptance (the capacities the educated & most fortunate members of humanity including you & I all share) is the overwhelming theme of The Kindly Ones. For those of us so enlightened & depraved, the book is indeed an enjoyable read, though on the third time around it's pleasant to skip around.
Good of you to try re-kindling interest in & attention to what Americans chose to adjudge at best a difficult read. That fact highlights the true insufficiency of many of the most exalted educations that have been made available to our allegedly intelligent people in process.
The relevance of The Kindly Ones to the present American crisis (also going on in Europe) is that we who have appreciated that book for 15 years had no impediments to seeing 2024 in 2015. As I warned my elite Dutch friends in my last visit there after New Years, 2016. Being a Jew with murdered relatives back in 1940s Poland was also helpful to the clarity I felt as soon as Donald rode down his golden escalator like the deus ex machina it was.
I'm very impressed you read it three times. But it does demand multiple reads. The passages that are good are SO GOOD. Reading the first chapter now made me sick to my stomach a little, now that Nazis are once again a real threat.
I don't know anymore. Heard my MAGA neighbor (NOT a hunter, except when he "went postal" at his actual Post Office job 25 years ago and was ordered no access to guns) doing target practice in the woods yesterday. Not a deer hunter anyway.
As I was making our morning coffee, suddenly a song sprang into my head. "Onward Christian soldiers, marching onto war ..." I thought, "what makes these young men of ancient times march as Christians to slaughter unknown humans?" It occurred to me that those in power have turned the "others" into Evil. Jesus said, "thou shalt not kill" but if the enemy can be branded as Evil, then it's OK. That's what's happening now. We are turning into two camps, each one considering the other as Evil. We must step back and reconsider what is happening to our country. This is a gunned up country. I fear for us.
It is a minor miracle that there hasn't been wholesale political violence. Not that there hasn't been violence, but there is a level of organized bloodshed that, once reached, makes it very hard for a nation to recover from. I pray we don't get to that point....but Clarence & Co. clearly want that, because bump stocks.
The SC has given power to the worst possible recipient, an empty vessel who will destroy us and everyone else in an effort to FEEL - to feel powerful instead of pitiful. I’m disappointed in too many Americans who are complicit or complacent.
There are more of US than there are of THEM. Thank you for rallying the troops, Greg. I do love your writing. (And now reading - just bought Rough Beast to listen while driving).
Someone somewhere else pointed out that the bane of social media has been to give everyone using it, the illusion of “doing something”, of being involved when that is the last thing that is really going on. I’m hoping that by our being “woke” it means that we are actively involved in pushing for positive change.
As a side note, has anyone watched “The Man in the High Castle”?
"The Man in the High Castle" is not a sidenote to this discussion! Excellent show that I put off watching until it was finally completed and am glad I did because the bingeability of that show rivals almost anything I've watched.
(I've made "bingeability" a word like book reviewers have created the sick, twisted nonsense that is "unputdownable.")
I never finished watching it because the whole idea was getting way too close to home and I don’t need entertainment to bitch slap me when reality is so darn close at hand.
The first two seasons are fantastic, despite the two main characters being kind of boring. The Japanese foreign minister and the detective, and of course Rufus Sewell as the head American Nazi, are so good. And the end is fantastic.
[Season 3 does not exist and I will not acknowledge it happened]
Most things we do anymore are troopy. I was reflecting on that as I read Greg's piece. The word "troopy" didn't occur to me, but the notion of our willingness to do as we're told did. Lately, I have been aware of just how utterly under surveillence we all are anymore. When all the cameras started going up 2 decades ago, people in the US were *mad* and there was all kinds of discussion about privacy. Oh, well, lalalalala, let's all just fork over our lives to Meta and Google. Makes all kinds of authoritarian impulses easily acted upon...
I absolutely never think or feel that anyone or anything is watching/listening to me or finds me interesting outside of 1/2 dozen people including my gurl & family. And some of my twitter followers.
I don't believe in a "them" busy watching/tracking people, let alone invisible me. I was paranoid before it was popular & my own tastes have moved me on. But if that's how you feel, you must do what feels right to you.. I won't criticize.
That's what I figure. As you've said to me before, these dumb monsters can't even decide where to go for dinner much less how to tyrannize us. It's what makes it such a mystery: why do these things when in the end it will destroy them (and us). But, as I say all the time, the next decade will suck, but then I believe we won't even recognize how different the world then will be from today because I believe it will be that. much. better.
I agree with you, Cynthia. One thing that all this chaos and confusion does, is makes us forget that we are the one's who choose what we believe. Other people (including the disgusting SC and "The Man Who Sold the World") only have power over us if we give them that power.
Absolutely, Richard. I am very fortunate to live in a state that supports freedom of choice in many matters. There are always ways around even the harshest restrictions that anyone tires to hold over you. Always. If you believe it is possible. It may not be convenient but there are ways. And many times it takes money which makes it seemingly out of reach. Anger and betrayal can be used as a positive way to motivate one to think in ways they never thought were possible.
Yes, every creature has the capacity to kill. The difference being is that it is a choice one makes. We all have the capacity for cruelty, as well. One thing I find so disgusting about the "War on Woke" is that it is a war on decency, on intelligence, on knowledge, on kindness, on maturity and on healthy boundaries, amongst other things. Without these things, everyday humans can be easily turned into savages.
This is something I struggle with. I don't like to have ill thoughts on my fellow humans, but Nazis are objectively bad. As the man says in the speech, there is no way to reconcile Nazism with decency (he doesn't say it that way, but it's what he means). I think there are very few Nazis, even in MAGA, but the ones who are have waaaay too much influence, seems to me.
It’s only too probable, and it’s one big reason his uncle David Glosser put out a statement letting people know that he and his family did NOT agree with his nephew Stephen Miller.
In the book, Aue is a Nazi, but also gay, and thus one of the first people the Nazis would send to the extermination camps. Miller is a neo-Nazi, but Jewish; Patel is a person of color; Grenell is gay; all kinds of people Nazis, then and now, vociferously loathe. It's so bizarre.
While I do not wish to become more despondent, The Kindly Ones sounds like a must read. Between you and Richard Turyn earlier in comments the book's premise of the rationalization between good and evil may give insight into today's crisis.
I can understand that one-third is in dipshit 45's cult and the one-third who (you and me included) will vote for anything but the Project 2025 candidate, yet I fail to understand how any rationale person in the one-third debating as Aue did can justify voting for dipshit 45 or just as worse the dog eater or not voting at all. Perhaps The Kindly One will provide some answers. BTW, the Kindle version sells for $1.99.
I have been fascinated by trying to understand evil human beings. Alan Bullock's Hilter and Stalin helped me frame the simple minded thought that they were evil because they could be. While some may rationalize their behavior, for me it comes down to paranoia, the need to erase a concocted fear combined with a lust for power. This describes dipshit 45 in all but one very important way. Hitler and Stalin had everyone under their thumb, they were nobody's stooge. Dipshit 45 is the ultimate stooge which makes the Project 2025 movement much more evil and dangerous. Cut the snake's head and the likes of Bannon and Leo will find another snake. Antony Beevor's Stalingrad helps explain Stalin' hatred of all things German but his purge of his Russian compatriots falls into the category of "because he could". For those looking for a great satire on Russia under Stalin may I recommend highly Armando Iannuci's 'The Death of Stalin" movie, streaming available.
Thanks once again for a Sunday thought provoking Substack. Best wishes to all for some peace of mind in these very troubling days.
Always a good day when reminded of Bannon, which leads to remembering that he's right now, this moment, in prison -- probably writing, "My Struggle," -- but it's still in prison!
What's great about Kindly Ones is that, despite it being about VERY dark and ugly stuff, it is propulsive and readable. I read the introduction again and wanted to keep going. It's very hard to write a book about a terrible subject that makes the reader want to keep turning the pages. I'm curious what lessons about the here and now, if any, you read there.
I am mesmerized by Littell's writing. I fell right into those passages, and now I have to read a 975-page book (994 pages on Kindle, and conveniently, "The Best Price in 30 Days" at $1.99 right now).
Much of the German population DID remain asleep, or so they say. Of all the myths surrounding this idea, and all the documentaries that are still being produced today, I have found no actual evidence that the people who claimed to know nothing of what was going on, right in their midst, were telling the truth. Denial is a powerful drug, just like it is right now. We see it now in many forms, the most telling and the most destructive being the godlike worship of Donald Trump by his flock of fools. They have dug in their heels, and nothing will move them away from his obvious authoritarian desires, and I don't believe for one second that MAGA doesn't know what's going on and before Trump, their retribution, they would have rejected this con man right out of the gate.
And I see the pundit class, and now many Democratic congresspeople, who think that replacing Biden is a good idea. In my head, replacing Biden would GUARANTEE that Trump is re-elected, and not because Biden beat him in 2020, but because the chaos that would ensue would be just as bad as what is now happening in the Republican party, although they have calmed down some since they've all publicly accepted that Trump is their Godhead. What they REALLY believe and what they talk about in private is of no consequence. I'm sure there were SS officers that didn't like Hitler all that much, too. Democrats will never agree on WHO should replace Biden, a fight will commence, a compromise will be reached, but the "Bernie Bros" of 2024 will resist. The convention will be a shitshow for the ages, and we'll end up losing the election because Congressional leaders and most of the voters are STILL not taking this situation with the seriousness it deserves, and Trump will win. THAT will be serious.
But here we are. In an election year that should have been a cakewalk, we're back to uncertainty, and the Democrats are doing the worst of it now. With the headwinds blowing us off-course AGAIN, I can only hold out hope that we will prevail. Trump is NOT an option.
Thanks for this, Steve. I agree with your assessment of what would happen, and I'm not sure the Democratic Party should take its orders from conservative ex-Republicans, just because they have podcasts. But what do I know? Biden needs to stay the course until January. Six more months. Then, if he feels it's time to step down, he can safely do so.
You & most of us have this right. Efforts to dilute our overwhelming majority will not succeed & everyone chasing the current fashion will be voting for Biden in November.
Littell really gives Steven King a run for the money. Visualize what you want to see in a better & more peaceful world, & you may actually manifest it. Happy Sunday!
People are no damn good. I’m ashamed to be a fucking human being.
Yet I still believe that not all Homo sapiens are that way. There’s gotta be some angels among us.
Loyalty seems to be a bad thing when the great leader is a. FHB.
Billserle.com
Let's hope there are enough good Homo Sapiens on November 5th. Sadly given whose behind dipshit 45, if we cut off his head, the threat to our way of life does not go away. Project 2025 is a relentless adversary. But some breathing room will be greatly appreciated.
Without the cult leader the cult evaporates...but yes, the Heritage Foundation ain't going anywhere, alas.
The one claim the Germans of 1933 can make is that they had no ready precedent to turn to. We know better, or should. And I think it will matter come November.
Wow, wow, wow.
No one can say we weren’t warned, but that many people refused to take a wannabe dictator at his word. We think “ it can’t happen here,” but it did for Native Americans and African Americans, and it may very well happen here for the rest of us.
I like to think it can't happen here, but I'm not going to make any assumptions...
I know you know what the word “assume” means?
We all know, and we are being real.
Greg, brilliant speech by Trump next January. I know it is the cliche of all cliches, but it IS like Hitler. All the way down. I also like your 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 statement. That’s the real problem. If you add all the racists, the fascists, the MAGA cultists, even all the Christian nationalist true believers (including 6 on the Supreme Court), etc., you are still a long way from even 40% much less enough people to come close to electing Trump. The remaining 1/3 are oblivious to the danger, including many, many in my own church and even my own family. I am TERRIFIED right now. They pay no attention to what is really happening with Trump, and will even acknowledge he is not the greatest guy, but R’s good, D’s bad. D’s Communist and, worse than that, woke liberals, R’s hate abortion, hate gays, and have good traditional “family” values. What a joke, right? I wish…..However, these people are now robots programmed by Fox News, their “spiritual” leaders and others, and it is groupthink personified.
Those 1/3 are sleepwalking into Germany 1933. The frightening thing is they are mainly decent people and would never behave personally as Trump does. Or as “Official Acts” describes, maybe they would or will…….love your new title for the book
by the way!
As the future governor of North Carolina said in a CHURCH last Sunday, some people just “need killing.” We are messed up and close to chaos and horror, we really are.
I really enjoy your perspective on the present day. I read a lot of different wise and courageous political types on this threat, but yours is unique. Thank you.
It terrifies me too, and my brother, father and I see it clearly.
Everyone paying attention is scared a little.
Thanks so much, Rick.
I'm scared, too...everyone is, and should be...but the last few days have been uplifting. Biden, it turns out, has many more supporters than the NYT thought. The "old man" narrative will continue to dog him, but Project 2025 has broken into the discourse, and that won't go away either.
I read The Kindly Ones (actually a great title referring to the Greek Fates who determined much of human life) a couple of times when it came out. The inspiration for the protagonist is the intellectual Nazi technocrat & mass murderer Otto Ohlendorf, whose capacity for rationalisation & self-acceptance (the capacities the educated & most fortunate members of humanity including you & I all share) is the overwhelming theme of The Kindly Ones. For those of us so enlightened & depraved, the book is indeed an enjoyable read, though on the third time around it's pleasant to skip around.
Good of you to try re-kindling interest in & attention to what Americans chose to adjudge at best a difficult read. That fact highlights the true insufficiency of many of the most exalted educations that have been made available to our allegedly intelligent people in process.
The relevance of The Kindly Ones to the present American crisis (also going on in Europe) is that we who have appreciated that book for 15 years had no impediments to seeing 2024 in 2015. As I warned my elite Dutch friends in my last visit there after New Years, 2016. Being a Jew with murdered relatives back in 1940s Poland was also helpful to the clarity I felt as soon as Donald rode down his golden escalator like the deus ex machina it was.
I'm very impressed you read it three times. But it does demand multiple reads. The passages that are good are SO GOOD. Reading the first chapter now made me sick to my stomach a little, now that Nazis are once again a real threat.
I didn't but I've never read it after aglio e olio.
The People must win this fight.
Vote 💙
And win we shall.
I don't know anymore. Heard my MAGA neighbor (NOT a hunter, except when he "went postal" at his actual Post Office job 25 years ago and was ordered no access to guns) doing target practice in the woods yesterday. Not a deer hunter anyway.
He sure enjoyed his trip to the insurrection, though he had another name for it.
As I was making our morning coffee, suddenly a song sprang into my head. "Onward Christian soldiers, marching onto war ..." I thought, "what makes these young men of ancient times march as Christians to slaughter unknown humans?" It occurred to me that those in power have turned the "others" into Evil. Jesus said, "thou shalt not kill" but if the enemy can be branded as Evil, then it's OK. That's what's happening now. We are turning into two camps, each one considering the other as Evil. We must step back and reconsider what is happening to our country. This is a gunned up country. I fear for us.
It is a minor miracle that there hasn't been wholesale political violence. Not that there hasn't been violence, but there is a level of organized bloodshed that, once reached, makes it very hard for a nation to recover from. I pray we don't get to that point....but Clarence & Co. clearly want that, because bump stocks.
Clarence & Co. should watch what they say to the MAGA crowd because .... bump stocks.
Well HEY. The Kindly Ones is on sale on Kindle today for $1.99. With double points if you go that route. I am looking forward to being disgusted.
Thanks Susan! I just bought it. I'm not sure when I will be able to stomach reading it. Maybe after Binden/Harris are re-elected.
It is definitely not an easy read, in any way.
What a nice coincidence! I'm VERY curious, Susan, what you make of it.
the book or the coincidence? It isn't really high on my tbr list. Madly trying to get to all the holds I had that suddenly appeared.
“Official Acts”
I’m paralyzed by the import of those two words.
The SC has given power to the worst possible recipient, an empty vessel who will destroy us and everyone else in an effort to FEEL - to feel powerful instead of pitiful. I’m disappointed in too many Americans who are complicit or complacent.
There are more of US than there are of THEM. Thank you for rallying the troops, Greg. I do love your writing. (And now reading - just bought Rough Beast to listen while driving).
Before anyone can rally the troops, the troops must be shown that they are in fact, "the troops."
Then we should each ask ourselves, what troop-y things have I done lately?
P.S. Rallying other troops is not troop-y.
Someone somewhere else pointed out that the bane of social media has been to give everyone using it, the illusion of “doing something”, of being involved when that is the last thing that is really going on. I’m hoping that by our being “woke” it means that we are actively involved in pushing for positive change.
As a side note, has anyone watched “The Man in the High Castle”?
"The Man in the High Castle" is not a sidenote to this discussion! Excellent show that I put off watching until it was finally completed and am glad I did because the bingeability of that show rivals almost anything I've watched.
(I've made "bingeability" a word like book reviewers have created the sick, twisted nonsense that is "unputdownable.")
I never finished watching it because the whole idea was getting way too close to home and I don’t need entertainment to bitch slap me when reality is so darn close at hand.
The first two seasons are fantastic, despite the two main characters being kind of boring. The Japanese foreign minister and the detective, and of course Rufus Sewell as the head American Nazi, are so good. And the end is fantastic.
[Season 3 does not exist and I will not acknowledge it happened]
By the way, bingeability is a perfectly good word these days.
Enjoyed the little book, not the Amazon takeoff. Except the antiques dealer was engaging.
Thanks for the recommendation.
Most things we do anymore are troopy. I was reflecting on that as I read Greg's piece. The word "troopy" didn't occur to me, but the notion of our willingness to do as we're told did. Lately, I have been aware of just how utterly under surveillence we all are anymore. When all the cameras started going up 2 decades ago, people in the US were *mad* and there was all kinds of discussion about privacy. Oh, well, lalalalala, let's all just fork over our lives to Meta and Google. Makes all kinds of authoritarian impulses easily acted upon...
I absolutely never think or feel that anyone or anything is watching/listening to me or finds me interesting outside of 1/2 dozen people including my gurl & family. And some of my twitter followers.
Doesn't stop them though, does it?
I don't believe in a "them" busy watching/tracking people, let alone invisible me. I was paranoid before it was popular & my own tastes have moved me on. But if that's how you feel, you must do what feels right to you.. I won't criticize.
There is so much data that maybe it's easier to get lost? I hope?
People go thinking that evil people are really smart & can do big things. Every tyranny of the past 150 years has proved the opposite.
That's what I figure. As you've said to me before, these dumb monsters can't even decide where to go for dinner much less how to tyrannize us. It's what makes it such a mystery: why do these things when in the end it will destroy them (and us). But, as I say all the time, the next decade will suck, but then I believe we won't even recognize how different the world then will be from today because I believe it will be that. much. better.
Good point.
I agree with you, Cynthia. One thing that all this chaos and confusion does, is makes us forget that we are the one's who choose what we believe. Other people (including the disgusting SC and "The Man Who Sold the World") only have power over us if we give them that power.
Fine words but I hope you don't need an abortion in Texas bc you'd learn about SCOTUS's power over you there.
Absolutely, Richard. I am very fortunate to live in a state that supports freedom of choice in many matters. There are always ways around even the harshest restrictions that anyone tires to hold over you. Always. If you believe it is possible. It may not be convenient but there are ways. And many times it takes money which makes it seemingly out of reach. Anger and betrayal can be used as a positive way to motivate one to think in ways they never thought were possible.
Thanks, Cynthia. "Official Acts" certainly SOUNDS like some horrible Nazi euphemism. This must not stand.
Yes, every creature has the capacity to kill. The difference being is that it is a choice one makes. We all have the capacity for cruelty, as well. One thing I find so disgusting about the "War on Woke" is that it is a war on decency, on intelligence, on knowledge, on kindness, on maturity and on healthy boundaries, amongst other things. Without these things, everyday humans can be easily turned into savages.
Well put, Gail, about the War on Woke. They are fighting battles to keep their people asleep.
You could call that 'the savage lullaby.'
Rational thinking isn't inherently good or bad. Whether it's used for good our evil depends on the story that we tell ourselves.
Evil is "justified" when our story convinces us to hate the "other".
We're deep in a war of stories right now, and the stories that inspire division have captured way too much territory.
This is something I struggle with. I don't like to have ill thoughts on my fellow humans, but Nazis are objectively bad. As the man says in the speech, there is no way to reconcile Nazism with decency (he doesn't say it that way, but it's what he means). I think there are very few Nazis, even in MAGA, but the ones who are have waaaay too much influence, seems to me.
You cannot convince me that Stephen Miller is not the reincarnation of a Nazi Schutzstaffel officer.
It’s only too probable, and it’s one big reason his uncle David Glosser put out a statement letting people know that he and his family did NOT agree with his nephew Stephen Miller.
No argument here.
In the book, Aue is a Nazi, but also gay, and thus one of the first people the Nazis would send to the extermination camps. Miller is a neo-Nazi, but Jewish; Patel is a person of color; Grenell is gay; all kinds of people Nazis, then and now, vociferously loathe. It's so bizarre.
While I do not wish to become more despondent, The Kindly Ones sounds like a must read. Between you and Richard Turyn earlier in comments the book's premise of the rationalization between good and evil may give insight into today's crisis.
I can understand that one-third is in dipshit 45's cult and the one-third who (you and me included) will vote for anything but the Project 2025 candidate, yet I fail to understand how any rationale person in the one-third debating as Aue did can justify voting for dipshit 45 or just as worse the dog eater or not voting at all. Perhaps The Kindly One will provide some answers. BTW, the Kindle version sells for $1.99.
I have been fascinated by trying to understand evil human beings. Alan Bullock's Hilter and Stalin helped me frame the simple minded thought that they were evil because they could be. While some may rationalize their behavior, for me it comes down to paranoia, the need to erase a concocted fear combined with a lust for power. This describes dipshit 45 in all but one very important way. Hitler and Stalin had everyone under their thumb, they were nobody's stooge. Dipshit 45 is the ultimate stooge which makes the Project 2025 movement much more evil and dangerous. Cut the snake's head and the likes of Bannon and Leo will find another snake. Antony Beevor's Stalingrad helps explain Stalin' hatred of all things German but his purge of his Russian compatriots falls into the category of "because he could". For those looking for a great satire on Russia under Stalin may I recommend highly Armando Iannuci's 'The Death of Stalin" movie, streaming available.
Thanks once again for a Sunday thought provoking Substack. Best wishes to all for some peace of mind in these very troubling days.
Always a good day when reminded of Bannon, which leads to remembering that he's right now, this moment, in prison -- probably writing, "My Struggle," -- but it's still in prison!
He'll just make it a podcast; writing a book is too much work for the Leprous One.
Thanks for these other recommendations, Old Man.
What's great about Kindly Ones is that, despite it being about VERY dark and ugly stuff, it is propulsive and readable. I read the introduction again and wanted to keep going. It's very hard to write a book about a terrible subject that makes the reader want to keep turning the pages. I'm curious what lessons about the here and now, if any, you read there.
Here here!
Great post Greg.
However
Since the first Homicide
Humans have arrived at murdering by the millions.
Good luck in changing that evolution.
"Kill one man, and you are a murderer; kill thousand and you are a conqueror; kill all and you are God." -Jean Restand
I am mesmerized by Littell's writing. I fell right into those passages, and now I have to read a 975-page book (994 pages on Kindle, and conveniently, "The Best Price in 30 Days" at $1.99 right now).
Much of the German population DID remain asleep, or so they say. Of all the myths surrounding this idea, and all the documentaries that are still being produced today, I have found no actual evidence that the people who claimed to know nothing of what was going on, right in their midst, were telling the truth. Denial is a powerful drug, just like it is right now. We see it now in many forms, the most telling and the most destructive being the godlike worship of Donald Trump by his flock of fools. They have dug in their heels, and nothing will move them away from his obvious authoritarian desires, and I don't believe for one second that MAGA doesn't know what's going on and before Trump, their retribution, they would have rejected this con man right out of the gate.
And I see the pundit class, and now many Democratic congresspeople, who think that replacing Biden is a good idea. In my head, replacing Biden would GUARANTEE that Trump is re-elected, and not because Biden beat him in 2020, but because the chaos that would ensue would be just as bad as what is now happening in the Republican party, although they have calmed down some since they've all publicly accepted that Trump is their Godhead. What they REALLY believe and what they talk about in private is of no consequence. I'm sure there were SS officers that didn't like Hitler all that much, too. Democrats will never agree on WHO should replace Biden, a fight will commence, a compromise will be reached, but the "Bernie Bros" of 2024 will resist. The convention will be a shitshow for the ages, and we'll end up losing the election because Congressional leaders and most of the voters are STILL not taking this situation with the seriousness it deserves, and Trump will win. THAT will be serious.
But here we are. In an election year that should have been a cakewalk, we're back to uncertainty, and the Democrats are doing the worst of it now. With the headwinds blowing us off-course AGAIN, I can only hold out hope that we will prevail. Trump is NOT an option.
Thanks for this, Steve. I agree with your assessment of what would happen, and I'm not sure the Democratic Party should take its orders from conservative ex-Republicans, just because they have podcasts. But what do I know? Biden needs to stay the course until January. Six more months. Then, if he feels it's time to step down, he can safely do so.
You & most of us have this right. Efforts to dilute our overwhelming majority will not succeed & everyone chasing the current fashion will be voting for Biden in November.
Littell really gives Steven King a run for the money. Visualize what you want to see in a better & more peaceful world, & you may actually manifest it. Happy Sunday!
I too believe in the power of intention. The trick is figuring out what you actually want...