I knew the gist of the CBS biography of Hitler, just by reading the press. I know that liberals tend to make movies that highlight instances that they feel are important. I knew this was going to be one of those movies, where everything is highlighted.

I wasn't surprised to learn that Hitler raped his own neice. I was even less surprised to hear of how he treated other women eventually. For any accusation against Hitler has to be believable, after all, he is equated with the devil himself in many instances.

My mother and I, who often debate the striking similarities between Hitler and Bush, both put effort into watching this flick. Some time around when the niece died, mom turned it off. What a shame, she missed the punchline.

It was late, around 10:30, when the real point of the movie was shown. I don't know how many Americans understood the implications of the culmination of this dastardly life. It was late, everyone was getting sleepy. But there it was, like a beacon of light reserved for late night, how did Hitler suceed? How did he manipulate so many? How did he convince people to be racist? To be blind?

And the answer, in bold color in my living room, was shocking.

First he lit a building on fire. Then he blamed the terrorists and Jews. By doing so he was able to scare the public. After that, he was able to intimidate the government, and suspend the constitution. On a roll, he gave the final speech, saying something that sounded so much like, "you are either with us or against us," I couldn't tell the difference. The room, representing the parliament or Reichstag, was divided into Nazi brown shirts and suits evenly. Some tried to argue against Hitler, then a brown shirt sang the anthem. And there it was, Hitler used patriotism to force them to stand together against this false terrorist threat.

Interestingly enough the first Holocaust victim in the film is a journalist. You see, in order to manipulate people, he had to controll media. So he burned printing houses until all were gone but his own. Even then, opposition spoke out. Much like Powell the second is finding Clear Channel being forced to air liberal views for profit. When all else failed, and he couldn't get them to be intimidated, he sent them to the camps. He beat them, tortured them, and killed them, before the Jews.

The lesson here is a warning, to all journalists with integrity. The path you have chosen makes you Bush's first target. The closer to battle you are the easier it is to kill you without scrutiny. And public scrutiny itself has become useless against this size of this machine.

We are in danger. I was told not to forget the Holocaust because I was born Jewish. But the most important thing I have learned is that inside, I am that journalist. And until my last breath, like the man who wrote the last negative article about Hitler, I am a target. It doesn't matter what my skin or religion are. What matters is that I tell the truth.
But, I always agree, to tell the truth and run. Perhaps some day, I can sit down for a while, and make my mom watch the end of the movie, when democracy failed in Germany, and the journalists, like her daughter, were the first to go. Perhaps then, she will understand, how valuable the constitution is, and how easily men like Hitler can use our pride to turn us into evil people.

Your points are weak at best. You have a lot of connect-the-unrelated-dots theories floating there. But that's pretty much par for the course here in IndymediaLand.

If a "dictator" is going to model the country over which he wishes to rule after a predecessor, Nazi Germany isn't the best of choices. It's too recent and much too short lived. Rome would be the model to follow.

Someday perhaps a film will be made about all those Germans who resisted the rise of the Nazis. Aside from the millions of Communists, Socialists, Social Democrats, Trade Unionists, Anarchists, and other organized political groupings... there were brave individuals who risked everything to fight against the Nazis. Here are but a few:

Ernst Friedrich was an important figure in the resistance to German Fascism. He was a pacifist, and such people were regarded by the Nazis as enemies of all things German. Friedrich self published an antiwar book called "War Against War" that was well read, influential, and widely distributed. The book, printed in four languages, was an appeal to workers to resist military service. Friedrich later opened his "Peace Museum" in Berlin, a gallery that presented photos, artworks, and artifacts that focused on the insanity and cruelty of war. Kristallnacht... "the night of breaking glass" (Nov 9th 1938), is widely regarded as the beginning of the Nazi terror campaign against Jews. But Kristallnacht also visited terror upon many other Germans as well. On that night, Nazi thugs broke into Friedrich's Peace Museum... destroyed the collection, and turned the place into an interrogation center for the Nazi SS. Read about Friedrich's life and works at:
http://www.anti-kriegs-museum.de/english/start1.html

The "White Rose" was a small group of young Germans interested in music, art, and philosophy. Initially most were students, but later on they were joined by a Soldier and a Professor. What united them was their hatred of Hitler and Fascism. The small group began to write "Resistance Flyers" with titles like, "FREEDOM!" and "Hitler, Mass Murderer!" The White Rose group distributed their Flyers far and wide... but they did so secretly as the Nazis were already in full control. Eventually the entire groups was arrested and put to death, but their impassioned writings live on as evidence of resistance to Fascism. You can read all about the White Rose at:
http://www.jlrweb.com/whiterose/

Of course, at the cultural forefront of the resistance to the Nazis stood Germany's Artistic community. Artists working in every discipline expressed opposition to Hitler and his gang. German Painters especially took a lead role in combating Fascism. Artists like Kathe Kollwitz, Otto Dix, George Grosz, and Conrad Felixmuller are legend for their determined outspokenness against Nazism. Their heroic stance is known mostly to students of Art... but everyone should know how Germany's brave community of Artists fought against Nazism. An amazing essay on the role of these Artists can be found on the "Art For A Change" website. With plenty of full color artworks, the essay clearly presents an alternative view on the struggle against German Fascism:
http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Express/ex.htm

great info on dissidents during hitler's reign, we'll need that history in the days to
come. also a great, if simplistic, analysis of the hitler film. people need to remember that the
producer of this made for tv production was fired for making an association between
the film and the current state of america. it appears mr. brigg can't handle the truth
so he has to reach further back to the first reich, which is appropriate, but the current
administration more closely resembles the third, but not simply along the lines
alluded to by m above, but also in the perpetuation of a fascist state, along the lines
of Mussolini's idealized notion of the state and corporations working hand in hand
to support each other. that is fascism, not the regimented, marching jackboots stuff.
conventional histories of the third reich tend to obsess on the swastikas, warfare
and the holocaust (the so-called "H" channel has mastered the art of this), but
fail society by not recalling the role of industrialists and other corporations in making
hitler's sickness a reality. this history must be recounted too.

people on the imc know when to connect the dots and that is what destabilizes those
who live in denial.

>it appears mr. brigg can't handle the truth

Seeing that you believe this tripe, I'm not surprised at your wrong conclusion.

>people on the imc know when to connect the dots and that is what destabilizes those who live in denial.

You really don't get it. It's my hope of hopes that the liberal candidates in 2004 run on the platform that Bush is the next Hitler.

It's your hope of hopes that the REPUBLICANS run Bush
as the next Hitler. Sounds RIGHT.

No, Ivan. I typed what I meant.

Thank you for making writing this article worth while. I appreciate knowledgeable comments at all times.

what tha?

bush...hitler..?


i really think this is silly..

for starters..hitler.. was an idiot..he was crazy
but had a major following cos of fear..
and the majority stood back

Bush is not anywhere near him..HENCE
why democracy works..
u think Bush could genicided people by the thousands or millions.. without anyone sayin anything..

i dont think so..

fools
i mean really..

2003 people..

and no i aint an american..patriot

Here's an inquiry for all you "the US is the next Nazi Germany" wackos to answer. If John Kerry, by some stretch, becomes president in 2004 and the Dems take back the Senate and House, does Kerry become Hitler? Do you start attacking the Dems then, or do they get a free ride as usual and you just continue to attack the Repubs? Or is this all tied into the "fascism is state capitalism" propaghanda and until the US actually ceases to exist and/or until capitalism ceases to exist then we'll always live in fear of becoming Nazi Germany Part 2? If this doesn't happen in like the next 5 or 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 or 500 or 1000 years, is the immediate threat over?

Hi all~~~ just got back from a wonderful hike in our rapidly diminishing wild lands and off to Mordor tomorrow but here's a quick tip of the hat to mymicz...I too watched the series and saw the parallels. Surprising CBS ran it as such. If Briggs et al want to continue keeping their head in the sands while bush and his right wing terror squads and mercenry armies continue to disassemble our rights and loot our treasury than that is their choice. But for the rest of us, we need to continue our organizing, our speaking of the truth, and using our common sense to battle the festering tumors within the White House.

There are many many people who live throughout this nation that do not want the increased survelliance, jingoistic politics, corporate corruption, and zombification of the public that Hitler accomplished so well in his early days of thuggery and bush seeks to emulate....but you know what they say...imitaion is the sincerest form of flattery.

Be back soon, don't let the right wing buglike provocateurs bite!

WHY IS NO ONE ALLOWED TO QUESTION THE HOLOCAUST?
I was amazed when I was informed that, in some countries, it is a crime to question aspects of the Holocaust.

I really couldn't belive that such medieval law, could exist in todays world.

When I learned this I was so outraged at the idea, that I went away and thought up a few questions to ask.

The questions were phrased as an answer to a post that claimed that:

A major factor in determining the pace of killing was the capacity of cremation ovens. Weindling, op.cit., p.319.

Well, this statement is just not credible.

Germans were/are well known for their industrious nature and their construction abilities. If they really wanted to kill lots of people they would have built sufficient cremation ovens to do the job. Somehow it is assumed that this was beyond their organizational capabilities. An assumption that is incredibly hard to swallow.

If the Germans only aim was to kill the Jews then why did they transport many of them half way across Europe in order to do this?

This is expensive and would tie up locomotives and waste resources (eg coal) that could otherwise have been used in the war effort.

There are so many easier ways to kill people, eg, if they were loaded into wagons as usual but just left at a lonely rail junction or siding, they would have all been dead (from dehydration) in less time than it took to transport them to Auschwitz. As to the bodies, they could have been scattered from the moving train in forested areas, or something. At this time there were many dead scattered throughout Europe, I doubt a few more would make much of a difference.

And another question. If the Germans only aim was to kill the Jews then why did they waste thousands of tons of coal cremating their bodies? Once again a major waste of resources. This would tie up many thousands of workers mining the coal and several locomotives (and many wagons) delivering it. And, of course, using locomotives to transport the coal from the mines would waste even more coal and manpower. All of these resources would have otherwise been available to the war effort.

In particular, the coal would have been available for use in the gasification plants (at, for example, Auschwitz III (Monowitz)) at a time when Germany was running desperately short of gasoline.

And another question. The Germans had manufactured the lethal nerve gases Sarin and Tabun. Were they not technically competent to use these very toxic compounds? Certainly, safety would be an issue. Would these gases have been safer to use than Zyklon B?

Just curious.

A few after thoughts:

It is well known that Hitler's experiences in the trenches during the first world war lead him to loathe the use of poisonous gases. His loathing of the use of deadly gases was so strong, that he refused to use the nerve gases Sarin and Tabun against the Soviets, even though this could have won Germany the war.

One has to contrast this against the action of the United States, which developed nuclear weapons and used them immediately on civilian targets.

you dinks are sure running on empty.
this is old straw for your scarecrow.
It's been done.

Yes, I am looking for the name of a particular song from the movie Hitler: Rise to Evil. I've heard this song again in Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade so I think it has something to do with Nazi Germany. In the Hitler movie for this particular version there was a woman singing the song and I think she made remarks (in the lyrics) towards jews. I'm not sure but the lyrics MIGHT be anti-semetic. I'm not sure. If anyone knows which song I'm talking about please respond to my email. jwm72001@yahoo.com. I know this doesn't help much but if you can even give me a list or a link to the songs that were played in the movie that would help tremendously. The song I'm looking for a has a nice classical tune and is very pleasing to the ear.

Sure, you can question it.

But like those who question repeatedly verified facts of history, you just wind up looking silly.

cause you're pulling our leg, right?
I mean now you are attempting to raise the 'anti-Semite'
blanket and screech? Change your diapers first, stinky.
And stop being such assholes towards the native population
of Palestine, you idiots. No one likes an asshole.
Doesn't matter which side you're on.

I have to disagree about Hitler being the reson for evil, nor did he initiate the anti-semitism movement. Anti-semitism was well establisheb in Europe and Internationally way before Hitler was even born. Not only Hitler but leaders across the world were preaching anti-semitism. Henry Ford wrote a book against International Jewry. Prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King felt they were the source of many problem therefore prevented them from immigrating to Canada. Churchill also supported the anti-jew movement to name but a few. Anti-semitism commonly associated with communism at the time grew in parallel with the development of the Marxist and Communist movement. Although I totally disagree with Hitlers actions, I feel he was himself a victim of his environment. Was he sick and derranged? Maybe so but that is beside the point at this point in time. The movie did not depict his life prior to WW1 which is an important part of who he was and where he did not support anti-semitism. He had good friends that were jews themselves and they had nothing but good thing to say about his behaviour towards them. With the outbreak of WW1 and Hitler being an nationalist extremist, his views started changing gradually while he bravely put his own life on the line for his country. Then the war came to an end along with the views of jewish communism. He emerged from WW1 with changed views on politics and recognized his country needed a change. Unlike many others he was there to try and help. The country was in total chaos in direct result from the Versaille Treaty put up by the greedy Allies and worsened by the French. Hitler, greedy for power and opportunist, told people nothing but what they wanted to hear. He then fed from the public's support, and the public fed from his speaking abilities which became a vicious circle. The rest is nothing but history. Yes there was a holocaust and yes Hitler was right in the middle of the contreversy but, I stand firm that he did not initiate it. They say you have to remember history in order to not repeat it; if you're going to do so remember it right. He did not people to racism; people converted him in his quest for power.

As M.FIlion points out you can equally see anyone as a product of circumstances. If you can argue that hitler is not the person responsible for WW2 or the holocaust you can equally say no one is responsible for their actions. And philosophically that is an acceptible way of viewing the world.

However the important thing to then realise is that This has no policy implications. because just like a dog with rabies an evil man has to be stoped whether he is responsible for his own actions or not.

I don't like Bush

I just love to talk about my perverted nature!

I think it has something to do with the fact that my dad sodomized me when I was 6 years old.

Did it hurt when your dad fucked you in the ass?

I actually liked it.

ANYONE WHO DESCRIBES FOOLS AS THOSE WHO FGEEL THERE IS A VALID COMPARISON BETWEEN HITLER AND BUSH IS A FOOL UNTO THEIR OWN.
I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA (FREE WORLD OUTSIDE THE USA) ANS I MUST INFORM YOU THAT YOU SEEM AS IGNORENT AND EASILY FOOLED AS THE PEOPLE OF THE WIEMER REPUBLIC FOOLED INTO HITLER'S HELL.

FIRSTLY, BUSH IS ALREADY A DICTATOR AS FAR AS MOST INTERNATIONAL OPINION IS CONCERNED. WHY, WELL ALL AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT THE REPUBLICANS STOLE THE ELECTION THROUGH MASS FRUAD AND GERRYMANDERING (THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS THIS, EVEN YOUR OWN DROP OUTS LIKE MICHAEL MOORE HAVE FATHOMED THIS FACT.
SECONDLY, BUSH IS DESTROYING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, DEFYING INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE THE ONLY FUTURE FOR PEACE AND HARMONY. INSTED, HE BRINGS THE WORLD TO AN ALL TIME LOW WITH THIS FALSE "WAR ON TERRORISM", WHICH LIKE HITLER'S THIRD RIECH WILL LAST FOR EVER.
BUSH (AND HIS FATHER)IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE YALE SKUL AND CROSS BONES SOCIETY, AN ELITE SECRET GROUP THAT IS LINKED TO THE THULE SOCIETY OF WHICH HITLER WAS A MEMBER.
BUSH IS ALSO A HOT HEAD-WAR PIG, WHO PRIDES HIMSELF ON EGOTISTICAL RANTS AND RAVES THAT SEEMED FUNNY IN JOHN WAYNE MOVIES, BUT SEEM VARY SCAREY NOW.
AMERICA UNDER BUSH, IS LOSING ITS IDENTITY AS A "FREE" COUNTRY, FURTHERMORE THIS POLARISING TALK OF "WITH US OR AGAINST US" IS A HOSTILE THREAT TO HUMANITY ITSELF.
PLEASE DEPOSE THE THEIF, USA SHOULD BE THE PROUDEST DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD, BUT UNTIL BUSH LEAVES, THE USA IS A EVIL, SICK JOKE TO MOST LIVING IN EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA. THERE ARE ALREADY ENOUGH RIGHT WING REACTIONARIES IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS, NO? WHY FOLLOW A WAR MONGER. FROM AUSTRALIA (so i am probably not worthy of an opinion of your sacred holyland)

ANYONE WHO DESCRIBES FOOLS AS THOSE WHO FGEEL THERE IS A VALID COMPARISON BETWEEN HITLER AND BUSH IS A FOOL UNTO THEIR OWN.
I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA (FREE WORLD OUTSIDE THE USA) ANS I MUST INFORM YOU THAT YOU SEEM AS IGNORENT AND EASILY FOOLED AS THE PEOPLE OF THE WIEMER REPUBLIC FOOLED INTO HITLER'S HELL.

FIRSTLY, BUSH IS ALREADY A DICTATOR AS FAR AS MOST INTERNATIONAL OPINION IS CONCERNED. WHY, WELL ALL AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW BY NOW THAT THE REPUBLICANS STOLE THE ELECTION THROUGH MASS FRUAD AND GERRYMANDERING (THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS THIS, EVEN YOUR OWN DROP OUTS LIKE MICHAEL MOORE HAVE FATHOMED THIS FACT.
SECONDLY, BUSH IS DESTROYING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, DEFYING INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE THE ONLY FUTURE FOR PEACE AND HARMONY. INSTED, HE BRINGS THE WORLD TO AN ALL TIME LOW WITH THIS FALSE "WAR ON TERRORISM", WHICH LIKE HITLER'S THIRD RIECH WILL LAST FOR EVER.
BUSH (AND HIS FATHER)IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE YALE SKUL AND CROSS BONES SOCIETY, AN ELITE SECRET GROUP THAT IS LINKED TO THE THULE SOCIETY OF WHICH HITLER WAS A MEMBER.
BUSH IS ALSO A HOT HEAD-WAR PIG, WHO PRIDES HIMSELF ON EGOTISTICAL RANTS AND RAVES THAT SEEMED FUNNY IN JOHN WAYNE MOVIES, BUT SEEM VARY SCAREY NOW.
AMERICA UNDER BUSH, IS LOSING ITS IDENTITY AS A "FREE" COUNTRY, FURTHERMORE THIS POLARISING TALK OF "WITH US OR AGAINST US" IS A HOSTILE THREAT TO HUMANITY ITSELF.
PLEASE DEPOSE THE THEIF, USA SHOULD BE THE PROUDEST DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD, BUT UNTIL BUSH LEAVES, THE USA IS A EVIL, SICK JOKE TO MOST LIVING IN EUROPE, ASIA, AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA. THERE ARE ALREADY ENOUGH RIGHT WING REACTIONARIES IN OUR HISTORY BOOKS, NO? WHY FOLLOW A WAR MONGER. FROM AUSTRALIA (so i am probably not worthy of an opinion of your sacred holyland)

The chick posting as Nick is yet another simpleton who prefers to live in a world ruled by shadow people and Skull and Bones secret memberships.

A fool is a fool is a fool.

Sometimes, pleasure heads must burn.

Dont worry most people in australia dont agree with nick either. If you havent notices australia has a conservative leader who is going to slaughter the labour party in the next election.
I hope the guys in white coats are heading over there right now.