Hitler no socialist
I have read Peter Stathis’ letter dated in the April 22 edition of Hernando Today and wish to correct some of the libel of relating Hitler to socialism; it is an objectionable idea to a socialist like myself and certainly would be no less to the neo-Nazis who still rally behind Hitler.
Apparently we should believe that the People’s Republic of China is truly a republic serving the interests of the people, for it says so. Similarly, we should believe that the Patriot Act was patriotic, nonlethal weapons cannot kill and that the Florida swampland sold early in this century truly was prime real estate.
Socialism is an enlightenment movement, an extension and critique of the liberalism that brought about capitalism. Fascism and Nazism are anti-enlightenment movements designed to turn the tide against freedom, equality, democracy and rational thought. They physically beat socialists and unionists when they weren’t in power and the Nazis put them in their death camps when they were in power. Today, we consider ourselves bitter enemies, polar opposites.
To quote Hitler from his work, “Mein Kampf:” “The Western democracy of today is the forerunner of Marxism which without it would not be thinkable. It provides this world plague with the culture in which its germs can spread.” He later states “[w]e chose the red color of our posters after careful and thorough reflection, in order to provoke the Left, to drive them to indignation.” In his long diatribe against Jewish people, which all should be aware Hitler was no fan thereof, his description of “the Jew’s procedure” ends with “[h]e establishes the Marxist doctrine.” Hitler was clearly no socialist.
If you want to throw out some legitimate socialist names, try Albert Einstein who was constantly watched by the FBI for his leftist memberships, Helen Keller, who rallied against labor violations, and Martin Luther King Jr. who, though merely stated his thoughts were “more socialistic than capitalistic” in his early life, fought valiantly for social justice in his later life and called for the end of a capitalist system that brings out the worst in people.
Lenin may be said to be a true socialist, if not a misinformed one, I myself disagree strongly with his ideology. Stalin was an opportunistic pretender who obviously turned to the anti-enlightenment. Chavez rose to power with questionable tactics, even if the old government was repressive, but appears to be running a democratic socialist government. I do fear the power being concentrated in the executive, myself. Venezuela aside, the closest thing to true socialism ever arising is going to be the social democracies of western and northern Europe that still have too much major industry privatized to be truly socialist.
Stephen Tash
St. Clair Shores, Mich.
Liberal lemmings
I’d like to respond to a couple of the questions posed by Gail B. Leatherwood in his letter to the editor yesterday, but first I’d like to ask him a couple.
Mr. Leatherwood, what hidey hole were you tucked away in for the previous eight years? Where was your righteous indignation when President George Bush was getting bashed in rhythm with every word out of his mouth? Why you aren’t critical of virtually every member of the Obama administration’s continued focus on finger-pointing backward? And finally, what’s with this we crap? As Yogi Berra once said, “include me out!”
I didn’t vote for Obama but apparently you did and now you’d like me to sit down, shut up and eat the garbage he is dishing out.
So, in response to “who among us analyzes anything we hear (from politicians),” I do! And if you didn’t, you are today’s Pandora! So now, Mr. Liberal lemming, be my guest – jump off the cliff! But don’t expect me to join you without a protest.
You libs can dish it out, but don’t let anyone mess with the messiah.
Tom Cannariato
Weeki Wachee
