"Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged.
All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism...
"The People Can Always Be Brought to the Bidding of the Leaders"
HG: "Why, of course, the people don't want war," Goering shrugged. "Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship."
GG: "There is one difference," I pointed out. "In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars."
HG: "Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." -- Hermann Goering (as told to Gustav Gilbert during the Nuremberg trials)
If Gilbert were still alive, I would say to him, regarding only Congress declaring wars: Oh really?
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“An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes” — Anon.
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Trump’s charm offensive (read that either way)
Ron DeSantis bills himself as “Trump without the baggage,” but certain (fr)enemies are suspicious of that label. Just today, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley — who just got herself a CNN town hall — called DeSantis a “mini-Trump … without the charm.” — Release
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CPD dishonesty
More than 100 current and former Chicago Police Department officials were allowed to stay on the job after making false statements, despite a rule that says dismissal is the "appropriate disciplinary penalty," City Hall’s inspector general reported yesterday. — Sun-Times
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Is the Covid crisis actually over?
Or is Pres. Biden’s declaration just another austerity move?
After more than three years, the global Covid emergency is officially over. Yet it’s still killing at least one person every four minutes and questions on how to deal with the virus remain unanswered, putting vulnerable people and under-vaccinated countries at risk.
According to Bloomberg:
Covid is still a leading killer, the third-biggest in the US last year behind heart disease and cancer. Unlike with other common causes of death such as smoking and traffic accidents, politicians aren’t pushing for ways to reduce the harm, such as mandated vaccinations or masking in closed spaces. And the elderly and immunocompromised continue to pay with their lives.
My guest on Hitting Left this morning is socialist/ activist/philosopher, Carl Davidson. Streaming on lumpenradio.com 11-noon CDT.