MB Civic

I just read the following in a newsletter comment about the film V for Vendetta:

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In that V (in the movie “V for Vendetta”) projects a world that melds that of Germany in the ‘30s with the U.S. of today, I thought it might be interesting to juxtapose some choice words from both eras.

“All the Führer’s attempts at peace bore no fruit with them [the British-French alliance]. We 90 million in the Reich stand in the way of their brutal plans for world domination. They hate our people because it is decent, brave, industrious, hardworking and intelligent. They hate our views, our social policies, and our accomplishments. They hate us as a Reich and as a community. They have forced us into a struggle for life and death. We will defend ourselves accordingly. All is clear between us and our enemies…

“There are some crazy men who would kill us if they could…

“But where is the national unity in this country when we need it most? Now, while young Germans are dying in the mud in Czechoslovakia and the mountains of Poland, our nation is being torn apart and made weaker because of the Social Democrats manic obsession to bring down our Führer.

“What has happened to the nation I’ve spent my life working in? I can remember when Social Democrats believed that it was the duty of Germany to fight for freedom over tyranny.

“Time after time in our history, in the face of great danger, Germans worked together to ensure that freedom would not falter. But not today. Motivated more by partisan politics than by national security, today’s Social Democratic leaders see Germany as an occupier, not a liberator. And nothing makes me madder than someone calling German troops occupiers rather than liberators. Tell that to the Czechs, Poles, Frenchmen, and Belgians who have been freed because Adolf Hitler led an army of liberators, not occupiers. Tell that to the millions of men, women, and children who are free today from the Baltics to the Crimea, from Poland to the Balkans, because Adolf Hitler built a military of liberators, not occupiers.

“Never in the history of the world has any soldier sacrificed more for the freedom and liberty of total strangers than the German soldier. And our soldiers don’t just give freedom abroad; they preserve it for us here at home.

“Right now, the world just cannot afford an indecisive Germany. Fainthearted self-indulgence will put at risk all we care about in this world.

“In this hour of danger, our Führer has had the courage to stand up. And I am proud to stand up with him.

“God bless this great country and God bless Adolf Hitler.”

—Joseph Goebbels, German Propaganda Minister, in a speech “The New Year 1939/40”

***

“Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber—a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms—our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other. […]

“These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us, because we stand in their way. […]

“Some speak of an age of terror. I know there are struggles ahead and dangers to face. But this country will define our times, not be defined by them. As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world…

“Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us.

“Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail. […]

“Fellow citizens, we’ll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come. In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom and may He watch over the United States of America.”

—George W. Bush, speech at Joint Session of Congress, 9/20/2001

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Plus ça change plus c’est la même chose…

What do you suppose our British/American parents and grandparents thought they were fighting for in WW2?