Saturday, March 12, 2016
Rick Steves––Nazi Germany (bonus)
Rick Steves in Germany·
I’ve been thinking about a poignant memorial at the Reichstag in Berlin dedicated to the 96 members of the German congress who spoke out against Hitler, but failed to stop him as he thundered into power in 1933. These were the last people who could have stopped the fascist dictator…so they became his first victims. Each slate slab remembers one politician, with his name, political party, and the date and location of his death (generally in a concentration camp). They are honored in front of the building — Germany’s capitol — where they worked to defend democracy in their country.
Rick Stevens
Question: Who can stop our own country's alarming move toward fascism? Do people see the resemblance between Hitler, first mocked as a clown, later reviled as a despot who was cheered on by tens of thousands deluded followers––and those who would lead us down the same path today?
Is this in fact the "end of Western Civilization," a catastrophe so long foretold?
Will people wake up in time to avert disaster? What will it take?
We are poised on a precipice. Which way will we go?
