More Gestapo Reading and a Theory

Some quotes from the book and a theory on the Iran bombing.

Read some more of Gestapo - Instrument of Tyranny by Edward Crankshaw. Here are some more quotes and what they made me think of when looking at the current situation in the U.S.

The Art of Evading Responsibility

The following quote is from page 65-66 of the 2002 edition of Gestapo - Instrument of Tyranny.

the Germans have brought to a high pitch the art of evading responsibility by losing all sense of it in total confusion; and it comes to much the same thing in the end whether the fostering of such confusion is due to calculated cunning or a more generalised intellectual dishonesty. The general impression created is of a system knocked together in an ad hoc manner by the members of a ruling caste intent on re-insuring themselves, never content to commit themselves finally to a single course, but for ever contriving to hedge and lay off.

Up to the word “dishonesty,” this statement sounds an awful lot like the Oval Office occupant (OOo) administration. Some people debate how much of OOo’s confounding actions, especially his jerking tariffs up and down like a 5-year-old using a fishing pole for the first time, are calculated or just sheer stupidity and lack of knowledge on how world economics (or any economics) works. I’m not sure the OOo is actually running anything, hence he tells the Press that he doesn’t know about decisions he should have been involved in. Is it total confusion or calculated cunning?

Knocked Together

Then you come to this: "a system knocked together in an ad hoc manner by the members of a ruling caste intent on re-insuring themselves." The current cabinet appears to be thrown together from the most ad hoc decisions. Most are either Yes Men or are so small-minded and/or unqualified, the OOo knows they won’t fight back if they disagree with something the OOo wants to do.

The First Enemy

The German Reichstag building is where the German parliament met. There was a fire there in 1933 that was made to look like Communists had started it. The following quote is on page 68 of Gestapo - Instrument of Tyranny.

The first enemy had been the Communist Party.

Hitler hated the Jews, but he also hated Communists and used them as a scapegoat to gain power. On 27 February 1933, several of Hitler's operatives started a fire in the Reichstag building. This was the inciting incident that really got the ball rolling for Hitler and enabled him to get full control of the German government.

The OOo constantly calls the Democrats the Radical Left Lunatics or the Lunatic Left. He propagates the idea that they're socialists to be looked down upon. Many U.S. citizens are either under-educated or so busy trying to survive that they don't have the time, skills, or energy to do their own research. If they hear something enough, they believe it, especially with the echo chambers created by today's 24-hour news cycle and social media outlets. They don't understand that many of the things they rely on for a decent life are socialistic in nature. Republicans push the narrative that socialist and socialism are bad words which provides a short narrative leap to communist comparisons, thereby equating socialism (and the political/Radical/Lunatic left) with evil communists.

Theory

I have a theory on why the OOo bombed Iran and what could happen in the near/mid-distance future. It's not a deep theory and anyone with better knowledge of all this will probably poke holes in it, but here goes:

OOo joined Netanyahu in bombing Iran, and this angered the U.S. Muslim population which was already pissed about his handling of the Gaza war. They are vocal about it but aren't rioting or causing major problems. The No Kings protests continue and one is targeted by an agent provocateur chosen by someone in OOo’s circle. A bomb goes off at a rally, a protest, or near a gathering of ICE agents.

The alarm goes up and Muslims are blamed because the administration claims they have evidence that it was retaliation for the Iran and Gaza actions. Martial law is declared and Muslims get rounded up. Under martial law, the President or Congress can suspend elections. The 2026 mid-term elections get suspended which is exactly why the Republicans weren't afraid to pass an unpopular budget bill.

Not exactly the same as the Reichstag fire but could lead to the same result. Instead of purging the "Radical Left", the OOo would be getting rid of Muslims whom he has hated for a long time. He equated them to snakes during his 2016 campaign. The Adam and Eve apple story makes the snake the bad guy, so there's the sauce that the religious right will eat up even though the OOo will trample on the Muslims' right to religious freedom. Like every other shitty thing the OOo has put into action, the religious right will tell themselves it's fine as long as it happens to someone else. (So much for the teachings of Jesus, huh? RINO should probably stand for Religious In Name Only for the OOo’s supporters.)

Not a Scholar

It's a rough time in the U.S., and the events there are always on my mind. I'm not a historian or political scholar or anything like that. These are just thoughts that occurred to me while reading the book. I hope events don't go the way I described them above and this nightmare ends soon.

A Note on the Use of OOo

Note that I consider the person occupying the Oval Office as simply an occupant holding the seat until someone who is easily vastly more worthy is able to get him out of there. I abbreviated it as OOo on purpose. Great men grow to fill the Oval Office and use it wisely while weak men shrink in it and abuse and desecrate it. Hence the use of the final small “o” signifying the current occupant himself.