Archive for September, 2009
Reich or Republican #1
September 15th, 2009
To quote a certain movie franchise that has long outlived its welcome, “I would like to play a game….” This game, though, does not involve bloodshed, ridiculous puzzle-traps, or overly-simplistic moralism. No…wait, it does. It does involve bloodshed—the blood of thousands upon thousands of people whose lives were taken or ruined thanks to the so-called ideals of “leaders.” It does involve ridiculous traps—of supremely twisted, oftimes incoherent “logic” and propagandist rhetoric. And it sure as HELL does involve plenty of appeals to the supposedly simple, commonsense morality of The People.
The game is this: I will present to you a quote. This quote may come from speeches, writings, poster slogans, and so forth. YOU, then, get to guess where the quote originated! Now, to make things easier, you only have two choices here: did the quote come from the Third Reich, or did it come from the Republican Party?
And that’s all there is to it! There are no prizes in this game other than a greater awareness of the threat that right-wing rhetoric poses for progressive thinkers and policy-makers in this nation.
Yes, it can happen here. The George W. Bush years were just a taste of what a strong, right-wing, neoconservative government would be like—but, fortunately, Bush’s own self-limiting idiocy and croneyism demolished his regime from within, and ensured the liberal backlash that President Obama rode into office. But even though Obama’s in office and the Republican Party seems like a gutted cadaver, DO NOT FORGET that pundits like Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly, and Michael Savage still speak for the majority of the Republican Party. And let’s not forget the wonderful examples of restrained, well-reasoned civil discourse being conducted at “Tea Parties” and town hall meetings around the nation.
Anyway, enough of this blather. Here’s the first quote!
Today we once more join with him in this strong and unshakable belief in the greatness of the country and the historic future of the nation. Loyal and unshakable, we trust this man and his historic mission, and will do everything to ensure that his orders will always find a ready and determined people.
OK, then. Reich or Republican?!
(Incidentally, quotes may be rewritten slightly in order to avoid giving them away with obvious terms such as “Reich” or “United States.” In each subsequent installment of “Reich or Republican” I will provide a link to the unedited original quote from the previous installment.)
