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Former Hitler Youth author angers both right, left
Posted By -NO AUTHOR- On 11/22/2008 @ 10:50 pm In Front Page | Comments Disabled
A new book by a former Hitler Youth, which condemns totalitarian fascism and communism, has drawn angry reactions from both the American political left and the political right.
The book is "Defeating the Totalitarian Lie: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America" by Hilmar von Campe.
In an appearance on Michael Savage's nationally syndicated talk-radio program, von Campe pointed to similarities between the rise of totalitarianism under Adolf Hitler and the current social and political trends inside the United States, specifically mentioning the policies of Barack Obama as being similar to national socialism, which von Campe lived through.
Get Hilmar von Campe's "Defeating the Totalitarian Lie: A Former Hitler Youth Warns America."
On the right, Michael C. Moynihan writing for Reason Online downplayed any parallelism, writing, "Now that Naomi Wolf's breathless tale of America's collapse into fascism has been further repudiated (unless, that is, Hitlerian countries routinely elect people like Barack Obama), perhaps it's time for the hysterics on the right to tremble in fear at the forthcoming machtergreifung. First, the psychopathic radio host and 'world famous herbal expert' Michael Savage hosts former Hitler Youth member Hilmar von Campe 'to discuss similarities between President-elect Obama and the rise of totalitarianism under Hitler.' Not much you can say to that, except to point out that beyond the big, excited crowds, there are absolutely no similarities."
On the left, Mother Jones was quick to join in, referring to von Campe as "one of a bevy of conservative authors who in the weeks before the election whipped up the fear that Obama was the modern-day version of the Nazi dictator. In an Oct. 28 WorldNetDaily column, he wrote, 'Socialist Hitler destroyed free society in a few months. Socialist Obama is close to his steppingstone.'"
Mother Jones called Savage "an over-the-top purveyor of extreme rhetoric" who, in their opinion, was not breaking new ground by scheduling von Campe as a guest. "But it's a signal the say-anything right is not dumping the Obama-as-Hitler argument," they continued. "Will this stuff play even to the GOP base? This sort of talk, if it becomes widespread in the months and years ahead, is more likely to separate the brimming-with-resentment conservatives from more responsible Republicans – which certainly won't make the GOP's repair job any easier. But politics aside, the continued use of this hysterical rhetoric raises this question: Do these agitators who liken the historic 2008 election to Hitler's putsch hate America?"
In the lead up to the presidential election, Media Matters placed von Campe alongside radio host Mark Levin and other media figures who allegedly compared Obama to Hitler or the Nazis.
Other liberals are fighting mad about the Obama-socialism connection in the WorldNetDaily article "Ex-Hitler youth compares Obama to Nazi rise", calling it "the most controversial essay in the final week of the election season."
Evidence that Obama was a socialist emerged in the days leading up to the election, revealing that he "belonged to a socialist political party that sought to elect members to public office with the aim of moving the Democratic Party far leftward to ultimately form a new political party with a socialist agenda.").
The attack by liberals on von Campe for pointing out how Obama's political views echo this Nazi Germany agenda has not deterred the former Hitler Youth from speaking out.
"Every day brings this nation closer to a Nazi-style totalitarian abyss," he warns. "Today in America we are witnessing a repeat performance of the tragedy of 1933 when an entire nation let itself be led like a lamb to the Socialist slaughterhouse. This time, the end of freedom is inevitable unless America rises to her mission and destiny."
As a person who survived the nightmare of Adolf Hitler, von Campe believes he carries a sober responsibility to warn Americans how quickly free society can be destroyed through socialist ideology.
Ex-Hitler Youth issues dire warning to America
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