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Today I would like to post several superb Thomas Jefferson Quotes that describes what is going on today to a tee! The blue statements are mine... THINKING BLUE _______________________________________________ A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. SOUND FAMILIAR? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent. WE MUST CONTINUE TO RESIST!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression. BINGO!!! NARROW-MINDED RELIGIOSITY MUST BE CONTAINED!!! THE FILIBUSTER SHOULD REMAIN! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. THE BANKING INDUSTRY, WON THE BANKRUPTCY BATTLE... AND FOR SURE, WE (ALL THE PEOPLE) WILL BE PILLAGED! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Delay is preferable to error. WISH BUSH AND HIS NEOCONS WOULD HAVE READ THIS ONE!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. THE FASCISTS MOTIVES ARE TO STEAMROLL OUR REPUBLIC INTO OBLIVION... WE MUST ALL (not just the blue states the red ones too) CONTINUE TO ACT AGAINST IT!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty. MASS MEDIA MUST BEGIN TO DO WHAT DEMOCRACY EXPECTS THEM TO DO... INFORM AND EDUCATE!!!!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors. FALSEHOODS AND ERRORS IS WHAT THE "FAUX-FOX" NETWORK DOES TO ITS VIEWERS! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Bodily decay is gloomy in prospect, but of all human contemplations the most abhorrent is body without mind.  Thomas Jefferson COME ON YOU GEORGE DUBYA BUSH FOLLOWERS, SNAP OUT OF IT! THE NAACP HAS SAID IT BEFORE "A MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE!" ... AMEN! _______________________________________________ UNBELIEVABLE:  The below picture came from this "god fearing site" GODHATESFAGS.COM??(Click on picture to see original size) These so called, righteous people, SO FULL OF HATE, should be pitied and feared.  Good grief and they call themselves Good Christians?? Carolyn And more from the Westboro Baneful Church Rev. Fred Phelps (The Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka, KS - Phelps gained national attention protesting at Matt Shepard's funeral) Gays worthy of death "Not only is homosexuality a sin, but anyone who supports fags is just as guilty as they are. You are both worthy of death (Romans 1:32)," Phelps quoted by State Press (Arizona State University), March 11, 1998.  God Hates Fags, Matt in Hell Phelps and his church members protested at Matt Shepard's funeral, holding signs saying "God Hates Fags" and "Matt in Hell".  Jews are money-grubbing sodomites, gays solicit young to sodomy "The Jews of Temple Beth Sholom are sinful, greedy, Hell-bound, money-grubbing sodomites; and they have dedicated their synagogue to be a gay and lesbian propaganda mill and recruiting depot, soliciting young people to sodomy." - Sept 7 1998, Westboro Baptist Church press release, re: protesting Jewish groups Sodomite lifestyle guarantees hell "It does not look good for Leni. WBC will picket his memorial service, using the occasion to warn the living that the sodomite lifestyle guarantees Hell. That the Kansas City Star Fag Rag writing tributes, and his fellow perverts dancing and singing in his honor, will not buy one drop of water to cool Leni's tongue where he likely now is. And except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Lk. 13:3" - Westboro Baptist Church press release, September 28, 1996, on the death of UMKC dancer Leni Wylliams. Another fag dancer "Here comes Leni...another fag dancer...they never learn." - - Westboro Baptist Church press release, September 28, 1996, on the death of UMKC dancer Leni Wylliams. "Anal-copulating agenda of Topeka's filthy fag community" "Rabbi Lawrence Karol is an apostate Jew, who denies the faith of his fathers, militantly promotes the anal-copulating agenda of Topeka's filthy fag community, and persecutes the Lord's people just as his vermin ancestors did in killing the Lord Jesus Christ and their own prophets and persecuting the apotles (sic) of Christ…..Hence they live filthy lives of sexual perversion, greed, violence, and oppression of the Lord's people. This is why the vile Jews of Temple Beth Sholom promote sodomy and persecute Baptists."- September 19, 1996 Westboro Baptist Church press release, re: anti-Jewish protest Gays pose greatest threat to survival of nation " ‘And Lot...pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.’ (Genesis 13:12,13) Conceiving the militant homosexual movement to pose the greatest threat to the survival of this nation, and that the government in all its branches (including the courts) is caving in to this anti-majoritarian law-trained pervert elite with their specious arguments couched in the inapposite language of civil rights law, and that the churches entoto are likewise crumbling to their junk theology and snake oil pitchman rhetoric which is nothing but heretical sophistry -- Westboro Baptist Church has determined to act. The Destroyer of Sodom is not dead. If the same conditions prevail, God's wrath will destroy America just as it did Sodom and Gomorrah in 1898 B.C. ‘Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination,’ Lev. 18:22, is still God's immutable law…..THE REAL CHURCH-BURNERS ARE FAGS!"-   - June 30, 1996, Westboro Baptist Church press release. Faggots "….For nearly 4,000 years, since the ancient inhabitants of Sodom fueled the fires of God's wrath, sodomites have been called faggots, contracted to fags. It is an elegant metaphor. Faggots in nature are sticks of wood that burn quick, hot and long, and are hence used to fuel the fires of nature. Etymology, history, and Scripture -- all endorse and sanctify the usage of faggot or fag to refer to sodomites, because the sodomites ignite the fires of divine wrath, promised by God Himself to destroy any society that elevates homosexuality to a position of wide acceptance and respect.’ " - June 30, 1996, Westboro Baptist Church press release.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anti-Gay Minister Wants Monument Celebrating Gay's Death Fred Phelps Calls Casper, Wyo. 'Evil' POSTED: 1:40 p.m. MDT October 3, 2003 UPDATED: 1:54 p.m. MDT October 3, 2003 CASPER, Wyo. -- A controversial anti-gay preacher from Kansas wants to erect a monument in a city park celebrating the death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard five years ago. The Rev. Fred Phelps has led protests in Casper and Laramie (pictured, left) on the anniversary of Shepard's death since 1998, when Shepard was lured out of a Laramie bar by two men, kidnapped and beaten into a coma.   Shepard, 21, died at a Fort Collins, Colo., hospital five days later. Police have said he was targeted in part because he was gay. His attackers were later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In a letter sent to Casper officials Thursday, Phelps said he wanted to erect a stone monument in City Park with a bronze plaque bearing Shepard's face and an inscription reading "Matthew Shepard, Entered Hell October 12, 1998, in Defiance of God's Warning: 'Thou shalt not lie with mankind as womankind; it is an abomination.' Leviticus 18:22." Phelps said he wants the monument in Casper because it is Shepard's hometown, where he learned it is "OK to be gay." "(Shepard) was not a hero," Phelps said. "This is a great monster sin against God. It is not an innocent alternative lifestyle. And all that has come down in that one little evil town called Casper, Wyo. And we can't ignore that." Phelps has proposed putting the monument in a part of City Park that Casper officials are considering selling to avoid removal of a Ten Commandments monument that has drawn fire from another religious group. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has threatened legal action if the city does not remove the Ten Commandments monument. Earlier this week, the City Council decided to explore selling the park land rather than removing the monument despite opposition from some councilors, who fear it will draw interest from people like Phelps. "I think (the Ten Commandments monument) should be there, but I am voting to remove it if it has to be for this very reason, for the prevention of people like Phelps," Councilor Renee Burgess said. Others said they would not be persuaded by hate to remove the Ten Commandments monument, which has sat in the park since the 1960s. "I think the hate language will find a very cold reception in this community," Councilor Paul Bertoglio said. "I think this community's backbone is going to come up and say 'We are not going to accept it."' Phelps said he was exploring alternate sites if the Ten Commandments monument was removed. "There may be nearby private property that we could buy," he said. "I mean we have to see what turn this takes and how it develops." Phelps is a disbarred lawyer and the minister of a small church in Topeka, Kan. The congregation is made up mostly of his 13 children, 45 grandchildren, and relatives, according to reports. Eleven of the children have law degrees. Phelps and a handful of supporters also picketed at the funerals of Barry Goldwater, Sonny Bono, and Bill Clinton's mother. (Let us hope his congregation stays small but taking into account Bush being re-elected, by people with like mindsets, I don't think it will. Carolyn) Copyright 2003 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AND FRUITCAKE PHELPS ISN'T THE ONLY FRUITCAKE OUT THERE... READ FROM THE BOB GEIGER BLOG. Carolyn FRUITCAKE FRIDAYS FROM THE BOB GEIGER BLOGSPOT Friday, February 03, 2006 Reader Mail: The Friday Fruitcakes Well, it's Friday, which means it's time to look in the old BobGeiger.com mailbag and, for pure entertainment value only, see what conservative goofball tries to give me my comeuppance this week… Mr. John Luger writes… Mr. Geiger, I ran across your blog today regarding Cindy Sheehan in Crawford Texas and the Mike Gallagher anti Cindy Sheehan protest. While I do not agree with Mr. Gallagher's protest and methods I do not approve of yours either. For example, "Commander-in-Thief", do you always resort to juvenile and pathetic name calling? I believe in free speech but I also believe in treating others with respect, especially those in public office. Second, Cindy Sheehan appears to be in severe need of a psychiatric evaluation as her antics are more and more bordering on lunacy. I can not see how she is someone to be looked up to in any way. Yes, she suffered a terrible loss, but you know what? It happens to thousands upon thousands of people everyday. She needs to deal with her grief in a healthy matter and move on with her life instead of trying to create a political spectacle every time the media moves on to a new topic. She holds President Bush responsible for her son's death.....well, he was in the military voluntarily, and there are risks associated with it, the blame lies on first of all, which ever Iraqi killed him or set up the bomb that did so, and secondarily with himself for joining the military. She should be proud, not ranting and raving like a lunatic. How about we all act alittle more mature...okay? John Luger To which I reply… Dear John; On your first point: Like many people, I call George W. Bush the “commander-in-thief” because he is only in the White House due to a right-wing faction of the Supreme Court appointing him to that position. He stole the 2000 election, which gave him the ability to start a war, which gave him the chance to run in 2004 as an incumbent “wartime president.” This also makes his questionable victory in 2004 the product of ill-gotten gains. In short, if you’re elected once illegitimately, you’re always illegitimate – period. Bush is an affront to our democracy and worthy of no respect whatsoever. On Cindy Sheehan: If she needs any mental-health help at all, it’s only due to the emotional strain of having her son taken from her for no reason. And, while in your sick mind, it should be a mitigating factor that thousands of our finest military people have been lost for Bush’s lies, it clearly is not. One death in fighting a country that never attacked us and that posed no threat to the United States is just as bad as 2,000 + deaths. And she should be proud to have lost her son to a war based on a lie? Let me do some name-calling again: You’re an idiot. Finally, I’ll ask you the same thing I ask every self-righteous, hawkish type who writes to me: In what branch of the military did you serve and when? We Veterans know that, while we did indeed sign up on our own, a fair expectation is that our leadership is being honest with us and would not risk our lives for nothing – Team Bush has done nothing to live up to that article of faith. Bush, his entire administration and anyone who voted for him, have the blood of 2,247 American troops on their hands. If you voted for Bush, I suppose that makes you proud. You’re one hell of an patriot.   An anonymous reader writes: Do you HONESTLY believe that President Bush is personally responsible for every soldier killed in Iraq? To which I reply….   Dear Anonymous; Yes.   Tune in next week for another edition of the Friday Fruitcakes. And, for you hateful, self-loathing Republicans – keep those cards, letter and e-mails coming.

 

 

On Hitler's Mountain
Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood

by Irmgard A. Hunt

Author Interview

A Discussion with Irmgard Hunt
Patriotism generally has positive connotations of love and loyalty to one's country. What does patriotism mean to you now?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patriotism is one of the most misused terms in our political vocabulary and thanks to my childhood experience I am always suspicious of its use. Hitler and the swastika flag aroused fervent "Vaterlandsliebe" (love of the fatherland) in Germans, including myself at times during my childhood. These symbols are used to motivate citizens to sacrifice their lives or even kill others in the name of patriotism. Feeling pride in one's culture and roots is obviously acceptable, but, unfortunately, leaders of all ilks easily exploit these feelings in order to obtain blind support for highly questionable objectives. Citizens in a democracy have a duty to object if, in the name of patriotism, their government tries to dismantle laws that assure freedom.

In addition to documenting the German people's way of life during WWII, what can people today take away from your memoir On Hitler's Mountain?

Most pertinent to today's situation, in reflecting on my Nazi childhood On Hitler's Mountain, I learned that -- even in the United States -- freedom and democracy must not be taken for granted. Threats that brought about the Third Reich are alive and well today here in the US. Among them are misguided patriotism; intolerance; racism; rigidly held ideologies; our engagement in an unjust, unprovoked, and aggressive war; and the bending of laws for political purpose. As I unearthed my family's experiences, it became clear that the greatest danger to democracy comes when people, out of uncertainty and ill-defined fear, blindly follow a leader who convinces them that he is destined to make them safe. Believing that their hero needs appropriate tools to guarantee their welfare, they remain silent as democratic principles are violated and dismantled and principles of freedom are annulled.

After you came to the US, how did you describe your childhood and growing up in Berchtesgaden?

I was silent about my background because it inevitably caused people discomfort or prompted them to vent their resentment on me. I felt put in a position of defending the indefensible; yet, I still loved my native home. Now, sixty years after the war, most people don't even recognize the name Berchtesgaden or have, at best, a tourist perspective of the Eagle's nest, Obersalzberg, and the town. But more importantly, I think the war in Vietnam was a watershed the way people viewed this topic. Before Vietnam there was a conviction of America's righteousness and the total evil of Germany. Then Americans saw that even democratically elected leaders could lead a country into a war with which not everyone agreed. This humbling experience caused people to reflect on the courage it takes to stand up against one's government and how long -- even in an open society -- it can take to change foreign policies.

The words: "I felt thoroughly sick of these conflicts forced upon me by adults" leapt off the page. How do you think adults use children to enhance their own sense of power? Should adults take more care to expose children to conflicting ideas and points of view to help them form sound, personal opinions?

Politicians, including Hitler, thrive on being portrayed with smiling, happy children providing evidence that the future of the country is in caring, fatherly hands. I think that the worst misuse of children is to turn them into spies, informers, and even soldiers. In free societies, teachers and especially parents have the obligation to prevent politicians from establishing policies that endanger their children's future freedoms and well-being. Most of all, they have the responsibility to expose children to diverging views, to expect tolerance, and to encourage them to question things and to stand up for their views. Parents should never cede this responsibility to ideologues who may use propaganda machines as good as those of Goebbels.

Do you see similarities between present day societies that indoctrinate children with hatred and intolerance and those in your childhood in the Third Reich?

Most political regimes look to the nation's youth to assure their own future and the next generation of devoted followers. Putting children in uniforms and making them feel part of a larger cause are well-tested tricks of authoritarian regimes. One-sided pressure and the teaching of superiority and intolerance -- often paired with intimidation -- are almost impossible for a child to fight off. Poverty and hopelessness provide particularly fertile ground for hatred to take root as we have seen in Germany in the twenties. But even in democratic countries improving children's lives should be a priority on a nation's agenda.

How did you regain confidence in leadership and the political process as you moved into adulthood? What do you now consider the ideal government? What do you consider the responsibilities and characteristics of an ideal citizen?

The total collapse and defeat of Germany provided a tabula rasa on which to build almost anything in terms of a new political regime. In East Germany, youth was immediately indoctrinated and captured by a Stalinist regime. We in the west were immediately educated towards a U.S. guided democracy, both filling a complete void. As our new political system in the west evolved my parents were at first allowed to vote only in local elections. The first national elections in a united West Germany were held in 1949, four years after the war ended. I was still too young to vote but was excited by the process and knew what each party and their leaders stood for. I had no doubt that a western style democracy with a legal framework that guaranteed the rights of all citizens was the only desirable form of government for West Germany. Being a good citizen, to me, meant staying informed -- presumably by a free, independent media -- and becoming part of the political process beyond voting.

What, if anything, could an average German who disagreed with the Nazis or became disenchanted with them have done about Hitler once he was in power?

Very little. With Hitler's control of executive, police, and judicial functions it would literally cost your life to even mention your disaffection. At a minimum, negativism, like that of my grandfather, was a crime that could cost you your job, contracts, pensions, or send you off to the concentration camps.

Could a Hitler happen here in the US? If so, under what circumstances?

I have thought about that a lot, and yes, an American Hitler is possible. But it will arrive largely unnoticed and insidiously, with the pretense of a free democracy intact. The first prerequisite is having the executive, legislative, and judicial functions in the hands of one very strong party with media either largely controlled by that party or under sympathetic ownership. The trigger that would tip the scale might be a monstrous disaster such as a long-term depression or another more fear-inspiring terrorist attack. There might be a group or groups that would be demonized and become an excuse for extreme measures. In Germany it was the Jews. Here it might be terrorists or extreme Muslims. If there were a great enough fear or strife here in the US, a group that monopolized power, and a scapegoat to apply blame to, these ingredients could surely create reason for suspending or ignoring the Constitution and breed an American Hitler.

How did the writing of On Hitler's Mountain change your perception of your mother?

My mother died at 75, again widowed, bitter, and crippled by arthritis. Writing about her young years gave me a new sense of her vitality, her willingness to start over, her courage, and her true devotion to those she loved. My mother's extreme grief when I left for America had left me feeling guilty for years. While writing the book I began to understand that her losses and her loneliness were at the root of her mourning over my departure.

What do you consider to be the most important sacrifice Mutti made for your family?

Every mother's life is a series of devotional acts. There is no one particularly dramatic event that I can point to, and it is, in fact, the small ways that my mother sacrificed her sleep, time, and energy that come to mind. For example, when she sat up through the night to finish the hem on a birthday dress or when she traded her best china to send me to a farm in the fertile low-lands for a week to fatten me up when I had tuberculosis.

In your harrowing memoir, On Hitler's Mountain, you write about your personal anguish and eventual healing from the impact of being born and raised during the Third Reich. How did you decide to confront the perilous events of your past through writing?

I began writing about my father's death just a few years after the war when I attended the Gymnasium (high school). In class, one day, I read my essay out loud and was stunned to realize that it had moved my classmates to tears. I rewrote that story many times. The decision to put the memories of those mean years into a book was prompted by my grown-up children's questions, and my conviction that the lessons of my Nazi childhood must not be lost, especially in this time of fear and of peril for the American Democracy.

How does writing about the events of your childhood sixty years later change them? How easy or difficult was it for you to remember the sorrow and fear you felt as a child, and the voice and mindset of the girl you once were?

I am sure that hindsight colored my memoir, especially after living in the U.S. for so many years and reading many historical accounts of the time. Telling some of the stories was difficult. Old wounds were re-opened and anger at the adults whom I loved and who allowed Hitler his power surged again and, of course, sadness at all the carnage. Remaining honest to who I was and what I knew as a child required constant, conscious effort to reexamine my memories. I gained confidence by talking with many people in my hometown and Selb, researching town and family records, studying photographs and, of course, relying on my mother's diary and other documents.

If you, had kept a diary of these terrifying and tumultuous times as Anne Frank did, what comparisons do you think would be made?

I don't think a comparison is possible, fair, or fruitful. Anne and I were by sheer fate born into completely different circumstances that became our destinies. Thanks to the Nazis we both lived through early suffering and have a right to claim those particular experiences. Through my country she and her family lost their lives and I feel deep sorrow about that. There is no competition.


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