By Butch Freedman
I watched a “60 Minutes” episode last night about three 80-year-olds who were born in the death camps of the Nazis in 1945. It was a story of resilience and eventual triumph over the forces of evil in the world and I was deeply touched by their story. But, the newsreel clippings and photos taken during the Holocaust that were shown, made me sick to my stomach, made me despair over the cruelty that can overtake otherwise decent human beings. And, I couldn’t help but make the comparison between what is happening now in our country under trump, and what happened in Germany in the 30’s and 40’s.
Maybe that comparison is unfair—maybe not. Certainly this president and his army of ICE agents have not yet taken people to death camps, or incinerated people in gas chambers. I doubt it will ever go that far. Yet we see every day evidence that the guardrails of decency and lawful behavior have been systematically attacked throughout this first year of the mad king’s tenure. People who are immigrants, or speak a different language, or are in any way different than the white ruling class are being rounded up and deported or sent to detention facilities—i.e. concentration camps. Sadly, disgracefully, the architect of much of this program is a Jewish man, Stephen Miller. His family must be deeply ashamed. As are most all Jews in the diaspora. I know I am. Our world has turned upside down. “It can’t happen here” has become a sick joke.
My question is—what now? How do we stop this cruelty, this attempt to take autocratic control and white-wash the country permanently? The ’26 mid-term elections, you say. Maybe. Under normal circumstances that would make sense. But we’re way past normal. Trump has already made clear he will do anything he and his stink of lawyers can to fix those elections. ICE agents will be deployed to every blue state polling place to scare off and harass those who can’t immediately prove their allegiance to the regime. It’s been done before. Think about the president’s buddies—Putin in Russia, Viktor Orban in Hungary, Lukashenko in Belarus, Mohammed binSalman in Saudi Arabia, and let’s not forget good ole Kim Jong Un, trump’s love interest in North Korea. Do you think those places allow fair elections?
I’m afraid, that like Austria and France and Germany in the 30’s, we’ve become complacent, thinking our safety is guaranteed. We’ve too readily accepted the idea of a fair and democratic country. We still believe in the power of the Constitution, and free speech, and due process. But, I’m convinced those things if not already dead, are clearly in a terminal state. Emergency assistance is called for. We are in a state of existential danger. That’s not a philosophical statement, it’s a clear appraisal of the situation. Trump has declared that climate change and conservation of natural resources are hoaxes. The department of Environmental Protection, in a startlingly Orwellian move, has rolled back almost all environmental regulations. The department of the interior tells us coal represents clean energy, while it shuts down wind and solar research and facilities. Up is down, science is mistaken, and war is peace. We have to stop the madness. The welfare of all future generations is at stake.
Perhaps Minneapolis offers a partial answer. The citizens and elected leaders there behaved heroically in the face of an armed invasion by a ruthless force, one sent by their own federal government. But through a sense of correctness, and outrage, and organization they were able to stand up to this government and eventually push out the invaders. Of course, this was far from a complete victory, and before the troops of ICE and border agents were removed, much damage was done, two fine young people murdered, while thousands of others, including children, were displaced or arrested. These words may sound bombastic, but look at the evidence before our eyes. It happened that way, the federal government attacked and murdered its own citizens. Yes, it’s unbelievable and yes, that is exactly what happened. We saw exactly who the real terrorists are.
I don’t know what to do. I feel frustrated and angry, and often hopeless. Some days I have to avoid the news and hide my head in the proverbial sand. But I can’t turn away for long. That’s also what happened in Hitler’s Germany — good and decent people turned their backs on the horrors happening all around them. It’s not my problem, they groaned. We can’t do the same. Or soon the camps will come for all of us who stand in opposition.