Scapegoat

This is an article Frank W. and I have been working on for the last two weeks or so. Frank did all the writing and I provided some editorial advice and minor editing.

===

Today, November 9, is the anniversary of Kristallnacht. It is the day when Nazi Germany unleashed its thugs against the Jews. The Wiki gets right to the point:

"Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and villages, as SA stormtroopers and civilians destroyed buildings with sledgehammers, leaving the streets covered in pieces of smashed windows--the origin of the name "Night of Broken Glass." Ninety-one Jews were killed, and 30,000 Jewish men--a quarter of all Jewish men in Germany--were taken to concentration camps, where they were tortured for months, with over 1,000 of them dying. Around 1,668 synagogues were ransacked, and 267 set on fire. In Vienna alone 95 synagogues or houses of prayer were destroyed...Kristallnacht was followed by further economic and political persecution of Jews, and is viewed by historians as part of Nazi Germany's broader racial policy, and the beginning of the Final Solution and the Holocaust."

Roll Call.jpg

Roll call for newly arrived prisoners, mostly Jews arrested during Kristallnacht (the "Night of Broken Glass"), at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Buchenwald, Germany, 1938.

In the years leading up to this, the Nazis had systematically stripped German Jews of their rights and their dignity. Beginning with Hitler's rise to power in 1933, laws were passed banning them from civil service jobs, restricting university enrollment, and removing them from the medical and legal professions. This mini-pogrom culminated with the 1935 Nuremberg Laws which stripped Jews of their citizenship and even the right to marry outside their "race" which was defined through genetic inheritance, not religion. So if you had a Jewish ancestor, but were Christian, you still qualified as a Jew.

We don't need to recount all the horrors that followed. But one rarely mentioned result of the official persecution that started in 1933 and continued up to the cattle cars and deportations, was suicide. Jews suffered such a cultural death that many - shamed, broke, often alone because their families had been "encouraged" to emigrate - took their own lives. By the time of the deportations, thousands had committed suicide. From Suicide in Nazi Germany by Christian Goeschel:

"The direct effects of the Nazi regime on Jewish suicides were clearer after the Anschluss of Austria in March 1938. Here, anti-Semitic violence outdid anything seen in Germany up to that point. All the different stages of Nazi anti-Jewish policy and action came together in a tremendous outburst of violence meted out to Austrian Jews in the process. Austrian Nazis humiliated Jews in public...Hundreds of Austrian Jews committed suicide amidst the open Nazi violence against Jews and suicide became an everyday phenomenon"

Later, it became an epidemic:

"Suicide was a common reaction to the deportations. According to a list of funerals at the Jewish cemetery in Weissensee, 811 suicides were buried there in 1942..."

Up until the deportations to the camps started the Nazis encouraged the suicides. This changed when they realized that they were being cheated out of their final solution.

It is hard to believe that such things could happen in a civilized country like Germany. Its rich cultural heritage and embrace of Christian morality make it all the more unbelievable. It is as if there was a collective insanity. How could evil on this scale pop out of nowhere?

There is probably no reason to think anything like the Holocaust will ever occur again, especially in a country like the United States, a country born of immigrants and refugees. But there are disturbing signs. Take the gay suicides for instance. While only a tiny fraction, so far, of what happened in Germany, they could be the canary in the coal mine.

At the root of the demonization of Jews in Germany, was a long history of ostracism. As far back as the Middle Ages they were blamed for the Black Death, accused of poisoning public wells, and massacred. Thousands fled to Poland. They were always the easy scapegoat. But over the centuries they somehow managed to obtain acceptance. By 1871 they were German citizens. And during the First World War, they were the largest non-German ethnic group fighting for the Kaiser. 12,000 died for their country in that war. From another Wiki:

"Many German Jews received high political positions such as foreign minister and vice chancellor in the Weimar Republic. The Weimar constitution was the work of a German Jew, Hugo Preuss, who later became minister of the interior. Marriages between Jews and non-Jews became somewhat common from the 19th century; for example, the wife of German Chancellor Gustav Stresemann was Jewish."

It all changed after the hyper-inflation of the Weimar Republic, and the descent into economic depression. Germans needed a scapegoat, again. And who else but the Jews. They blamed their economic misery on losing the war, and conjured up an excuse for that loss called the stab-in-the-back legend. It was the socialists and Jews who lost the war, not German incompetence. It was the Jews in the Weimar government and in finance and business that caused the wheel-barrows of money to buy a loaf of bread.

There are a few parallels here, certainly not on the scale of Germany however. Most states banned Jews from holding public office at one time. There were quotas in universities. Jews were regularly banned from private clubs and even golf courses. And most notably, they were excluded from immigration after passage of the 1924 National Origins Act. Right after Kristallnacht, a Gallup Poll found that only 21% of Americans thought we should allow Jewish refugees asylum. Everyone from Henry Ford to Father Coughlin and the KKK echoed the Nazis.

St. Louis.jpg

The Voyage of The St. Louis a ship of Jewish refugees from the Nazis turned away from America.

And just as in Germany prior to the economic collapse in the 1920's, Jews in the US have now achieved total equality.

There's a somewhat similar history of gays in this country. Thomas Jefferson - "All men are created equal..." - has been quoted as saying that homosexuality was akin to rape, and the punishment should be castration. At one time several states including New York, had execution as punishment on their books. Of course these laws originated with Christian religious belief, as did the centuries of Jewish persecution throughout Europe and prior to Hitler. Although the laws were not consistently enforced, until 6 years ago there were states that imprisoned gays for consensual and private relationships.

That has now also changed. No more sodomy laws. Gays about to openly enlist in the military. Gay school teachers. Gay doctors, attorneys, and elected officials. Maybe even state approval of gay marriage.

But...what would happen if real economic misery in the form of hyper-inflation hit this country? It's not inconceivable that certain underlying and suppressed cultural elements will surface, with a hatred and vengeance to be feared. There are already spokesmen for it. On the right, Michael Savage spews his venom daily, and has a best seller on the New York Times list. As a Jew himself, is it just some sick attempt at diversion? His counterpart, Louis Farrakhan, commands a million man march, and says "That land is gonna be cleansed with BLOOD!" after a gay pride parade in Israel. And on the left, there is an embrace of all things Muslim, with concomitant Jew hatred of course, but also a distancing from support for gays. For instance the black Attorney General who couldn't wait to champion the universal civil rights of Elian Gonzalez, now champions official government suppression of gay civil rights. And his Justice Department won't prosecute The New Blank Panther Party whose chairman was Khalid Abdul Mohammad, former minister of the Nation of Islam. Hum.

There are code words for Jews again: banksters. They're everywhere and perhaps the real cause of a possible impending collapse. They have names like Greenspan and Bernanke. They run huge financial institutions like Dimon at Chase or Blankfein at Sachs. The Jews du jour are the neo-conservatives, and are the cause of our support for Israel, and the reason we're now the enemies of the poor and maligned Arab Muslims.

Will it be open season again? We're looking, and when the time is ripe, we already know who to scapegoat. In the meantime, just as in the early days of anti-Semitism in 1920s Germany we've started with an easy group.

If culture is a wider reflection of society at large, then look at the open hostility to gays in the lyrics of Gangsta Rap. This is nothing new, with Eminem having greased the slide. But the slide has ended with the torture and rape of gays in New York, the suicides in Texas and California and New Jersey and Indiana and Oregon and...

I fear these are the canaries in the coal mine, the early markers for the next and deadly serious round of scapegoating. Pray that the Fed doesn't cause an economic catastrophe.

===

Some books:

Voyage of the St. Louis

The Buchenwald Report

Cross Posted at Power and Control

posted by Simon on 11.09.10 at 05:57 AM





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look at the open hostility to gays in the lyrics of Gangsta Rap

And look at the open hostility to gays among teenage Muslim thugs.

http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2009/08/the_simple_logi.html

In a remarkable coincidence, they don't seem to care for Jews either!

Eric Scheie   ·  November 9, 2010 11:23 AM

Jefferson's proposal to castrate homosexuals was intended to replace the death penalty (then the Virginia penalty for violating the traditional English "buggery law" which dated from Henry VIII). While it did not pass, it reflected Jefferson's view that the death penalty was not an appropriate punishment for sodomy. In the context of the times, I think this has to be seen as a liberal view.

In 1800, Virginia did abolish the death penalty for sodomy, replacing it with a sentence of 1-10 years. Had Jefferson been as devoted to the goal of castration as some claim, why didn't he speak up?

Eric Scheie   ·  November 9, 2010 12:40 PM

Eric, the reference for Jefferson came from a fundamentalist religious site, Apologetics Press, which I didn't want to link. So the info may be tainted a little there. Thanks for the clarification.

Frank   ·  November 9, 2010 12:54 PM

And Frank, thanks for your work on a very thought-provoking piece!

Eric Scheie   ·  November 9, 2010 01:19 PM

I heard Michael Savage recently for the first time on a long car trip. Disturbing is an understatement - he's deranged.

Donna B.   ·  November 9, 2010 01:28 PM

Frank,

I want to say publically that it was an honor and a pleasure to work with you on this project. If something else comes to mind don't hesitate to contact me.

Your Obedient Servant,

Simon

Yeah - that Jefferson stuff gets me into a colonial times mood. ;-)

M. Simon   ·  November 9, 2010 04:33 PM

Donna:
I've listened to Savage off and on for years. He's got a brilliant mind, but is really hung up on bashing gays. It goes well beyond homophobia. Why he chooses to work out of San Francisco is a mystery. The only time I ever heard him back off a little was a couple of years ago when a gay, Jewish doctor fell to his death down an elevator shaft. The incident was widely reported as an accident, but the gay doctor had been a vocal protester for Israeli causes in the bay area. Savage didn't have a bad word for the man, which was untypical.
In fact, hinting at a conspiracy, he invited conservative gays to call in.
No one called. But then even Limbaugh treats Savage like a pariah.

Frank   ·  November 9, 2010 05:23 PM

Eric and M.Simon:
Since we're being formal here, you're welcome! And thank YOU for the invite.


Frank   ·  November 9, 2010 05:29 PM

But remember: statism is good for us, and you just can't go wrong giving more and more power to the State!

Bilwick1   ·  November 9, 2010 07:34 PM

But remember: statism is good for us, and you just can't go wrong giving more and more power to the State!

Bilwick1   ·  November 9, 2010 07:34 PM

Uh oh, it's starting.

From The Daily Beast:
If you know this history, you’ll understand why Glenn Beck’s two-part “exposé” on George Soros, whom Beck calls “The Puppet Master,” was so shocking, even by Beck’s degraded standards. The program, which aired Tuesday and Wednesday, was a symphony of anti-Semitic dog-whistles. Nothing like it has ever been on American television before.

The Anti-Defamation League is protesting.
Read the whole article:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-11-10/glenn-becks-anti-semitic-attack-on-george-soros/

Note: I'm NOT an apologist for George Soros - hate the man for meddling in politics here - but this is way over the top.

Frank   ·  November 12, 2010 12:45 AM

Frank,

I have watched a lot of the Beck program on Soros. I didn't have that take at all.

The thing is Beck probably could have done a better job by pointing out that Soros was a collaborator with the Nazis. And judging by his 60 Minutes interview is unapologetic about it.

Here is a transcript:

http://sweetness-light.com/archive/george-soros-on-helping-the-nazis-during-the-holocaust

It is not just what he did at 14. It is that when he was older he had no regrets.

Besides it was not just Soros in on the action. It was Kerry/Heinz. The Tides Foundation. etc.

And Soros does some things I agree with - like working to end Drug Prohibition.

But over all I think he is one amoral dude. A point made at the above link.

You can watch the Glenn Beck show here:

http://www.watchglennbeck.com/

Nov 8, 9, 10, 2010 programs.

See for yourself. I wouldn't trust the Daily Beast take on anything.

M. Simon   ·  November 12, 2010 02:25 AM

When time permits, I'll take a look at the Beck shows. Thanks for the link.

Frank   ·  November 12, 2010 01:04 PM

I'm feeling somewhat ashamed of myself. I have used the term "bankster" and not thought it meant jews.

Can somebody post where exactly this term came from?

I assumed it was simply people who worked at banks or ran them. They can't all be jewish.

Can you do a post about this? I am not going to use the term again if it's a code word for jews. I am not that kind of person.

Bob   ·  November 12, 2010 10:29 PM

I looked it up on Google, here's the link to the Urban Dictionary definition:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bankster

There's nothing there about jews that I can see. Can somebody post something definitive about this please?

Bob   ·  November 12, 2010 10:33 PM

Bob,

I don't think it is code word for Jews - yet. Just as neocon was not originally code for Jewish defense hawks.

The associations take time to develop. Sometimes weeks - sometimes months.

Evidently if you enter bankster jews into Google you get links at the top going back to 2008. And there are 1 million of them. So maybe it is common currency at this point.

M. Simon   ·  November 13, 2010 01:27 AM

Bob: Banksters has been popping up on a number of gold bug sites concerned with hyper-inflation. If you follow links from comments, you will invariably end up at places where the word takes on a Jew connotation. It is also being used at left leaning sites that are pro-Palestinian. Definitely a connection there.
I rarely see Bankster Jew outright, but you know who they're talking about. It's shorthand.

Frank   ·  November 13, 2010 06:58 AM

Here is what Atlas has to say about Beck:

Beck is right. It is true. Don't kill the messenger. As a proud Jew and passionate zionist, I thank Glenn Beck.

M. Simon   ·  November 13, 2010 05:40 PM

Yes, I've read Atlas, even her earlier posts about Soros.

I'm not excusing the amorality of Soros. But Beck describes him as almost a fictional character drawn from the imagination of Henry Ford and The International Jew. All that's missing is the old trope that "he'd sell his mother to make a buck." Does he question why the man has been able to game the system, how we've allowed such a monstrosity to get into the catbird seat? No insight, only damning borderline Jew-baiting.
And it is definitely Jew-baiting. Beck says Soros is behind the devaluation of the dollar, "him and his minions like Bernanke, in Washington." Beck places him at the center of a cabal of bankers and politicians.

From what I know of Soros, he is in the same league as James Goldsmith, the infamous corporate raider. These types are bottom feeders who never invent or provide life saving services, but rather live off of destruction.

Sir James Goldsmith found flaws in corporate and accounting law that enabled him to take over huge timber companies here that carried all their timber holdings at depreciated values, some as low as $1.00, and then dismantled them selling off the pieces for billions in profit. It was a crime in every sense, but legal. Diamond Match Company and all the other parts were wrecked. The timber properties ended up being owned by Sierra Pacific, which has pretty much clear cut, and turned these very valuable lands into tree farms, destroying what were private forests that Diamond preserved through sustainable harvesting for over 100 years.

Likewise, Soros broke the Bank of England, and caused real suffering with his engineered monetary collapse in SE Asia in the late 90's, all the while making billions. But Beck never asks why we have a fiat international money system that makes people like him possible. Why should anyone be surprised that he would fund groups worldwide to continue the chaos. It's in his interest to have just such dysfunction.

Having listened to Beck, read Atlas, and reviewed Soros own interview, I'll stick with the Daily Beast article, and the ADL. This is not to in any way defend Soros, but to point out what "may" have been inadvertent on Glenn Becks part, but nevertheless appeared otherwise.

I can understand how you might feel about someone like George Soros. At 14 he collaborated with the Nazis, went on to have business dealings with Nazi sympathizing scum, and has not been a supporter of Israel.

But Beck should have done a show explaining how floating reserves, the IMF, pegged currencies, and all the rest are the big danger, not some incidental bottom feeding scum. He is just one man, but given Beck's description you'd think this one Jew is at the heart of all the worlds monetary and financial problems. Beck may be a well meaning clod, but his 2-part expose elevating Soros and his minions to mythic proportions, is dangerous.

After listening twice to Beck's Soros programs, I think this is worse that I first thought. Beck has pointed out the scapegoat, and he's a Jew. If there is one, may God help us.

Frank   ·  November 14, 2010 01:07 AM

Simon, I respect your opinion, but here we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Frank   ·  November 14, 2010 01:24 AM

Frank,

I've done some reading around on the Soros question at some TEA Party sites the last day or so and I'm coming to the conclusion that you are correct. I see a lot of Jew hatred coming from the demonization of Soros. So I told them to hate me MOFOs. That shuts that crap down temporarily.

So even if Beck is correct (which I think he is) his choice of metaphor was a very bad one.

M. Simon   ·  November 14, 2010 04:58 AM

Frank,

I'm calling out the various TEA Party sites on their hatred for Jews and dope smokers in the comments. I'm going straight to the admin level. We shall see if I get a response.

M. Simon   ·  November 14, 2010 06:27 AM

I'll be very interested to hear what you find at the Tea Party sites. I don't visit them.

Simon, the head of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, only 3 days after Bernanke announced the 2nd round of Quantitative Easing, called for a modified return of the Gold Standard. Reading though his remarks as published, I get the idea that he doesn't care if it's gold, a basket of currencies, special drawing rights, whatever, just that something must be done to counter Bernanke's reckless money printing with the world's reserve currency.

What's going on is not some wild Jew-inspired conspiracy, but simply desperation on the part of our central bank.
We are broke, dependent on foreign governments like China & Japan to continue buying our increasingly worthless debt, and have started to buy up our own treasuries with phantom money. Most of Europe is in the same position.

We're looking at a world-wide financial meltdown. Zoellick would not have suggested gold, unless out of desperation & fear.

George Soros didn't cause our government to run trillion dollar deficits. We did that.
And now we are almost at the dead end. I've seen something like this coming for a long time. How many years can a society attack its producers, before they either quit or move elsewhere? What were they counting on, some miracle that would produce wealth to tax without actually allowing people to produce the wealth? Like it just drops out of the air or something? Bernanke must think precisely that.

Beck's program was just a superficial cheap shot. Calling Soros Bernanke's puppet master - how overt do you want to get?

Frank   ·  November 14, 2010 10:37 AM

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