by Les Weaver
Clash Daily Guest Contributor
“I didn’t do it!” and “I’m not responsible”
These are oft repeated phrases by this administration from the President, down. These two phrases stimulated some thought about the history of political side-stepping and denial.
My first thoughts orbited around Nazi Germany because my wife was born into 1936 Nazi Germany. History shows that, in fact, Hitler never committed a “crime” under German law. He destroyed all of his personal records except his autobiography, My Struggle, (Mein Kampf). He individually selected members of the legislature, (Bundestag) who authored or revised all laws to protect their leader. Hitler also loaded the courts with deeply loyal judges.
That provided the shield that even history researchers of today have trouble directly linking Hitler to having actually committed a crime under German laws of the time. Like Charles Manson decades later, Hitler sat back while his henchmen carried out his wishes; those wishes not directly put to paper. Hitler and Manson have one theme in common; “I didn’t do it”. Technically and literally, both may arguably be correct.
At the Nuremburg trials after WWII, many of Hitler’s henchmen used the argument; “I’m not responsible”. That is a phrase that today’s politicians too often fall back on. Where that phrase falls short is that in politics, “Not responsible” and “Irresponsible” are synonymous.
My thoughts floated through recent history, since Hitler’s time. I won’t list the many leaders of countries that had the use of the same two phrases. That list is long and I dozed off.
I had a nightmare wherein my thoughts were treading within Crapitol Hill in our District of Corruption. I dreamt that our President became an Empire Leader, (Riech Fuhrer) and that he appeared to violate our primary law, the Constitution. Like many leaders before him, I imagined that he would strong arm the legislators to change the law so that what had been illegal suddenly became legal and with courts he had loaded, could not be found guilty of a crime. Found not to have committed a crime, the transition to a Hitler–like government accelerated.
That startled me awake. I wiped my sweaty brow and thanked God that it was just a nightmare and no such thing could ever happen in the United States.
But then I recalled an old saying; History repeats itself!
Image: http://www.practicalpedal.com/photographcfo/Nazi-Germany-Leaders-History.html
