The praise heaped on President Obama for his speech to the Muslim
world by writers on the left, both here and abroad, is disturbing. I’m
referring to people who I think should know better, who’ve taken
Politics 101 and can easily see the many hypocrisies in Obama’s talk,
as well as the distortions, omissions, and contradictions, the true but
irrelevant observations, the lies, the optimistic words without any
matching action, the insensitivities to victims. Yet, these
commentators are impressed, in many cases very impressed. In the world
at large, this frame of mind borders on a cult.
In such cases one must look beyond the intellect and examine the
emotional appeal. We all know the world is in big trouble — Three Great
Problems: universal, incessant violence; financial crisis provoking
economic suffering; environmental degradation. In all three areas the
United States bears more culpability than any other single country. Who
better to satisfy humankind’s craving for relief than a new American
president who, it appears, understands the problems; admits, to one
degree or another, his country’s responsibility for them; and
“eloquently” expresses his desire and determination to change US
policies and embolden the rest of the world to follow his inspiring
example. Is it any wonder that it’s 1964, the Beatles have just arrived
in New York, and everyone is a teenage girl?
I could go through the talk Obama gave
in Cairo and point out line by line the hypocrisies, the mere
platitudes, the plain nonsense, and the rest. (”I have unequivocally
prohibited the use of torture by the United States.” — No mention of it
being outsourced, probably to the very country he was speaking in,
amongst others. … “No single nation should pick and choose which nation
holds nuclear weapons.” — But this is precisely what the United States
is trying to do concerning Iran and North Korea.) But since others have
been pointing out these lies very well I’d like to try something else
in dealing with the problem — the problem of well-educated people, as
well as the not so well-educated, being so moved by a career politician
saying “all the right things” to give food for hope to billions
starving for it, and swallowing it all as if they had been born
yesterday. I’d like to take them back to another charismatic figure,
Adolf Hitler, speaking to the German people two years and four months
after becoming Chancellor, addressing a Germany still reeling with
humiliation from its being The Defeated Nation in the World War, with
huge losses of its young men, still being punished by the world for its
militarism, suffering mass unemployment and other effects of the great
depression. Here are excerpts from the speech of May 21, 1935. Imagine
how it fed the hungry German people.
———————
I conceive it my duty to be perfectly frank and open in addressing
the nation. I frequently hear from Anglo-Saxon tribes expressions of
regret that Germany has departed from those principles of democracy,
which in those countries are held particularly sacred. This opinion is
entirely erroneous. Germany, too, has a democratic Constitution.
Our love of peace perhaps is greater than in the case of others, for
we have suffered most from war. None of us wants to threaten anybody,
but we all are determined to obtain the security and equality of our
people.
The World War should be a cry of warning here. Not for a second time can Europe survive such a catastrophe.
Germany has solemnly guaranteed France her present frontiers,
resigning herself to the permanent loss of Alsace-Lorraine. She has
made a treaty with Poland and we hope it will be renewed and renewed
again at every expiry of the set period.
The German Reich, especially the present German Government, has no
other wish except to live on terms of peace and friendship with all the
neighboring States.
Germany has nothing to gain from a European war. What we want is
liberty and independence. Because of these intentions of ours we are
ready to negotiate non-aggression pacts with our neighbor States.
Germany has neither the wish nor the intention to mix in internal Austrian affairs, or to annex or to unite with Austria.
The German Government is ready in principle to conclude
non-aggression pacts with its individual neighbor States and to
supplement those provisions which aim at isolating belligerents and
localizing war areas.
In limiting German air armament to parity with individual other
great nations of the west, it makes possible that at any time the upper
figure may be limited, which limit Germany will then take as a binding
obligation to keep within.
Germany is ready to participate actively in any efforts for drastic
limitation of unrestricted arming. She sees the only possible way in a
return to the principles of the old Geneva Red Cross convention. She
believes, to begin with, only in the possibility of the gradual
abolition and outlawing of fighting methods which are contrary to this
convention, such as dum-dum bullets and other missiles which are a
deadly menace to civilian women and children.
To abolish fighting places, but to leave the question of bombardment
open, seems to us wrong and ineffective. But we believe it is possible
to ban certain arms as contrary to international law and to outlaw
those who use them. But this, too, can only be done gradually.
Therefore, gas and incendiary and explosive bombs outside of the battle
area can be banned and the ban extended later to all bombing. As long
as bombing is free, a limitation of bombing planes is a doubtful
proposition. But as soon as bombing is branded as barbarism, the
building of bombing planes will automatically cease.
Just as the Red Cross stopped the killing of wounded and prisoners,
it should be possible to stop the bombing of civilians. In the adoption
of such principles, Germany sees a better means of pacification and
security for peoples than in all the assistance pacts and military
conventions.
The German Government is ready to agree to every limitation leading
to abandonment of the heaviest weapons which are especially suitable
for aggression. These comprise, first, the heaviest artillery and
heaviest tanks.
Germany declares herself ready to agree to the delimitation of
caliber of artillery and guns on dreadnoughts, cruisers and torpedo
boats. Similarly, the German Government is ready to adopt any
limitation on naval tonnage, and finally to agree to the limitation of
tonnage of submarines or even to their abolition, provided other
countries do likewise.
The German Government is of the opinion that all attempts
effectively to lessen tension between individual States through
international agreements or agreements between several States are
doomed to failure unless suitable measures are taken to prevent
poisoning of public opinion on the part of irresponsible individuals in
speech, writing, in the film and the theatre. The German Government is
ready any time to agree to an international agreement which will
effectively prevent and make impossible all attempts to interfere from
the outside in affairs of other States. The term ‘interference’ should
be internationally defined.
If people wish for peace it must be possible for governments to
maintain it. We believe the restoration of the German defense force
will contribute to this peace because of the simple fact that its
existence removes a dangerous vacuum in Europe. We believe if the
peoples of the world could agree to destroy all their gas and
inflammable and explosive bombs this would be cheaper than using them
to destroy one another. In saying this I am not speaking any longer as
the representative of a defenseless State which could reap only
advantages and no obligations from such action from others.
I cannot better conclude my speech to you, my fellow-figures and
trustees of the nation, than by repeating our confession of faith in
peace: Whoever lights the torch of war in Europe can wish for nothing
but chaos. We, however, live in the firm conviction our times will see
not the decline but the renaissance of the West. It is our proud hope
and our unshakable belief Germany can make an imperishable contribution
to this great work.[1]
– End of speech excerpts –
How many people in the world, including numerous highly educated
Germans, reading or hearing that speech in 1935, doubted that Adolf
Hitler was a sincere man of peace and an inspiring, visionary leader?
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