History records that Joseph Goebbels, German Propaganda Minister, made the following statement in Berlin on May 10, 1933: “German men and women! The age of arrogant Jewish intellectualism is now at an end!… You are doing the right thing at this midnight hour-to consign to the flames the unclean spirit of the past. This is a great, powerful, and symbolic act…Out of these ashes the phoenix of a new age will arise. Oh Century! Oh Science! It is a joy to be alive!”
Thus thousands of books were ignited and burned at 34 university towns in Germany sponsored mainly by the German Student Association in action against the un-German spirit. Hitler, working through students and youth groups knew that mind control or brainwashing was a critical element in closing minds to influences outside the philosophy of National Socialism, called Nazism. The building blocks of totalitarianism include publishing control along with censored airwaves, regulation of culture, trade and social habits and elevation of secular government to replace other forms of religious dogma and political symbolism and beliefs.
Have you read or heard about any book burning in the mainline press lately? Here is an update: Islamic State (ISIS) militants broke into the Central Library of Mosul several weeks ago and left with thousands of volumes that appealed to children and other readers that featured sports, health and other seemingly innocuous subjects. When the U.S. invaded in 2003, people living near the Central Library purloined some of the books and hid them in their homes. The ISIS thugs made it clear that anyone concealing forbidden books would face death.
Book burning should not be taken lightly as it reflects the evolving oppression that unfolds in seemingly small ways ending up with tyranny in the form of a caliphate ruled by Sharia law. At this time, ISIS has brought about a third of Iraq and Syria under their ruthless control. Should we in the United States be concerned with these cultural, religious and political shifts half way ‘round the world? The answer is a resounding ‘YES!’
The assault on free speech in Paris on January 7th of this year should be an early warning. The attack brought death and destruction at great economic and human cost. France, Belgium, The UK and other European countries have been dealing with the crunch of immigration from the Middle East and North Africa for many years. The situation boils down to a highly-charged dilemma: Can people move to a new country and bring their culture, religion and laws with them or must they adapt to the rules of their adopted environment? Apparently immigrants were met with tepid guidelines that seemed to be frayed and uncertain. Immigrants, bearing the mores of the country they had abandoned set out to do what came naturally.
That is surprising as the country they left was often oppressive and coercive. The French had not learned from the 200 or more deaths in Denmark and other locations in 2005 from the objectionable cartoons. The assassination of Van Gogh in The Netherlands in 2004 was apparently forgotten. Can Muslims accept the same criticisms as Christians and Jews? Or must local society adjust to the demands of Islam? Those terms must be worked out at all levels of government and social interactions.
The melding of cultures has generally been challenging for immigrants and their adopted countries. As European nations have opened their doors to minorities and refugees, the rules of ‘engagement’ have been blurred and indistinct. Government, neighbors and civic groups have been perplexed when faced with currency, language and cultural disparities. Justice systems regarding local, state and regional statutes are frequently misunderstood accidentally and sometimes deliberately.
Migration between nations has become more prevalent over the past couple decades partly because of declining birth rates in growing developed nations while increasing in underdeveloped countries. Ultimately, assimilation of immigrants must not take place at the point of a sword or the barrel of a gun or a deadly explosion but by the adaptation by immigrants to host countries – NOT the other way around.
– Dick Baynton
