[Marxism] Bill Blum - Team Obama/Cult Obama

[Dennis Brasky <dmozart1756@xxxxxxxxx>]

   *Team Obama/Cult Obama*
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?

NOTES
[1] The entire speech can be found at:
http://members.tripod.com/~Comicism/350521.html



"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."- Voltaire
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