Opinion| Mark Sidney| Growing up we only got a few channels on our TV, and one of them was Channel 13, PBS.
Back when I was growing up, as I remember it at least, PBS was constantly running documentaries about the Holocaust and the image of bulldozers pushing bodies into ditches has become forever etched in my mind.
I used to wonder, as I think most people did, ‘how could a society let this happen’, not only how did they let it happen, how could they participate in such horrors?
Unfortunately, the more I pay attention to the news these days, the more I understand EXACTLY how these things happen.
What’s worse is that it sure feels like we are on our way to seeing it happen here.
According to Wikipedia, there are 8 stages that most genocides go through, although they list 10 in their chart:
1: Classification: People are divided into ‘us vs them’
2: Symbolization: “When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members of pariah groups…”
3: Discrimination: “Law or cultural power excludes groups from full civil rights: segregation or apartheid laws, denial of voting rights”.
4: Dehumanization: “One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated with animals, vermin, insects, or diseases.”
5: Organization: “Genocide is always organized… Special army units or militias are often trained and armed…”
6: Polarization: “Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda…”
7: Preparation: “Mass killing is planned. Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity…”
8: Persecution: “Expropriation, forced displacement, ghettos, concentration camps”.
9: Extermination: “It is ‘extermination’ to the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human”.
10: Denial : “The perpetrators… deny that they committed any crimes…”
Now, I imagine if I showed this chart to, let’s say, the ‘warlord’ of CHOP, he would say this is the path that the Trump supporters are on in the persecution of Americans and immigrants with darker skin.
However, I see this happening to average, ordinary, everyday citizens and not based on the color of their skin, but rather their political views.
Here is just one anecdotal example:
We have all seen the videos of radical left wing protesters hurling insults and racial slurs at black people who support a conservative ideology. Just look at what people say to Candice Owens on Twitter.
Those of us who want our government to follow a strict interpretation of the US Constitution, have been labeled as Nazi’s, white supremacists, (ironic when they call this Jewish kid & his father a Nazi and a white supremacist) and if black, Uncle Toms and other disgusting names.
The left attaches swastikas and other vile symbols to people on the right. This is all done in an effort to dehumanize those of us who refuse their radical leftist ideological takeover.
ANTIFA, which has a militant leftist wing, who ironically call themselves ‘Anti Fascists,’ yet spend a lot of time physically assaulting people who have opposing political views, seem to have become more and more organized over the last few years.
Project Veritas has put out some very troubling video from inside radical left wing groups, often featuring Bernie supporters:
https://twitter.com/JamesOKeefeIII/status/1217129298001350658
Instead of making this op ed 40 pages, I just want to highlight part of an article that appeared in the Western Journal about an ad that was recently posted on Craigslist which seems to be soliciting people for, what can only be described as a biological weapons attack at Trump’s up coming rally in Ohio:
‘Strange (and sometimes fake) Craigslist ads regarding President Donald Trump’s rallies are nothing particularly new.
When they encourage people with (Disease That Must Not Be Named) to show up at a rally and spread the disease, however, that’s when things have turned very toxic.
A post since flagged for removal on the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Craigslist site — but viewable via archive.is — purportedly looked to recruit people infected with the novel (Disease That Must Not Be Named) to attend Trump’s planned rally Saturday at Tulsa’s Bank of Oklahoma Center. It’s the first Trump campaign rally since the (Disease That Must Not Be Named) pandemic shutdown mass gatherings across the country.
“If you have been diagnosed as having the (Disease That Must Not Be Named) virus and really want to make a difference, we are hiring 20 of you to work in a large scale test on transmission of the virus,” the ad stated.
“Please assemble outside the BOK convention center on Saturday night wearing all black or if arriving in a group of 4, please dress in the following manner:
One dressed in all white
One dressed in all black
One dressed in coveralls
One barefoot or wearing flip flops.
This will make it easy to identify you.
“Singers, or people with a bad cough preferred.”’
https://twitter.com/Yoder_Esqq/status/1272919717007765505
Trump’s rally has been controversial in the mainstream media due to the possibility of (Disease That Must Not Be Named) transmission, something that’s interesting coming from a media that has collectively covered one of the largest clusters of mass protests since the 1960s with barely a mention of contagion.
There’s a difference, however, between worries about (Disease That Must Not Be Named) transmission and an actor actively seeking (Disease That Must Not Be Named) transmission. Which raises the question: Who posted the ad?’
Before everyone goes crazy, we should make it clear that this could easily be a hoax, or even someone on the right, trying to make the left look badly, we just do not know. There are a lot of sick people out there, and they have all different kinds of motives and political views.
Hopefully the FBI or local police will investigate and find out who made the post and learn that it was not something that the person who posted it was not serious about making happen.
Regardless of the intent of the person who posted this ad, they need to be held accountable, soliciting conspirators for a biological attack at a political rally should be a serious crime. Regrettably, I predict we never hear about this story again if the post turns out to be sincere, because I believe too many people in the media want to see something like this happen.
Either we come together as Americans or we will end up down a dark path, from which there is no return …
