Letter published in the Boston Globe, September 11, 2006
White House on a fascist trajectory
YOUR DISMISSAL of comparing President Bush and Hitler as “hyperbole” (“Loose lips sink history,” editorial, Aug. 31) is a gravely wrong and dangerous reading of history, Bush’s program, and our responsibilities today.
Nazism’s horrors didn’t emerge the moment Hitler took power in 1933, but over 12 years, driven by the logic of empire and war.
No analogy is exact, but the Bush administration has already invaded
two countries, guided by an official doctrine of global dominance and
illegal preemptive war. It now threatens Iran, possibly with nuclear
weapons.
It has committed war crimes through torture, rendition, and illegal
detention — which Bush still insists must continue. It has grabbed
unprecedented power, spied on millions, and eviscerated rights. If this
isn’t a fascist trajectory, what is?
The Germans accommodated abuse after abuse, and didn’t massively
resist while they could. Such denial and politics as usual is far too
prevalent today and a big reason Bush’s crimes haven’t been met with a
tidal wave of public repudiation.
We were cosigners of the ad you cited, and as members of worldcantwait.org, we are working to reverse this terrible direction and planning a nationwide day of resistance.
RAY McGOVERN
Arlington, Va.
LARRY EVEREST
Berkeley, Calif.