Remember the lyrics of that old song: "Somethings happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear... I get that feeling lately while debating in usenet.

Over the years we argue on usenet; conservatives and liberals, socialists
and capitalists, Christians and athiests, and through it all the collective
nightmare of Hitler's fascism is somehow remembered even though many of us
cannot actually remember the killings, the concentration camps and the
torture.

We assume that there are lines that none would cross because of that
nightmare. Essentially we are all working toward the same things; a better
life, progress, a greater measure of equality, freedom and democracy. We may
have very different ways of achieving a better society and a better future
and this is the basis of our arguing.

But there are lines that none of us would cross, I had assumed. We would not
accept any mass slaughter of innocent people by one state against any
people. We would not accept a single country actually advocating and
believing that it is up to them to rule the world. We would not accept
torture and concentration camps - never again. The nightmare of Hitler at
least serves that purpose. We know what evil is. We know what lines *not* to
cross.

But here we are in 2005 and it is quite common to argue with people that
argue in favour of global imperialism and these despicable quislings believe
that the will of those with the most power is worth bowing and scraping to.
The sovereignty of other nations is just pretentious nonsense. They even
apologize for concentration camps and torture carried out by the madmen
intent on conquering the world.

It wasn't so long ago that I wondered how Hitler actually managed to get
people to follow his insane designs on the world and his sadistic
state/corporate imperialism. I don't wonder any more. Unfortunately, I
sometimes argue with the same kind of people that followed Hitler. They
accept that America has the legitimate right to tell other countries what to
do and the right to invade other countries to prevent THAT enemy from future
aggression. They accept a state that arrests people BEFORE they commit the
crime. They accept their master’s torture of foreigners or any perceived
enemies. They accept their masters right to lock people up in concentration
camps without trial and their right to actually torture them. I've argued
with people here who minimize the torture as if it's not really torture
proper. These people cannot be trusted. They are as real an enemy as Hitler
and his hordes of murderers.

Many right wingers that used to support American meddling have shut up about
it, and I have noticed it and I'm pleased by that. But then there are the
Hitlerite apologists. You are clearly an enemy as the Nazis were in the last
century and I expect that eventually this fight will progress beyond
arguing. If that is your intent, so be it. You cowards will be defeated
again.

A few short years ago I saw these arguments on usenet as a game, a way of
sharpening my debating skills. But now I realize that this is not a
rehearsal. We are into the real thing and I am arguing with real fascists.

I am profoundly disappointed.

( Psychologists have done experiments, most notably Milgram, and found that
about one third of the population are quislings that bow to authority and
are willing to do so on the pain of others. One third - remember that.)