Comparing Hitler

Is Adolph off limits?

My city walks often take in the area around the White House and the Mall; sometimes I do it while holding a sign.

A favorite sign simply says, “Say howdy to Hitler”, a blend of humor, mischief and truth.

Most folks nod, smile, laugh and yes, say “howdy.”

Many want a photo, often with the sign, to post, multiplying the message.

The message is, of course, that Donald Trump is very much of the Hitler type.

A few people, and not Trump supporters, take exception to the comparison, saying, “No one can be compared to Hitler.”

It’s as if Adolph won the grand prize and is therefore untouchable.

But Adolph Hitler was many people on the way to becoming the one who would decree the Holocaust; he didn’t spring from the devil’s womb fully formed.

To ignore that fact is to only read the final chapter of a very lengthy horror story.

How did Hitler arrive at the point where he could command the genocide of millions and slaughter millions more in a war of naked aggression?

• He came to power by using fear as a tool.
• He used propaganda and lies to divide the country.
• He created an army of followers who used violence and intimidation to stifle truth.
• He overthrew the elected German legislature.
• He demanded absolute loyalty, including from his generals.

It’s the dictator’s playbook.

Hitler could have been stopped anywhere along the way but the cards were in his favor.

The “trump” card was a weak and fatally flawed German constitution allowing him to disregard the country’s parliament.

Trump used, and is using, Hitler’s faded agenda but here he has been stopped by

• a strong Constitution,
• an effective legislative branch,
• and the rule of law implemented through our judicial branch.

Trump was further subverted when U.S. military leaders refused to play along.

They say the wheels of justice move slowly and it is only now, years later, that our court system is finally considering the cases connected with his bid for total power.

But there is one aspect where the comparison does not fit; Hitler, WWI veteran, was not a coward and Trump surely is.

Donald Trump used draft deferments to avoid serving our country, becoming a soft-handed coward hiding behind sore feet, a fact his followers ignore.

Donald Trump is our American Hitler, leader of his cult and destroyer of democracy.