President Hitler's Descent into Madness

Now I know what Nazi Germany was like when Hitler came to power. The rise of Aryan white power drove unspeakable abuses to targeted groups, anyone who voiced dissent, and propped up propaganda to rationalize the holocaust. Like Nazi Germany, it is easy to retreat into hopeless helplessness given the current administration's abuse of power. How quickly this America has forgotten those lessons.  

I have a personal connection to the atrocities committed in Poland. My father's sister was captured by the Nazis, branded with an indelible number, placed into a forced labor farm, and repeatedly gang raped by Nazi soldiers. She only survived because the local doctor had the courage to confront the Nazi soldiers, threatening to report them. Her heartbreaking story, told to me during a visit to the United States, galvanized my lifelong activism against men who sexually assault females and to take a stand when the tyranny of our government descends into lawlessness.

In addition to high crimes in office, our President has already been accused of multiple sexual assaults but has evaded prosecution thus far. Like Kobe Bryant's accuser, these women face death threats and immense pressure to fold. I salute them for their incredible courage.

The President's retribution reign of terror has no bounds. His Republican comrades shrug their collective shoulders, allowing him to unhinge democracy because it benefits them. Even in the Nixon era, his fellow Republicans were aghast by the President's behavior. Oh to return to an era where nonpartisan politicians exhibited moral courage. Thank God for Mitt Romney who has openly defied his party's coercion by voting for impeachment. He gives up hope.

 As long as the Constitution has freedom of speech, I will continue to voice my dissension to our President's abusive policies and behavior. In my lifetime, I have never seen such a threat to the ideals of our democracy. It is time for all of us to stand up along with those that defy him. The lesson I learned from my aunt in Poland is that even one person confronting evil can make a difference.