Anti-Defamation League Says Use Of Nazi Imagery In Health Care Debate 'Outrageous And Inappropriate'

[kpete]

Source: Anti-Defamation League

ADL Says Use Of Nazi Imagery In Health Care Debate 'Outrageous And Inappropriate'

New York, NY, August 7, 2009 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called attempts by some opponents of health care reform to bring Nazi imagery into the debate, "outrageous, deeply offensive and inappropriate" and condemned remarks by talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who compared President Obama's health care logo to a swastika, and policies championed by the Democratic Party to those of the Nazis.

"Regardless of the political differences and the substantive differences in the debate over health care, the use of Nazi symbolism is outrageous, offensive and inappropriate," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and a Holocaust survivor. "Americans should be able to disagree on the issues without coloring it with Nazi imagery and comparisons to Hitler. This is not where the debate should be at all."

In recent days, street protests against President Obama's health care plan have gotten ugly, with some protestors appearing in photographs wearing swastika and SS symbols.

That prompted Rush Limbaugh to remark on his radio program that, "They accuse us of being Nazis, and Obama's got a healthcare logo that's right out of Adolf Hitler's playbook." He went on to compare certain Democratic Party policies to those of the Nazis

Read more: http://www.adl.org/PresRele/HolNa_52/5579_52.htm

[fascisthunter]

1. I Think It's Time America Talks about Nazis and Fascists

The right wing in its efforts to project their own likeness on the Democratic Party, is actually too ironic for most people to miss. They expose themselves more and more... keep up the great work, righties.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

33. I am uncertain how seriously to take their extremism,...

,...

I mean,...are they sincere or are they staging? It wouldn't surprise me one iota that staging is happening. On the other hand, there are many who appear to actually BELIEVE the shit they're spewing.

So, I am concerned.

I do believe we are going to have to ADD BALANCE to these off-the-scale radicals.

[fascisthunter]

36. Some are Seriously deluded and misinformed

look at what terrorist cells are able to do to their bomb carriers. They literally convinced the most down trodden folks to do their bidding.

Then their are plants who believe the ends justify the means. And finally we have those who are completely in the know are for the most part orchestrating this.

[kestrel91316]

2. The RW is projecting. While behaving like perfect little brownshirts,

aka Sturmabteilung (SA), they point at others and shout "Nazi!"

[SeriousEbony]

17. Calling someone a brownshirt while dinging them for using Nazi...

is a paradox. It makes no sense.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

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[SeriousEbony]

22. It's not a matter of party when throwing around Nazi and Brownshirts

A true liberal and Democratic thinker would understand that.

And knock off calling fellow members out and making stupid freeper accusations please.

[shanti]

42. enjoy your pizza.

n/t

[shanti]

41. exactly

when we called *ush a nazi fascist, we were serious! everything they do is reactionary.

[bemildred]

3. It is good to know the ADL draws the line somewhere.

Credit where credit is due.

[harmonicon]

4. no kidding

[Violet_Crumble]

31. It's a start. Maybe one day they'll be opposed to Nazi imagery being used by the Israeli govt....

..and not only when it's used in regard to health reform in the US. But yeah, credit where credit's due that they do draw a line somewhere

[bemildred]

37. Or they could stop using it themselves. nt

[Violet_Crumble]

52. They've used it themselves? I didn't know that...

It really is a shame, though, that they're not consistent and criticise the Israeli government (just came back to reread my first post and make sure I'd written government and not settlers or something else) for its use of Nazi imagery. If they were consistant and stuck to speaking out against bigotry rather than getting all politicised when it comes to the I/P conflict, and if they ditched the genocide-denying Foxman, then they'd be an organisation I'd wholeheartedly support.....

[bemildred]

53. ADL is like "Holocaust" all day long, which is "Nazi imagery" in my book.

Foxman is very handy at implying that people he doesn't like are Nazis. He just doesn't think it should be used for other political purposes than his own. Read some of the things said about McKinney or whatshisname the British red, who like them or not are far from being Nazis. I think that if one claims that the Nazis were uniquely evil, an arguable point, then one ought not be saying that much of anyone else is like them. But the truth is that most people who say these things are just slinging mud and paying very little attention to the meaning of their own language.

[marshall]

34. And they are nothing if not consistent, regardless of political party

They also denounced anti-war arguments that compared Bush to Hitler or Nazis.

It is nice to see consistency.

[santamargarita]

5. Classic Projection Bias:

denial of a person's own attributes.

[nolabear]

6. It's a Muslim! It's a Nazi! No, it's a Dem in the WH!! Aieeee! nt.

[LynnTheDem]

7. FACT: Republicans -especially the Bush family- SUPPORTED HITLER.

The projectionism is quite gob-smacking.

[AsahinaKimi]

8. Some how I don't think Right wingers will

Pay much attention to the ADL. People like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh will simply will shrug it off and keep going with the hate speech. Its what they do.

[cadmium]

9. I think the right is again overplaying their hand n/t

[harun]

11. Yah, a bunch of lost clowns.

[DissedByBush]

10. I think it's time the ADL realizes it doesn't own the Nazis

The Nazis caused the death of about 13 million Russian civilians not counting Jews. Do we hear the Russians complaining every time someone uses Nazi imagery to make a point?

[Behind the Aegis]

12. It's not about the ADL "owning" the Nazis.

Perhaps you should learn that fact.

[DissedByBush]

13. No, they're out complaining

pretty much every time someone pulls a Godwin.

Yes, we know it happened. Yes, we know it was horrible. Yes, we know we can never allow it to happen again.

No, they weren't the only group targeted in the Holocaust. The Romani were almost wiped out.

No, they can't own this facet of public discourse even if it is overused.

[Behind the Aegis]

14. Of course, they are complaining. It is one of the functions of that group.

"Yes, we know it happened. Yes, we know it was horrible. Yes, we know we can never allow it to happen again." This is almost sounding like the callous "get over it" I so often hear from racists when AA "complain" about slavery and its effects on current society.

"No, they weren't the only group targeted in the Holocaust. The Romani were almost wiped out." And yet they didn't say that, now did they? Nope! They sure didn't. As for the Rom, they shared a fate almost similar to the Jews.

"No, they can't own this facet of public discourse even if it is overused." And another strawman...logic escapes you. Perhaps the real issue is you don't like Jewish groups complaining about the misuse and OVERuse of a tactic which is crass, hyperbolic, disgusting, and minimalist.

[DissedByBush]

15. I don't like people telling others what they can and cannot say

BTW, the Romani were Mengele's favorite to work with.

[Behind the Aegis]

16. And, yet, it is EXACTLY what you are doing to the ADL.

Actually, Mengele's favorites to work with were twins.

[DissedByBush]

28. Romani twins are the jackpot I guess

I'm not telling them what they can say. I'm telling them that their screaming about mention of Nazis is damaging any legitimate case they may have when it is really being misused.

[Behind the Aegis]

30. You are telling them what they CAN'T say.

"I'm telling them that their screaming about mention of Nazis is damaging any legitimate case they may have when it is really being misused."

That's as big a load of crap as your very first strawman in your very first post to this OP.

[DissedByBush]

32. It's one thing to express a personal opinion

It's another to be a large organization making press releases condemning public figures.

[Behind the Aegis]

35. Free speech is free speech.

In doing so, it is also acceptable to 'condemn' something as inappropriate.

Basically, you are defending the crass use of Nazi imagery and bemoan a Jewish group finding offense with its use. So, free speech for hate-mongering dipshits, but Jewish groups, STFU. I think that about sums up your position in this subthread.

[DissedByBush]

39. I see you're pretty defensive about this

Those who are neck-deep in the ideology do tend to lose perspective.

[Behind the Aegis]

44. No more straw? Tired of back-peddling? Must be, which explains the platitudes.

I guess I was correct and therefore, struck a nerve, resulting in the pop psychology exam and lazy ad hominem.

Free speech for all*!




*(except Jewish groups)

[DissedByBush]

45. Yes, free speech for all

Now I'll violate it:

I am getting tired of these Nazis who want to tell people what they can say.

[Behind the Aegis]

47. Yes, as tried as I am of the Nazis who use it for protection of their own hatred.

The Nazis are alive and well and not just on the right anymore.

Edit to add: "I am getting tired of these Nazis who want to tell people what they can say." Just like those Nazi Dems (Dems call on GOP to denounce Limbaugh ‘Nazi’ remarks

[DissedByBush]

48. Nazis were in a strange place on the political spectrum

A mixture of leftist policies with a good dose of right-wing nationalism and authoritarianism.

[Behind the Aegis]

49. And apparently, both sides look upon them with admiration.

Perhaps for different reasons, but an admiration all the same.

[DissedByBush]

51. I'm about to do something heretical

Political careers have been ruined by a disinterested study of the Nazis and effective lessons modern governments can learn from them. It happened to a Japanese guy some years back. His problem was saying he took the strategies from the Nazis, not in actually doing it.

For example we take President Obama and compare him to the Nazis. His effectively gathering the workers behind him against the vested powerful interests is straight out of Hitler's playbook and how Hitler came to power. He even roused the passion of the downtrodden using his masterful ability to give speeches, just as Hitler did.

Yet we rightfully praise him for it.

Just because the Nazis did something doesn't make that something intrinsically bad. The Nazis mastered the manipulation of various political and social truths but used that mastery for evil. This manipulation is exactly the job of any political strategist in a presidential campaign today.

I'd say most politicians on the left and right use Nazi strategies whether they realize it or not.

[SeriousEbony]

18. What about Stalin?

How many did he murder?

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tuckessee]

26. Probably in excess of 30 million.

But we don't like to talk about that because Stailn was a socialist and he murdered many of his millions with American money and lend-lease equipment.

[DissedByBush]

27. That's tough

Between the great purge, starving people for industrialization, the Gulag and the WWII mass murders like Katyn the numbers vary widely, but way above 10 million total at the very least.

[bemildred]

38. Don't forget Mao. nt

[JonQ]

54. For some reason he gets a pass

even though he did receive substantial support from american leftists and intellectuals prior to WWII.

Conservatives in the 30s that sold equipment to the Nazis prior to the holocaust = conservatives today are Nazis.

Liberals in the 30s raised funds for Uncle Joe while the purges are going on = that has nothing to do with anything today, why would you even bring that up, go? Go away troll.

[jasi2006]

23. Take a look at the FL mobs. Many are ADL members.

How does this square? I even know some of them.

[cali]

24. yeah, yeah. it's the evil Jews. fuck your bigotry, trollykins.

Jews voted overwhelmingly for Obama. And prove your assertion that "many of the townhallers are "ADL members". Show the evidence, troll.

[Doctor_J]

25. ADL is outraged! I bet that will stop the Limbeciles!

[alfredo]

29. This is the symbol used by Obama: A Caduceus

[Stuart G]

40. I agree completely..nt

[mule_train]

43. Infringing on ADL's copyright? nt

[Joe Chi Minh]

46. Surely, those "hate radio" jocks are terrorists, fomenting violent sedition.

[iverglas]

50. somebody send Rush this one

Soviet Canuckistan *and* Nazi Canadeutschland

[AlphaCentauri]

55. I don't see any difference between Limbaugh and Hitler

They have used the same tactics to move people, hate, hate and hate