How We Lose Our Freedom to Authoritarian Rulers - Michael Badnarik

Did Hitler get elected on Monday and start throwing people in the ovens on Friday?

No, it was a gradual process. The first thing that Hitler did was start to write newspaper articles. Everything that was going wrong was the Jews fault. They're the ones that caused all these problems.

Did the Jews write their own newspaper articles 'No, I disagree' - well not that I can think of, I've never read any newspaper articles that contradicted any of that.

So then the Jews had to wear the Star of David so we can tell who you are. Did they say 'no, that's a violation of my privacy, I don't have to tell you whether I'm Jewish or not'.

No, the Jews decide well it's a religious symbol we love God we should be proud to wear the Star of David.

Eventually the Germans came in and they broke all of the windows in all of the Jewish businesses in one weekend. That Saturday night was known as Kristallnacht, which is German for night of glass. You couldn't walk up and down the sidewalks because they were filled with glass.

Did the Jews rise up and say 'now dammit you're violating my property you shouldn't do that'. No, don't want to make the Germans any madder than they already are, we want to just kind of go along to get along, don't piss them off they've got guns.

Eventually the Germans are loading them up into cattle trailers on the train. Where do you think you're going, on vacation? Where do you think they're gonna take you?

Well now you're cold and naked and they're walking you into the ovens where you're going to go to mass execution. Is it time now to raise your hand and say 'you know I tend to disagree with all this'.

Bang you're dead. It's too late to complain. You should have complained at the beginning when you at least had a chance.

My question to you, and I don't expect you to answer it. Just think about it in your head. How bad do things have to get before you do something?

Do they have to take away all your property? Do they have to license every activity that you want to engage in? Do they have to be throwing you on cattle cars before you start to say 'now wait a minute I don't think this is a good idea.'

How long is it going to be before you finally resist and say 'no I will not comply, period.'

That's a different answer for each person. Ask yourself now because sooner or later you're going to come to that line. And when they cross it, where do you say well okay cross this line... okay now cross that line... okay now cross this line... and pretty soon you're in a corner.

Sooner or later you've got to draw a line and stand your ground, whether anybody else does or not.

That is what liberty is all about.

-- By Michael Badnarik.