I just finished watching an enlightening and shocking documentary titled “World War II in Color,” which included hours of actual footage of the war that had been remastered in color to make it much more real and alive. It is estimated that more than 70 million people lost their lives, with well over half the casualties being civilians. More than 70 million! It’s a stark reminder of how devastating war can be and should be required viewing by all political and military leaders in the world today.
Another thing that grabbed my attention was the similarity between both Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in the early years of their respective rise to power, and President Donald Trump today. They are so alike in many respects, including their big egos, propensity to tell numerous lies and their demand for blind loyalty, with retribution for those who are disloyal.
Do you know what made Hitler so popular and led to his rise to absolute power? He promised to “make Germany great again.” Do you know what Mussolini’s stated purpose was in marching on Rome? He said it was to “drain the swamp.” Sound familiar? It’s important to remember that both dictators took many years to obtain absolute power, but through constant propaganda, lying, false promises and threats, they slowly established their intended goals of dominance. They were definitely “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
Just as these dictators were emboldened by getting away with committing numerous atrocities, our president feels more and more invincible after escaping his increasing number of offenses, including the recent impeachable crimes that his spineless Republican cronies in the Senate ignored because they are in fear of betraying him and his zealous followers. It will be up to the American voters in November to decide that they’ve had enough of this man and refuse to re-elect him. If they don’t, I fear for the future of our country.
— Jim Fredrickson
Seward
Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.