#our germans are better than their germans

[jedi-enthusiast]

I'm taking the word "genocide" away from Leftists and the "pro-Palestine" movement, because clearly y'all have never opened a single dictionary EVER and lack basic critical thinking.

The word "genocide" was coined by Polish Jew Raphael Lemkin to describe the horrifying systematic mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust, where 63% of all the Jews in Europe and 39% of all the Jews IN THE ENTIRE WORLD were murdered.

THAT is what genocide is.

Now let's take a look at a couple death toll estimates via the percent of the population during World War 2, since that's a pretty recent war that I'm sure everyone knows about:

Do you want to know the percent of the Japanese population that was killed during that war? 3.5%.

Now, guess the population percentage how many Germans were killed. Any guesses? 6%.

The US lost about .2% of our population, the French lost .5%, and then the British lost .55%.

Now that you have those statistics, what do you think the population percentage of Palestinians that have died during the Israel/Hamas war is? Any guesses?

It's 62,614 casualties, which we'll round up to 63,000 for simplicity, out of the total population of Palestine which is above 5 million (but we'll keep it at just 5 million for simplicity), and that gives us...

...1.26%.

I want all of you to take those numbers and think on that.

Think on whether or not you've ever tried to argue that Germans or the Japanese were being genocided in WW2, since they lost a bigger percentage of their population during that war than Palestine has.

Think on whether or not you've said that the US, UK, or any of the other Allied Powers should be nuked off the face of the earth, or that everyone---including civilians who've done nothing---should be murdered/raped/mutilated/etc. because of what their governments did during that war.

Think on whether or not you've harassed people from the US, UK, or other Allied countries for what went on during WW2 or excused harassment of them behind a tagline of "we're just protesting."

...

And then think on why you find it acceptable to treat Jews and Israelis like complete and utter SHIT, harass them, justify the murder and rape of their people, and say that the ONLY country that has ever actually been SAFE for them to live* should be wiped off of the face of the earth along with everyone living there (which is 50% of all the Jews in the entire world, mind you, which would be WORSE than what happened during the Holocaust...just so y'all know what you're advocating for)---for the "crime" of fighting in a war that was started by a terrorist organization dedicated to wiping Jews off the face of the earth, and having a total death toll percent less than what other countries had in WW2.

I want all of you to think real hard on that and then try to tell me that you're on "the right side of history" because you think being bigoted in a rainbow t-shirt makes you any better than the ones wearing swastikas.

[misshorneigh]

i'm breakin’ dishes up in here (all night)

john price x fem!reader

summery - john didn’t make the best impression on you when you first met, so he had to make an extra effort to get on your good side.

cw/ enemies to lovers, misogynistic themes, talk about terrorist attacks + nazis, slight angst w/ comfort, sexual tension

only a fool, after all

Stupid Germans and their stupid problems. It was perhaps a bit of a cliché that they were often the ones who played the bad guys, but at the same time, it was undeniable that they were on the wrong side of history more than once. I guess it’s true that the past can be hard to let go of sometimes - maybe that wasn’t too bad.

These days, a few of them are still causing trouble. Almost seems as if some just like to conform to the cliché and well, if the boot fits. Still, did it have to be in London of all places? “The guy we’re after just has to be some German idiot, just our luck.” Kyle sighed while he leaned against the wall and tried to massage away a knot in his neck. He just couldn’t seem to sleep properly last night.

The team was in a bad mood.

There has been a huge uproar from sides of the British secret service and the police since there was a suspicion that a far-right organization might be planning a terrorist attack in the capital of England. Unfortunately, even after several days, no one was able to locate the possible perpetrators, which is why the SAS was finally deployed to search for clues. Though, even after several sleepless nights, they only found out one thing and it didn’t make any one of them happy.

The mastermind behind all this is some guy wanted by the German government, which is why they had to - or rather should have - handed over the mission to them. “Here they come,” Johnny pronounced slightly wearily as the black SUV pulled up, leaving the men standing upright at the awaited arrival.

Price watched the soldiers disembark with both hands on the front of his belt. He hadn’t been a big fan of the situation himself, though he still had to admit that it was better to work with a couple of Germans rather than hand them all the hard work on a silver platter. Besides, nobody liked to leave things half-finished, right? He was quite thankful that Laswell got them this deal.

“Be nice, boys.” he simply ordered, ignoring the discontent of his men when two figures started to walk in their direction. He gave the broadly built man next to you a polite smile as he extended his hand to him. “Nice meeting you, name’s John Price. I’m the captain of unit 141.” he introduced himself but the man in a foreign uniform didn’t give the impression of shaking his hand when he continued to just give him a blank stare with his arms folded behind his back.

Johnny’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in irritation while watching the scene in front of him, what kind of asshole was that? The Scot would be the first of the three to hurl some kind of insult at the guy’s head if he wouldn’t try to keep his mouth shut. Nobody treats their captain with such disrespect and certainly not some man from ugly potato country. Wait - there was no reason for holding back, why did he even keep his thoughts to himself? “What? Think yer too good for some good old manners, ya big -”

There was a tension in the air within seconds that would have surprised you if you hadn’t been working in a male-dominated profession for over a decade. You interrupted the sergeant. “I apologize, my lieutenant can seem a bit cold sometimes, he doesn’t mean it,” your voice cut through the wind after you patted the soldier on the back in a friendly manner.

It felt like your light slap hit the Task Force members in the guts with full force at the same time. John’s eyes then met your unwavering gaze for the first time and he couldn’t help but think that maybe this was just a little game from the man in the sky. It was almost cinematic how he was the one who fucked up in the first second, even though he had fully expected it from the other side. Of course, the captain of the other unit is a perfectly competent woman, why wouldn’t she be?

He almost wanted to let out a touché, but he felt too ashamed to say anything for a few seconds as he continued to hold his hand in the air, almost frozen. Meanwhile, you just made a casual movement with your arm, indicating that they should continue. “Go on, don’t let me get in the way of your conversation. I’ll just stand back here and let the men do the talking, right?” you laughed out as you symbolically took a step back, smearing the stupid mistake all over their faces like shit.

Your lieutenant held out his hand as instructed this time, like a dog that heard the word paws, and you were proud of his unwavering loyalty. However, this time it was Price who hesitated as his gaze continued to stay on you. “I’m the one who should do some apologizing -”

“I don’t think so. I think you should just shake my lieutenant’s hand so you can start discussing some important matters, hm? That is unless you are a big -” You stopped talking abruptly and turned to the sergeant, who had opened his mouth a while ago, but now held his lips in a straight line. “Sorry, you couldn’t finish your sentence earlier, what did you want to say?”

And Johnny practically feels the authority dripping from your composed speech so he did nothing but be subordinate. “Nothin’, ma’am,” he replied with a straight face.

You nodded with feigned confusion. “Too bad, I guess we’ll never know then.” you sighed as you met the captain’s guilty gaze. “Well, I’ll grab a bite to eat since I’m not really needed here,” you announced, not really expecting any of them to oppose you. Still, you waited a few seconds before saying your goodbyes. “I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you Captain Price, but that would be a lie.” you turned to your soldier. “Have fun you two.”

Finn just looked at you with a monotone look, already familiar with the antics of his superior. “We should sit down together to discuss the current situation, Captain.” he said, but his voice did nothing to keep you here.

“Then quit standing around and get to work! I’m sure you can figure it out!” you shouted after him as you moved further away from them without a care in the world.

She doesn’t even know where to go, Finn thought to himself with a heavy sigh when he found himself with the responsibility in front of him. “There was a few problems on the way here, but I doubt her reaction was affected much from that,” he told the man in front of him with a slight German accent and didn’t sugarcoat his words. “It may seem like she don’t like you, but she's a reliable person no matter what when it comes down to it," he added a little awkwardly before taking his leave to help his men with the luggage.

It may seem like she hates you, and that's because she does.

The words continued to echo in John’s head while his hand went through his beard, being slightly disappointed in himself. What a hell of a first impression, he didn’t blame you one bit - knew he wasn’t the greatest human being, but still liked to believe he was a good man and soldier.

However, right now he was neither. Probably just another asshold in your everyday life.

“All this time we thought the Germans were the Germans.” Kyle spoke up defeatedly once they were among themselves again and sighed, “But turns out we’re the Germans.”

Ghost, who had been quiet the whole time, just looked at his comrade quizzically. Whatever that means, he thought to himself, not in the mood for any riddles. His gaze turned to his captain who was looking through the air with a distant look. “Are we postponing the meeting?” he finally asked, unsure of what their next action would be.

John’s eyes looked at him from the side. “Well, haven’t had a chance to tell her about it, did I? Been too busy living in the 19th century apparently,” he spat, still thinking about your interaction. Of course, he’s the lieutenant, looks far too young to be anything else.

Meanwhile, Johnny’s mind drifted somewhere else as he thought back to the moment when he felt compelled to submit under your stern gaze. He had to hold back a grunt. “The way she got me callin’ her ma’am just awakened somethin’ in me,” he announced without anyone asking, earning a weird look from the guys, though they should be used to his odd statements by now.

Kyle shook his head. “She didn’t make you call her anything you filthy dog. Control yourself a little, for fuck’s sake.”

The Scot just laughed unaffected by the name he was being called. “Have tae be on our best behavior now if we want tae get on the pretty captain’s good side, aye?"

It was only natural that John’s mistake reflected poorly on his members and he couldn’t allow that for too long. He was always the one who took the blame - always the one who took the responsibility - for his team’s actions and for his own. “Let’s start by helping the newbies out around base then, yeah?” John suggested to the team so they could stay productive.

Price didn’t see you for the rest of that day and he didn’t try reaching out to you either. He wanted to give you a bit of space to get yourself and your people used to the new surroundings. Someone from administration apparently showed you your quarters - he knew because he asked.

The next day he send you a short message as soon as your number was forwarded to him to tell you about the meeting at noon. You replied with only a k and John sighed slightly when he saw the single letter on his screen, feeling somehow defeated.

“This all you got?” you asked after flicking through the familiar files on the table again, you already read through them on the plane over. There was no malicious tone behind your voice, it was just observation.

Price nodded. “Didn’t have much time for more, German government took over as soon as we had a name, and the mission was suspended until your arrival,” he said, hands clasped on the table in front of him. Next to him was the rest of his team, in front of them were you, your lieutenant, and what looked like a sergeant.

“Thomas Richter,” you repeated, humming as you looked at his picture in the top corner of his profile before throwing the files flat on the table. “How do you even know it’s him? No one heard of the guy ever since he fled the country four years ago.”

Some guy with a mask answered the question, if you remembered correctly he was the lieutenant of Task Force 141. He flipped through a few more pages until his fingers landed on a different photo. “We were able to locate this man, part of the organization and in possession of several illegal weapons. Spoke some after we pulled a few teeth,” he explained, handing you the paper.

“He’s British?” you posed the question and laughed when you got a nod in response. “They certainly seem to have recruited a few of your people, didn’t know being a Nazi was so popular around here.”

Your sergeant sighed at your choice of words after seeing your new colleagues raise their eyebrows in surprise. “Why don’t we try to watch our language, Captain?” she tried to convince you but you just shook her attempt away with your hand as if she was just an annoying fly in your ear.

“What? We’re all adults, I think we can call the issue by its name,” you said carelessly, looking at the captain in front of you with a grin. Somehow, it drew John’s attention even more to the prominent scar that went through those sweet lips of yours. He couldn’t seem to look away, especially when you talked. “I know you’ve been dying to say it. You can, I won't be offended, promise."

You kept trying to get a reaction out of John and it didn’t escape him how you seemed to have your fun while doing it. His index finger tapped in a steady rhythm on the table while he continued to stare you down and that was the only sound in the room for a short time. There was a tension between you two that made the rest sit a bit uneasy in their seats until he finally decided to speak up. “And why would a few Nazis plan to attack London out of all places?” he asked, interested in your opinion.

You shrugged your shoulders. “It’s too early to tell, a lot of it is probably just to gain attention. Maybe to set a statement - some kind of revenge act for Britain beating the Nazis in World War II, I don’t know.”

You couldn’t do more than speculate with the amount of information you had right now. You pointed to the woman next to you. “Well, Sara here has a good eye for detail and is good with tech. If the guy you detained had a phone with him I want it checked for IP addresses or whatever the fuck it is to track down locations for a possible hideout. If not look up if he has any type of social media account, guys like him are always in some weird chat rooms.” You emphasized and your sergeant nodded before your gaze turned back to the men in front of you.

“I hope I’m not asking for too much but it would be good if one of you sergeants could accompany her. I’m sure that your input would be very helpful,” you invited them before adding something quickly. “That’s of course if it’s alright with you, Captain Price.”

He shook his head as if he wanted to tell you that his permission wasn’t something that you needed to ask for. “Sounds fine to me,” he replied and pointed absentmindedly to his men when he agreed to your suggestion. “Take whichever one you want.”

That was something they could figure out themselves so you left the details and whatnot to the soldiers themselves. “Think you can spear some time for poor old me, Captain?” John’s deep voice stopped you before you could leave the meeting room. Hearing the familiar title come out of his own mouth felt a little strange but he didn’t dislike it.

You looked a little uncertain after hearing his question “Depends, I didn’t know where I could get a coffee this morning."

Price nodded with a smile as he led the way to wherever. “Hm. Think I can solve your little problem.”

It looked like John Price and his team had their very own area on base and you weren’t really used to seeing small units like theirs enjoy such luxury. Your eyes wandered around their break room, slightly perplexed, before sitting down on the couch and turning your gaze to the open kitchen. John had already informed you that they didn’t have a fancy coffee maker or anything, but you weren’t picky.

“Have a feeling you don’t want me apoligizing, but I will anyway,” John spoke up as soon as he joined you with two cups, milk and sugar were already on the table. “I’m sorry for the mix up yesterday, should’ve know better than that.”

You hummed being pleased by his sincerity and well, he seemed to make some kind of effort. You'd been in several situations where some people deliberately ignored your title to make it clear you weren’t welcome so you were not expecting something like this. Men can be so emotional sometimes. “All right,” you accepted without a lot of fuss before you sat back with the coffee in your hand. “I don’t really care, it takes a little more than that to hurt my feelings, sweetie. Though, I do appreciate it.”

Price laughed lightly and threw his arm on the back of the headrest, his eyes watched you with a hint of a certain something. “Hm. Glad to hear that. Though I would prefer if a pretty woman like you would at least care a bit about little me. But, we’ll get there.”

You raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise and rolled your eyes at his bold advances. “It hasn’t even been a day, keep it in your pants for fuck’s sake.” you teased him, but didn’t punch him in the face for his comment.

John wouldn’t care if you did. He couldn’t deny the attraction he felt for you when he looked at you like this. It was unfortunate that he had to be professional when approaching you, perhaps if you had met in a bar he would have been able to act on his feelings better. “C’mon, didn’t mean it like that. Just want to get along with my new colleague so she doesn’t leave me bleeding out in the field.”

You ignored what he said. “Didn’t think you’d take me so kindly. I would be pretty pissed if I had to share my case with someone from another country.”

He shrugged and took a sip of his tea. “Hm. Suppose I could tell you the same thing.”

Touché. “Suppose you could.”

[wolkentage]

Welcome to A Bachelor in Paradise! After Kyle Ward was offered his own bachelor challenge to find the love of his life, Llamar Production is currently looking for 6 contestants.

🏝️ currently: 4 out of 6 spots available!

White beaches, the gentle sound of the sea and palm fronds softly swaying in the wind. A Bachelor in Paradise takes place in the heart of Sulani on a remote island. But instead of a luxurious beach mansion, contestants can expect a simple shelter with the bare essentials. Our bachelor loves adventures and what could be better for an outdoor enthusiast like him than a bachelor challenge featuring some survival elements?

Filming takes place during summer. Aside from monsoons, during that time of the year it tends to be hot and sunny in Sulani. Llama Production recommends for contestants to dress accordingly. Multiple hot weather and bathing outfits are encouraged.

The contestants:

all genders welcome

young adults/adults only

humans only

no romantic traits/romantic aspiration

You have 10 skill points for your sim and you can distribute them the way you prefer: one lvl 10 skill? two lvl 5? It's up to you! Just let me know which skills you want your sim to have and I will add them (or you can add them yourself).

Please include a description of your sim. The description can be as long as you want it to be! Also please note that the German version of game still doesn't support custom pronouns. So please include your sim's pronouns in their description, otherwise I won't be able to see them.

6 spots are available on a first come, first serve basis. Please tag me in your post so I can reblog it! Production starts in May, so applications are open until 30 April or as soon as all 6 spots are filled!

Regarding custom content: Please keep custom content to the minimum. I own all DLCs with the exception of a few kits and Hobbies and Business so there is a wide variety of clothes and hairstyles for you to choose from.

no default replacements, height sliders or body presets

no custom traits

no alpha cc

About the bachelor: Kyle Ward

He's the star of the show and is already quite known among motorbike enthusiasts! Kyle dreamed of becoming a famous motorbike racer, when a severe leg injury forced him to give up his career right before his first international race. But that doesn't stop him from regularly blogging about his biggest passion on social media! He even has a weekly podcast where he talks about the latest news in motorcycle racing.

Kyle still loves going on a ride with his bike, although he's much more careful these days. When he's not tweaking his bike, he loves to explore nature. He's always up for a new adventure, whether it's exploring the depths of the jungle in Selvadorada or surviving on a remote island for his own bachelor challenge.

Some facts about Kyle

Kyle is 25 years old

He grew up in Windenburg

His favorite colour is yellow

He's an "act first, think later" type of guy

Behind the scenes:

This bachelor challenge takes place over 5 (ingame) weeks. At the end of each week the contestant with the lowest relationship score with Kyle will be eliminated and send home. At the end of week 5 only two contestants remain and the final winner is chosen based on their relationship score with Kyle.

Each week all (remaining) contestants get one private date with Kyle. The order in which these dates take place is decided by a spinny wheel.

At the beginning of filming, Llamar Production only provides the bare essentials like shelter and minimal food. Mini-challenges will allow contestants to earn points which can then be turned into goods to make their stay in Sulani more comfortable. On top of that the winner of a mini-challenge also gains +5 bonus-points on their relationship score with Kyle!

All 6 contestants and Kyle will live on the same lot. Kyle has a separate area that only he can access. Outside of private dates and mini-challenges it's up to him whether he wants to hang out with the contestants or not. (But Llama Productions will force encourage him to spend as much time with the contestants as possible.)

[sca-nerd]

Hi!! I just attended my first fighter practice with a friend, and I think I’m in love. She leant me enough armor to get a feel for heavy combat, and I sparred with her most recently knighted squire, and it was amazing! What a rush!

Obviously going “all in” is gonna take some time. Kits are expensive, though my friend has mentioned that the barony likes to help newbies make and acquire their first things. But do you have any advice on things I can do now, before I have a kit, to prepare and get better? How do I hold my own as a girl in what tends to be a masculine sport? Also how do you pick a name and an era for your first kit?? There’s so much to consider and history has so many cultures and times! It’s exciting but uhhhh overwhelming.

Anyways, gratitude from the kingdom of Calontir! So excited to be entering this awesome world

YAS QUEEN I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU!! Welcome to the family! Fighting is so much fun, regardless of skill level, when you have the right people around you. I'm so excited that you have a good group to support and train with.

While you get your kit together, I highly recommend a pell. This is literally a figure that you can swing a stick at for practice so that you develop muscle memory, strength, and endurance. This can be anything that will take a blow and not move or break and risk putting you in danger. When I was a kid, our pell was a railroad tie buried in the ground with tires stacked on on top of it. I have friends who use 4x4 lumber wrapped in foam (something soft helps you from breaking down your stick too quickly). Don't have a rattan stick or sword yet? Use something of equal weight and length - just don't use it on anything BUT your pell.

The fighter community can be an amazing, wholesome, and empowering community. When it comes to being a female fighter, know that some people will support you and treat you like an equal, and some people will want to make an example of you. Some people will do what they can to make you feel like you belong on the field, and some will do what they can to make themselves feel like you've earned the right to be on the field. Remember that this is YOUR game and YOU get to play it the way YOU want to. Don't be afraid to pick and choose who you want to learn from, train with, and fight. Even in my own local group, there are people that I don't fight in practice because I don't learn from them or their approach to fighting a less skilled fighter. I strongly recommend finding either a fellow female fighter OR someone who has experience training with women in martial arts.

My number one tip for new female fighters. At a practice, you will probably hear a lot of "drive from the hip," or "use your hip," from other experienced fighters. Women usually have a lower center of gravity and can rely on their lower body strength more than their counterparts. My advice is to learn to drop your center of gravity and drive from you KNEES. You get more power with your blows that way. Women are normally better at isolating their hip movements, so driving from the hip isn't always as effective for beginner fighters.

When it comes to choosing your persona - honestly? Take your time! There's no timeline that you have to have one by. Try a couple of names out and see what you like. My persona is 13th c. German because I wanted to honor my family heritage and I thought the 13th c. had the prettiest garb of all the German designs. My kit is definitely NOT 13th c. German. It's all over the place, because I chose pieces that are comfortable to wear, fit my budget, serve their purpose, and that I think look cool. A modge-podge of armor is perfectly period for the same reason it is now: it was expensive, hard to come by, and you used what you could get your hands on if you didn't have someone splashing out the cash to buy you a set of your own.

Sometimes fighters have spare pieces that they sell you on the cheap because they love to see new people get involved. Check Play-it-Again Sports or other pre-owned sport equipment centers for lacrosse or hockey padding (or even rapier equipment sometimes). Also, google pickle barrel armor. It will get you most of your stuff covered, but DO NOT SKIMP ON THE HELMET. This will be the most expensive investment you make as a heavy fighter and you want to make sure it is the real deal, because your safety is important. It might take you longer to acquire because of the cost, but dear lord please don’t go cheap on this. I care about you too much.

I don’t know if this is a thing in other Kingdoms, but here there will be yard sales at events where people just want to thin out the “stuff” they’ve collected over the years. These are a gold mind. There are also Facebook Groups that accomplish the same thing, and you can sometimes make some great scores there.

Some people have been playing for decades and have been able to spend those decades investing time and money into this hobby. You aren't going to be expected to be on their level right away. It's GENUINELY about the journey of getting there, not a race to reach it. Some people don't even want to race and are content with the bare minimum, and they have just as much fun.

As a newcomer, I get that you're excited and ready to race in, but don't worry, you have time for all the things. Play your game, make friends, and have fun. And welcome to the dream!

[stone-cold-groove]

The Saturn V launch vehicle.

[anonymergremlin]

General reminder for people who have some knowledge about german political parties or are german:

This blog doesn't support any AFD bullshit.

If you think the AFD is a good party and support them... Unfollow me, block me and never come back.

I don't need any right-winged people here who will deny they are fcking Nazis. ❤️

Go fck yourself!

To everyone else: Love ya, you are awesome, no matter where you come from, no matter your religion, your gender, your sexuality, etc.

If you're a good person who is good towards others no matter who they where they come from, etc. then you deserve all the hugs from me.

Gremlin out.

[ganja-hq]

My bf and I met while working at kfc, we started talking bc they misspelled "trainee" on his name tag and I wouldn't stop making fun of him for it

[airenyah]

as an austrian it makes me really anxious that dunk had his birthday celebration event thing today. like!! what do you mean you've celebrated your birthday before your actual birthday has passed?????​ THAT'S BAD LUCK

[rugessnome]

soup

in honor of our good friend Jonathan Harker's previous passion for paprika today I finally made an ostensibly Hungarian paprika'd green bean and mushroom soup with sour cream (Zöldbableves, from the book Bean by Bean; I'm unclear on its degree of authenticity though the mushrooms are not supposed to be)

[schadenfreudich]

Oh yes, that's exactly what German needs. More genders.

[dugaodna]

🔥 germany

- The Labour benches during PMQs in 1937, about to learn about Chamberlain's policy of appeasement

[stone-cold-groove]

Simplified flight profile - NASA Apollo mission.

[marvelsmostwanted]

There are people – some in my own Party – who think that if you just give Donald Trump everything he wants, he’ll make an exception and spare you some of the harm. I’ll ignore the moral abdication of that position for just a second to say — almost none of those people have the experience with this President that I do. I once swallowed my pride to offer him what he values most — public praise on the Sunday news shows — in return for ventilators and N95 masks during the worst of the pandemic. We made a deal. And it turns out his promises were as broken as the BIPAP machines he sent us instead of ventilators. Going along to get along does not work – just ask the Trump-fearing red state Governors who are dealing with the same cuts that we are. I won’t be fooled twice.

I’ve been reflecting, these past four weeks, on two important parts of my life: my work helping to build the Illinois Holocaust Museum and the two times I’ve had the privilege of reciting the oath of office for Illinois Governor.

As some of you know, Skokie, Illinois once had one of the largest populations of Holocaust survivors anywhere in the world. In 1978, Nazis decided they wanted to march there.

The leaders of that march knew that the images of Swastika clad young men goose stepping down a peaceful suburban street would terrorize the local Jewish population – so many of whom had never recovered from their time in German concentration camps.

The prospect of that march sparked a legal fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court. It was a Jewish lawyer from the ACLU who argued the case for the Nazis – contending that even the most hateful of speech was protected under the first amendment.

As an American and a Jew, I find it difficult to resolve my feelings around that Supreme Court case – but I am grateful that the prospect of Nazis marching in their streets spurred the survivors and other Skokie residents to act. They joined together to form the Holocaust Memorial Foundation and built the first Illinois Holocaust Museum in a storefront in 1981 – a small but important forerunner to the one I helped build thirty years later.

I do not invoke the specter of Nazis lightly. But I know the history intimately — and have spent more time than probably anyone in this room with people who survived the Holocaust. Here’s what I’ve learned – the root that tears apart your house’s foundation begins as a seed – a seed of distrust and hate and blame.

The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn’t arrive overnight. It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame.

I’m watching with a foreboding dread what is happening in our country right now. A president who watches a plane go down in the Potomac – and suggests — without facts or findings — that a diversity hire is responsible for the crash. Or the Missouri Attorney General who just sued Starbucks – arguing that consumers pay higher prices for their coffee because the baristas are too “female” and “nonwhite.” The authoritarian playbook is laid bare here: They point to a group of people who don’t look like you and tell you to blame them for your problems.

I just have one question: What comes next? After we’ve discriminated against, deported or disparaged all the immigrants and the gay and lesbian and transgender people, the developmentally disabled, the women and the minorities – once we’ve ostracized our neighbors and betrayed our friends – After that, when the problems we started with are still there staring us in the face – what comes next.

All the atrocities of human history lurk in the answer to that question. And if we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.

I swore the following oath on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible: “I do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution of the state of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of Governor .... according to the best of my ability.

My oath is to the Constitution of our state and of our country. We don’t have kings in America – and I don’t intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions — but in deference to my obligations.

If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:

It took the Nazis one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic. All I’m saying is when the five-alarm fire starts to burn, every good person better be ready to man a post with a bucket of water if you want to stop it from raging out of control.

Those Illinois Nazis did end up holding their march in 1978 – just not in Skokie. After all the blowback from the case, they decided to march in Chicago instead. Only twenty of them showed up. But 2000 people came to counter protest. The Chicago Tribune reported that day that the “rally sputtered to an unspectacular end after ten minutes.” It was Illinoisans who smothered those embers before they could burn into a flame.

Tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance. Democracy requires your courage. So gather your justice and humanity, Illinois, and do not let the “tragic spirit of despair” overcome us when our country needs us the most.

Sources:

• NBC Chicago & J.B. Pritzker, Democratic governor of Illinois, State of the State address 2025: Watch speech here | Full text

• Betches News on Instagram (screencaps)

[ignatiusteto]

had my last concert of the semester tonight and it went great! it was a big holiday one in collab with the local symphony orchestra (it's still weird to think we have one and Have Had one for 75 years (75th anniversery this year) in this small area). i was leaving and someone that was at the college choir concert complimented me on my solo i did at the concert as a voice student 🥹

[whereisthedamndaddymanual]

I never needed charms or anything.

I don't need to carry books of spells and diagrams. I don't need shit except myself.

How can this be a practitioner could ask me.

Well, I have openly challenged every piece of shit on Earth if they want to have a go and any who challenged me are no longer available to quarrel with my word.

[robinsnest2111]

cannot sleep, wondering who I would've been if my parents actually went through with their harebrained expat dreams and moved to either Denmark or Canada with me...