oes Germany today carry any lingering characteristics of its not-so-long-ago former self?
That simple question has caused so much controversy, let’s pose another:
Does the Washington Post of today bear any resemblance to an American newspaper?
The first question is answered convincingly throughout this issue of Freedom. And the answer is yes.
Post editors answered the second question itself in an editorial dated February 1, saying, in effect: “Absolutely not, we re-edited the First Amendment, and, for a substantial quantity of deutschemarks which we are not at liberty to discuss—we sold out.”
That is something of a translation. The Post editors’ exact words on the subject of which country is most entitled to define the boundaries of religious freedom?
“[A] vibrant and healthy democracy such as Germany, with its need to deal with the awful excesses of its recent past, may have a better idea than the United States as to where the line is crossed between following a religion and posing a threat to civil order.”
Given the context of the editorial as a whole, this may be the most alarming and despicable statement one could imagine from an American newspaper.
By the standards of the Post’s editors, countries in other parts of the world whose leaders are still murdering and imprisoning dissidents—Burma, Afghanistan, and others—may be even more qualified to speak on religious issues. After all, they have ongoing experience with the worst forms of persecution.
But in case the historical revisionism slipped by you, consider:
- The Germans didn’t “deal with” the genocidal march of Nazism. The allies—Americans leading them—did, with great loss of life.
- Germans didn’t write the country’s post-War constitution that now guarantees basic human rights. The allied forces did. The German contribution of late is to trample it.
- Furthermore, the “awful excesses of [Germany’s] recent past” were born of an overwhelmingly materialistic urge to destroy a minority religion, which was used as a scapegoat to deflect attention from the true causes of economic and social hardship. Contrary to the Post’s revisionist views, it had nothing to do with a minority religion “threatening Democracy.”
This edition of Freedom contains a small sample, an overview, of the countless stories of hard-working, honest German citizens who are being increasingly stripped of their constitutionally guaranteed rights and having their lives destroyed in countless ways. None of these people have ever even been accused of breaking any law. They have been persecuted, with open political support, only because of their religious beliefs.
None of these facts have ever been disputed by any German official.
And those behind the discrimination are so convinced by their own justifications that they have publicly stated they only intend to increase their efforts to destroy the Scientology religion. Which is why there is some importance in how the outside world, particularly the U.S., views this situation.
The Post editors have cast their vote for the fascism still polluting Germany. Keep that in mind next time you open a copy. Because you might not be reading an American view.
