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Georgia Rep. Paul Broun formally apologized to his constituents for comments he made concerning Barack Obama's proposed civilian security force. Broun compared it to those of a Marxist dictator.
I read through Broun's comments carefully. Broun related the historical facts concerning the use of internal security services by both the Nazis and the Soviets pretty accurately.
Where he got into hot water was when mentioned Hitler and Obama in the same sentence: "That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did," Broun said. "When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."
Broun was immediately denounced as a "far right nut job" by the ever-tolerant left with editorials calling for everything from his impeachment to his commitment to a mental hospital. (Sounds like he inadvertently discovered another similarity to the political climate of past dictatorships.)
I went back and read what Obama said last July: "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Maybe Broun is a far right nut job and all that, but the fact is, both Hitler and Stalin organized para-military security forces loyal only to them – and immediately denounced any who dared criticize the plan. I don't know what Obama has in mind in the U.S., but a para-military civilian force as powerful, as strong and as well-funded as a nation's military is what they used, too.
When Obama mentioned it on the campaign trail, I thought maybe it was some kind of "red meat" being tossed to a far-left liberal audience to grab a few votes, not a formal policy. Then I read WorldNetDaily's report regarding Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's interview outlining the vision.
(Obama's website says his civilian force will "require" middle school students to participate. Whether Broun is nuts or not, Hitler also required middle school students to join his student army, known as the Hitler Youth.)
"If you're worried about, are you going to have to do 50 jumping jacks, the answer is yes," Emanuel told the interviewer, a reporter who was podcasting for the New York Daily News at the time. "Somewhere between the age of 18 to 25 you will do three months of training. You can do it at some point in your college time," Emanuel said in the interview.
"There can be nothing wrong with all Americans having a joint, similar experience of what we call civil defense training or civil service," Rahm continued. "There will be a body of citizens who are ready, capable and trained."
Ready, capable and trained. ... Broun found some disturbing historical similarities here? REALLY! And he said them out loud! He must be punished! Even if he apologized. That's not enough!
Nope. I don't see any historical similarities developing. Clearly, Rep. Broun has slipped a couple of cogs ...
I'll have to cut this column short. I'm late for a book-burning.
