George Takei  🏳️‍🌈🖖🏽Dec 22, 2023
We must learn from history so that we do not repeat it.
Show threadArena Cops 🇺🇦✌Dec 22, 2023
@georgetakei Here it's worth to keep in mind that Germany's Nazis never got more than a third of all ballots cast pre-Hitler dictatorship - inexcusably about the same as Trump's malinformed, poorly educated, sociopathy-affine, anti-democratic followership, .
They abused the Weimar Republic's democracy & the weakness of a dying president to transfer powers to mass-murderous sociopath Hitler, a democracy able to defend itself would never hand over to its enemies.
#RuleOfLaw #DefensiveDemocracy #DefendTheConstitution #YourVoiceMatters #YouMatter #DefendDemocracy #WeThePeople #History #EnemiesOfDemocracy #EnemiesOfTheConstitution
Show threadSupergrobi
@ArenaCops @georgetakei the NSDAP had 43.9% in the last election before there were no more elections
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_1933_German_federal_election
March 1933 German federal election - Wikipedia

Dec 23, 2023 at 12:01pmWeb
Show threadUrwumpeDec 23, 2023

@supergrobi @ArenaCops @georgetakei they already ruled by presidential decrees for one month at this point. Hitler also _only_ got 44%, he wanted more, but failed with all his violence and oppression. He forced a 3 Million RM debt on the industry to pay his election campaign (about 30 million € today!), banned opposition newspapers, arrested politicians... and still too many resisted.

Thus he needed a rigged vote under gunpoint in parliament to gain dictatorial powers with superficial legality

Show threadSupergrobiDec 23, 2023
@urwumpe @ArenaCops @georgetakei I'm afraid it was less rigged than we'd wish it to have been. Also he needed and found a coalition partner to finally destroy democracy.
Show threadUrwumpeDec 23, 2023

@supergrobi @ArenaCops @georgetakei he needed to change the rules of the parliament with armed SA thugs watching the session, for getting the majority for the 'Ermächtigungsgesetz'. Otherwise, SPD and the missing votes of the KPD would have been able to prevent this.

The society was of course to a large part not better than Hitler or at least less criminal. Weimar Republic would be called a failed state today.

Show threadRobert LinkDec 23, 2023
@urwumpe @supergrobi @ArenaCops @georgetakei We will be called a failed state too, I fear.
Show threadUrwumpeDec 23, 2023

@phaedral @supergrobi @ArenaCops @georgetakei I doubt it. It isn't all good here, but at least the political system works (part time), and all actually rely on the system to do its job next year as well. Not as dire as in the darkest days of the Weimar Republic.

The FUD campaign of the right is a real problem, yes. And we talk to much about them instead of getting things done.

Show threadSupergrobiDec 23, 2023
@phaedral @urwumpe @ArenaCops @georgetakei I'm still hoping to see rule of law prevail in the US, but it's a
nail-biting process to watch from outside of it (probably even more from inside of it)
Show threadArena Cops 🇺🇦✌Dec 23, 2023
@urwumpe @supergrobi @georgetakei Right. The last election, that could be called somewhat "free & fair"before Hitler was appointed Reichs-chancellor by president Hindenburg, was on November 6, 1932.
After the Reichstag fire, on advice of Chancellor Hitler, Hindenburg issued the "Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of People and State", which in effect invalidated many basic civil liberties of German citizens — on February 28, 1933.
Right before the March elections, which saw most opposition "legally" weakened if not disempowered, branded as "enemies of the people".