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From: brower@fortune.UUCP (Richard Brower)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Remembering the Holocaust: What have we learned?
Message-ID: <5213@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 25-Apr-85 15:40:06 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.5213
Posted: Thu Apr 25 15:40:06 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 27-Apr-85 03:47:41 EST
References: <1019@phs.UUCP> <912@pyuxd.UUCP> <262@ihu1n.UUCP> <885@trwatf.UUCP>
Reply-To: brower@fortune.UUCP (Richard brower)
Organization: Fortune Systems, Redwood City, CA
Lines: 44
Summary: 

In article <885@trwatf.UUCP> root@trwatf.UUCP (Lord Frith) writes:
>There is another way to "oppose" hate-baiting and that is to ignore his
>words.  A response from you is just what the "hate-baiter" wants to fuel
>disention.  To ignore his words renders them just so many useless bytes.

Sure, but the "ignore it and it might go away" philosophy has proven to be
ineffective every time it has been tried in this century.  Remember Hitler's
rise to power with very similar ideals.  Identity Christianity types are
spreading throughout the middle of our country *now*.  Whether they are
spreading faster than more enlightened philosophies is open to question,
but they certainly make more noise (and stockpile automatic weapons).  When
and if you decide to respond, it may be that your responce is to late to
have any effect except getting you tossed into the concentration camps with
the rest of us.

>Of course, you might argue that without a direct response, his hateful
>diatribe will become a fanatical hate organization and the ignorant human
>flotsam will cling to his cause.  But here again it isn't the words
>that are doing the harm... it's the people that are goaded into
>taking his words to heart.  People will believe what they want to believe.
>When hate like this gets the sanction of the state or of the education
>system... THAT'S when you start getting twitchy.

Please note that hate like this has semi-official recognition from the state
*now* with the close ties that RR has with Jerry Falwell's crowd.

>You would seem to be saying that you must vigorously "oppose" all such
>potential Adolph Hitlers.  But trying to police the social, political
>and religious ideas of everyone before they become a menace seems a bit
>hasty.  Until such time that Mr. Black aquires a following (like that
>group in Arkansas wouldn't worry called "The Group") I wouldn't worry
>much about his rantilizations.  Too much time has already been devoted
>to this guy's sick viewpoints.
>
>I do agree, however, that if Mr. Black's beliefs follow his reputation,
>then he certainly needs a good swift intellectual kick up side the head.

Vigorously oppose is indeed what we should be doing with these ideas
of Mr. Don Black.  Constantly.  Loudly.  "When they came for the Jews,
I did nothing, for I was not a Jew...  When they came for me there was
nobody else left."
-- 
Richard A. Brower		Fortune Systems
{ihnp4,ucbvax!amd,hpda,sri-unix,harpo}!fortune!brower