The Fire This Time?

Berlin, February 27, 1933

In Berlin on Monday, February 27, 1933, the Reichstag — Germany’s parliament, home of its legislative branch — was gutted by fire. It was the fourth week of Adolf Hitler’s reign as Chancellor of Germany. Very shrewdly, he went bananas.

Hitler seized on the event as an excuse to tighten his control of the state; it is considered one of the most potent factors leading to the global horror that was the Nazi era.

Found alive and unharmed in the burning building (literally red-handed — things were hot to the touch in there) was a 24-year-old half-blind Dutch-born bricklayer and Communist activist named Marinus Van der Lubbe. He confessed to the arson, apparently not under duress. He said he’d acted alone; indeed, he’d been caught firebombing other buildings in the past.

Though there had not been — and has never been — convincing evidence that Van Der Lubbe had been part of a broader plot, Hitler decided this was a delectable opportunity; he declared the arson attack to be a conspiracy by Communist agitators. Communists were Hitler’s primary political nemeses. The new chancellor persuaded the doddering and ineffectual German president, Paul von Hindenburg, to issue the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspending civil liberties and legitimizing a "ruthless confrontation" with the Communists. The decree was used as the legal basis to summarily imprison anyone considered opponents of the Nazis, and to suppress and suspend periodicals unfriendly to the Nazi cause. This essentially created the establishment of a one-party state in Germany.

Mass arrests followed, including of all the sitting Communist delegates to the Reichstag.

The Decree, a document unthinkable merely six months prior, was an astonishing instantaneous butchering of a democracy. From Wiki:

Article 1 indefinitely suspended most of the civil liberties set forth in the Weimar Constitution, including habeas corpus, inviolability of residence, secrecy of the mail and telephone, freedom of expression and the press, the right to public assembly, the the right of free association, and the the protection of property and the home. Articles 2 and 3 allowed the Reich government to assume powers normally reserved for the federal states. Articles 4 and 5 established draconian penalties for certain offenses, including the death penalty for arson to public buildings.

Over the next year, Von Hindenburg died at 85 and Van der Lubbe was guillotined and Hitler was on his way, alone and unchallenged, into ignominy. A docile populace helped.

Some of the Reichstag building survived. Much did not, including The Room Where It Happened, the elegant debate floor. The building was not used by government again until 1999, when, after extensive renovation, it became the Bundestag, home of the democratic state that survived Hitler and his posse of felons, and came back strong.

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Headlines from the last few days:

Associated Press: Trump’s threat to target ‘radical left’ after Kirk killing raises fears he’s trying to silence foes

The Hill: DOJ removes 2024 far-right extremism study showing right wing attacks ‘outpace’ those by left.

NBC News: Pete Hegseth tells Pentagon staff to hunt for negative Charlie Kirk posts by service members .. Several people have already been relieved of their jobs because of their posts on social media

MSNBC: Trump targets First Amendment; sets 'fairness' to Trump as hate speech standard

The Independent: Pam Bondi threatened to prosecute private employee at a Office Depot for not printing Charlie Kirk vigil flyers; calls it “hate.”

CNN: Trump threatens to ‘go after’ reporter, suggesting critical coverage could be “hate speech”

CNN: Trump wants to target liberal groups and protesters with a decades-old law once used against the mob

Fox News: Public school teachers face backlash for social media posts mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination

BBC: Trump says he will sue New York Times for $15B

The Daily Beast: Trump Lashes Out at Reporter Asking About His Family Cash Grabs: ‘Quiet!’

And this one is a little older, but germane;

Politico: Trump says he will ‘probably not’ seek a third term

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Speaking of Storm Troopers, this happened a couple of days ago, on 14th Street in D.C. It is hilarious. And awful.

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Today’s Gene Pool Gene Poll:

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