A National Registry of Jews?

 

Rawstory just ran this alarming piece: 'Vindictive commissar’s list': Alarm as Trump admin appears to build Jewish registry, by Krystina Alarcon Carroll, April 29, 2025 4:08PM ET. According to Ms. Carroll, the Trump administration seems to be building lists of people (particularly in higher ed) who are Jewish. This follows the startling news that RFK Jr. is building a compiling list of individuals who are supposedly autistic. 

Frankly, this may be a story that means nothing. It could be just another of the inane and idiotic stunts that the White House uses to keep us all off balance and exhausted…a distraction while the Orange One and his billionaire enablers loot the country of another few trillion.

But, on the other hand, it could be …terrible. We know, too well, who has had these kinds of lists before. And we know what was done with them.

Let us, therefore, prepare. It may be necessary for us, someday, to find and shred those lists, and to defend the men and women whose names are on them. 

Taking Hate Seriously

Here’s an interesting piece of history. Until quite late, as late as 1940, a surprisingly large number of well-informed people thought that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was more show than real. It was, some people thought, merely a way of stirring up the masses, and would dissipate soon enough.

It made sense, really. Hitler was an Austrian, and an admirer of Karl Lueger, the mayor of Vienna who preached but did not practice anti-Semitism.

Only afterwards, did people realized that Hitler had been, all along, entirely ...and terribly...in earnest.

Why do I bring this up? Well, the amazing thing is how often in history we encounter exactly this sort of situation. A monster comes along and tells us precisely what he...or she...is going to do. But nobody believes him...or her. It is all put down as rhetorical flourish.

And then...and then...too late, we learn the truth.

Which is why I bring it all up now. It seems like we’ve got a few people making similar statements today...calling for violence...or making excuses for violence.

We do see it on the Left. Let’s be honest. It’s there. Seek and you shall find.

But, at least here in America, what I find most disturbing is its presence on the Right... in the statements of certain candidates.

And sometimes I fear that we are, once more, making an error...that we are discounting these remarks, a little too easily...

Because, history seems to show that when someone talks about expulsions, concentration camps, carpet bombing, targeted killings...we need to take them at their word. For they may well mean it.

Or even if they do not mean it, well, soon enough, there may well appear, some dreadful literalist, with no subtlety and no sense of humor, who shall make horribly real what his...or her...mentor considered merely abstract speculation.

And from that, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, we might never recover.