Yesterday, Sunday, April 16, 2017, the Turkish people voted on whether to grant president Tayip Erdogan sweeping new powers that will turn him into a dictator.
Erdogan’s rise has been stellar and ominous. He has been flirting with tyranny for a number of years, hardening his stance both on Turkish opposition as well the West in general. He has an Islamic agenda, is quick to shut down anything that opposes him, is prone to revanchism, and threatens to flood Europe with illegal immigrants should his demands on a number of issues not be met.
In addition to all the outrageous things he says and does, Erdogan has made an unfortunate reference to Hitler:
‘Asked on his return from a visit to Saudi Arabia whether an executive presidential system was possible while maintaining the unitary structure of the state, [Erdogan] said: “There are already examples in the world. You can see it when you look at Hitler’s Germany.’ ~ THE GUARDIAN
Ominous indeed!
And then there’s Sean Spicer. What can we say about this buffoon of a man and his raging performances before the press, during which he fails time and time again to come across as mildly coherent.
His latest fiasco came in the form of another unfortunate Hitler reference. In is attempt to justify the latest US bombing in Syria, he likened Syrian president Assad to the Nazi führer, then painted Hitler a less ominous figure than Assad. He said:
‘I think when you come to sarin gas, [Hitler] was not using the gas on his own people the same way Assad was,’ then added, trying to correct himself, ‘[Hitler] brought them into the Holocaust centers, I understand that. But I was saying in the way that Assad used them, where he dropped them down to innoc—into the middle of towns, it was brought—so the use of it, I appreciate the clarification, that was not the intent.’
That was the White House Press Secretary speaking to the press.
The globe moves in circles and waves. Roughly every three generations a great turn of events takes place, leading to tension and conflict, the outcome of which is never certain. Progress prevails over time, no question about it, but sometimes it has to go through hell and back to break through. It has to suffer the resurgence of monstrous ways of thinking before it can settle into a (temporarily) functional arrangement, and so on and so forth, ad infinitum.
No one knows how the world will fare in the coming decades. The only certainty is that almost three generations have passed since WWII.
Do the math.
From your trend-watching Spin Doctor,
Eyes open, mind sharp.