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| Thank Heaven we still have the living history from Kitty Werthmann and others like her. My parent's friend who also fled Austria is also still very much alive, and living in London. His wife passed a few years ago. This photo of Ms. Werthmann is a still taken from her video which is on Vimeo. |
I first wrote this post on January 11, 2013. I am reprising it here because it should be remembered.
My parents had friends who lost everything when they fled Austria, and came to England, in the time of Hitler. In these times, it's very important to remember the words of those who were there.
This is an abbreviated statement from Kitty Werthmann, who was also a citizen of Austria when Hitler was voted in as their ruler:
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Beginning of Kitty Werthmann's testimony, paraphrased.
“Next came gun registration. People were getting injured by guns. Hitler said that the real way to catch criminals (we still had a few) was by matching serial numbers on guns. Most citizens were law-abiding and dutifully marched to the police station to register their firearms. Not long afterwards, the police said that it was best for everyone to turn in their guns. The authorities already knew who had them, so it was futile not to comply voluntarily.
“No more freedom of speech. Anyone who said something against the government was taken away. We knew many people who were arrested, not only Jews, but also priests and ministers who spoke up.
“Totalitarianism didn’t come quickly, it took 5 years from 1938 until 1943, to realize full dictatorship in Austria. Had it happened overnight, my countrymen would have fought to the last breath. Instead, we had creeping gradualism. Now, our only weapons were broom handles. The whole idea sounds almost unbelievable that the state, little by little eroded our freedom.”
“This is my eyewitness account.
“It’s true. Those of us who sailed past the Statue of Liberty came to a country of unbelievable freedom and opportunity.
“America is truly is the greatest country in the world. “Don’t let freedom slip away.
“After America, there is no place to go.”
Kitty Werthmann
(End of Kitty Werthmann's paraphrased speech)
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More information on Kitty Werthmann:
http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-conservative/2013/01/kitty-werthmann-85-yr-old-austrian-lived-under-hitler-speaks-of-socialism-and-gestapo-alan-colmes-salon-deem
Does this sound familiar ? The US is experiencing a creeping gradualism with the erosion of our freedoms daily. When Glenn Beck says, "Know what you believe", be clear. The days of mandatory gun registration or mandatory declaration of what you own may be coming. It can be a preface to confiscation. Remember that the Patriot Act already allows confiscation of privately held materials of any kind, if the government declares an emergency. This can be done even without the provision of as much as a receipt to the person, family or company the items were redistributed from.
As my parents used to say, "A word to the wise is sufficient".
