National Stats during Obama Admin

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(01-22-2017, 07:51 PM)Dill Wrote: Extermination of millions is not the ONE THING that makes a political figure comparable to Hitler.

We don't yet have the book on Trump's reign, so at the moment policies, behaviors, and values are all we have to compare.  Let's check out two examples.

Trump has repeatedly said "We should have taken the oil" in reference to the US conquest of Iraq based upon false premises. The international community reacts with horror, because it is unethical, illegal, and irresponsible to use one people's national military to rob another people's natural resources. Hitler did use the German military to do that, taking gold, paintings, machinery, oil, anything of value from conquered peoples. Saddam Hussein had that in mind when he invaded Kuwait.  People likened Saddam to Hitler for that.   

Trump has also come out for torture and "worse than waterboarding." It was the Nuremberg Trials of NAZIs that focused the international community on the issue of torture to outlaw it. Saddam Hussein was all for torture. But he did not exterminate millions.

The actions of horrible dictators around the world proceed from a value set which does not include empathy for others or respect for human rights and international law. Ataturk did not cleanse the Armenians because he believed strongly in individual property rights. Idi Amin did not torture dissenters because he prioritized human rights.

There are many people in many countries who would love to rob other countries and torture people they don't like. Just because the law prevents them or they have never had the power to do so doesn't mean they aren't "like Hitler" in terms of their value set.

Which brings us to my point about learning from history. Trump's statements do mirror the values of many odious dictators, not just Hitler. This claim can be factually checked. There is no reason to suppose those stated values will drive Trump towards ethical, legal and humane policy, is there?

It is SAD that so many Americans have no problem with Trump statements like the above or the values upon which they are founded. It is NOT SAD that some point this out.

There appear to be many Americans who are fine with Trump's statements above. They do not contest that Trump has affirmed the abovementioned national robbery and torture as sound policy goals (though some ethically confused Trumpsters might argue that taking Iraq's oil is not REALLY robbery; we deserve it to pay for our unjustified invasion). Why would they object to calling Trump Hitler but not object to torture or robbing other countries--the values which led Hitler to do what he did?

All that and you still didn't provide an example of Trump robbing a country of excluding any American citizen due to ethnicity. His take the oil comment was said as a way to dissuade ISIS or anyone else looking to take over the region. 

Feel free to compare Trump to Hitler; you're not alone, but sometimes we must look at the company we keep.