Days turned into months in current strongman’s regime with his dictatorial style of governance, turning a democratic nation into a banana republic. His insults were directed to the members of the opposition party, along with the members of his own party. He continued bullying an economically poor neighboring nation insulting its citizen with the idea of erecting a wall at the border to deter them from entering into his rich nation. He threatened to obliterate a nuclear-powered rogue faraway nation run by a similar dictator. At home, he initiated to implement policies that would only enrich his cronies, while devastating the fellow poor citizens.
But, none of his actions was surprising, already being displayed on the campaign-trail. What surprised Prof. John Meyers was the collective inaction of his own party-members! Majority of his close enablers were highly educated citizens of the society including a leading neurosurgeon, a talented lawyer who did his clerkship under a renowned Supreme Court justice, practicing golden-boy MBA-s from powerhouse financial institutions. Most of them earned their credentials from country’s prestigious Ivy League academic institutions. “Aren’t they going to stand up in protest against a dictator to save their own country?” wondered Prof. Meyers. And this was the time when Prof. Meyers came across to an article, published just a year ago in one of the country’s leading newspapers. The newspaper quoted a press-release from the government of a nation born after the World War II, out of the ashes of six millions of its perished to-be-citizens. The newspaper published an image of a historic original hand-written letter from a notorious Nazi war-criminal, the architect of humanity’s worst crime of murdering those six million human beings. In that original letter (in German), the war criminal was asking for a pardon from his death sentence to then-President of that nascent nation. The newspaper would also provide an English translation of the document. Following few sections stood out in Prof. Meyer’s mind:
“I never served in such a high position as required to be involved independently in such decisive responsibilities. Nor did I give any order in my own name, but only ever acted “by order of”.”
“…there is a need to draw a line between the leaders responsible and the people like me forced to serve as mere instruments in the hands of the leaders. I was not a responsible leader, and as such do not feel myself guilty.”
Suddenly, the memory of a large-scale replica of an original historic document flashed like a lightning bolt in Prof. Meyer’s brain. The exhibit had been on display in that young nation’s memorial museum. It was a list of murdering of eleven millions of its future citizens in various countries around the world for the complete annihilation of that race. And it was crafted none other than that particular war criminal to curry the favor of his leader in a show of “anticipated obedience”.
But, none of his actions was surprising, already being displayed on the campaign-trail. What surprised Prof. John Meyers was the collective inaction of his own party-members! Majority of his close enablers were highly educated citizens of the society including a leading neurosurgeon, a talented lawyer who did his clerkship under a renowned Supreme Court justice, practicing golden-boy MBA-s from powerhouse financial institutions. Most of them earned their credentials from country’s prestigious Ivy League academic institutions. “Aren’t they going to stand up in protest against a dictator to save their own country?” wondered Prof. Meyers. And this was the time when Prof. Meyers came across to an article, published just a year ago in one of the country’s leading newspapers. The newspaper quoted a press-release from the government of a nation born after the World War II, out of the ashes of six millions of its perished to-be-citizens. The newspaper published an image of a historic original hand-written letter from a notorious Nazi war-criminal, the architect of humanity’s worst crime of murdering those six million human beings. In that original letter (in German), the war criminal was asking for a pardon from his death sentence to then-President of that nascent nation. The newspaper would also provide an English translation of the document. Following few sections stood out in Prof. Meyer’s mind:
“I never served in such a high position as required to be involved independently in such decisive responsibilities. Nor did I give any order in my own name, but only ever acted “by order of”.”
“…there is a need to draw a line between the leaders responsible and the people like me forced to serve as mere instruments in the hands of the leaders. I was not a responsible leader, and as such do not feel myself guilty.”
Suddenly, the memory of a large-scale replica of an original historic document flashed like a lightning bolt in Prof. Meyer’s brain. The exhibit had been on display in that young nation’s memorial museum. It was a list of murdering of eleven millions of its future citizens in various countries around the world for the complete annihilation of that race. And it was crafted none other than that particular war criminal to curry the favor of his leader in a show of “anticipated obedience”.
