[Rhodes22-list] Re: Politics - Where do we draw the line?

[Grayson/Ena Lynn]

(clip below)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Geankoplis" <napoli68 at charter.net>
To: "stan" <stan at rhodes22.com>; "The Rhodes 22 mail list"
<rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 11:48 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Re: Politics


> Stan,
>
> I've been keeping my head down but I've got to relate an incident that
> occurred here in Medford a few days ago.  The President visited and there
> was a large turnout at the fairgrounds.  Three of my fellow teachers,
ladies
> all (in all ways) went to the speech with their tickets and were admitted.
> (the loyalty oath had been signed by another person and the tickets were
> given to these teachers) (I suspect Ashcroft is instituting an
investigation
> as we speak).  Then the threat was detected by the "security" provided by
> the republican party and the teachers were threatened with arrest for
> wearing an (and I quote from first hand sources) an obscene slogan on the
> t-shirts.  More security guards and secrete service were called and the
> teachers were " emphatically" escorted out:  they were told they would be
> arrested if they tried to enter the "private affair"again.  The obscene
> slogan on their t-shirt?
>
> "Protect our Civil Rights"  and nothing more.
======================================================

Sturmabteilung
>From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article focuses on the stormtroopers of Nazi Germany. For other types
of stormtrooper, see Stormtrooper.

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The Sturmabteilung (SA, German for "Assault Unit" and is usually translated
as stormtroops or stormtroopers) functioned as a paramilitary organisation
of the NSDAP - the German Nazi party. It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's
rise to power in the 1930s. SA men were often known as brownshirts from the
colour of their uniform and to distinguish them from the SS who were known
as blackshirts.

History

The term Sturmabteilung originally came from the specialized assault troops
used by Germany in 1918 in World War I utilising Hutier tactics. Instead of
a large mass assault, the Sturmabteilung were organized into small teams of
a few soldiers each. First applied during the Battle of Cambrai the wider
use in March 1918 allowed the Germans to push back British and French lines
tens of kilometers.

In Munich, in the fall of 1920, Hitler himself created the Ordnertruppen; a
body of muscular Nazis, ex-soldiers, and beer hall brawlers in order to
protect his speeches and disrupt his opponents. It originally functioned as
a group of bodyguards to enforce order at Nazi gatherings. It was shortly
changed to Sportabteilung, a cover name meaning "Sports section" and came to
be known by the initials SA. In late 1921, the name was changed to the
current name Sturmabteilung. Under their popular leader, Ernst Röhm, the SA
grew in importance within the Nazi power structure, eventually claiming
thousands of members. The SA carried out numerous acts of violence against
socialist groups throughout the 1920s, typically in minor street-fights
called zusammenstösse ('collisions'). The SS eventually took over their
original role.

After Hitler took power in 1933 the SA became increasingly anxious for power
and saw themselves as the replacement for the German army. This angered the
regular army (Reichswehr) who were already quite annoyed at the Nazi party.
It also led to tension with other leaders within the party, who saw Röhm's
increasingly powerful SA as a threat to their own personal ambitions.

In order to ally himself with conservative forces within the German Army and
to strengthen his position within the Nazi Party, Hitler ordered the
execution of the leadership of the SA which took place on June 30-July 1,
1934 on what is known as the Night of the Long Knives. Victor Lutze became
the new leader of the SA, and the organization was soon marginalized in the
Nazi power structure.

SA Maxims
"Terror must be broken by terror" (1)
"All opposition must be stamped into the ground" (1)

Modern usage
Today, the term "Brown Shirts" has been used to disparage the extreme rank
and file of right wing and left wing organizations. It can also mean an
individual of a political organization who is seen as very narrow-minded and
excessively loyal.

The term "Digital Brownshirts," coined by former Vice-President Al Gore, is
used by him to disparage the right wing weblogs that criticize a perceived
liberal agenda in the mainstream media.