Enough with the Hitler Comparisons

The big news by now of course is that moveon.org withdrew their advertisements that compared George Bush to Hitler. Well, actually, they claim that they didn't even make them in the first place, they just had them made and placed on their website "accidentally".

Meanwhile, with the republicans screaming bloody murder, they overlook the fact that many in their own rank insist on consistently comparing Howard Dean to Hitler.

Dean wants to muzzle his Democratic competitors, too. He believes the Democratic National Committee should shut them up....These are the techniques employed by Hitler's Brownshirts.

Ok, they weren't stupid enough to make official ads with the comparison, but I see it constantly in the republican commentary, and it is sickening as well.

Comparing democratic prominent political figures to Hitler alters our perception of history. The events set in motion by Hitler and the Nazi party before and during WW2 are among the most despicable atrocities ever committed by our species. The events in Germany must be remembered for what they were, a unique occurence in human history that must never be repeated under any circumstances. Creating flippant connections between these atrocities and almost any current world leader causes us to forget just a bit how extraordinarily despicable Hitler truly was.

Can we ever make the comparison? If it is warranted, certainly. However, it should be used with great caution. Imagine if someone lost their family to an axe murderer, and you went up to them and said "I know what you feel, I lost my wallet the other day". That is clearly unacceptable, and I think that the current spate of Hitler comparisons comes under a simliar rubric.