Riddle Me This.....

I got the following in an email from a friend, who prefers to remain anonymous. In many cases, I wouldn't regard this sort of thing important--just amusing--but there are a few reasons why I modify my view in this case. I'll comment further after you've read the riddle.

I was born in one country, raised in another. My father was born in another country. I was not his only child. He fathered several children with numerous women. I became very close to my mother, as my father showed no interest in me. My mother died at an early age from cancer.

Later in life, questions arose over my real name. My birth records were sketchy and no one was able to produce a legitimate, reliable birth certificate. I grew up practicing one faith but converted to Christianity, as it was widely accepted in my country, but I practiced non-traditional beliefs and didn't follow Christianity, except in the public eye under scrutiny.

I worked and lived among lower-class people as a young adult, disguising myself as someone who really cared about them. That was before I decided it was time to get serious about my life and I embarked on a new career.

I wrote a book about my struggles growing up. It was clear to those who read my memoirs that I had difficulties accepting that my father abandoned me as a child.

I became active in local politics in my 30's then with help behind the scenes, I literally burst onto the scene as a candidate for national office in my 40s. They said I had a golden tongue and could talk anyone into anything. That reinforced my conceit. I had a virtually non-existent resume, little work history, and no experience in leading a single organization. Yet I was a powerful speaker and citizens were drawn to me as though I were a magnet and they were small roofing tacks.

I drew incredibly large crowds during my public appearances. This bolstered my ego. At first, my political campaign focused on my country's foreign policy. I was very critical of my country in the last war and seized every opportunity to bash my country. But what launched my rise to national prominence were my views on the country's economy. I pretended to have a really good plan on how we could do better and every poor person would be fed and housed for free.

I knew which group was responsible for getting us into this mess. It was the free market, banks and corporations. I decided to start making citizens hate them and if they were envious of others who did well, the plan was clinched tight.

I called mine "A People's Campaign" and that sounded good to all people. I was the surprise candidate because I emerged from outside the traditional path of politics and was able to gain widespread popular support.

I knew that, if I merely offered the people 'hope' , together we could change our country and the world. So, I started to make my speeches sound like they were on behalf of the downtrodden, poor, ignorant to include "persecuted minorities" like the Jews. My true views were not widely known and I needed to keep them unknown, until after I became my nation's leader.

I had to carefully guard reality, as anybody could have easily found out what I really believed, if they had simply read my writings and examined those people I associated with. I'm glad they didn't. Then I became the most powerful man in the world. And the world learned the truth.

Who am I?



ADOLF HITLER.

WHO WERE YOU THINKING OF?

The parallels are very striking, though as I wrote above, I wouldn't normally attach much real-world importance to it.

The true importance here lies in the deception practiced by the supposed writer of the tract, which is very similar to many of the deceptive words and acts of certain candidates for public office in the here and now (and recent).

Bill Clinton was never forthcoming with his medical records, tax records or many other areas of his past while running for President of the US. He constantly lied about his personal philosophical and political tenets and the plans and policies he intended to put in place after he achieved office.

Hillory Clinton actively hid (and as far as I know, continues to hide) her university writings and papers, and also lied continually about her political philosophy while running both for the office of Senator, and in the Presidential Primary campaign.

B Hussein Obama has been even more secretive about his origins (his certified birth certificate has still not been made available) and the full extent of his hatred for the builders and achievers that make America stand out as the world's standard of liberty and a high standard of living is only now coming to light in the manner of his early pronouncements.

Look for the announcement of a scapegoat as these policies fail.

And look for further parallels between today's America and yesterday's Germany.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." -Santayana

Warm regards,

Col. Hogan
Stalag California