There's one guy who's looming very large in this election right now. Sure, sure--you can see Barack Obama everywhere you look, and John McCain is...well...John McCain.
But in these few days right before the election, there is but one man whose name and actions are really being invoked fast and furious these days. And his name is...Adolf Hitler.
Yes, that narrow-mustached genocidal maniac is getting a lot of press these days. Just yesterday, we saw that the best political mind in America, Joe the Plumber, agreed that electing Obama would be the "death to Israel." A few days ago, the Pennsylvania Republican Party treated us to the idea that a vote for Obama would be repeating the tragic mistakes of the 30s and 40s.
And now, we have taken Godwin's Law, dragged it behind a speeding car, and rolled it in a barrel down into the ocean.
Supporters of California's Proposition 8--which would ban same-sex unions here--have now equated gays to Hitler.
Don't believe me? Check out this video from a rally in support of Proposition 8 in Sacramento this week.
The individual speaking is Brad Dacus, an official spokesman for the Yes on 8 campaign. For those who can't watch video, here's a transcript:
There was another time in history when people, when the bell tolled. And the question was whether or not they were going to hear it. The time was during Nazi Germany with Adolf Hitler. You see he brought crowds of clergy together to assure them that he was going to look after the church. And one of the members, bold and courageous, Reverend Niemoller made his way to the front and (inaudible) said "Hitler, we are not concerned about the church. Jesus Christ will take care of the church. We are concerned about the soul of Germany."
Embarrassed and chagrined, his peers quickly shuffled him to the back. And as they did Adolf Hitler said, "The soul of Germany, you can leave that to me." And they did, and because they did bombs did not only fall upon the nation of Germany, but also upon the church and their testimony to this very day. Let us not make that mistake folks. Let us hear the bell! Vote on Proposition 8!"
Yes, this all makes perfect sense, because gays are like Hitler! We're in a battle for the soul of California, after all--and if gays are allowed to marry, then they will take over the government, invade neighboring states, and cause the federal government to drop bombs on the State of California. Or something like that. While referring to the Nazis to make a political point is nearly always on the extreme side, using that line of thought against the gay community--which itself was systematically persecuted during the Nazi purges--is particularly insensitive.
So, who is this Dacus guy?
Well, it turns out he's a nut. Not that you'd exactly be surprised by that revelation. It turns out that he runs a runs a legal institute that helps parents opt their kids out of things they disagree with--you know, kind of like the opt-out law that allowed parents to opt out of having their kids go on a field trip to their teacher's same-sex wedding, despite the claims that children would be forced to learn about same-sex weddings in school!
There's some hypocrisy right there.
But it turns out that this guy hates Halloween:
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative legal group that defends religious groups and parental rights, said many Christians are bothered by Halloweens significance to Wiccans, who celebrate that day as a religious holiday.
"Many parents are aware that Christianity and Judaism are not allowed to be proselytized in the classroom, and they really feel offended when they see another religion that is allowed to be proselytized without any challenge," he said.
Yes, because all children know that when they dress up in costumes and go around collecting candy from people, it's really indoctrination into an occult pagan festival! And therefore, we should have the right to teach everyone that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior during school class time. Or something like that.
And the lunacy isn't finished.
Here's another video from the same rally.
Again, for the video-incapable, here's a transcript:
"...They can't reproduce, so they got to recruit. And they're trying to recruit our kids. They're trying to promote their lifestyle to their kids and I say no. And then they bring it under a civil rights issue. It's not a civil rights issue, it's a moral issue."
Yeah, because we all know that straight people only have straight children! And that means that the gay people who arrived here from outer space are attempting to recruit our children into their deviant lifestyle!
Seriously. Are these people really that insecure about their own sexuality? Are these people so worried that they might have a gay child that they have to insist on conveying the message that being gay is evil?
Apparently so. And these are the people that will succeed if we don't defeat proposition 8.
But thankfully, there are things you can do to defeat Proposition 8. The campaign is trying to raise emergency cash to counter the $3 million in last-minute donations raised by the opposition. You can always donate to the cause.
But if you're in California, volunteering is a crucial step. The campaign has been extremely enthusiastic about the help that we in the netroots are providing, and they even have a special page set up for netroots volunteers.
If you're from California, consider Staying For Change on election day to help defeat Prop 8.