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And For My Next Trick

There's a puff of smoke, maybe a flame, followed by the wave of a hand bringing the crowd's surprise. With the smoke and the flame, the movements of his hands, the magician - the illusionist - took their attention away from what he was doing, until they'd already missed it. By then it was too late, all they saw was something appear out of nothing.

Misdirection can be a tricky thing.

I wonder how many Germans woke up one day and suddenly wondered where their country had gone. Or maybe for some it was just a nagging feeling they quashed until it they could deny it no longer. I recently watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and one thing that struck me was the portrayal of how much hatred and blame there was toward the Jews. Yes, it is just a movie, but the truth is still there - Germany was a nation hurting, and they found some kind of comfort in finding someone to blame for their wounds.

Perhaps that's something that should concern us now, with all this outrage and anger. It's not the ever present political passion during the continual clash of ideas in a country based on freedom of thought and belief. No, it's a focused outrage, directed towards specific institutions, specific people, a minority who have been singled out by the relatively few - in relation to our population - that occupy certain positions in government. It's anger about corporate jets and the bonuses of private citizens. It's dangerous.

The Germans found someone to blame, but they lost their country. I'm not as well versed in history as some, but I can't imagine the rise of Hitler would have been possible without the emotional tide of a citizenry swept up in hatred and blame.

Unlike what some have said of our former President, I am not comparing our current President to Hitler - I'm comparing the situations of the two nations. Because while the outrage and blame may feel good to some, it would be wise to consider what the other hand is doing. If we don't, one day the rabbit will be pulled out of that hat, and no one will know where it came from.

Consider that the government is trying to draft a specific tax to essentially take away the only compensation given to specific individuals. Does that sound like America? Just this week the President of the United States forced the firing of an automotive industry CEO. Who would have thought that possible just a year or two ago? A prominent member of the press - who are guaranteed freedom under the assumption that they would be a check and a balance to the power of the government - has asked why the banks aren't just nationalized, and the executives fired. And the one thing that remains consistent, whether the headlines scream bonuses or airplanes, is that each step of the way the government gains more and more power, and grows larger and larger.

While the surprise of the illusionist's trick is usually a pleasant marvel, we're not at a magic show. While the crowd looks at the hand pointing the finger and in the direction it's pointed, be sure to watch that other hand, keep an eye on the sleeve, and check out that box that doesn't seem deep enough. Because that's where our country will disappear. And when you see it, nudge whoever is next to you - they need to see it too.

Tim Lytle [03/31/09 22:45:00] | 5 Comments | Stream

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