At a new conference on Tuesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that Adolf Hitler did not use Chemical Weapons in an attempt to highlight the horror of the chemical attack on Syrian citizens last week. I wasn't even born when Hitler murdered millions of Jews in an effort to create his world order. Yet, I went to school, college, read books, the news, watched TV and there is no excuse I can come up with as to why I would ever think or say that Hitler did not use chemical weapons. When I think of the Holocaust the first image that is embedded in my mind is of millions of Jews in gas chambers being murdered.
The press secretary, however, for some mind boggling reason, was either ignorant of this event or just speaking his truth or doctrine.
Despicable but not as bad
During the press conference, Spicer said that "We" did not use chemical weapons in World War II and continued by saying that someone as despicable as Hitler did not resort to the use of chemical weapons. He then tried to correct his statement by attempting to show that Hitler's actions were different than those of Assad's. In a rambling, at times inaudible defence, the Press secretary said that "I think when you come to sarin gas, there was no, he -- was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing,"
A call to fire Sean Spicer
An attempt to compare Hitler and Assad by suggesting that somehow, Assad is worse than Hitler, turned out to be a disaster for the press secretary.
Condemnation was swift and furious and left many wondering why did he have to go there at all. The Anne Frank Center(US) called on President Trump to fire Spicer saying that his statement was the evilest slur on a group of people and that he now lacks the integrity to serve in his current capacity. Further, the group stated that "On Passover, no less Sean Spicer has engaged in Holocaust denial, the most offensive form of fake news imaginable, by denying that Hitler gassed millions to death" Nancy Pelosi also called for the firing of Sean Spicer.
What Spicer should have known about Hitler
Some six million European Jews that included 1.5 million children were systematically murdered by Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany by some of the most horrendous means in history's deadliest genocide and yes, chemical weapons were used. They were starved, shot, tortured, murdered and gassed to death in extermination camps.
In addition, it is estimated that between 5,000 to 15, 000 German homosexuals were sent to concentration camps, tortured or killed. Other groups considered "racially inferior", the mentally ill and disabled were all subjects of the wrath of Nazi Germany.
A ridiculous comparison
Suggesting that Assad was worse than Hitler is a truly ridiculous position to take. Syria is embroiled in a civil war and is reported to have killed some 500,000 of their own people. The recent chemical weapons used in Syria killed almost 90 people - a horrific event to be sure. Hitler killed over 6 million Jews just because they were Jews and many more other groups just because of who they were. Many of the victims were moved to concentrations camps where they were gassed to death.
Is Sean Spicer trying to say that because the type of gas used was different or more severe than the one used during the Holocaust that it somehow makes Hitler "kinder" and "gentler" than Assad? It sure seems like that is what he would like us to believe, what he may believe or just not educated on the facts of the Holocaust.
Sometimes our worldview of events leads us to take certain positions on issues and publicly express our beliefs. There are those who believe that the Holocaust never happened or that Hitler was not that bad. Association with those who hold these beliefs can lead someone to accept them as truths without taking the time to know the facts. Hopefully, the press secretary's comment was based on ignorance of the Holocaust rather than a doctrine he believes.
