Saw this posted on the 'Continuity of Consciousness' site (thanks Ashton & Leska), a description of life in Germany in the thirties. The site author puts the quote to use against the gun-grabbers: I thought it a nice encapsulation of Koskinem's "boiled lobster" method of dealing with the public. The quote is from Milton Mayer, from his book "They Thought They Were Free:"::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 'To live in this process is absolutely not to be able to notice it...unless one has a much greater degree of political awareness, acuity, then most of us had ever had occasion to develop. Each step was so small, or inconsequential, so well explained or, on occasion, 'regretted,' that, unless one were detached from the whole process from the beginning, unless one understood the whole thing as a principle...one no more saw it developing from day to day than a farmer in a field sees the corn growing. One day it is over his head.'

-- Spidey (in@jam.commie), August 20, 1999

Answers

From Citizen Action:

"When Hitler attacked the Jews I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore, I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions and the industrialists, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church  and there was nobody left to be concerned." --- Pastor Martin Niemoller - Congressional Record, October 14 1968, vol 114, page 31636)

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), August 20, 1999.

There does appear to be a conscious effort at acclimitization.

-- Puddintame (achillesg@hotmail.com), August 21, 1999.