Einstein's Generation Of Idiots Propagandizing False Hitler Quotes

Yesterday, Betty Jo Bouvier sent me an amusing email that had a series of photos of people using their smart phones, rather than doing some human, in person, social interacting, in places like restaurants, museums, theaters, trains, sporting events, at the beach, and other places.

These photos of people smart phoning was followed by the Albert Einstein quote about our current generation of idiots, apparently made so by technology.

Albert Einstein is widely believed to have been a genius. But, I really don't think an idiot can figure out how to use a smart phone. I can't even figure out how to send a text message.

I thought this Einstein quote might be bogus, and so I Googled to see if it had been Snope-isized. Nope, Einstein did say words to this effect, but the exact words quoted somewhat vary, though the meaning remains the same.

And then on Facebook I have been seeing Hitler references regarding the recent gun ban brouhaha. I sort of knew without Googling that these quotes were bogus, due to the sort of obvious historical inaccuracy. But, I Googled anyway.

From the Propaganda Professor, in an article titled The Myth of Hitler's Gun Ban we learn.....

Whenever a politician, or anyone else, starts talking about regulating guns, it’s a safe bet that someone will bring up how Hitler supposedly outlawed guns in Germany, which supposedly enabled him to do all the mischief he did.  As we’ve noted before, Adolf is a staple reference among propagandists. It’s become an automatic response to compare anyone you don’t like to Der Fuhrer, on the grounds that since he was evil incarnate, everything he ever said or did must also be evil. People have even been known to suggest that since he was a vegetarian, vegetarians are evil. It’s not surprising, then, that you often see this quote pop up:

“This year will go down in history! For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!”  –Adolf Hitler, 1935

Trouble is, Hitler never made such a speech in 1935. Nor is there any record that he ever spoke these particular words at all.  This little “speech” was obviously written for him, many years after his death, by someone who wanted you to believe that gun registration is Hitler-evil.

And the truth is that no gun law was passed in Germany in 1935. There was no need for one, since a gun registration program was already in effect in Germany; it was enacted in 1928, five years before Hitler’s ascendancy.  But that law did not “outlaw” guns, it just restricted their possession to individuals who were considered law-abiding citizens, and who had a reason to own one. And there’s no reason to consider that law particularly significant, either; the NAZIs didn’t seize control of their own country with gunpowder. They used a much more potent weapon: propaganda.

Using propaganda to try and take control of a country. Why, that sure could not possibly happen in America...