You don’t have to burn a book to burn free speech.

On May 10, 1933, about 40,000 “banned books” were burned on university campuses all across Germany. The event was just another step in the cleansing taking place under Nazi rule deleting speech, thoughts, and opinions that were considered offensive to the Third Reich. Books, magazines, plays, and papers written by Jews or even had the word Jew, Israel, or Jerusalem in them were included in the roundup. Anything that contained material contrary to the new moral code or contrary to the new social order was deemed offensive and was included in the burning. Books by Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein were burned because both men were Jewish. Books by Ernest Hemmingway, Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann, H. G. Wells, and Hellen Keller were also on the banned book list, all for various reasons.

The burning of these books was just another cleansing step brought about by the German Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. It was the National Socialist Party’s effort to erase anything to do with the previous failed government. A person would not dare say anything contrary to the new order for fear of long prison sentences or banishment to concentration camps. Political Correctness was the watchword of the time. As Hitler and the National Socialist Party grew in strength, one small cunning and deceptive step after another, the Third Reich eclipsed every aspect of life. The cherished right of free speech that had been guaranteed by the German constitution had been eliminated. It was as if their history had vanquished, led by garbage-fed students and enforced by their Brown Shirt Stormtroopers.

Over a thousand years of history was wiped out at the intersection of free speech and political correctness at the rise of the Third Reich. A culture was erased. New, radical ideas raced across university campuses. The new German government marshalled the ranks of the youth to push the agenda and old virtues were replaced with a new morality. Manufactured fears fueled the fire of the torch of decadence that would surely lead to one of the darkest periods in the history of humanity.

Today, instead of burning books on university campuses we feed the flames of intolerance by a new political correctness. Now, a sideways glance will label a person as xenophobic or racist. Referring to a person who has crossed the border in violation of our laws as an illegal alien will net a hefty fine if you happen to live in New York City. Monuments reminding us of our past are unapologetically torn down. Constant beratement and even assault on those who would remind us of enduring values is not only tolerated but almost encouraged. Meanwhile, those who have been charged with maintaining even-handed law and order are pummeled with obscenities, rocks, and bottles and even assassinated. Fewer and fewer men and women are opting for jobs as first responders. There are major staffing shortages across the country in our police departments.

It is important to remember history so that the disasters of the past are not repeated. It is important to remember that not every revolution begins with a gun. Just as the rise of the Third Reich was done one deception, lie, and cunning maneuver at a time, the same can happen in our own country and in our own time. Pressure to suppress free speech does not have to begin with the government to be effective. In our day, pressure ON government to limit our culture, our history, our First Amendment Rights is equally effective.

You don’t have to burn a book to burn free speech.